Text/HTML

Risen Lord Montessori School Staff

Anita Hittinger, Director and Teacher

Anita received her BA degree from Purdue University and her American Montessori Society credential in Early Childhood Education from MECA-Seton. She has been teaching in a variety of capacities for the last 24 years, with twenty years of experience in early childhood. Her introduction to Montessori education began at the Montessori Children’s House in Beech Grove where her sons attended preschool. After seeing the love of learning instilled within her own children, she was very excited for the opportunity to serve as a Montessori assistant there for three years. She served as director of another south side preschool for nine years continuing and growing its established Montessori approach. In 2004, Anita founded Risen Lord Montessori School in her home church which has proven to be a natural extension of her passion for sharing the love of God with children and helping them reach their full potential. In addition to volunteering with children’s ministries, she has a passion for mission which is reflected in teaching children to give and help others. Anita lives in Indianapolis with her husband. Her older son is a research scientist in the field of genetics and her younger son teaches in our school. Anita enjoys spending time with her family, reading and music, as well as outdoor activities like gardening, camping, hiking, cycling, boating and water-skiing.

Tim Hittinger, Full Day Teacher

Tim received his bachelor’s degree with a social science emphasis and has a special interest in cultural anthropology. He received a paraprofessional certificate from MECA-Seton and received training in the nationally recognized Music Together program. His experience with Montessori education began as a preschooler at the Children’s House in Beech Grove. This is his seventh year as a teacher at RLMS. He and his wife, Julia, live on the south side of Indianapolis. Julia is a special education teacher in Perry Township. They form the “dynamic duo” as they serve as directors and teachers in our fun and exciting Summer Day Camp. He shares his special areas of interests and passions by enriching our classes with Spanish, music, storytelling, and physical activity. He is serving as a primary teacher in our full day class and enriching our other classes with his many gifts. Tim enjoys sports, music, martial- arts, sailing, slalom water-skiing, reading, writing, his dog, and his cat.

Dana Johnson, AM and PM Teacher

This is Dana’s sixth year as a teacher at Risen Lord Montessori School, but her experience with children began at a much earlier age. Her first job was in child care providing not only summer care but educational experiences for six years to children in one family. She took college classes in early childhood education and later was a teacher for toddlers. Dana lives in Franklin with her husband and two children, Javan and Moriah. Both children attended RLMS which is where she was first introduced to the Montessori Method. She becomes more and more convinced of the benefits of a Montessori education in respecting each child’s unique time table for development. She is particularly interested in the language area. Dana received a paraprofessional certificate from the Seton Montessori Institute and has attended several Montessori conferences. She is a teacher in our morning and afternoon classes and also works in the Before and After School Program. She enjoys Bible Studies, reading, baking sweets, especially cupcakes, and anything that keeps her involved with her two children.

Jennifer Ader, AM and PMD Teacher

Jennifer received her B.S. in Geography with a Minor in Marketing from Ball State University. She received a paraprofessional certificate from the Seton Montessori Institute. This is her fifth year as a teacher at RLMS, and she will be teaching in the morning class. In addition to serving as a regular classroom teacher, Jennifer also enriches our classes with special activities in PMD (perceptual motor development). A growing body of research points to the importance of physical activity for not only a child’s physical development, but also their cognitive development. Jennifer is a perfect fit since she already has a passion for exercise! In addition to serving as a Girl Scouts volunteer, she has been on her church preschool advisory board and is involved with such adult and children ministries as Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. She and her husband, Tim, live in Center Grove with their four children. Jennifer enjoys attending her children’s activities, camping, Bible Studies, and walking the family dog.

Jyoti Kartik, Full Day Teacher Assistant

Jyoti received her B.A degree from the University of Rajasthan in India. She received an early childhood diploma in May of 2010 from the North American Montessori Center. She has enjoyed applying all that she has learned. She does volunteer work at the White River Library. Jyoti lives in Greenwood with her husband, Ramanan and two children, Ananya and Dhruv. She became interested in Montessori education when she saw the tremendous benefits for her older daughter who attended a Montessori preschool. She is especially impressed with the prepared environment in Montessori classrooms where even furniture is scaled to their size and children are allowed to actively engage in real, everyday life activities. Her son, Dhruv, attends RLMS. Jyoti enjoys reading, cooking, gardening, swimming, and cycling.

Elementary Teacher Julia Hittinger

Julia Hittinger received her bachelor’s degree in Special Education and is certified through the Indiana Dept. of Education in Special Education grades K-12 and General Elementary Education grades 1-6. Her experience with Montessori education began when she, Tim Hittinger, and Anita Hittinger founded the Risen Lord Day Camp in 2005. Her professional teaching career has primarily taken place in Perry Township where she worked in many capacities. She worked with students diagnosed with various Mild Cognitive disabilities in the inclusion and pull-out setting, developed Individual Education Plans (IEP), and led small group reading instruction using the Comprehensive Intervention Model, a researched-based intervention originating at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR). She has used Montessori math materials in her classroom for the last 2 years. She has a passion for reading and writing, visual arts, music, and using technology in the classroom. She is a strong believer in students working to their potential and differentiating instruction based on student interests and skill levels. Outside of teaching, Julia enjoys spending time with her husband, Tim, reading, practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, horseback riding, watching movies, and playing with her cat and dog. She will begin her Elementary Montessori training this year.

Diane Smith, Suzuki Violin Teacher

Diane has been sharing her musical gift with RLMS since we opened in 2004. She received her B.S. degree in Business Administration from Butler University and later received training to be a Suzuki violin teacher as well as Kinder Music training. Diane taught music to preschoolers at the Meridian Academy of the Arts and at Mt. Auburn. She received a paraprofessional certificate from Seton Montessori Institute and has attended Montessori conferences. Diane brings little violins to our school, and she takes each child out individually for a violin lesson. Many children and families are so pleased that they have pursued private lessons with Ms. Diane. Diane is also the founder and artistic director of Honey Creek Youth Chamber Orchestra. She resides with her family in Greenwood, Indiana.

Margot Emrich, Art Teacher and Full Day Teacher Assistant

Like many parents, Margot was exposed to the Montessori philosophy through her children’s preschool. Not only was she impressed with the joyful, enriched learning environment, but the teachers were also impressed with her artistic gift! Margot has been sharing her artistic gift with Risen Lord children since the founding of the school. One day a week, she sits in our classroom and presents a special art project that often ties in with the style of a particular artist or style. She received a paraprofessional certificate from Seton Montessori Institute in 2009. Margot lives in New Whiteland with her husband and four children.