Julie Ann Ball
Assistant Professor, Montessori Coordinator
Location
Louisville / Main Campus
Building
Education Building
Room
122
Julie Ann Ball was born and raised in a small farming town in Central Coastal California. Her family moved from California in 1992 and relocated to the Chicagoland suburbs of Illinois. Spending nearly a quarter of a century in Illinois, Julie Ann moved to Campbellsville Kentucky and began teaching for CU, first as an adjunct before becoming a full-time faculty member in the Spring of 2017. She currently teaches ECE and IECE courses, and is the Coordinator of the Montessori Programs since 2019.
Julie Ann is a former Director of School (Bella Vista Montessori), Lead Primary Teacher (Bella Vista Montessori) Lead Toddler Teacher (Alta Vista Montessori), Inclusive and Gifted Assistant for grades K-5 (Washington Elementary), Homeschool Teacher, Coach, and Owner of an Educational Consulting Service (The Potter’s Wheel), After-School Study Program team teacher (Valley Christian School) and Coordinator and Lead team member for Childcare (AVAC).
Julie Ann’s primary research centers around many different aspects of Montessori Education. She teaches, leads workshops, and provides presentations on the Montessori Method and Pedagogy both domestically and internationally. Her passion is to restore Dr. Maria Montessori’s original vision of inclusivity within all levels of education, as well as nurturing the spiritual development of children. Montessori believed development of the whole child would undergird the development for resiliency, and lay a foundation for self-affirmation, later on in life. Julie Ann is also dedicated to researching how Montessori methods can be utilized within the geriatric population, particularly when it comes to providing support for individuals struggling with Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Degrees/Certifications: Hartnell College, A.A. Social Science (1982); San Jose State University, B.A. Psychology (1984), San Jose State University, B.A. Behavioral Science (1984), Association Montessori Internationale World-wide, Lifetime, Primary Credential, AMI Training Center of St. Louis (2010), Loyola University Maryland, M.Ed. (2012).
Degree in progress: Doctoral studies in Educational Leadership (Ed.D.) w/ specialization in Curriculum and Instruction. Dissertation Defense- Fall of 2022.
Works in Progress: Team member of the international Master’s program partnership (in Montessori/ECE) with Zijing, in China. Seeking approval and accreditation for the SOE Montessori Programs from the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE) and embedding Montessori pedagogy into ECE Dual Credit curriculum to create additional partnerships and pathway opportunities throughout Kentucky. The development of an ECE-Montessori Lab Classroom at CU’s Louisville Education Center (LEC).
Committees: CU-Athletic Committee, SOE-CAEP Standard 4, SOE-Committee Committed to Raising Awareness of Bias, ECE/IEC department -Textbook Coordinator. Christian Montessori Fellowship (CMF)- Steering, Education, & Conference.
Active Membership: Kappa Delta Phi (KDP), Christian Montessori Fellowship (CMF), Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), American Montessori Society (AMS), International Montessori Council (IFC) and Administration/Vending Team for Lord Company (Montessori).