One of the many beauties of Montessori education is that it provides the child a foundation that evolves into a life-long love of learning. What many parents do not know is that for a teacher, Montessori is a life-long learning experience. Through professional development programmes, seminars and conferences, Montessori teachers are continuously expanding their knowledge and learning new ways of guiding the children in their classroom.
It is this openness to new information that creates the wonderfully supportive atmosphere in a Montessori classroom, where teachers are guides and observers who recognise that the classroom is a scientific laboratory filled with love for the child and for learning coupled with respect for new information as well as old, proven facts. In the spirit of science, the teachers are constantly blending their new knowledge and skills with the life-time of learning they have acquired as Montessorians. Each day in the classroom the beneficiaries of this knowledge are the children. As they mature, and because of their Montessori experience, they too will be open to learning new information. Equally important, they will be able, like a Montessori guide, to weigh that information with an open mind and to determine wether it is fact or fantasy.

The goal to better the world by educating the child is an underlying foundation of Dr. Maria Montessori. It was a good goal a century ago when she first stated it, and it continues to be valid today. Every Montessori teacher (guide) and every Montessori student (child) is playing their part in helping to achieve that goal.

Noorus Sabah Siddiqi is the Director of Montessori House Brussels.

Sabah grew up travelling with her parents. Her father was in the Foreign Service which enabled her to experience many different countries and cultures. She graduated in Economics and Psychology from Punjab University and completed her Teacher’s training diploma in 1971. Sabah discovered the gift of Montessori education when her son went to a Montessori School. Seeing him thrive in the calm, structured working environment encouraged her to study Montessori herself and in 1988 she completed studies to become a Montessori Directress from the London Montessori Centre.
“Training to be a ‘Montessori Teacher’ is a different concept from traditional teacher training” says Sabah, “We train to help the children unfold their innate spiritual wisdom that leads them to reach full potential through their own efforts, at their own pace. It is quite amazing to take part in this development”.

Recently she completed the Lower Elementary Montessori Diploma for children 6 to 9. She has been a Montessori teacher for the past 22 years.

Sabah is the founder of Montessori House Belgium in the Waterloo area where she has been teaching for the past 15 years. In 2006 she collaborated with a colleague, Mr. Marcel Van Ratingen, to establish Montessori House Brussels.

Marcel van Ratingen is the head of school as well as the Primary class teacher, since the founding of Montessori House Brussels in 2006.

Marcel graduated from the Pedagogical Academy of Maastricht (The Netherlands) in 1976 as an elementary teacher. The same year he started his teaching career in a small Dutch town called Ede. He became head of a state-owned primary school in 1988, which he transformed into a Montesssori school. He graduated as a Montessori teacher (Casa dei Bambini and Elementary) in 1996 from the ‘Nederlandse Montessori Vereniging’.

Looking for new horizons he moved to London to gain experiences in the English educational system. In 2001 he moved to Brussels to work at Montessori House Belgium.

With his partner he enjoyed working in their English styled tea shop in the centre of Brussels, as well as working on and off at Montessori House Belgium. In 2006 he co-founded Montessori House Brussels together with Sabah Siddiqi. It is with great pleasure that Marcel guides children and teachers in order to create a wonderful environment for your child(ren).

Béatrice Nyanguile, our French speaking Primary teacher, studied at Toulouse University and at Goldsmith College in London and obtained a Masters in English in 2003. As she returned to France to sit for teaching exams, she found more pleasure in giving private tuition to children of different ages, different backgrounds and different needs. Béatrice was highly recommended by a friend to take up the Montessori course in London. She always says it is the best thing that ever happened to her, professionally speaking, and also that she never could look at a child the same way after studying at Montessori Centre International. After attending the early childhood course in the year 2005-2006, Béatrice did her teaching practice at Honeycomb Montessori Preschool in Cape Town, South Africa, a well established school, and graduated as a Montessori teacher in 2006.
She has been working at Montessori House Brussels since October 2006. Along with the daily teaching she entertaines her class with lovely piano music.

Fiji born Niumai Hamilton-Peach qualified as a Montessori teacher from St Nicholas Montessori Centre, London in 1995. Her work experience started with Oxford Montessori, and then an 18 month position in Montessori World, UK. This was followed by a period of travelling during which she worked as a voluntary teacher at a reputable Children's House in Bangalore, India. This inspiring experience led her to set up her own school in a remote corner of the Kingdom of Tonga serving poor children from the community. On her return to the UK she continued teaching at The Lighthouse Montessori School near Oxford.

After a short career break to start a family, Niumai was soon back to work assisting part-time in a small nursery in Rome where she was able to immerse herself in Dr Maria Montessori's own culture.

From 2005-2007, she worked part-time in the Early Childhood Centre at the American Embassy School in New Delhi, India where she taught children from the international community. In 2007 she joined Montessori House Brussels as our Nursery Teacher.

For Aurélie Serruys, our French speaking Nursery teacher, observing the child is a passion she has developed over the years. At a very young age she loved taking care of children and her interest in the young child and his development remains of great importance.

After graduating as a Physical Education teacher she studied further specialising in the psycho motor skills of young children. To accomplish her study Aurélie worked on a one to one basis with special needs children for one year. This gave her a much clearer view of the young child’s behaviour and needs.
Aurélie also worked in a private therapy swimming pool, helping young children to develop their psycho motor skills. It is during this period that she started comparing different methods of education that help the child to develop.