Internationally
Certified Educators

Each Boundless Education Centre has a team of incredible educators that were thoughtfully curated and hand-picked among hundreds of talented teacher applicants from around the world.

Sintra Team

Joana Fernandes

Education Centre Coordinator
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Joana has her Bachelor's degree in Education and has been teaching since 2010. She has previously been the manager of a private school and served on the Pedagogical board. She is trained in Democratic and Cooperative Learning and a qualified Montessori teacher. This approach has greatly influenced her vision of education and of life. Joana believes in educating the whole child while helping them discover their own path. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring the beautiful beaches of Portugal with her young family and their dogs.

Vanessa Valkama

Lower Foundation Lead Educator
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Vanessa Valkama is both from Finland and the UK and has been teaching in International schools in Portugal for the past 4 years. Her qualifications include a BA degree from the Finnish education system, along with an MA degree from Lisbon. She believes in creating a great social and emotional foundation for each child to set the stage for effective learning. She diversifies her lessons and adapts them to the needs of each individual child, while integrating the most recent technology. In her spare time, Vanessa enjoys pursuing her two passions: winter sports and music. 

Micha Smith

Foundation Assistant
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Micha is an international TEFL trainer and has taught English as a second language and Fine Arts studies around the world. She was a private homeschool teacher following the curriculum of Wolsey Hall Oxford. Micha also has extensive experience tutoring ESL students. She’s been travelling her whole life and has lived in 9 countries so far. Micha has volunteered in orphanages and children’s hospitals around the world. In her spare time, she enjoys digital art sewing, craft and painting.  

Ida Finska

Upper Exploration Support Educator
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Ida Finska is a Finnish wellness professional. She qualified in Sports instruction and personal training at the Pajulahti Sports Academy in Finland. Ida has spent 10 years of her life studying emotional and physical well-being in the field of health and yoga. She has also developed an innovative programme to teach sports and yoga in her own unique way. Ida has worked with schools in Finland, Italy and Portugal. She enjoys living in Portugal and is focusing on keeping her hometown Cascais active!

Luisa Ordonez

Lower Exploration Support Educator
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Luisa is an early years educator, certified yoga teacher and mindfulness mentor for adults and children. She has a Bachelor's degree in Art History from Montreal, Canada as well as a diploma in Early Childhood Education from Victoria, BC.Luisa has taught in Canada, Honduras, India and now Portugal. She recently moved to Lisbon to pursue a postgraduate degree in Positive Psychology. Luisa loves to discover new cultures and meet new people. She is passionate about spending time in nature, learning new things, music, animals and mindfulness.

Sara Martinez

Lower Exploration Assistant & Spanish Educator
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Sara is from Madrid, Spain and has always wanted to work with children. She holds a Masters degree in both Early Childhood and Primary Education. Sara believes that learning happens best with a relationship of love and respect. Her passion is to teach children through activities and story telling. She believes that each of us learns everyday from the amazing children we are taking care of. In her spare time, Sara enjoys being surrounded by nature and animals.

Leonor Freitas

Exploration Assistant
Leonor was born in Portugal and has a degree in Social Work from the University of Lisbon. As an intern, she worked with organisations specialising in services for refugees. After graduating, she worked at a foster home in Rome for underage refugees, which deepened her interest in pedagogy and its relation to art. At the home, she organised activities around art therapy and alternative methodological tools for integration based on the works of Emmi Pikler. This helped her hone in on her passion of working at the intersection of these fields. In her spare time, Leonor creates art and is educating herself on the Montessori and Pikler pedagogies.

Roberta Carreira

Lower Foundation Lead Educator
Roberta is originally from Brazil, and moved to Portugal when she was 9 years old. She then continued to travel across the globe seeing and experiencing different cultures. As a result of these experiences, Roberta developed an appreciation for how children may feel in new and unfamiliar environments, and strives to make the children in her classroom feel safe and at-home. Roberta has a degree in Fine Arts from the Art Academy in Perugia, Italy and has been trained in Montessori in both Italy and Chicago, USA. In her spare time, Roberta enjoys yoga, meditation, and visiting art museums.

Syros Team

Zoi Vasileiou

Education Centre Coordinator 
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Zoi is an Early Childhood specialist with a Masters degree in Changing Education from the University of Helsinki Finland. Teaching in Finland, she was able to implement the Nordic values and curriculum. She has also taught in Greece, UK, Switzerland and the USA, where she deepened her understanding of Montessori education. Zoi believes in the importance of providing children with the essential tools for emotional and social development and to guide them to reach their best potential. Zoi also believes that the best way to dream about the future is to be involved in making it. Her two greatest passions in life are education and travel. 

Esther Cardon-Rae

Exploration Lead Educator
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Esther graduated with honours from the University of the West of England with her Bachelors degree in Early Years and Primary Education. She has taught in the UK, at an International Forest school in Paris and a bilingual school in Syros. Born in the UK, she was raised with both British and Scandinavian heritage. Esther loves to use storytelling, art and nature as key elements in her teaching. She grew up with a love of teaching and her first group of students were a herd of goats on her childhood farm. 

Fotini Komninou

Upper Foundation Educator
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Fotini graduated from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki with a Teaching degree. She also has a degree in Teaching English and has worked at several private and public schools in Greece. Fotini likes implementing new technologies and web-based tools in her teaching because she enjoys watching her students get excited about their learning. Her teaching strengths and passions lie in an outdoor experiential teaching approach and incorporating gamification into learning. Fotini enjoys travelling and outdoor sports like hiking, skiing and tennis.

Iphigenia Scoutari

Upper Exploration Lead Educator
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Iphigenia is a fully qualified Montessiori teacher. She was raised in a Greek/British bilingual family, which enabled her to be mindful of cultural diversity and develop an awareness to recognize and navigate concerns with integrity, care and understanding. Iphi embodies the philosophy of facilitating independent growth. She believes in providing an inspiring and safe learning environment for children to experience life and reach their full potential. In her spare time, she enjoys an outdoor life, rock climbing, camping, and walking in nature with her dog. 

Zak Welborn

Upper Foundation Educator
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Zak graduated in the UK with a degree in Primary education, and has had extensive experience in Finnish Education and in implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. He has a passion for education and ensures that the curriculum being taught is innovative by using an inquiry-based approach. Throughout Zak’s career, he has taught in Asia and Europe and specialised in Geography and Physical Education. In his spare time, he enjoys travelling and watching live sports.

Eleni Varsami

Upper Exploration Support Educator
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Eleni is a preschool teacher who graduated from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. She has attended seminars on ADHD, nursing and first aid. As a child, Eleni knew she wanted to be a teacher, and she has had a passion for education ever since. She loves providing opportunities for children to enjoy their learning journey, and loves seeing them flourish with unshakeable roots of confidence and happiness. She feels that her students are not just a part of her class, but of her heart as well. In her spare time, Eleni enjoys sports and travelling.

Tuscany Team

Petra Pajala

Education Centre Coordinator
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Petra has a Masters Degree in Education from Finland, extensive Nordic-Baltic Leadership Training and has been a vice-principal for many years. She’s designed and implemented educational content and experiences for exchange students in 3 different countries over the past decade. Petra believes in fostering natural curiosity and teaching tenacity. Trusting her team and always having the child’s best interest in mind are her keys to success. In her spare time, she likes to play sports and spend time outdoors.

Lorenza Amelio

Exploration Assistant
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Lorenza graduated from  the University of Florence, specialising in Education. Professionally, Lorenza has worked in an after-school project for children with disabilities, in which educators taught the children how to do basic tasks independently, with the support of school teachers and parents. She has also completed a traineeship in a children's daycare, working with children up to three years of age.

Ilaria Stefani

Foundation Support Educator
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Ilaria was born in Pistoia, and has been living in London for several years. She has a Honour Bachelor’s Degree in Socio-Educational Sciences and in Tourism Sciences, both of which reflect her two great passions: travelling and education. As an educator, she is truly passionate about holistic education, mindfulness and arts & craft. She has worked as a teacher in international nursery schools, as well as a private tutor for multicultural families. Ilaria defines herself as a cheerful, creative, and funny person who loves nature, arts, yoga and meditation. She loves to learn new things and meet new people from all over the world!

Mikko Perkowsky

Upper Exploration Educator 
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Mikko Perkowsky is a fully qualified Montessori and K-12 Physical Education teacher from Finland. He has his Masters in Education from the University of Wollongong, Australia. Teaching has taken Mikko all over the globe. Some of the more exotic places he has had an opportunity to teach in include Saudi Arabia, China, Singapore and the UK. Mikko believes that the future depends on what we do in the present. Additionally Mikko is qualified as a Shiatsu massage therapist. In his spare time he enjoys playing tennis. 

Rachele Marchetti

Foundation Support & Spanish Educator
Rachele was born and raised in Pistoia and has a diploma in Pedagogy and Psychology, as well as a degree in Languages, Literatures and Intercultural Studies from the University of Florence. After graduating, Rachele managed an educational farm where she taught a nature-based curriculum. She also created English and Spanish workshops for kids at a cultural association, and taught in a public elementary school. Rachele believes in experiential education, and her dream has always been to bring the idea of forest schools and individual learning in Italy. In her free time, Rachele has a passion for travelling and tasting foods from around the world.

Wieneke van Sonderen

Foundation Lead Educator 
Wieneke has a degree in Pedagogical Sciences from the University of Groningen, and a degree in Education and Teaching from the Stenden University of Applied Sciences. Before moving to the US, she taught at a Montessori School in the Netherlands. In the San Francisco Bay Area, she was the director of a language school and Head of School at a Montessori school. Since September 2022, Wieneke and her family have been travelling around the world, visiting 18 countries on five different continents before finally settling in Pistoia.

Bali Team

Anne Edmondson

Education Centre Coordinator
Born and raised in Northern Ireland, Anne is a highly experienced international educator who has taught in schools like in the U.S., Middle East, and most recently, Dubai. She has also served on the board of a UK-based children's charity, Gulf for Good, for the past 10 years, with the last 5 years leading the organisation as Chairwoman. With an aspiration to create a world where equal opportunities for education are available to all, she focused her work on the UN sustainability goals of quality education, accessibility to quality healthcare and housing. Anne has travelled extensively in the developing world, volunteering in many parts of Africa and Nepal among others. In her spare time Anne loves to hike, play padel tennis, cycle and be in nature.

Dorathea Roos

Foundation Lead Educator
I am grateful to be a trilingual educator of over 25 years with a passion for special education and experimental learning. After graduating, I moved to Indonesia from Cape town, South Africa and volunteered as a teacher in a local school, where I realized my desire to make a difference in education delivery. Over the years, I worked in leading roles in international schools, gaining experience in a variety of teaching methods and subjects. My interest in learning delays and special needs grew, leading me to pursue further studies and courses in occupational therapy and sensory delays. With over twenty-five years of teaching experience in diverse environments and curricula, I believe in differentiated instruction to cater to each student's abilities. After working in Jakarta, I decided to pursue my dream of becoming a SenCo and secured a position at an inclusive international school in Bali. I continue to seek further learning and improvement to help children succeed. Discovering Boundless, I was thrilled to find an approach that aligns with my beliefs about active learning and questioning the world. As a mother and grandmother, I have seen the value of allowing children to learn from hands-on experiences and being allowed to make mistakes to help them grow and impairment the learning in their daily lives.

Mutiara Tsuroyya

Upper Exploration Support Educator
I have a degree in Economic Accounting and hold a Bachelor of Accounting. I am from Indonesia, specifically I am Javanese and have been living in Bali for more than 23 years. After graduating, I worked at Ikigai Preschool and Kindergarten, starting as an assistant teacher and eventually becoming a teacher coordinator. My educational philosophy centers on creating a student centered and inclusive learning environment. I believe in empowering students to become independent and critical thinkers, capable of applying their knowledge to real-world situations. I strive to foster a love for learning by making lessons engaging, interactive, and relevant to students' lives. Additionally, I emphasize the importance of a supportive and respectful classroom community, where every student's voice is valued. I believe that education should not only focus on academic excellence but also on nurturing students' emotional intelligence and character development. On a personal level, I have a great passion for exploring different cuisines and foods, not only in Bali but also anywhere I go. Trying new dishes allows me to experience diverse cultures and connect with people through their culinary traditions. Swimming is one of my favorite activities, providing both relaxation and exercise to keep me balanced and refreshed. Moreover, music holds a special place in my heart, and I enjoy listening to various genres that resonate with my emotions and uplift my mood.
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