Educating for Peace in Contemporary Life

Each year, members of our faculty, staff and administration attend the Association Montessori International Refresher Course, thanks to the generous support of our families, Board members, staff, alumni and other friends of CMS during the Pink Tower Campaign.

The intent of the event is to:

• Rejuvenate educators
• Expand our thinking
• Deepen our commitment to the children and our understanding of Montessori philosophy
• Provide practical tools for enhancing the children’s classroom experience

Here are a few takeaways from our weekend:

Grace Beermann, Primary Guide: “The AMI/USA Montessori Experience serves as an annual reminder that what we do here is important, global and ever-expanding. This year, the Primary Refresher Course focused on non-violence in education, which turned the Montessori ideal of peace education into new light for me. The course helped me examine my practice and consider ways in which I can trust the children even more with the goals and processes of the Children's House. We reflected on the ways in which we invite culture and community building in our environments, and the Primary guides plan to work together to find ways to bring our families closer to the work happening here. An auxiliary presentation also exposed a few of us to the important work happening to bring Montessori to the elderly and those suffering from Alzheimer's disease. I am always grateful that this weekend of learning is supported by our school community and look forward to serving CMS better each year as a result.”

Kristina Tenev, YCC Guide: “The Refresher Course event is providing priceless time spent with other Montessorians, sharing experience and thoughts. Each Refresher Course leads me to self-reflection and better understanding of the child. I am always back with improved mindset, fresh ideas, and strategies for better classroom operation.”

Sara Kruger, Upper Elementary Guide: ”Something I truly appreciate is the ability to go to the AMI Refresher Course each year as a way to gain new insight and understanding of the Montessori Method. This year, as it has been in years past, I came away truly refreshed and ready to implement ideas into my Upper Elementary classroom, with specific students in mind. Hearing from speaker Phyllis Pottish-Lewis, an Elementary Montessorian with more than forty years of classroom experience, about Cosmic Education in the classroom and staying true to Dr. Montessori's method was inspiring.”

Rosabeth Koehn, Lower Elementary Guide: “I really appreciated the opportunity to attend this year's Elementary Refresher course, which was a really inspiring review of the fundamentals of the Elementary environment. I feel excited about integrating more storytelling into my lessons to hook the children's interest and also incorporating more craft supplies for the children to use for creative follow-up work. It was a good reminder that children (and all humans!) work best when inspired!”

Laurie Orso, Primary Guide: “I deeply appreciate the opportunity to attend the annual AMI Reresher Course! I always gain new insights on how to better serve each child. At these conferences, many Montessorians gather to sing and share their love and enthusiasm for this great work! We grow in these days of togetherness and return with the inspiration and concrete ideas to implements our lessons in new and refreshing ways. Our goal is to create a framework where each child feels a culture of belonging. When we grow and expand in these conferences, we certainly expand the love of learning in our classroom communities!”

Lauren Fox, YCC Guide: “The Refresher Course is such a beneficial resource that I deeply look forward to attending again in the future! It is such a transformative experience to hear from many other Montessorians to instill new ideas skills and materials to serve the children. I’m anticipating a truly positive impact on the children’s environment implementing all I’ve learned.”

Kim V. Schneider, M.Ed., J.D., LPC, Head of School: “The AMI Refresher Course is a wonderful opportunity for me to connect with Montessorians from around the world who are passionate about creating peace and possibility. This year, I was especially interested in two sessions: one that focused on deepening partnerships between families and the school around each child’s development, and one on cultivating peace and community in the classrooms. I was also able to meet with AMI trainers who serve on our CMS Board and representatives from AMI Global, various AMI training centers and the Montessori Global Growth Fund. As always, I came away with notebooks of ideas, and I feel even more connected to our incredible faculty team! Thank you to our community for consistently supporting our annual Pink Tower giving campaign, which allows us to attend this event every year.”