Hello, I am Callie,
I am very excited to join the faculty of Zimmer Preschool. I believe that a teacher’s job is to view each individual child’s potential through the lens of a growth mindset, and to empower each to achieve his/her best. I strive to create a joyful classroom culture that encourages all the students to feel pride in themselves and their classmates and to love learning.
In my teaching career, I have spent over twenty years as a children’s theater director and acting teacher, and have taught Spanish, Jewish education, and music. In my most recent position at The Sundance School, I was the Educational Innovation and Technology Specialist, creating and teaching an inquiry-led STEAM curriculum for preschool - 5th grade students.
I completed my Bachelor's degree in Linguistics and Music at SUNY Albany, and hold two Master’s degrees in Education.
In my spare time, I play my guitar and sing, and reread Jane Austen novels. I have three grown-up daughters, two grandkids, and two dogs.
Hello, I am Callie,
I am very excited to join the faculty of Zimmer Preschool. I believe that a teacher’s job is to view each individual child’s potential through the lens of a growth mindset, and to empower each to achieve his/her best. I strive to create a joyful classroom culture that encourages all the students to feel pride in themselves and their classmates and to love learning.
In my teaching career, I have spent over twenty years as a children’s theater director and acting teacher, and have taught Spanish, Jewish education, and music. In my most recent position at The Sundance School, I was the Educational Innovation and Technology Specialist, creating and teaching an inquiry-led STEAM curriculum for preschool - 5th grade students.
I completed my Bachelor's degree in Linguistics and Music at SUNY Albany, and hold two Master’s degrees in Education.
In my spare time, I play my guitar and sing, and reread Jane Austen novels. I have three grown-up daughters, two grandkids, and two dogs.
Childhood understood
Call: 908-604-8844
My name is Laina (pronounced Lay-nuh). I grew up in Maplewood, graduated from Lehigh University, and earned my Masters in Early Childhood Education from Arizona State University. I now live in Maplewood with my family. I have two children, ages five and one, who will be joining me at Zimmer Preschool. Most recently, I led a pod of five children for the 2020-2021 school year. Prior to the pandemic, I was the Curriculum Specialist and Preschool Supervisor at the JCC in West Orange. Before that I was a preschool teacher at Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles, where I lived for nine years.
My personal philosophy is that children should enjoy their early learning experiences. This is a valuable time for social-emotional, physical, and intellectual development when teachers must foster a love of learning that children will embrace throughout their lives. This means that children should have a hand in the direction of their own learning and teachers should respect and support natural curiosity and creativity by providing developmentally appropriate materials and enriching environments. I also believe that parents are the first and most important teachers and schools should partner with parents in support of their children. I'm most passionate about the zero-three age group but have worked with every age.
In my personal life I enjoy keeping busy with my children, reading and watching historical fiction, barre and dance classes, traveling, gardening, and eating great food.