"Abintra taught me that, even as a child, my opinion mattered. The level of self-worth that comes from knowing your thoughts and feelings matter to the people who teach you is tremendous." -- Christy, Theatre Artist, Costume Designer, Director Christy graduated from Abintra in 2004 and continued her education at Nashville School of the Arts. She earned her BFA in Theatre Performance from Belmont University in 2011, and has been a freelance theatre artist in Nashville ever since. Since graduating, Christy has acted in several local commercials, as well as the Standardized Patient program at the Center for Experiential Learning at Vanderbilt University Medical School, a program that allows medical students to work on their bedside manner with actors instead of actual patients. Christy has also done costume design for Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre and Tennessee Women's Theater Project , and has been a stitcher for the Nashville Shakespeare Festival and the Ten

It's clear that Montessori environments look much different from traditional classrooms. At Abintra, we hope to provide our community members with useful resources to help them get the most out of their child's Montessori experience. John Snyder Today's resource pick is the article "Supporting the Elementary Child's Work at Home" by Austin Montessorian John Snyder, former Chair of the AMI Elementary Alumni Association and member of the Montessori Leadership Collaborative. In this article, Snyder discusses how parents can contribute to their elementary student's Montessori experience outside of the classroom. As Snyder explains, "It's not worksheets. It's not assignments. It's practicing being an entrepreneurial learner in the context of the family." Snyder points out that "Basically, there needs to be a shift in thinking of the Montessori school as the place where the child is being educated to thinking of it as jus

 "I feel that because of Abintra, I have had a genuine passion and curiosity for learning and reflection instilled within me." --Deirdre Jones, Human Rights and Social Justice Advocate Deirdre in France Deirdre graduated from Abintra in 2005 and attended high school at the University School of Nashville. She went on to attend the University of Michigan, and has just finished her last year of college through a Vanderbilt study abroad program in France. While transitioning from college life to the working world, Deirdre is focusing on shaping her long-term goal of working for an international human rights organization. Read on to learn Deirdre's story! Abintra: Tell us a little about yourself. Deirdre: I have just moved to Marseille to continue an internship I started through the Vanderbilt study abroad program with an organization called "L'Association des Travailleurs Maghrébins de France," an organization for social justice and development for