Miss Courtney is a native of Arkansas. Her mother was a Montessori teacher and she grew up spending her entire life thus far in a Montessori environment. Practicing the life skills she gained through Montessori Methods, she was naturally guided back to the Montessori classroom. Throughout high school and college, she worked in Montessori classrooms to further her knowledge and gain understanding of Montessori. She possesses more than 20 years of experience with children, and has been lead teacher continuously from 1999 to today.

Spend just a few minutes in Courtney’s presence and one soon finds what makes her so special. Her calming nature and soft-spoken strength give her the tools necessary to command a classroom, a prepared environment. One of her greatest joys — as she builds a relationship with each student — is to tailor, create personalized lessons suited specifically to an individual child’s interest. Whether it’s dinosaurs, marine biology, entomology or the mammals of the African tundra to name just a few, Courtney will spend her personal time developing a new and interesting way for the student to explore and stretch their brain on the subject, typically handcrafting these new lessons. This attention to educational development empowers children with the freedom to explore their own curiosity while holding their interest and focus, drawing them deeper into their personal learning experience. Courtney’s ability to connect with kids by showing them respect and honor and thereby teaching the same exemplifies and epitomizes the Montessori Method. Grace and courtesy are truly her strong points.

Courtney is also a certified yoga instructor and teaches yoga to her students a couple of times a week.

Courtney White and Jennifer Matthews-Drake are co-owners of Village Montessori, LLC.