Meet Our Teachers
Montessori-trained head teacher, Andrée Young, and assistant teacher, Sharen Schrock, run our program with over 30 years of Montessori teaching experience. Highly skilled and energetic, their exceptional approach to interacting with children is creative, loving, consistent, and positive. They attend to the whole child, incorporating Montessori philosophy in every aspect of the students' day.
Andrée Young
Head Teacher Andrée M. Young was born in San Francisco and raised in Marin County. She received her B.A. in Special Education in 1978 from the University of Northern Colorado and her American Montessori Society (AMS) certificate at the San Francisco Bay Area Training Center in 1990. She also served the training center as a consultant for four years. Andrée has been teaching 3-6 year olds in the Montessori philosophy since 1988. Her expertise in the Montessori system is enriched by her experience in art, science, music and movement, voice, theater and Spanish. She has traveled in Europe, Mexico and Central America. Believing that a Montessori education must include the home environment, Andrée has been teaching positive parenting classes for over 20 years. She has been a member of the Petaluma community since 1982 and lives with her husband David. They have a daughter, son-in-law and two granddaughters. 
Ali Hutchinson
School Administrator Ali Hutchinson has been serving as Red Barn's Administrator since 2014 when her son began school as a three-year old. Although her background includes a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Sociology from Union College in Schenectady, NY, Ali joined the school with more than 20 years of experience in a variety of administrative roles including numerous positions in office management, bookkeeping, human resources, and account management/customer service, both in the corporate and small business worlds. Ali was born in Ithaca NY while her father was in veterinary school there and was raised in New York and Connecticut. She moved from the East Coast to the SF Bay Area in 2000. After living all around the bay, she and her family made the move to Petaluma shortly after her son was born, in 2011. Prior to becoming a parent, Ali’s experience with Montessori was minimal. A close childhood family friend was a Spanish Montessori Teacher and she always had the most wonderful stories about, as she put it, the privileges of teaching in a Montessori Classroom. Being in a Montessori classroom was a gift to her that she loved to share stories of, with everyone around. Years later when choosing a preschool, that memory stuck. After learning more basics about the Montessori Method, when it came time to choose a preschool for her son, there was really no other choice besides Red Barn. The small class size, wonderful teachers, child lead learning, reasonable tuition, and beautiful campus and classroom made the choice an easy one. What their family didn’t know at that time, was how much more Red Barn was than just those highlights. Her son thrived at Red Barn and so as soon as she was old enough, there was no question that Ali’s daughter would also attend. A few mornings a week you’ll find Ali in the Red Barn office after drop off time. The rest of the time you’ll notice her racing back and forth across town playing chauffeur, gourmet chef, and activities coordinator to her two children. She is forever practicing her Positive Discipline parenting skills that she learned from Andree’s classes… some days with more success than others! In her spare time, you’ll probably find Ali traveling, savoring memorable moments with friends and family, soaking up the sounds sights and smells at the beach, or touring wineries and vineyards around the state. |
Sharen Schrock, Assistant Teacher
Sharen Schrok
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