“MCH really made me an inquisitive learner with the confidence to chart my own educational course.”-Elena Buchsbaum, Red Oaks alumna

Elena Buchsbaum has known she wanted to be a teacher since her days at Red Oaks – then Montessori Children’s House – where she was inspired by her own teachers who made learning a happy experience for each individual child. Fortunately for her current fourth grade students at Success Academy in Bushwick Brooklyn, Elena recalls how impactful it was to be encouraged to learn in her own way and makes it a point to teach different learning styles in her classroom. “We have a very hands-on, experiential curriculum,” she explains. “So when I’m planning, I think about how to access all types of learners through that curriculum to give all students equal access to the information and the experience.”

Elena’s own education experience, with roots at Red Oaks, was guided by the principle of exploring what her interests were and allowing the rest to follow. To that end, after graduating from Madison High School, she attended Brown University where she double majored in Political Science and Judaic Studies. “I chose Brown because of my experience at MCH – I knew I wanted that open curriculum where I could really focus on my major and take a deep dive into the subjects that interested me,” she recalls. “MCH really made me an inquisitive learner with the confidence to chart my own educational course.”