Taj Abou Harb has been a fighter/seeker for better education since she was in school. She found herself resisting practices that suppressed her enthusiasm for learning and often got in trouble for it. While pursuing her bachelor’s degree in engineering, and being one of the few women in her class, she often felt undermined and marginalized. What kept her going was her love for working with her hands, building prototypes and figuring out the logic behind how things worked. Her favorite part of her engineering career was when she trained as an avionics engineer maintaining commercial planes.
By the time she was pregnant with her daughter, Sophia, she was anxiously exploring alternative schooling options that would tap into her daughter’s natural curiosity and interests. Once she came across Montessori education, she was excited to learn more.
She moved to Canada with her family in 2016. Her engineering degree wasn’t recognized in Toronto and she realized she had to start over. By then, her interest in education had grown and so she decided to shift careers. She sought to pursue an AMI diploma to become a certified Montessori Casa teacher. She observed classrooms at the Maria Montessori School in Toronto as part of the application process. Unfortunately, Taj’s visa wouldn’t allow her to enroll. Nonetheless, witnessing the Montessori philosophy and practices in action left a real impact on Taj. To her, it seemed almost magical.
A year later, she placed her daughter, aged two and a half years at the time, at the school. As eager Montessori parents, Taj and her husband attended every workshop, every parent information session, and every student performance. They fell in love with the school community, the teachers, the administration, and the kindness that flowed from both kids and adults.
A year later, in 2017, she and her family received the news that they were moving back to Lebanon. Having seen firsthand the impact a Montessori education can have on a child, she knew she would do whatever it took to keep her daughter in a Montessori school. She couldn’t find one in Beirut that continued to Elementary and so she decided to build one that does— Montessori Beirut. Her family and friends assumed it was just another one of her crazy ideas. But she worked tirelessly for 3 years to find like-minded teachers and assistants, to locate a central site, and educate herself on the foundations of building a Montessori school. She attended conferences globally, including the Montessori Congress in Prague in 2017 and the Montessori Leadership Conference in 2018. She became part of a global community of Montessori school leaders who continue to support one another.
In Montessori Beirut we are committed to creating a school that is accessible and that provides children with a learning environment which values their curiosity and their need for movement. In other words, a learning environment that harnesses children’s creativity, leadership, critical thinking, and communication skills, and that connects them to their community, leaving an impact wherever they go. At Montessori Beirut, we want every child to be seen for who they are and not who we want them to be.
our team
Taj Abou Harb, Co-founder and Director
Taj Abou Harb graduated with a Master of Sciences in Mechatronics Engineering from Rafic Hariri University in 2011. She worked in the field of engineering for 4 years as a mechanical engineer, avionics engineer, and a project manager at a construction company.
As a young adult, she gave private tutoring for younger students, during which she often tried different approaches to teaching. Seeing results in her students made her proud and sparked a growing love for education.
Taj has been building her knowledge base in Montessori for over 3 years, attending courses and conferences while growing her network of experts in the Montessori space. Her engineering background and experience in project management has provided her with the tools and skills necessary to run the school effectively.
Taj is a mother and uses the Montessori approach in raising her daughter, Sophia. Her dual role as a mother and school director gives her a unique perspective, which informs her approach to building Montessori Beirut, and strengthens her commitment to ensuring a quality Montessori education for every child.
Taj is a coffee addict. She is a fan of all things savory and doesn’t get what the big deal is with sweets and chocolate. She loves creating, building and fixing things and has a knack for maintaining electronics. Her happiest moments are when she’s taking portraits, practicing yoga and listening to music.
Sophia Chokr, AMI 6-12 Elementary Guide
Sophia Chokr is the current lead guide in the Casa classroom. She received her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with an emphasis in math and science from the American University of Beirut. She has completed Montessori training in various parts of the world including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Morocco, and Spain. Sophia is currently also completing her 6-12 AMI training. She works hard to authentically incorporate aspects of her training in order to create a cycle of constant improvement in her classroom, methods, and material.
Sophia has always been dedicated to working with children, whether it was teaching her brothers, working in the local nursery, designing a summer camp curriculum, or teaching in a local school. In early childhood, she attended a Montessori in Denver, Colorado, USA. Upon reconnecting with Montessori education, she fell in love. She fell in love with Montessori because of its ability to nurture the whole child by harnessing the power of their natural curiosity and creativity and encouraging the adult to continue to develop alongside the child.
Though Sophia has only been living in Lebanon since 2011, she feels deeply rooted. She enjoys learning new skills, singing, caring for animals, and playing board games.
Lama Hijazi, AMI 3-6 Casa Guide
Lama Hijazi is the lead guide in the casa classroom. She’s studying civil engineering at Cnam and is also completing her 3-6 training in London at the Maria Montessori Institute.
Lama is an artist, she loves painting, illustrating, and photography. She’s a very indoor-snuggle-up-with-a-book kind of person, and generally prefers quiet environments (and really good books!) over any other plans.
She fell in love with the Montessori method from the first time she stepped inside the classroom and has been so ever since. She loves that with Montessori the child is always actively making a choice and genuinely believes that the Montessori method is a way of life that goes way beyond the classroom walls.
Jana Hijazi, Admin
Jana is a law graduate from Filière with two masters, but her true love lies in her interactions with the children. Jana got her AMI administration certificate and her 3-6 teacher assistant certificate after finishing both programs. She loves that with Montessori, the focus put on the social-emotional skills is just as equal as the focus put on the academics.
She’s a big outdoors fan and is a foodie at heart. She’s a very active and outgoing person and easily gets along with people.
She loves her family above all else and values the time spent in their company. Most importantly, she is a sucker for great TV series!
Julie Parraguirre, Educational Consultant and School Advisor
Julie is in her 22nd year as a Montessori lead primary teacher in bi- and trilingual communities in the US and overseas. She also has experience as curriculum director, advisor for school management, classroom materials designer and creator, and mentor. Julie is trained at the primary level by Association Montessori Internationale (AMI). Prior to becoming a teacher, Julie was a labor and employment attorney for 11 years. She is currently the proud mother of three adult sons.
Countries she’s worked in the United States and Thailand