Educator Voices

Commentary: Hillsborough, don’t close our high-achieving charter schools

Special to redefinED July 19, 2021

Special to redefinED

Woodmont Charter School is one of four schools whose renewal applications were denied by the Hillsborough County School Board.

Editor’s note: This opinion piece from Amy Sams, principal of Southshore Charter Academy, and Cuwana Lawson, principal of Woodmont Charter School, appeared Friday on tampabay.com.

As the principals of two high-achieving charter schools in Hillsborough County, we along with thousands of students and their families, are appalled at the Hillsborough County School Board’s disregard for parental choice when they voted to deny renewal of our charters.

While we are confident in our legal ability to continue to serve some of our county’s most vulnerable students and are grateful to Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran for his support of all public school students, we must address some of the misinformation that an organized group of anti-charter school activists continue to spread at Hillsborough School Board meetings.

This group, which has nothing visible to gain or lose by having charter schools that outperform similar district schools in their neighborhoods, claims to be in support of all public school students. Here’s a fact that they’ve overlooked.

Charter school students are public school students too. They cite incorrect information to further their cause. What is their motive?

We would like to defend our schools based on true information that we can back up with facts and documentation.

Woodmont Charter School is the highest-graded school in Temple Terrace with a “B” rating. It serves 90% minority students with 97.6% being economically disadvantaged. It is the highest-performing local school in 2019 on the Federal Accountability Index for all students, white, Black, Hispanic, Asian, multi-racial, economically disadvantaged and English Learner students.

To continue reading, click here.

July 19, 2021 0 comment

Customization Education Choice Educator Voices Featured News Features Parental Choice Private Schools School Choice Tax Credit Scholarships

The ‘education machine’ made this educator leave teaching – then she founded her own school

Special to redefinED July 19, 2021

Special to redefinED

HYPE (Helping Young People Excel) Academy is a private school in New Orleans serving fifth through 12th grade students who benefit from a low student-teacher ratio. The school accepts income-based scholarships available through the Louisiana Department of Education and the ACE and ARETE scholarship programs.

Editor’s note: Denisha Merriweather, director of family engagement at the American Federation for Children and founder of Black Minds Matter, recently interviewed Arianne Craig Jolla, who had dreamed of being a teacher since she was in fourth grade. Frustrated with school administrators who expected her to “teach to the test,” which wasn’t working for students who needed help with basic math and reading skills, she left the system and started her own school, HYPE Academy, in New Orleans. Here is an excerpt of Merriweather’s interview.

Merriweather: Where did the vision to found HYPE Academy come from?

Craig Jolla: My mom was a para-teacher (teacher’s assistant) for about 23 years, so education was a big deal. Even though she was a single mother who lived in poverty, she made sure to help us in every way she could. My mother would take us to the library where we would do our book reports and other school related work. That really helped to develop my love for learning, but the bug to teach and educate was born in my fourth-grade teacher’s classroom.

When I walked into Mrs. Weber’s classroom and she put her name and phone number on the board, it felt different. We did not think teachers were human; We looked at our teachers as superheroes. So, when she put her number on the board it just made her feel so much more accessible.

I remember thinking, “Oh my God, I really want to do for other kids what she did for me.” She made me feel safe, cared about, and she made me feel like I mattered. I knew then that I wanted to go into elementary education. So, I attended Dillard University here in New Orleans and got my bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education. I started teaching immediately that summer and I also started working on my master’s degree.

I started teaching and I absolutely hated it. I hated waking up in the morning. I hated going into the classroom and it was mainly because I felt like a failure. I felt like my vision of teaching was to go in and do for those kids which she had done for me. However, the reality of it was that I was hired to teach a test. I was hired to prepare kids for standardized testing.

It was also difficult to take in account all the other things these children had to overcome. Many of them came to me without having a foundation. For a lot of them they had no basic math or reading skills. To be honest, there was this humongous gap between what I was expected to do, perform miracles in my opinion, and what the reality was. These kids were not equipped with the basics. I did that for about five years before I decided to go to a different parish to teach.

I started teaching in the top parish in the state. I thought that this parish would be better. When I started teaching there, I was one of maybe two African American teachers in the school and most of my kids were not African American either. In the back of my mind I thought, “It must be us.” For a moment I thought it must be an African American problem.

However, when I started teaching there it was the same as my last parish. That is when I realized it was a system problem. I believe that our system is set up for kids to fail.

At this time, I was teaching at a middle school. I remember one day we were called out of our planning periods to have a department meeting. This happened very often. The principal started to chide us because our children had not reached their benchmarks. I remember one of my colleagues said, “How in the world do you expect us to teach these kids how to pass this test when many of them cannot do basic math or reading?”

I will never forget what the principal said, “I don’t care what you do. Just get them out of here and let them be high school’s problem next year.” This happened around October. By Christmas I had put in my two weeks and by January we started HYPE Academy.

To read more, click here.

July 19, 2021 1 comment

Advocate Voices Commentary and Opinion Education Choice Educator Voices Featured Parental Choice Private School Scholarships School Choice

Commentary: School choice meets diverse needs

Special to redefinED March 15, 2021

Special to redefinED

St. Joseph Catholic School in Bradenton serves 250 students in grades PreK-3 through 8, many of whom attend on the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship.

Editor’s note: This opinion piece from Deborah Suddarth, principal of St. Joseph Catholic School in Bradenton, appeared Sunday in the Sarasota Herald Tribune.

When I read the recent column “School choice leaves poor choices,” I thought back to when I was the associate superintendent for schools in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana.

I ran across a textbook list from the 1800s for a small rural town. All the textbooks were in German to teach the immigrant children who attended that school. As the only school in the region, it was the public school.

Those early educators understood that children would learn best in their familiar culture and that – through their daily lessons – they would succeed and take on the culture of their new country.

Today we live in a very diverse country, and with that comes a richness in educational opportunities. Our children and families are not alike. Children still learn best in a culture that matches and extends their family. School choice provides opportunities for families to identify the school that best meets the needs of their children.

Thanks to the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, our Catholic school in Bradenton serves students from 31 ethnic, racial and cultural backgrounds. The tax credit scholarship and the Family Empowerment Scholarship enable lower-income parents to find the school where their kids can flourish.

To continue reading, click here.

March 15, 2021 0 comment

Commentary and Opinion Educator Voices Featured Private Schools School Choice

For this educator, relationships are the reward

Lisa Buie January 14, 2021

Lisa Buie

About a third of the 435 K-12 student at The Rock School use state choice scholarships, including 108 who use the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship for lower-income students and 15 who use Gardiner Scholarships for students with special needs.

Editor’s Note: At the end of 2019, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared 2020 “The Year of the Teacher,” championing a $47,500 starting salary and a new bonus program for K-12 educators. In June, DeSantis signed into law a bill allocating $500 million for teacher pay, boosting Florida from 26^th to fifth for minimum teacher pay.

That boost applied only to district schools, causing some private school administrators to wonder if they would lose teachers. Alicen Crane, a teacher at The Rock School, a faith-based school in Gainesville, is among those who chose to stay. Here, she explains why the intangibles of her job are more rewarding than a bigger paycheck.

Alicen Crane

My experience at The Rock School is unique.

I attended The Rock as a student in elementary school and then for a while in high school. I spent some time in public school and was also homeschooled, so I have a little experience in various settings. But there was something about The Rock School that always drew me back.

As a student, I felt cared for spiritually, personally, and academically. So, when it came time to apply for my first job after graduating from high school, there was no question; it was The Rock Preschool I wanted to apply to. Now I was on the other side of education – I was a teacher.

I worked at The Rock School while getting my bachelor’s degree in elementary education and was able to substitute. I loved the small class sizes and being able to connect with the students, including some whose parents or siblings had been my classmates. I was able to learn from the teachers and get experience in a classroom. The Rock still had that community feeling I felt as a student.

After graduation, I knew I wanted to spend my first year as an educator at a school where teachers had the opportunity to focus on individual students’ needs and where the administration supported unique learning environments. So, I applied to The Rock School as an elementary teacher and was accepted.

That first year teaching, I learned so much. With a smaller school, I was able to grow professionally and personally. The administrators and my fellow teachers guided me through one-on-one training and professional development. I was able to learn so much from veteran teachers, including those who taught and inspired me. I was also able to grow by sharing with others the skills I was learning.

Five years after I first started working at The Rock Preschool, I was teaching my first elementary class. When I received my roster, I realized some of the students were the same ones I’d taught as pre-schoolers. I was thrilled! I had built relationships with these students and their parents. The relationships with families have continued year after year, at school events, in the car line, or in after-school care.

I know I could make more money at a public school, but I won’t be leaving The Rock School. It’s more than just an 8 a.m.-to-3 p.m. school. It’s a place where students, parents and teachers can be seen and heard. My administrative team is phenomenal, working with us to customize instruction to each student’s needs. The small class sizes give me the opportunity to use creative strategies to help my students succeed.

But the most rewarding thing about The Rock School is the opportunity I have to give back to my community. As I’ve pursued a master’s degree in educational leadership, I’ve had the chance to teach these students that their voice matters – that they all can make an impact in a world that needs them.

At The Rock School, I’m able to partner with parents and fellow educators. I’m able to teach the whole child, spiritually and academically, as each one continues to teach me. I wouldn’t trade that for anything, even a bigger paycheck.

January 14, 2021 0 comment

Charter Schools Commentary and Opinion Educator Voices Educators Featured Parental Choice Public School Choice School Choice Voices for Education Choice

Word for word: Founding principal of IDEA Victory Academy Latoya McGhee

Lisa Buie January 12, 2021

Lisa Buie

Editor’s note: IDEA Public Schools, a Texas-based nonprofit that serves more than 63,000 students in 120 schools across Texas and Louisiana, is set to bring its award-winning college preparatory program to the Sunshine State this year with the opening of two campuses in Hillsborough County.

In their first year, the Tampa “schools of hope” – charter schools that serve lower-income students from one or more persistently low-performing schools – will be open to students in kindergarten through second grade as well as sixth grade, with additional grades added each year until the schools are fully scaled with K-12 campuses. Building on its reputation as the nation’s fastest-growing network of tuition-free, Pre-K-12 public charter schools, IDEA, which stands for Individuals Dedicated to Excellence and Achievement, plans to have four schools in the Tampa Bay area by 2023 and aims to grow that number to 20 by 2026.

IDEA Tampa Bay already has begun recruiting students and principals, including Latoya McGhee, who has been tapped as principal in residence at IDEA Victory Vinik Campus. At the school’s virtual groundbreaking in November, McGhee shared how she overcame her personal challenges to succeed in college and life and why IDEA affords her the perfect opportunity to prepare other students to do the same.

Hello everyone, my name is Latoya McGhee, founding principal of IDEA Victory Academy. I have been an educator for 11 years, and most of my career has been spent as a teacher and a leader in low-performing schools in underserved neighborhoods.

I grew up in a small town called Hartsville, S.C. Though I had a pleasant educational journey through elementary, middle, and high school, I was not prepared for college.

Throughout grade school, I was considered a “smart” student. I always did my work, always studied, worked hard, and maintained a B average. But in college, I could barely keep up. By the end of my first year, I had failed all my classes, and I was back home in Hartsville. I felt like a complete failure.

When I was pregnant with my son, I worked several jobs and struggled to make ends meet. I enrolled in three colleges and quit. I prayed for an answer, or even just to have options, and one day a co-worker mentioned becoming an educator. Immediately, the small hairs on my arm began to stand up.

I sat there visualizing the possibility. I could actual see myself in a classroom filled with students. It made me smile in that moment to think about the kind of impact that I would make. I knew then that education was my true path of service to both children and my community.

For the first time in years, I set a goal that aligned with my passion. I worked hard to complete the remaining classes I needed to obtain my bachelor’s degree. I became a teacher, earned my master’s degree and became an assistant principal. Now, here I am, founding principal of IDEA Victory Academy.

You might be wondering: Why is she sharing this?

I’m sharing because, as I’ve said, even though I was considered a “smart” student, I was not prepared for college or life. I believe that all children deserve to have options, and to have options, they need to be prepared as early as possible. They deserve to have the education and resources needed to thrive in this world regardless of where they come from.

When I learned about IDEA and its commitment not only to seeing students to the college door but also through college, I knew it was home for me. I knew I wanted to be a part of an organization that is committed to providing a quality education for kids and that stands behind that commitment by ensuring schools have the necessary resources to meet the holistic needs of all students, their families, and the community.

The children in this community deserve to have passionate educators who are willing to give 100% every day, and I have seen IDEA do this firsthand while completing my residency at an IDEA campus in Weslaco, Texas. I had the opportunity to work with teachers and staff who go above and beyond to ensure that every child has what they need to be happy, healthy, and successful.

Our Direct Instruction curriculum closes gaps and builds students’ reading confidence. As a result, we can close reading achievement gaps and get 90% of our students reading to grade level at the end of each school year. Our critical student intervention and special education teachers work tirelessly to ensure that differentiated, small group instruction is designed to address the specific content gaps daily. Our Eureka math curriculum allows students to learn math concepts by integrating grade/age-appropriate real-world scenarios and activities into daily lessons.

In addition to providing rigorous academics, IDEA Victory will serve as a pilar of the community by building partnerships to provide a bank of resources that students and their families can take advantage of.

I am grateful to be a part of IDEA because we are committed to breaking barriers, giving families options, and making a positive impact in our communities. Though we are new to Tampa Bay, IDEA has 20 years of success under its belt in Texas and Louisiana, and now, it’s our turn. I encourage families to apply today and continue to connect with us.

Interested families can apply at www.ideapublicschools.org/apply.

January 12, 2021 0 comment

Blog Guest Commentary and Opinion Customization Educator Voices Featured Private Schools School Choice

Montessori education: Ahead of its time

Special to redefinED January 7, 2021

Special to redefinED

Summit-Questa Montessori School serves toddlers through eighth-graders on a 10-acre campus in Davie, Florida.

Editor’s note: This post from Judy Dempsey, founder and longtime principal of Summit-Questa Montessori School in Davie, Florida, is based on a chapter from her 2016 book “Turning Education Inside Out: Confessions of a Montessori Principal.”

Judy Dempsey

Education today must establish different goals for itself compared to generations ago. Today’s world is an inconsistent place that continues to change at a mind-boggling pace. Technology has transformed our world in a way that would be unrecognizable to our ancestors.

The extraordinary thing is that it may be unrecognizable to us in the near future.

In the past, education prepared students for a familiar and predictable world; the goal was to have students memorize a set of facts or learn specific skills that would serve them well in a variety of careers. Today, in the Information Age, any fact that a student would need or want is at the tip of their finger, a mouse click or screen tap away.

As educators, it is imperative that we prepare our students for the unique demands that the 21st century world will place upon them. It is vital in this age to teach students how to find the knowledge they need – knowledge as varied as the changing times themselves. Students must be able to think outside of the box and be creative learners and problem solvers.

Upon entering the workplace, they will need to work in the global community, so it is imperative for them to know how to communicate well and get along with others. They must be respectful of other cultures and traditions since it’s likely, in any business transaction, that their clients and the team with which they work will be from somewhere else in the world.

The statistics also indicate that people will change jobs much more frequently than ever before. Young people who can adapt to new and changing needs and expectations will be the ones getting and keeping the available jobs.

Our world is facing a multitude of challenges at different levels: environmentally, socially, ethically, politically, and economically. We need young people who have the skills to face unprecedented situations in the world. These are very different skills necessary for success in the 21^st century and for the survival of our culture, planet, and species. When parents ask me, “Will Montessori prepare my child for the real world?”, I confidently respond by saying, “Montessori will, without any doubt, prepare your child much better than traditional education ever could for this new real world.”

If you look at all the previously mentioned skills necessary for success in the 21st century, they are all inherent in the Montessori experience. Children learn to think differently based on their unique perception of the world. They learn how to get along with classmates from different cultures, ages or genders, or perhaps a very different type of learner, thinker, and problem solver.

Exposure to these different personalities, abilities, and individual gifts allows children to develop skills that are different from their traditional counterparts. Their vocabulary, critical thinking, social, and communication skills increase with every year that they are in the Montessori classroom.

They learn to explore their own interests and the Montessori materials at their own pace. The Montessori teacher will always guide the students along the path of learning, not by providing the answers, but by constantly asking the child the questions needed to stimulate critical thinking and discovery. A Socratic questioning type of approach allows students to develop and expand their own learning and critical thinking skills.

As much as our world has turned into a machine/technology-dominated society, social skills are still highly important for success. The highest paying jobs today demand people who are not only competent with technology, but also have strong people skills—an important human trait. Social skills are not usually part of the curriculum in traditional schooling. Michael B. Horn, co-founder of the Clayton Christensen Institute, said, “Machines are automating a whole bunch of things so having the softer skills, knowing the human touch and how to complement technology is critical, and our educational system is not set up for that.”

Although these skills may not be taught in traditional schools, they are a fundamental part of the Montessori experience. In a Montessori interactive and ever-changing classroom, students learn to communicate, adapt, and problem solve in socially appropriate ways as they navigate the classroom.

That classroom is like a sea full of unique and beautiful creatures, all with their own needs and interests. As the day flows, they all learn to share their habitat, enjoy each other’s company and beauty, negotiate, and sustain the peaceful atmosphere. In the process, their own gifts grow and flourish, contributing to the overall health of the environment.

Contrary to some who believe that Montessori classrooms are chaotic and nonstructured, where students can do whatever they want with no responsibility, nothing could be further from the truth. Students are expected to be responsible community members, finish the work that they choose, and return it to the shelf so that someone else can use it.

They mentor each other and care about each other. They collaborate, thereby learning to be more productive as a team. They trust each other and work on sharing their strengths with each other for the good of all. Our Montessori students are very well prepared for the 21st century.

President Barack Obama stated on CBS news, “I’m calling on our nation’s governors and state education chiefs to develop standards and assessments that don’t simply measure whether students can fill in a bubble on a test, but whether they possess 21st century skills like problem-solving and critical thinking and entrepreneurship and creativity.”

Remarkably, those in the traditional world of education do indeed have this important information; however, implementing a system that incorporate these skills into their classrooms remains a mystery to them. The National Education Association has been working for many years to bring innovation into public school systems. Its educational researchers have long recognized that students need to acquire very different skills for the future and have narrowed the focus to the “Four Cs.”

They name these Four Cs: communicators, collaborators, creators, and critical thinkers. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? It also is interesting to note that while we’ve had the Montessori education system successfully in place worldwide for more than 100 years, few policymakers and educators take our approach seriously.

The American Management Association in a 2010 survey on critical skills stated:

“The Four Cs will become even more important to organizations in the future. Three out of four executives who responded to the survey said they believe these skills and competencies will become even more important to organizations in the next three to five years; additionally, 80% believe that reading, writing and arithmetic are not sufficient if employees are unable to think critically, solve problems, collaborate, or communicate effectively.”

I could continue to cite dozens and dozens of additional resources that give the same message about the importance of many other skills beyond reading, writing and arithmetic that our students need today. It should be obvious to anyone familiar with the Montessori approach that Montessori has been doing this the entire time it has been in existence. There is no doubt how timely it is today in preparing our students for the world in which they will find themselves as adults.

Dr. Maria Montessori, ever the visionary, was able to understand what our students would need for their future.

January 7, 2021 0 comment

Commentary and Opinion Coronavirus / COVID-19 Customization Education and Public Policy Education Choice Educator Voices Faith-based Education Featured News Parental Choice Podcast Private Schools School Choice

podcastED: SUFS president Doug Tuthill interviews educator Danielle Marolf

redefinED staff December 9, 2020

redefinED staff

On this episode, Tuthill talks with the principal of Wellmont Academy, a faith-based private school in St. Petersburg, Florida, that serves traditional grade levels – with a twist. While some students participate in in-person instruction two or three days a week, others attend in person five days a week, depending on the needs and preferences of each family.

Marolf discusses how her experience with her son’s dyslexia led her to start an untraditional school of the type now growing in popularity in Florida and nationwide. She and Tuthill also discuss the day-to-day management of a hybrid school like Wellmont, how longtime homeschool families have adjusted to a different schedule, and policy changes that are needed to give families more flexibility in spending their education dollars.

“As many negative things have come from the pandemic, I think this has definitely been a positive. It is blowing wide open the concept of how we educate our children best. Not everybody fits the same mold.”

EPISODE DETAILS:

· How a small homeschooling group grew into a popular hybrid school

· How scheduling and curriculum work for students at the same grade level but on different schedules

· The concept of “assisted learning rooms” where students operate in small groups with teachers present to guide them

· How Florida’s education policy needs to change to accommodate expansion of innovative school models like Wellmont Academy

December 9, 2020 0 comment

Coronavirus / COVID-19 Customization Education Choice Educator Voices Featured News Parental Choice Private Schools School Choice

Educator profile: Montessori school owner, teacher trainer and author Judy Dempsey

Lisa Buie November 24, 2020

Lisa Buie

Summit-Questa Montessori School in Davie, Florida, typically enrolls 475 students from 18 months through eighth grade. During the pandemic, the school has capped enrollment at 378 students to allow for social distancing and is offering a virtual program.

For more than four decades, Judy Dempsey has sought to bring out the best in children while offering education options to Florida families. For the past 26 years, she has owned and operated Summit-Questa Montessori School in Davie, which serves children from 18 months through eighth grade. About 20 percent participate in Florida Tax Credit, Family Empowerment and McKay Scholarship programs.

Judy Dempsey

SQMS students thrive on a 10-acre campus featuring native habitats, numerous gardens, a wetland preserve, a mini-barnyard, outdoor fields, a gymnasium and two pools. The school also is the site of Summit Montessori Teacher Training Institute, an accredited educator training center affiliated with the American Montessori Society, for which Dempsey serves as co-director. Since 2003, she has been instrumental in training hundreds of teachers in the Montessori method, which is based on self-directed activity and hands-on learning.

Dempsey served for five years as 1^st vice president and director of accreditation on the board of the Association of Independent Schools of Florida, a statewide organization that accredits private schools and recognizes prominent educators. She was named the 2016-17 Richard and Dorothy Lear Distinguished Educator of the Year, the association’s highest honor, in recognition of her efforts to provide a quality education to children in South Florida. In her book “Turning Education Inside Out: Confessions of a Montessori Principal,” she details her experience as a Montessori educator, administrator, school owner and teacher trainer.

redefinED reached out to Dempsey to learn more about what Montessori has in common with unschooling and micro-schools, her passion for education, and her interest in offering education choice opportunities to families. Answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.

Q. What during your early life inspired you to pursue a career in education?

A. I did not intend to go into education when I was younger. I had a very creative spirit running through me and wanted to become an artist. My parents, however, had a different goal in mind for me when I attended college. They wanted to make sure that I would have a profession to fall back upon, so insisted I chose an area where I could at least be employed and support myself. I chose to go into education at that point because I loved children, and the opportunity for employment was acceptable to my parents. So, we compromised; I majored in elementary education and minored in art.

Q. Tell us about your own education. Were you also raised attending Montessori schools? If so, is that why you chose to work in Montessori? If not, how did you become familiar with Montessori and what drew you to it?

A. There is a great deal of irony here because I was raised in a strict, all-girl, traditional Catholic school, which is the antithesis of a Montessori environment. I received a very good academic foundation; however, I had been trained to not question and follow the rules without exception. I believe my desire to explore and question is what led me to follow my desire to be creative in other areas.

When I graduated from college, my presumed assurance of a teaching job evaporated. It was one of the very few years in New York City when teaching jobs were at a shortage. I pounded the pavement until I found a job as a teaching assistant in a Montessori elementary classroom for 6- to 9-year-olds. I had just graduated from a very good college, Wagner College, on Staten Island, N.Y., with a degree in education, and I had never heard of Montessori. What I experienced there changed my life and set me on a course that has led me to amazing discoveries for 44 years.

Montessori has allowed my passion for children, education, nature and creativity to flourish. Maria Montessori was such a genius to have created a system where children’s natural passion for learning, and to create, is the driving force of how authentic Montessori schools operate. The amazing fact is that her discoveries were well ahead of her time, as most of her elements in our Montessori schools are today verified by much of the current brain research being done.

I am more passionate about Montessori today than when I started. I have seen the impact this method has had on the overall development and lives of our students. It most definitely leads to well-rounded, well-educated, caring, self-assured, respectful young people who are driven by their passions. They are excellent communicators, critical thinkers and creative problem-solvers.

Q. You have an extensive background as a principal. Give us an overview of your current role at Summit-Questa Montessori School and how being an administrator prepared you for taking on ownership of a school.

A. I have been put into administrative roles throughout my entire professional career, even in the beginning of my career. They most definitely prepared me for my role as principal and owner of Summit-Questa Montessori School for the past 30 years.

I believe all leaders realize at some point that so much of what happens in a school, or any organization for that matter, is based on the kinds of relationships that are formed and managed. How do we handle conflict that will naturally arise whenever groups of people gather and work together? It has been a very bumpy journey because in my early years in administration, like most people, I avoided conflict at all costs. It was only as I matured and realized that avoiding conflict did not make it go away, and in some cases, made it worse.

I began to focus on building relationships, community and teamwork. The Montessori Method has a very clear structure that allows children of mixed ages and abilities to work together and peacefully overcome challenges throughout their day. The epiphany occurred when I realized that we could apply that same Montessori structure to the adults in our Montessori community. That is, building community, building relationships and supporting each other, respectful communication and setting the goal of finding peaceful solutions to our challenges. These are the things we strive for at SQMS, and I believe we all share that common goal.

Q. With classes that include multiple age levels and a student-directed approach to learning, Montessori seems a bit like unschooling and micro-schools. What distinguishes a Montessori education from these models and from more traditional models?

A. The Montessori method is so multi-layered. In general, the Montessori approach is based on a few very foundational elements that are necessary in the classroom: a three-year multi-age mixture of students, a full array of Montessori materials in all subject areas, children working independently and in small groups with the materials, a trained teacher by a MACTE accredited teacher training institute and the ability for children to choose their own work, along with being guided by a Montessori teacher.

Some people not familiar with Montessori have described the method as chaotic or without structure. This is not true at all; to the unfamiliar eye, students walking around, making choices, working independently and communicating with their classmates may look unstructured because it is so different from a traditional approach. There is a clear structure to the classroom, and it is designed to meet their needs at that age. Children understand this and react in a very positive way to learning in this manner. It is not uncommon to have most students loving school and not wanting to leave.

Trained Montessori teachers observe the students closely, encourage independence in thought and actions, and help guide them in all areas to help the child reach their full potential. This is not by influencing the child’s decisions, but by encouraging and supporting their learning. The Montessori materials support deeper learning through hands-on, exploratory learning that make abstract academic concepts much clearer and appropriate. This multi-sensory approach to learning has proven to create students with higher creative and critical thinking skills.

A common question about the three-year age mixture is a concern that the oldest student in the classroom will somehow be adversely influenced by the younger students. There has been quite a bit of research in the Montessori world which has shown just the opposite occurs. The oldest student is in a position of leadership, teaching the younger students, being a role model and earning certain privileges as the oldest in the classroom community. This leads to strong self-confidence, self-esteem and leadership skills; they learn how to overcome conflict and create peace within their community by using peace-making conflict-resolution skills.

Q. One could argue that education is in the midst of its most difficult and challenging time. Do you agree, and if so, what do you think the lasting effects will be after the pandemic? Will some of those changes be good and if so, in what way?

A. I most definitely agree that this pandemic has created one of the most challenging situations in our lifetime on so many levels. We at SQMS depended upon our Montessori philosophy when we saw the challenges that were inevitable for everyone in the state in terms of educational delivery to students. The teachers rose to the occasion and worked with students and parents to find ways to meet everyone’s needs.

Many teachers expanded their office hours to after school, before school, and evenings to help support student and family transition to online learning. They became even more creative, finding ways to bring excitement and concrete learning to students learning from home. It also led to discovery and creation of many online Montessori materials that the students could manipulate digitally.

I think if we look at the big picture of what some positive changes might be from the pandemic, it could include that people were forced to simplify their lives and appreciate the things that they still had, such as their health, their families and finding creative ways to spend time together. We witnessed parents working with their children on science experiments, in creative skits and helping their children stay organized and on task. These are all good things for families and hopefully will live beyond the pandemic.

Q. Is there anything else you think is important to share?

A. The only area I feel I need to include is the relationship that the Montessori method nurtures with nature. Dr. Montessori was one of the first ecologists and created a curriculum to teach children the interconnectedness of all life and the need to protect all forms of life. Children are actively engaged in hands-on experiences with botany, zoology, chemistry, earth and physical sciences.

All Montessori classrooms include some form of life to allow students to care for, learn about, protect and nurture them. Summit-Questa has multiple gardens that the students care for and multiple animals on campus, even a mini-barn with pigs, goats, and chickens. The middle school students hatch eggs and have built an enclosed butterfly garden that eventually will be home to multiple local species for the entire community to enjoy.

November 24, 2020 0 comment