Viola Bestmann
Mentor Teacher, Floating (2024-2025)
With over three decades of experience in early childhood education, Viola is a seasoned professional in teaching and nurturing infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Her expertise lies in play-based and child-led curriculums, extending to proficiency in the Montessori method and the Reggio Emilia approach.
Viola holds a German degree in Movement Education with a focus on health and occupational therapy. She is trained in the Mindful Schools K-12 curriculum and is a qualified Workplace Mindfulness Facilitator through Mindful Leader. Viola is also certified in Developmental Movement Education from the School of Body-Mind Centering® and is a certified yoga instructor and end-of-life death doula. Currently, Viola is pursuing certification at the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion.
Viola’s diverse background also includes dance performance and visual arts.
“Do not ask your children to strive for extraordinary lives.
Such striving may seem admirable, but it is a way of foolishness.
Help them instead to find the wonder and the marvel of an ordinary life.
Show them the joy of tasting tomatoes, apples, and pears.
Show them how to cry when pets and people die.
Show them the infinite pleasure in the touch of a hand.
And make the ordinary come alive for them.
The extraordinary will take care of itself.”
—William Martine
