Who We Are: Justin Shepard

As part of a series we're calling Who We Are, we're working to build and connect our community by interviewing the talented, dynamic parents and staff who make up the people of Villa di Maria. Today, we meet Justin Shepard, the charismatic, funny, deeply adored Upper Elementary Assistant here at Villa di Maria.In Directress Rebecca Callandar's words, Justin is a "Ripsnorter. Magician.  Factoid.  Friend. Justin is every bit of these words and more.  Who else could dazzle our room with card tricks, pull twenty tricorn hats out of a hat for our winter concert on the Revolutionary War, and perform kitchen magic by baking bread in our teensy kitchenette?  Justin is deeply connected to our community, which he deeply enriches on a daily basis.  Children adore him. When I first met him, I felt at though the stars had aligned!  Finding an individual who wants to work with children, embraces all aspects of caring for the prepared environment, and will research Montessori in his spare time, is rare enough, yet when he began working in the fall, I quickly became aware of just how special Mr. Justin is to the room."He engages with children lovingly, offering children support, while also looking out for developmental learning opportunities.  He is knowledgeable in diverse fields of inquiry and peppers conversations with little lagniappes of information. He is an expert at mediating social conflict-resolution, helping children to hear both sides of an argument.  He takes his job as chaperone quite seriously—following the lead of the child. In navigational terms, this translates to following the children’s directions to a T, which means Mr. Justin has spent an inordinate amount of time turning around in the lower parking lot near our building.  “You didn’t tell me which way to go,” says Mr. Justin with an impish smile.  Finally, Mr. Justin has added so many layers to the fabric of our room, that it can best be summed up by how much richer our music has been this year—a baritone is just the perfect note!"I interviewed Justin a couple of months ago about his life and his pathway to Villa di Maria. Justin with his lovely wife, looking tough before braving the caves in New ZealandVilla di Maria: Can you tell us a bit about your own education growing up?Justin Shepard: I went to public school growing up. I was born in a town called Ojai and lived in Ventura California until middle school, then moved to a farming community three hours inland. My grandma had orange and olive trees. I have fond memories of unclogging the sprinklers in the orchard with my sister!After high school, I served a mission in North Carolina for my church for two years, then attended a junior college when I returned. Then I headed to BYU, where I met my wife on the International Folk Dance Team, which was a lot of fun - they were so upbeat and I really felt like I was with my type of people! I got my degree in Communications, and I supplemented that with a lot of psychology. During all this, I worked at a 24-hour care facility for kids with everything from autism to schizophrenia. That was amazing. The relationships they built with those kids reminds me a lot of Montessori; they really focused on the whole person and building trust.VdM: How did you get into the Montessori world? JS: When I moved out here with wife, I worked and volunteered at a couple of places for at risk youth; one of the places was in downtown St. Louis working with refugee children trying to learn English, which was a really great place. I shadowed at Villa di Maria in 2015 and I was completely blown away. What really struck me was the uniqueness and flexibility of the method. Also, there were aspects of working at the treatment facility that were similar to Montessori, like the embrace of natural consequences for children's actions.My wife was in medical school and we were in a real limbo time period. One morning, a year after shadowing at Villa, I found out they had a job opening and I jumped at the chance. I love working here. I've never worked at a place where staff communicated so much, and so well. It's awesome.VdM: What is your favorite thing about working in the Upper Elementary classroom?JS: Interacting with the kids. I'm also so grateful for Rebecca. Her direction and her insights are amazing. This classroom is really special. The jokes they come up with, the insights they have, it's so much fun. I also love how receptive to information they are, and how curious they are.VdM: What is your favorite time of day in the classroom?JS: I'd say right around 10:30, because that is really when they seem to hit their groove. It's in the middle of a work cycle and they don't want to be interrupted.VdM: What are your hobbies?JS: I love sports, being in the outdoors, talking with my family, volunteering at my church, surfing (which I don't get to do very often), and most of all, I love to travel. Most recently, last March, my wife and I traveled to Southeast Asia. We started in New Zealand, repelling down into a cave, then went bungee jumping. It was awesome! I now have a goal to try wingsuit flying off a mountain someday!From there, we stopped off in Sydney in a hostel, then we went on to Indonesia, Viet Nam, and Thailand.VdM: What else do you want the Villa di Maria world to know?JS: I love these kids. When my wife and I have kids, we absolutely want them to do Montessori. The environment here is so different, so unique. The principles that are taught, the way we treat each other, it all sets the tone and the foundation they need. Whenever we take them out, people are so impressed with their behavior.Thank you, Justin, for opening up to us all! We are so happy you are part of our community!Oh, and... he knows magic!