Towards the end of my eighth year of teaching, I was eager to work in an environment that conformed to my spiritual beliefs. During this time, I was promoted to the position of the vice principle in the school that I had worked for a very long time. Accepting the position was a challenge to me because I had to choose between committing myself to serving the school or my family. My youngest daughter was only one and half years old. Additionally, I had one daughter in high school and another one in middle school. Thus, making a commitment to serve the school as a vice principle was not the best decision. “What matters to you is not necessarily what you say or believe, but what your action and reaction reveal as important and serious to you”(Tolle, 2003, p. 41).In this regard, I politely declined the position because I was interested in staying close to my kids and following their education. This is Montessori’s great attainment, the “discovery of the child. This, in the realm of the human spirit can be set against the discovery of those terrible energies latent at the atom, just as they can be used to create the good armament of peace” (Standing, 1998, p. 370). I was not only interested in teaching at the school, but also supporting my children. Thus, I do not regret my decision to turn down the school’s offer to me because it enabled me to balance between effective teaching and managing my family.
I was lucky to join a Catholic school in the neighborhood. I also transferred my second daughter to the middle school in the Catholic institution. I was offered an attractive remuneration package. This was important because it would enable me to care of my family with ease. The school was affiliated to the National Curriculum for Educators, as well as, a religious organization referred to as the Legion of Christ. I was glad to learn that the school followed Christian values, which are very important to me. Standing (1998, p. 88), emphasizes the importance of Christian values in the life of a Montessori teacher by asserting that “Maria Montessori was herself: the personification of what her own ideal teacher should be one who combines the self-sacrificing spirit of the scientist with the love of the disciple of Christ.”
My new role was to be the founding teacher in the all girls’ school. During my first year in the school, I attended special training on religious and gender education. The trainings were done through conferences, which were held in Atlanta. Intimacy is the “best therapy for the pain of disconnection. An intimate relationship goes beyond an implicit capacity for connectedness; we explicitly share our deeper natures with each other in the belief that we can be fully known and accepted” (Palmer, 2007, p. 93). Following this perspective, I took advantage of the conferences and developed strong relationships with several people who had the same values and interest in working for the betterment of the community.
As the founding teacher, I had to build the learning system from scratch. This involved ordering new furniture, books, and learning materials. Fortunately, I had the experience of managing six classrooms in my previous school. Consequently, I used the experience and the skills that I had to think strategically and to overcome the challenges that I faced in my new position. I was ready to address the challenge associated with my new roles because the fear of teaching and facing problematic parents was long gone. I was confident that my knowledge, teaching experience, and personal attributes would help me to improve learning in the school. Concisely, I was not only highly knowledgeable in my subject area, but also willing to learn from the students. My strategy for teaching included providing students with clear tasks and goals; encouraging students to think and to learn from their peers; encourage student participation through discussions and problem solving; and to employ regular informal assessments. The personal attributes that I had included ability to demonstrate flexibility in responding to students’ needs; observe students in class in order to identify signs of boredom and misunderstanding; encourage students to face difficulties; and to communicate effectively.
I had to implement a one-year plan that would suit the students’ learning needs. Moreover, I had to design the classroom to suit the girls. The rationale of this strategy is that the child’s love of “order is based on a vital need for a precise and determined environment. Only in such an environment can the child categorize his perception, and form an inner conceptual framework with which to understand and deal with his world” (Lillard, 1972, p. 33). Students have different ways and pace of learning. Thus, it is necessary to provide different learning activities, assessments, and pace in order to meet the needs of all students. This can only be achieved through a plan that outlines the strategies for fulfilling learners’ needs. As a senior teacher, I focused on enhancing fairness and respect to all students. My objective was to prevent misbehavior among the learners. My strategy for achieving this objective involved incorporating discussions on peace and respect in normal class lessons. Tolle (2005, p. 243) emphasizes the importance of continuous acquisition of knowledge by stating that “discover inner space by creating gaps in the stream of thinking. Without these gaps, your thinking becomes repetitive, uninspired, and devoid of any creative soar.” I had to acquire more knowledge through extensive training that focused on the learning styles of girls. As a mother of three girls, I was glad to learn much about the female brain and its development, as well as, how we could get it to work at its best.
I had the privilege to participate in the first six years of the school’s accreditation process. A lot of work was assigned to each faculty member during this process. The work included conducting self-studies; processing school profile data and defining the school’s purpose; finding supporting strategies to educate high achieving students; and supporting the students’ spiritual, personal, and academic growth. The guiding principle of “a successful educational system holds that slower children should be encouraged to work longer and intensively. Teachers are aware of the minimal knowledge and skills that children must attain at each grade and must cooperate to reach that goal” (Hirsch, 1999, p. 90). Consequently, I decided to obtain my early childhood administrative credentials by completing the 3-6 Montessori trainer program. As soon as my training was over, I was offered a position as a Montessori trainer at the Bay Area Montessori Center. Currently, I am working as a part-time trainer. However, I intend to work as a fulltime instructor in American Montessori programs as soon as I complete my studies. In my thirteenth year of teaching, I decided to obtain a Master’s degree from St Katherine University. I will be completing the degree in a few months from now. My ultimate career development goal is to obtain the National Teacher Certification. This certification will boost my self-esteem and confidence. Consequently, I will be able to face the challenges associated with teaching in Montessori programs.
References
Hirsch, E. (1999). The Schools we Need and Why we don’t have them. New York: Anchor Books.
Lillard, P. (1972). Montessori, a Modern Approach. New York: Schocken Books.
Palmer, P. (2007). The Courage to Teach. San Francisco: Wiley Imprint.
Standing, E. (1998). Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work. New York: Penguin Group.
Tolle, E. (2003). ANew Earth by Awakening to Yor Life’s Purpose. New York: Penguin Group.