Margaret taught my son for a year when he was a three year old at North West Maria Montessori Preschool. My son had significant separation anxiety and Margaret was always patient and kind to him. Margaret was able to make him feel secure and able to learn in his new environment. Under Margaret’s teaching my son matured and developed enormously and I am convinced that the foundations he laid with her as a three year old enabled him to cope with significant changes in his four year old kinder situation. At all times I have found Margaret to be a warm and genuine teacher who truly cares about her students. Margaret believes in Montessori education and is, in my opinion, a highly skilled Montessori educator. I would highly recommend her in any educational setting with young children.
Kathleen
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Margaret is a very experienced Montessori teacher who takes great pride in her teaching and is committed to the development of all her students. Her compassion for each child and her expertise translates into her ability to work successfully with children with diverse personalities and abilities.

I was impressed with the depth to which she understood my daughter’s personality, her strengths and weaknesses, her social needs and the way in which she learns. Margaret was able to not only decipher the needs of my daughter, but provide for her the environment to flourish and evolve from a toddler to a very independent and confident child.

Margaret is not just a teacher, but an educator at heart, with great passion for a child’s whole-being. I am very pleased with the quality of the Montessori experience and would recommend it to anyone interested in Montessori.
Sally
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Our son Trent was a very different boy when he first started Kinder.
Due to a delay in his speech development, he lacked the confidence to interact with children and adults.
While speaking with our paediatrician about his speech delay, we mentioned that Trent was attending a ‘Montessori’ Kinder. His reply to that was: “He is in the best place he could be”. Due to our experience with Margaret as our child’s kinder teacher, my husband and I couldn’t agree more.
Over the next year, under Margaret’s gentle guidance on a daily basis, along with the other measures we put in place to help our son, Trent made such progress with his speech that we couldn’t be more grateful. His social skills have improved dramatically along with his confidence. He is a happy little boy.
The Montessori Method uplifts our children, nurtures their heart and mind. When you come across a Montessori Directress with such love for children and for what they could become, and uses her skills and experience to direct our little ones in their learning journeys, this directress becomes a part of your extended family; someone special who will always be remembered and treasured for the role that she played in your child’s welfare and development. This is how we feel about Margaret Youakim.
Kristina and Gary
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Fawaz and Fatima have flourished under Margaret’s direction. I could not have chosen a more dedicated and passionate teacher. Margaret respects and treats each child as an individual with unique capabilities. Her mastery of the Montessori materials and how to effectively introduce the activities, has tapped and nourished my children’s potential. When I saw my then 3-yr-old daughter, picking up her empty plate after dinner, putting it in the sink, and pulling a stepping stool to help me wash, or my 4-yr old son adding numbers in his head and coming up with the right answer each time, it had been amazing for me to witness. To my children, though, it had been a natural thing to do. What is more amazing is that they know why they do things in a certain way (e.g. “we have to tuck our chairs in when we stand so other people will not trip over them”). My children love to learn. They would wake up excited every morning because they can’t wait to go to school. This was because they had a teacher who, by her actions, has shown them how beautiful learning could be.
Roni
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I had the pleasure to work with Margaret at North West Maria Montessori School with the pre-school children for one year. During that time I found Margaret to be a very honest, reliable, helpful and kind person. I feel that Margaret is very dedicated to the learning and individual needs of the children in her care and the children are very fortunate to have a teacher like her.
Jennifer
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I worked at North West Maria Montessori Pre-school from 2000-2009 as a co-ordinator and classroom teacher.
During this time I had the pleasure to work with Margaret Youakim who was also a Montessori teacher.
My professional opinion of Margaret’s teaching ability is very high. She is a highly skilled and very methodical teacher within the Montessori field. I believe that the children in Margaret’s classes benefitted enormously in so many ways from her special abilities as a Montessori teacher.
Margaret’s exceptionally high standards always remained a constant part of her professionalism. As a teacher of young children in the field she stands out amongst her teaching colleagues and I would have no hesitation in recommending her services to anyone.
Merran Hamilton
• Bachelor Of Education (Melbourne University)
• Bachelor of Teaching Primary/Early Childhood (Queensland University of Technology)
• Diploma of Montessori Education (Montessori World Institute of Education-Australia)