Staff Spotlight-Meet Casper B
- News
Meet Casper Buisman, our IB Coordinator, who brings a calm, thoughtful presence to the MMC Senior School. With experience teaching in both Australia and the Netherlands, Casper enjoys working alongside students as they navigate the final years of their learning journey. He’s inspired by the commitment of the team around him and the way Montessori education empowers students to engage with their studies in a meaningful and independent way.
We spent five minutes chatting with him…
Full Name: Casper Buisman
Position: IB coordinator
How long have you been at MMC?
I first started in 2018 and recently returned in 2024 after a short period away from MMC.
Where were you beforehand?
Glenunga International High School in Adelaide and Wesley College in Melbourne. I also taught at the secondary school in the Netherlands that I attended as a student.
What do you love about working at MMC?
The way we, as staff, work with and alongside the students to guide and help them take charge of their learning.
What inspires you as a Montessori educator/team member?
As coordinator, I am most inspired by the staff around me. They continuously work to offer students the best possible way to engage with the rigour of the final years—Years 11 and 12—and prepare them to go out into the ‘real world’.
What is your most memorable teaching moment?
The moment we graduated our very first cohort of Year 12 students in November 2020. Because then we could celebrate the work and success of implementing and starting the IB Diploma and the Careers Program at MMC.
What’s your most memorable moment as a school student?
It was in Year 9 in secondary school in the Netherlands. During a religious education lesson I somehow found myself sitting under the desks with fellow students—and we decided then that we would start a school band.
What are five interesting things about you we may not know?
- Music is a big hobby. Even though I don’t play much anymore, I have been in bands for over 20 years.
- I won’t travel for food, but I will for a chance to do photography.
- I’ve had major surgery on several occasions in my life—the first was when I was only four days old.
- I grew up in the Netherlands and speak Dutch as my native language, as well as German, English and some Frisian – a separate language spoken in the north of the Netherlands.
- I once jammed and performed on stage with Carl Lewis and Leroy Burrell—the fastest men on Earth in the 1980s.
What does your weekend look like?
Running a taxi service for my three kids who play hockey, basketball and compete in triathlons.
What is your favourite Maria Montessori quote, and why?
“Man könnte von einer sehr gut vorbereiteten Schule träumen, in der es keine Versetzungen, keine Rivalität mehr gibt, wo man sich auf unterschiedliche Lebenswege vorbereitet. Dazu muss man Probleme lösen, von denen das wichtigste ist, dass man selbstständig arbeiten kann.” (Von der Kindheit zur Jugend, p. 336)
Which translates to:
You could imagine a very well-prepared school, in which there are no year groups, no rivalries, where students can prepare for different paths in life. To do this, they must solve problems—the most important of which is the ability to work independently.
Maria Montessori, (From Childhood to Adolescence, p. 336, in German)
For me, this quote represents all that guides us in expanding and refining the programs we offer, and the way we set expectations for our most senior students at MMC.
