Bonnie Bracken is a lifelong resident of Salt Lake City, Utah. With over three decades of experience in the Montessori community, she began her journey as an Extended Day guide while pursuing her university degree. This early exposure ignited her passion for children and the Montessori Method. Bonnie has taught in both Early Childhood and Upper Elementary classrooms, but she finds the Lower Elementary age group particularly rewarding.

Through her dedication to Montessori education, Bonnie has completed coursework at the Montessori World Education Institute, the Utah Montessori Teachers Education Program, and most recently, the Institute for Montessori Innovation at Westminster College. In addition to her classroom teaching role, she has also served as a teacher intern grader and tester.

When she’s not immersed in the world of Montessori, Bonnie enjoys indulging in movie nights (for the popcorn), exploring the Oregon coast, spending quality time with family, and embarking on fishing and camping adventures with her husband, Jason, and their beloved dog, Archer.

A native of the UK, Ruth has a degree in French and German from Oxford University, England. After graduating, she moved to Louisiana, where her two young sons attended the Montessori School for Shreveport. She joined their staff as a part-time French teacher and became interested in teaching at the Elementary level. She obtained her Montessori Elementary I Teaching Credential from the North Carolina Center for Montessori Teacher Education (AMS) in 1997 while living in Germantown, Tennessee. She has since worked at Montessori schools in Tennessee, New Jersey, and North Carolina. She joined FMSL in 2013 as a Lower Elementary Teacher. In summer 2023, she completed the first level of “Take Flight,” a dyslexia training offered by the Shelton School in Dallas, Texas. She gets immense satisfaction from watching children develop their skills and love of learning over the three-year cycle. In her free time, Ruth enjoys writing, calligraphy, yoga, playing the piano, reading, and traveling.

Carson Woodard has nurtured young minds at Montessori Community School since 2018. His dedication to his craft deepened in November 2023 when he earned his Upper Elementary credentials from the International Montessori Council.

Beyond the classroom, Carson’s passion for language takes center stage. When not inspiring young minds as a Montessori guide, he explores his love for writing and poetry. And to balance his intellectual pursuits, Carson enjoys spending quality time with his partner, her two kids, and their dog, Anubis. He is an adventurous person, often found snowboarding, backpacking, climbing, running, or simply soaking up the beauty of the outdoors.