Beyond Resilience: Creatively Redesigning Our Future

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

We attended the Refresher Course virtually over President’s Day weekend. AMI was masterful in helping us connect to other educators to exchange ideas and enthusiasm, even though we were miles apart.

“Times have changed, and science has made great progress, and so has our work; but our principles have only been confirmed, and along with them our conviction that [humanity] can hope for a solution to its problems, among which the most urgent are those of peace and unity, only by turning its attention and energies to the discovery of the child and to the development of the great potentialities of the human personality in the course of its formation.”   –Dr. Maria Montessori | From the foreword to The Discovery of the Child

Here are a few takeaways from our weekend:

Melissa Long, Young Children’s (Toddler) Guide: I am still processing the huge amount of information I assimilated during the conference! Our sessions covered everything from the creation of the universe to conception and human development as a way of helping us understand children’s individuation process. We also discussed how Dr. Montessori pioneered egalitarian concepts in education. Her respect for the child was revolutionary, and her ideas about designing curriculum to ensure that all voices are heard continue to resonate today. I will be creating more space for self-reflection and self-observation to ensure that I am cultivating an environment that allows each child to find their voice.

Beckey Chastain, Primary Guide: I am very excited about the ideas our presenter shared for expanding cultural references in our Montessori materials. Cultural references can be from around St. Louis, grounding the children in where they are living now, and also around the world. This is particularly important at our school, where we have families from all over the globe. I want to give our children even more opportunities to see themselves and their loved ones reflected in our classrooms.

Grace McKinney, Primary Guide: This was my third Refresher Course and the first time I’ve had the opportunity learn from a non-western presenter. Hearing the perspective of a male, Thai speaker was an important reminder for me that the western narrative is only one perspective and by no means representative of the majority of the globe. He did a fantastic job of making connections between multiple planes of development. I will be giving more consideration to the experiences the children in my classroom have already had by the time I meet them, and imagining how the foundation they are building in Primary will serve them into later stages of life.

Sara Kruger, Upper Elementary Guide: I ended up watching the entire Refresher Course from school so that I could be in a quiet space, and it was so exciting to be able to shift some things in my classroom as I was inspired by what I learned! I gained useful insights into how to build more observation into my days, as well as strategies for helping the children stretch themselves even more in their follow-up work, and making sure that each child has an opportunity to contribute to group discussions. I got so many ideas that I will be integrating them into the classroom over many months.

Sabreen Sleem, Lower Elementary Assistant and rising Primary Guide: This was my first time attending the refresher course. The speaker provided many ideas to deepen my understanding of the individual child. One thing I am still thinking about is that because the child’s environment outside of the classroom highly contributes to their identity, guides can provide even more support to the child by learning about their culture, values, family and home environment.

Lauren Fox, Toddler Assistant When attending the Prepared Assistant, something that resonated for me was that multi-aged groupings for children is immensely necessary as children learn best from one another, this is apparent every single day in the classroom, as the children all observe each other and soon try the same for themselves. A quote that struck me was “allow the spirit of the child to help us reach our higher selves.” And “there’s unifying power in the child.” We are all working towards our higher selves together and it was a great refresher that patience for ourselves and grace for one another is imperative. I learned so much more that to write it all down would be a novel.

These were just wonderful little reminders that instilled both confidence and a renewed sense of purpose within the classroom!

Marie Geli, Nap/Extended Care Coordinator: I attended the sessions on the Prepared Assistant and I learned so much more about how to incorporate Montessori philosophy into my work! I also enjoyed the session about the importance of movement in education. I appreciate the opportunity very much.

Heather OverKamp, Primary Guide and rising Director of Education and Admissions: This was the first time I attended administrative sessions. I appreciated the insights I gained into constructive communication with colleagues and families and I look forward to integrating them into upcoming staff trainings!

Kim Schneider, Head of School: The session on movement has me thinking about how we can incorporate even more physical activity into the children’s day to enhance brain integration. I also appreciated the discussion of creating a community where humor and joy are regular experiences, not only for the children but for all of the staff. I am grateful that we have such a warm and collaborative relationship between our employees and I feel excited to work with Jennifer and Heather to explore even more ways to ensure that this is a place where people love to work. The happier the staff are, the happier and more content the children will be too, because the energy we adults bring into a child’s space is the most important element of the Montessori prepared environment.