Maria Schneider graduated from the College of Saint Benedict with a degree in Music Education in 2022 and is eager to join the team at Saint Ambrose School. Growing up attending a small Catholic elementary school and then a Catholic faith-based college, she is familiar with the experience and is excited for the opportunity to share her faith with her students.
Maria knew she wanted to be a teacher from her very first day of Vacation Bible School as a five-year-old. She saw how much fun everyone seemed to be having and couldn’t wait until she could be the one teaching and having fun, spreading the love of Jesus. Throughout her youth, Maria looked up to her teachers as role models who made their students feel welcomed and important. Maria strives for each of her students to know how much they are loved by God and those around them, and to know her classroom is a safe place to try new things, make mistakes, and sing out loud!
Maria believes that through music, students are able to express themselves in ways that words cannot. Music aids the mind, body, and spirit, and works as an outlet for expressing thoughts, emotions, and other ideas that words cannot always capture. Maria loves when students discover their “thing,” or when a student makes a connection between the current lesson and a previously learned concept. Mistakes are embraced in Maria’s classroom, as they are often how we learn. Activities like singing and performing often display vulnerability, and Maria encourages students to be courageous and try something new.
When she is not teaching, Maria loves to participate in theatre, bake, and cuddle with her cat, Gracie.