Introducing María Mack
From the vibrant landscapes of Costa Rica to the classrooms of Ann Arbor, María Mack’s path to teaching has been inspired by connection, community, and a lifelong love of learning. With a background in music education and a passion for holistic education, she brings a unique blend of warmth, creativity, and purpose to her role as a Chicago Waldorf School teacher.
“I was born and raised in Costa Rica, but I studied at Colorado College before returning home,” she shares. “Around that time, the Costa Rican Ministry of Culture had just reestablished a national music program aimed at decentralizing music education and making it more accessible across the country.”
María and her husband were part of this initiative, helping to start a music school for at-risk children in the Central Valley. “He worked with older students, and I worked with the younger ones. That’s when I discovered how deeply I loved working with children—not just teaching music, but really being part of their growth and development.”
As a trained violinist, María taught violin, viola, and cello to over 80 students. But her interest soon expanded beyond music. “After teaching in the music program for a while, I realized how interested I was in not just music, but a more holistic education experience—and I loved being in the classroom where I could weave the visual art, the music, and the literature, the history, math—all of it.”
Before leaving Costa Rica, María was introduced to Waldorf education through working as an assistant at a Waldorf-inspired school. When her husband was admitted to the University of Michigan for his doctoral studies, María and her family relocated to Ann Arbor. There, María completed her Waldorf teacher training and taught at the Ann Arbor Waldorf School.
María recently joined the faculty here at the Chicago Waldorf School, where she now leads the second grade class.
“I think the second grade class is just so excited about learning in general. They’re excited about every small detail—whether it's a movement or a verse. Sometimes that movement or verse reminds them of their previous teachers and they have these special moments of 'Wow, we already know this,' or, 'We've done this!'”
One recent highlight for María and her students has been preparing a class play inspired by Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai.
“When I visited the class initially, I introduced the children to the story of the hummingbird—a tale Maathai often told about a tiny bird doing its part to extinguish a forest fire, drop by drop. The message of perseverance really resonated with the class.”
In a serendipitous moment, a student later observed that a hummingbird’s wings move in a figure-eight—just like a form drawing exercise they had been practicing.
“That connection brought everything full circle. Our play, Earth Day activities, form drawing—it all came alive in that moment. It was truly beautiful.”
María’s interests also extend well beyond the classroom.
“One fun fact people may not know about me is that one of my favorite things is dark chocolate. It’s tied to special memories of traveling with my father to the Carribean side of Costa Rica. He worked with empowering communities to promote reforestation and organic cacao. I guess that may also be a big reason why I feel a really strong connection to the Caribbean Sea. And my name actually is María del Mar, which means Maria of the Sea.”
Another personal passion of hers is caring for plants.
“Something that warms my heart is gardening and caring for plants in our house. I keep collecting plants and I love taking plant babies or cuttings from friends and just caring for them—it's something that cheers me up and warms my heart. And also I think makes me feel at home because I come from a tropical country and you're in the Midwest, you know?”
Looking ahead, Maria is already excited about transitioning with her class into third grade next year.
“I'm looking forward to planning out the whole year and making a journey out of it. Right now, there's really the tail end of the year left and so it's a lot of getting to know the children and establishing routines. I’ve also been getting to know the families and parents.
"When the school year is over, I can really delve into what we can share together in our journey next year. That’s one of the things I love most about Waldorf education—the curriculum every year is so rich and we are always so excited about how it meets the children right where they should be. So I'm excited about all of the plan, the practical life lessons—gardening and farming—and everything else.”
From music and movement to plants and perseverance, María Mack brings a holistic, heart-centered approach to teaching—one that inspires her students to grow not just academically, but as whole human beings.