Our Staff


Danielle Budnik
Ms. Danielle is the Owner and Director of Learning Their Way. She joined the organization in 2014 and taught the kindergarten class for six years. With twenty years of teaching experience, she stepped into the ownership and director role during the 2020-21 school year. Ms. Danielle earned her Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies from Texas State University. She is a certified teacher in Texas and holds an ESL certification. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, serving on the NBISD Council of PTAs, and sharing her love of cooking by serving others. A list of her favorites can be found here.

Leah Schroeder
Meet Ms. Leah, our enthusiastic young Pre-K4 teacher at Learning Their Way! With five years of experience with working with children, she previously taught music to students from Pre-K3 through Fourth grade. She proud Unicorn alumnus and studied at Mississippi State University. Ms. Leah loves reading, baking family favorites, and spending time at the dog park with her two dogs and family. Check out her list of favorites here.

Paige Smith
Ms. Paige is the kindergarten teacher at Learning Their Way. She has been a teacher in our community for almost ten years. Ms. Paige earned her earned her Bachelor of Science in Multidisciplinary Studies from Texas Lutheran University and is a certified EC-6 teacher in Texas. Ms. Paige loves to run, spend time with her family, and camp together. Check out a list of her favorites here.

Emmy Duhon
Ms. Emmy is our Floater/Sub teacher. She has taught children for five years in New Braunfels and has many years of experience volunteering as a Cougar band mom. Ms. Emmy studied at Meadows College of Business in Georgia before moving to Texas. In her time off, Ms. Emmy loves to garden, ride her bike, and read thrillers. You can find a list of her favorites here.
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Carla Perez
Ms. Carla is the Pre-K3 teacher at Learning Their Way. She has been the Pre-K3 teacher at Learning Their Way for seventeen years and has twenty-one years of pre-school teaching experience. She graduated from high school in 1992 and spent many years as a family nanny. Ms. Carla loves to spend time with her girlfriends and family, go to the movies, and do crafts with her grandchildren. You can find a list of her favorites here.

Leslie Thomas
LMs. Leslie is the older Pre-K4 teacher at Learning Their Way. This will be her first year at LTW, but she has been an early childhood educator for almost ten years. She has spent the last four years as the lead teacher in a Pre-K4 classroom for Yoakum ISD. More information on Ms. Leslie soon. We are THRILLED to welcome her to our team.
