Exploring Life & Business with Gimenia Palmer of The Whole Child Montessori School

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gimenia Palmer. 

Hi Gimenia, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I was born in the Dominican Republic, from a little town called Puerto Plata. I had big dreams but modest resources. One of my biggest dreams was to be a teacher. I found a unique opportunity to work as an assistant teacher at a Montessori school. I worked for 3 years while trying to earn my teaching degree. A strong desire to become Montessori certified led me to move to the U.S. in 2005. Here I struggled to make ends meet while pursuing further education. It was hard work, but through a lot of dedication and perseverance, I became certified to teach The Montessori Method from AMS (America Montessori Society). I continued to work for the next twenty years, teaching children, developing my own Spanish curriculum, and focusing on simplifying the Montessori curriculum. In 2019 I started my own school from my home. Since then, it has continued to grow steadily. I am excited to expand my business even further and continue to impact as many children’s lives as possible with the high quality of learning that they deserve. To this end, my business partner Malarie Davis and I are committed to growing the business into the public space as the Whole Child Montessori school. Our curriculum is based on the Montessori method with an emphasis on bilingual learning with both Spanish and French language. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As an immigrant minority in another country, with few financial resources, I have had a great many obstacles to overcome. A lot of people would not take me seriously or dismiss what I had to contribute. Despite these issues, or because of them, I have been able to grow as a person and use my experience to help many children and their parents. But for as much obstacles came my way, people came in my life to help, mentor, and support me. I will forever be grateful to this country and the people who provided the opportunities to bring me to where I am today. 

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The Whole Child Montessori School started with the desire to bring the hands-on learning, independence, empowerment, and character-building of the Montessori method to the children and families of Utah at a reasonable cost. As the pandemic taught us, learning is just as important in the home as it is in the classroom. Our curriculum can be modified and made available online and emulated in the home with minimal equipment. The reason we put an emphasis on teaching in different languages in addition to the usual Montessori method is because we know it can greatly boost problem-solving, critical- thinking, listening skills, memory, concentration, and the ability to multitask. My skills as a native Spanish speaker and proficiency in English, having taught Montessori for 20 years, makes me uniquely qualified to guide this business model. 

How do you think about luck?
Much of my life in the United States while going to school was living on prayer. Day by day through the grace of God and the generosity of other people I managed to finish my certifications and schooling. Many times, I didn’t know when my next meal would come or where I could stay next. In many ways, I am very lucky to be here with my beautiful family and successful business. 

Contact Info:

• Email: thewholechildmontessori@gmail.com
• Website: thewholechildmontessori.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewholechildmontessori/