Our Teachers

John and Amanda are the on-site owners of The Goddard School located in Allen, Texas. The Snowman family consists of four children; Katie a freshman at Texas State, Jack in college and an F-16 Crew Chief in the Air Force Reserves, Samantha and Kimberly who graduated from college and both are on their own. They also have two furry family members – Bailey a chocolate lab and Jackson a a black lab mix rescue dog. John was born in Maine. He graduated from the University of Maine-Orono and obtained his MBA from Amberton University in Garland, Texas. John worked in the logistics industry for over thirty years. He is also a retired USAF Officer. Amanda was born in Ohio. She graduated from John Carroll University in Cleveland and obtained her MBA from Amberton University. Amanda worked at Greyhound Lines as their Manager of Customer Operations for sixteen years. Actually, it was job relocation with Greyhound that brought the Snowman’s from Boston, Massachusetts to Texas nearly twenty five years ago. “Having the best school, with the best teachers, and the best educational program is very rewarding to us as parents, and we are truly grateful to be able to serve the children and families in our community. Getting to see our future generations grow and blossom every day into fine young people is a blessing,” add John and Amanda.

Ms. Allison is our Director of Operations. She has been with Goddard for 6 years, and has a total of 13 years of experience working with children! Allison started with us as a Lead Teacher in the Jr. Kinder classroom. She graduated from Texas A&M with her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Political Science, and is working on her Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education! Throughout college, Ms. Allison worked with children as a gymnastics instructor and mini cheer coach. In her down time, she enjoys Crossfit, spending time with her twin sister and younger sister, and hanging with her 2 dogs! Ms. Allison’s favorite part of working with children is helping them accomplish milestones. The conversations she gets to have with the kiddos are also the highlights of her days. The best part of working at Goddard, for Allison, is the staff environment. She says, “We are all here for the same reason, to make an impact and teach, and we are great at doing it as a team!”

Mrs. Melissa is the Executive Director here at the Goddard School of Allen. She has been with Goddard since March of 2020. She has her Bachelor’s Degree in K- 8 Education, with an emphasis in Communication Arts and Literature from Concordia University of St. Paul. Starting off as a PreK teacher and working her way up through various management roles, she has more than 20 years of experience in early childhood. Melissa is from Texas, but spent most of her years in Minnesota. She enjoys all sports, playing or watching. She loves spending time with family, traveling and trying out anything new and adventurous. Mrs. Melissa feels that being in the early childhood industry is so incredibly rewarding. Just asking children open-ended questions could lead to many different adventures for both kids and teachers! What she loves most about Goddard is the passion that everyone has on this team. Everyone is here for the kids and it shows!

Ms. Paulina is our Assistant Director of Education. She has been with Goddard for 3 years now and has a total of 8 years of experience in early childhood education! Paulina is currently working to finish her Bachelor’s Degree in Education, as her future goal is to be a Kindergarten teacher! She moved to Dallas from Austin, where she has lived for most of her life. In her down time, Paulina enjoys spending time with her little family! A good weekend consists of lots of snacks, movies and naps with her puppy girl! Teaching young minds is Paulina’s passion. She loves that Goddard gives her the freedom and ability to grow as a teacher, and to discover what she is capable of as an educator. She thoroughly enjoys watching little humans grow and preparing them for their future!

Ms. Alexis is one of our Co-Lead Teachers in Get Set 1. She has been with the The Goddard School in Allen since October of 2022, and comes to us with 6 years of experience in the Early Childhood industry! Alexis loves to read, watch True Crime shows, doing makeup and spending time with her son in her down time! What she loves most about working in education is watching the kiddos learn and grow, and all the love they give!

Ms. Alex is a Co-Lead Teacher in our Infant classroom. She started with us in August of 2020, comes with 6 years of experience in working with children and has her Child Development Associates! With Goddard, she would love to gain as much knowledge and experience as she can to better help her raise her kiddo and future kiddos. Ms. Alex has spent most of her life in Colorado, and moved to Texas in 2015. In her down time she really enjoys playing board games! She also enjoys reading, some video games, painting, going to the zoo, and considers herself a “Hufflepuff.” When asked what she loves most about teaching, she said, “that moment you see that lightbulb turn on….that moment of understanding!” Her favorite part of working at Goddard is getting to know all of the kids and staff. Everyone is just so nice!

Mrs. Ilham is one of our Lead Junior Kinder 2 Teachers! She started with us here at The Goddard School in March of 2021, and came to us with seven years of experience working with young children! She also comes to us with her Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development from Texas Women’s University! Ilham is the seventh of ten children, wife and mother of a beautiful little girl! She moved back to the Allen area in 2020 from Pennsylvania and is currently in school to become a certified teacher. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, jogging and outdoor activities! Mrs. Ilham’s philosophy of education is to take the time to understand each child and help them reach their highest potential through open-ended activities, loving who they are, and knowing then can trust and feel safe in her care. We are so blessed to have Ilham a part of our team and family!

Ms. Diane is our Certified Kindergarten Teacher here at the Goddard School of Allen. She comes to us with her Bachelor's Degree in Education PK-8, with a minor in Reading, from Baylor University. She has 16 years of experience of teaching in the school districts. In her spare time, Diane enjoys watching college football and basketball, spending time with her son Adam, taking walks, being with friends, and lesson planning!

Mrs. Patricia is our Lead Teacher in Pre-K. She has been with the Goddard School of Allen since January of 2020, and has more than 5 years of prior experience in early childhood education! She also has an Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Georgia Military College. Mrs. Patty is originally from Sierra Leone, which is found on the West Coast of Africa. She speaks 3 different languages! She loves seafood, Lifetime movies, playing video games with her husband and spending time with her chihuahua, Coco. Mrs. Patty loves watching children learn and grow, and is so great at getting to know the needs of each individual child! Her favorite thing about The Goddard School of Allen is the staff! We truly are a team! She hopes to use all of the knowledge and experience gained over the past few years and moving forward to eventually own her own Early Childhood school!

Mrs. Esraa is our Junior K 1 Teacher. Esraa has been with the Goddard Team since December of 2019. She comes to us with more than 5 years of experience in customer service and early childhood education. She also has her Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism. Her experience in travel is a huge asset to the classroom! Esraa’s goals for the future is to continuing to study and perfect her craft in ECE, and to gain knowledge and work her way up the childcare industry! In her down time, she loves spending time with her husband and adorable son most of all! Mrs. Esraa’s favorite part of teaching is being able to be a part of influencing and shaping the minds of the children for the future. What she loves most about The Goddard School of Allen? “They care about the kids and they’re like family to me and to my son.”

Mr. Ryan is the Lead teacher in our Junior Kinder 1 classroom. He has his Bachelor's Degree in Kinesiology from University of North Texas, and comes to us with 6 years of experience in Early Childhood Education. Mr. Ryan has a way of making all the learning so much fun, and is so great at really understanding children and figuring out all the whys throughout his day! In his spare time, Mr. Ryan enjoys playing soccer, singing, hiking and camping!

Mrs. Salima is our Classroom Resource Assistant. She has been with The Goddard school of Allen for 10 years in a variety of different roles and has a total of 15 years of experience in early childhood education. She obtained an Associate’s Degree in business, and is currently completing her degree in Child Development. She was born and grew up in Karachi, Pakistan. When she moved to the United States she lived in several states including Virginia, California and Texas. On the weekends, Salima and her husband are very busy with their own two other businesses and their kids. She also enjoys her quiet time, and dramas on TV! Salima’s favorite thing about her position as a Resource Teacher is getting to work with all of the ages in the school. She loves to get to be a part of learning at each stage of development. The milestones reached at each different level is just so fascinating! Her favorite thing about working at The Goddard School of Allen is that it’s like family!

Mrs. Shelly is one of our Seasonal Resource Teachers! She has been with us since February of 2021 and came to us with over 15 years of experience working in Early Childhood and Behavior Therapy. She also comes to us with her Bachelor’s Degree in Behavioral Sciences! Mrs. Shelly is a Military Wife and mother of two. She has lived in California, Virginia, Hawaii and now Texas since 2018. In her down time, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, traveling, hiking, and just being outside. Mrs. Shelly believes that every child is unique and beautiful. Adapting to the different needs of all of the children is definitely something she enjoys and is good at!

Mrs. Maria is our Lead Teacher in the Infant classroom. She has been with us at Goddard for more than 10 years, with a total of 12 years of experience in early childhood education! Maria recently completed her Child Development Associates degree. She was born and raised in Peru - the land of the Inca's Empire and Machu Picchu - the 4th world wonder! Maria, her husband of 24 years and her 2 sons moved to Texas 10 years ago and have made Allen their home away from home. Maria continues to instill in her children her cultural traditions by speaking Spanish to them and celebrating local holidays. In her down time, she enjoys studying and learning more about this field that she is so passionate about. Mrs. Maria teaches because of the kids! She builds such beautiful bonds with her students, as well as with the families! What does she like most about The Goddard School of Allen? Outside of the kids, she loves the organization and the family feel!

Ms. Bryanna is a part of our Resource team. She started with us in July of 2023 and comes to us with 2 years of experience working with children, and an associate's degree in general studies from Collin College. She is currently pursing her Child Development Associate's! In her spare time, Bryanna enjoys reading, writing, traveling, studying and spending time with family and friends!

Adriana is a part of our Resource team! She comes to us with 3 years of experience working with children, and is currently enrolled at University of Dallas pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology and Systems. In her 3 years of working with children, her biggest take-away is not underestimating the power of being kind and genuine, and the power of positive reinforcement. Her philosophy begins and end with compassion, and everything else falls in between. In Adriana's spare time, she enjoys scrapbooking and painting!

Ms. Sydney is one of our Junior Kinder 2 Lead teachers and has been with The Goddard School of Allen since June of 2023. She has her Bachelors of Arts and Science in Psychology, with a Minor in Criminal Justice from University of North Texas. She has 3 years of experience working in the early childhood industry. In her spare time, she will most likely be reading. She really loves reading. When she's not reading, you will find her hanging out with her family or her dog.

Mrs. Mimi is one of the lead teachers in our Young Toddler class and has been with us since April of 2023. She comes to us with an Associate's Degree in Early Childhood Education and 4 years of experience in the field! She truly enjoys helping her students not only reach their milestones, but show them they can do anything they set their minds to! In her down time she is a master at balancing family time, alone time and shopping time!

Mrs. Priyanka is a lead teacher on our Get Set 2 team and has been a part of the team since August of 2023! She has her Bachelor's Degree in Commerce, is currently pursuing a CDA and came to us with 2 years of experience in early childhood! Her favorite part of teaching is maintaining that perfect balance of all the things (structure, learning, fun, etc.) and seeing how well her students thrive in it! In her free time, Priyanka enjoys dancing and the dramatic arts!

Mrs. Shalon in one of our Lead First Steps teacher and has been with us since June of 2023. She has her Associate's Degree in Business Administration, is currently working towards her CDA for early childhood, and came to us with 4 years of experience in early childhood! Her favorite part of being a teacher is building connections with the kids and the families. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family, anything outdoors, and traveling!

Ms. Carla is a Co-Lead Teacher in our First Steps Classroom. She has been with us since May of 2024. She has her Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education from Collin College and Bachelor of Arts in Education from University of North Texas. She also has 8 years of experience working in Early Childhood Education. When Ms. Carla is not at work, you will find her at home with her two children, 2 and 15 years old, or out with family and friends.

Ms. Debbie is our Lead Afterschool Teacher! She has been with us since September 2023 and came with over 20 years of experience in Education! She has her Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Abilene Christian College and alternative teaching certificate in Special Education EC-12. Her favorite part of being a teacher is watching them learn and grow and hit those milestones, big and little. In her down time she likes to spend time with her grandkids and read!

Ms. Kola is one of our Resource Teachers! She has been with us since January of 2024 and came to us with 2 years of experience working in the industry of Early Childhood Education! She is currently excited to be working on her Child Development Associate from Collin College. In her free time, you will find Ms. Kola reading a book, riding dirt bikes and cuddling with her cats!

Ms. Maddie is a Co-Lead Teacher in Get Set 2! She has been with us since August of 2024. She has her Bachelor of Science in Sociology with a minor in Child Youth and Care from the University of Wisconsin at LaCross. She came to us with 5 years of experience in childcare! Coming from Minnesota, Ms. Maddie is enjoying spending her free time creating her new home here in Texas, as well as reading and hiking!

Ms. Meron is our Co-Lead Preschool 1 Teacher! She has been with us since August of 2026. She has her Associate of Arts in Biological Science from Bunker Hill Community College and Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from University of Massachusetts in Boston. She has worked in Early Childhood Education since 2015. In her free time, Meron enjoys reading books, going to church and spending time with her husband and 3 kids!

Ms. Trinity is our Assistant Afterschool Teacher! She is a senior at McKinney Boyd High. Her honor's art classes and the knowledge she gains from them are such a great asset in each of our classrooms! Ms. Trinity, in her down time, enjoys arts of all kinds, experiencing different cultures, learning about and taking care of all kinds of critters, and LEARNING!!