Infant-Parent Class

Rebecca Duran has worked at The a Post Oak School for over seven years in both Primary and the YCC. She graduated with high honors from The University of St. Thomas with a degree in early childhood education and a minor in teaching English as a second language. She pursued her interest in Montessori education by receiving AMS training at the Primary and Lower Elementary levels, receiving her AMS Children’s House credential in the summer of 2012.

Prior to her employment at The Post Oak School, Rebecca worked as a certified Early Childhood through 6th grade educator in Houston as a public Montessori teacher. In 2013, she pursued her goal of becoming a certified AMI Primary guide by beginning her training at the Houston Montessori Institute in conjunction with pursuing a master's degree in Montessori education from Loyola University. In 2015, she received her AMI Primary credential and completed her MEd in the summer of 2017.

Emily Hansen joined the Post Oak community as an assistant in 2005 and quickly fell in love with the Montessori philosophy. She began her Primary training in 2006 and was fortunate to intern with both Miriam Winton and Mirani Smith. In July of 2008, Emily received her AMI primary diploma from the Montessori Training Center of St. Louis under trainer Dr. Annette Haines. Emily also holds a master's degree in education from Loyola College in Maryland. Emily received a BA in psychology and sociology from George Fox University, and then served two years as an AmeriCorps volunteer, tutoring and mentoring children in the "I Have a Dream" Foundation in Portland, Oregon. Before moving to Houston, Emily lived in Costa Rica, where she taught English classes.

Emily is also a Post Oak parent of two children, a son in Lower Elementary and a daughter in Upper Elementary. When not at school, Emily enjoys traveling with her family, camping, riding her bike, and experimenting in the kitchen with various vegetarian recipes!

Elizabeth Villalobos completed her AMI certification for ages 0–3 in 2017 at the Montessori Institute of North Texas and holds a bachelor’s degree in Interior Design from the University of Monterrey. Elizabeth discovered the Montessori method at an early age when she attended a Montessori school in Mexico from ages two to six. She began her teaching career in 2012, and ever since then, she has known that this is where her heart and passion lies. While working as a Primary lead teacher in a traditional school, she realized that “something” was calling her to look further into a way of guiding young children. This led her to work in a Montessori school in Mexico to pursue her AMI training. After three years of experience as a lead teacher in Mexico, Elizabeth moved to Houston and joined The Post Oak School in 2018.

Mirani Smith is executive director at the Houston Montessori Institute. She formerly served as the early childhood director at The Post Oak School. She earned the AMI Primary diploma in her native Sri Lanka and holds a MEd from Loyola University in Maryland. She has taught in Montessori schools since 1978 and joined The Post Oak School in 1992 as a Primary guide. Outside of her professional work, Mirani enjoys raising butterflies and spending time with her grandchildren.