Tomorrow's Child Magazine - March 2021

Page 17

Why Montessori Schools Succeed In A Crisis by Elizabeth Topliffe, Head of Stepping Stones School

“Adaptation to the environment is the first necessity.” —Maria Montessori (London Lectures, 1946)

Editor’s Note: This was written on March 30, 2020. Clearly, there has been a delay in the writing and printing of this article. In fact, it’s been about a year; although it seems like “dog years” (i.e., times 7), it shows the spirit with which Montessori schools took a moment to grieve and then quickly turned to the problem at hand: how to educate our children.

J

ust three weeks ago, our Montessori school was preparing for the seemingly inevitable (but perhaps a long way off )—school closures due to COVID-19. Writing this, I had to go back to my diary to confirm that it was indeed only three weeks ago. My diary entries reflect my concerns. I was worried about how a Montessori school could EVER do school from home. Our pedagogy depends on specialized materials and hands-on learning, At-home learning felt impossible. I was so wrong, and here is why. MONTESSORI STUDENTS, GUIDES, AND SCHOOLS ARE ADAPTABLE

One of the fundamental tenets of Montessori philosophy is that we meet our students where they are with what they need at that time. As an educational community, Stepping Stones is always asking, “What is needed right now?” “Does this still work?” “Why are we doing this?” “How does it benefit each student or students?” A Montessori school does not begin each academic year with a curriculum plan and goals for where we would be on each and every day. Instead, we begin with some broad ideas for concepts and lessons we want to share with our students. Once their interest is piqued or they’re hooked, we follow them, finding

things to fuel their interests, asking questions rather than providing answers, and wondering with awe at their discoveries. In other words, our entire academic year is one of adjusting and adapting. We cannot predict anything, and we have strengthened our ability to be flexible. Because our model is designed for adaptation, our guides are better equipped than many educators to jump into the unknown, changing as we go in order to meet our children where they are. Many parents of Montessori children are already prepared for this adaptation, as they aid in their child’s learning all the time! They realize that learning is happening no matter what the activity. The challenge is the mental shift in understanding what it means to “learn from home,” as opposed to feeling that you (as a parent) must become a teacher or strictly manage your child’s time. MONTESSORI SCHOOLS ACROSS THE WORLD ARE ONE COMMUNITY

Did you know that Montessori is the largest pedagogy in the world, with Montessori schools present on all six continents? It is true, and a global community has made us stronger in this pandemic.

TOMORROW'S CHILD © § MARCH 2021 § WWW.MONTESSORI.ORG

While many local schools were looking to the health department, the CDC, and the news for answers. Stepping Stones also looked to colleagues in Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, and the Netherlands, long before schools in the United States began to close. Montessori administrators were coming together online to share experiences and resources, and to support one another. The Montessori School of Tokyo shared its fabulous Learning from Home Handbook, and they offered to let any other Montessori school in the world use it. Stepping Stones adapted it for our school. This offer saved us days and days of work. The Association Montessori Internationale and American Montessori Society hosted webinars for school leaders. One of these included Karin Ann, co-founder of the International Montessori School of Hong Kong. She shared insights about messaging and about how Montessori schools might adapt to learning from home. The Montessori Administrators Group (an international Google group of Montessori administrators) shared resources, adapted one another’s work, and offered words of encouragement and hope to Montessori schools everywhere. Because schools in other areas of the world are weeks ahead of us in their pandemic response, and because they are extraordinarily generous, Stepping Stones and other Montessori schools have avoided missteps. We have reacted more quickly, and we have been better prepared.

17


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
Tomorrow's Child Magazine - March 2021 by The Montessori Foundation - Issuu