Bronsil: 25 Years at Xavier

Montessori Life, Fall 2003

Xavier University recently honored ELIZABETH BRONSIL for 25 years of service as director of the Cincinnati, OH, institution's Montessori Teacher Education Program. Bronsil came to Xavier in 1978 after 18 years of teaching children of ages 3 to 9 in both public and private schools. She originated the first Migrant Education program in upstate NY and taught in the first Head Start Program in Rochester, NY. In 1988, she was the first woman al Xavier to receive the Fenwick Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Bronsil has supported the expansion of Montessori in the Cincinnati public schools, adding five since Bronsil assumed leadership of the XU program. She also has worked on securing contracts to educate teachers for these schools, as well as for public school Montessori programs in Dayton, Cleveland, Louisville, KY, and Indianapolis, IN. More than 140 teachers from these schools have attended the Xavier MTEP.

Montessori schools and teacher education programs in both Taiwan and Korea have received assistance from Bronsil in preparing teachers and in starting their own programs. There are now 120 public school Montessori classrooms in Korea.

"At Xavier I've had the opportunity to work with outstanding professionals like Mary Lisa Vertuca, Martha McDermott, Hilda Rothschild, and Crystal Dahlmeier," says Bronsil. "These people helped to create an outstanding Montessori program here."