Voices of Generation X

The next Montessori movement leaders are out there. Who’s listening?Four voices of the not-so-distant future, representatives of the generation born between 1965 and 1981, shared their thoughts with Holly Hilgenberg.

With many Montessorians facing retirement, there is the question of what the future of Montessori will bring.  As retiring Montessorians are handing off their schools, classrooms and companies, we can gain some insight into that question by looking at who is in line to fill their shoes.

Public School Montessorian interviewed some of the “next generation” of Montessori teachers, to see how they are planning to continue the educational legacy.

Mary Jean Bruno, 30, and Nicole Lapierre, 30, teach at Drew Model School in Arlington, VA. Bruno is AMS trained and currently teaches 3-6 year olds.  Lapierre, a former Peace Corps volunteer and world traveler, received her Lower Elementary certificate from the Institute of Advanced Montessori Studies.  She teaches in the 6-9 year old classroom and is currently working towards her masters in special education from George Mason University.  Thea Bartha Rohrbach, 33, and Margaret C. Jarrell, 31, were also trained at the Insitute for Advanced Montessori Studies and are co-founders of Magnolia Montessori Materials. Bartha Rohrbach, a yoga instructor and soon-to-be new mother, has been teaching at the Brooksfield School in McLean, VA, while Jarell teaches at The Boyd School and part time at Sunset Hills Montessori.  Both teach lower elementary. 

How did you find yourself teaching Montessori as opposed to other education methods?  Was it something you had learned about in your college classes?  Was it something you grew up with? Or did you just stumble upon it?

Mary Jean Bruno: I knew I wanted to teach early childhood, but that was not offered at my small liberal arts college, so I majored in Music and Psych instead and figured I would go on to grad school for early childhood.  I was accepted to Columbia Teachers’ College and Penn State, but deferred for a year as I worked at a daycare to make sure that was really the age group I liked.  I loved the age group but not the day care setting, and when it came time to look at Columbia again, the classes on curriculum and instruction didn’t excite me.  My mother told my aunt (a Montessorian from Texas) of my frustrations and she sent me a copy of the Public School Montessorian that had the training centers listed.  I was impressed by the articles and realized that I wanted to teach that way too.  I looked into a couple of programs and decided to go to Boulder for the summer training at Montessori Education Center of the Rockies (if I didn’t like it I would still have had a summer in Boulder).  I hadn’t grown up with it, but I had some familiarity with it because of my aunt.  I only saw her about once a year, though, and the first time I observed a Montessori classroom was a week before I left for training.

Nicole Lapierre: I studied elementary education in college and graduated with a degree in elementary ed.  I was taught so many new teaching methodologies that are supposed to work in the traditional setting.  I joined the Peace Corps, and then returned with the question, “How do we make all those ideal strategies work?”  Someone suggested I substitute at Montessori school nearby.  I checked it out and immediately knew that environment was exactly how it should be for kids to learn.  I became a floating sub. And then an assistant during my internship for the training.  I never learned about it in my college classes.  This semester is the first time a professor has mentioned it in all my classes. I didn’t grow up with it, someone just mentioned it to me because he knew someone there. 

Thea Bartha Rohrbach: I taught for five years before finding Montessori.  My undergraduate degree is from Salve Regina University.  I double majored in Early Childhood and Special Education.  I think there may have been one paragraph in one textbook about Maria Montessori in four years of education classes.  I went to Busy Bee Montessori (which no longer exists) for 2 1/2 years before entering a traditional catholic school.  I had been teaching special education for four years in Boston before moving to DC.  I sent my resume out to many different schools.  My first interview was with the Brooksfield School.  I absolutely loved the school and did not interview anywhere else. 

Margaret C. Jarrell: Although I have always known about Montessori (I was a Montessori primary student myself), I first got a master’s in Elementary Education (K-6) through Marymount University. During my student teaching in the traditional school system, I came to feel strongly that the methods of education being employed were not meeting the children’s needs. I began to share my observations with a friend and mentor, Anne Davis, a 30 plus year veteran of Montessori, who shared with me tenets of the Montessori philosophy that addressed my concerns. I eventually came to the decision that I would need to continue my education in order to become Montessori certified. 

After working in a Montessori environment, how do you feel it differs, and is similar to traditional education?  Is there something about Montessori that makes it stand out?

MJB: I’ve worked in a Montessori classroom for 7 and a half years now.  The philosophy of following the child is what makes it stand out so much, and the prepared environment makes that possible.

NL:  I have worked in the Montessori environment for almost 5 years.  I feel that the Montessori classroom gives the children an opportunity to explore life.  We have a community of learners who get to explore their interests.  We also don’t give grades, rewards, bribes, etc…  We try to develop an intrinsic love of learning and follow the needs of the child in his/her development.  So many times I hear stories about traditional teachers telling their children to “be quiet”.  They are in their social stage of development.  I give traditional teachers a lot of credit since I think it would be difficult to meet the needs of each child while teaching the entire class at the same time.  Having 3 age groups is also an incredible asset to everyone in the classroom and contributes to the dynamic environment that it is. 

TBR: I have been working in a Montessori environment for 7 years.  I think it is an amazing philosophy that more schools should adopt.  I have only taught in a traditional setting my first year out of college (I taught 3^rd grade at a private school on the upper west side of Manhattan).  It was an amazing experience because I had total freedom to teach what I wanted to teach and how to teach it.  Most traditional schools are not like St. Hilda’s and St. Hugh’s.  For the next 4 years I taught children with autism and children with learning and language disabilities.  Even though I didn’t know I was doing it, the way I taught was very Montessori.  I used a hands on approach and developed a great respect within the classroom.

MJ: Montessori education differs from traditional education in many ways. Montessori education allows for an individualized curriculum so that each child is working at his/her own pace rather than depending on a “one size fits all” approach. Montessori education presents children with the “big picture” so that children have a context for new concepts. Montessori education nurtures independence, self-regulation, and concentration, rather than utilizing teacher-led lessons in successive short sessions. There are so many more great comparisons…let me know if you want me to keep going!

What factors can you see as having an influence on whether or not you are still teaching Montessori in five years? Twenty?

MJB:  I plan to take a break to have children in a few years, and then go back to teaching again when they are old enough to go to school with me.  I plan to continue teaching until my knees give out completely!  Where I will be teaching depends on if the county continues to support Montessori education.  If there is no Montessori school or position available for me, I guess I would find another job.  I don’t see myself ever going into traditional education.

NL: The pressure that comes with standardized tests, parental pressure to create Einsteins or having children of my own. 

TBR: I would like to continue teaching Montessori; however, I am having a baby in 12 days and have decided to take some time off.  Even if I do not return to the classroom immediately, Montessori is a part of who I am.  I will incorporate Montessori into my home environment and will definitely send my child to a primary program at 2 and a half.  I have also started my own company, Magnolia Montessori Materials, with my partner Margaret Jarrell.  I hope to continue with this endeavor for many years to come.  I would like to stay active in the Montessori world.

MJ: It is important to me to work in an environment in which the Montessori philosophy guides all decisions about what is best for the children and families. In the right environment, I can imagine continuing to teach for years to come.

What are your thoughts on the current climate of standards and testing in the classroom?  Is this something that seems natural to you, perhaps having grown up with such testing? Or do you struggle with it? What do you do to cope with testing in the Montessori classroom?

MJB: The standardized testing that I grew up with was far different from the current climate of high stakes standards based curriculum and testing. I remember my best friend’s mother (who was a teacher) talking about teaching to the test as if it were a scandal.  It certainly wasn’t encouraged.  By the time I started teaching in public schools, the emergency teacher certification training course was all about how to teach to the test.  My students don’t mind taking the tests usually because they don’t understand what it is really.  They enjoy having the one on one time with me outside of the classroom as I administer the test.  I generally assume that most of the standards are covered and surpassed by the Montessori curriculum.  What I struggle with most is covering the standards that I don’t feel are developmentally or culturally appropriate for my kids.

NL: Testing definitely takes some joy out of my job.  I try to follow the interests of the child, but have to make sure they know certain facts that someone has determined is important for 3^rd graders.  I focus on test taking skills and how to tie them to the Montessori materials the best I can.  It has taken me a long time to get to an okay place, but I still struggle with teaching certain social studies concepts required by the county.  I think assessment is important in the areas of math and language arts, because they are the foundations of being successful in our world.  It also helps guide instruction.  We also base most of our instruction on observation.  This is not sufficient for the powers that be.  We are preparing kids for life, not how to regurgitate information just for a test.  I’m not sure if this fits here, but I would also like to discuss the frustration of teaching in a public school where the 3 year cycle is not recognized.  Children take the time they need to learn certain concepts.  Standardized tests do not incorporate that idea or the idea that someone might not know certain information by the end of first, second or third grade.  This should not penalize them or the school. 

TBR: Fortunately, I teach in a private school and we are not required to test our students.  I do not think I could teach in an environment where I would have to teach to the test.  It seems forced and not natural.  It takes the fun out of learning and teaching for both the student and teacher.

MJ: It is a shame that many schools feel the need to conduct standardized testing on students in every grade in order to reassure parents that their children are competitive with their peers. It is even harder in public Montessori schools where the school funding and teacher’s reputations are based on test performance. Teachers feel pressured to teach to the test, which can undermine the Montessori philosophy in many ways. That said, I believe that test-taking is a part of life and should be treated as a practical life skill. It does not need to interfere with the Montessori philosophy as long as the emphasis remains on the learning process, rather than the product. Many Montessorians are finding a way to make this compromise without giving up what is best for their students.

There is an old saying that “Education is either lighting a fire or filling a pail.”  Many, particularly of the “older” generation, see education as filling a pail in our society at this juncture in time.  What are your thoughts on this line of thinking? What do you think the role of education in our society is today?

MJB: As a Montessori educator, I don’t believe I’m lighting the fire, but continuing to give the fire oxygen and fuel to become as big as it can.  I think legislators continue to try to control what we put in the pail. In order to bring metaphors together, I want the child to continue to want to fill his own.

NL:  The children and I definitely light some fires in our classroom.  I think that our society still thinks that we should fill the pail.  I believe that the child has what it takes to learn how to be a successful life participant, but our job is to help spark it.  Every living organism has a purpose and the children are beginning to explore what theirs will be when they grow up.  As educators, we need to prepare them to fulfill that purpose to be responsible, knowledgeable, compassionate, grateful, peaceful, and resourceful citizens of the worldwide community. 

TBR: I teach grades 1-3.  As the teacher, it is my job to light the fire.  I have to be passionate about what I am teaching so that my students are passionate about what they are learning.  As the teacher, if I am enthusiastic, it is contagious and my students will want to learn.

MJ: Montessori said that our job is to spark the child’s imagination. Our job is not to “fill” the child with knowledge, but to give him the tools necessary to educate himself. We prepare the environment so that children are empowered to learn independently.

If you are, or were to be, a parent, would you send your child to a Montessori school?  Why or why not?

MJB: I am not yet a parent, but I did choose to live in the town where I work so that my future children could go to Public Montessori schools.  If they don’t get in there, I would send them to a private Montessori school.

NL: Absolutely, unless my child is too overwhelmed by too much choice or over stimulated by the environment in general.  I believe that it meets the child where he/she is in life and prepares them for the future.  It also helps develop a love of learning that hopefully lasts a lifetime. 

TBR: I plan to send my child to a Montessori school; however, they are expensive.  I live in Alexandria, VA and there are no public Montessori schools that I know of in this area.  I know private schools do offer good deals to their staff members.

MJ: I will most definitely send my own child/children to Montessori school (for as long as I can afford it).

Where do you see Montessori education going on a national level? Do see you it as a viable educational model for our society as a whole?

MJB: I see Montessori continuing to grow and gain support, but unfortunately I don’t see it as a viable educational model to be handed down from the top.  I believe educators have to choose Montessori for themselves and really believe in it in order to it to be implemented well.  If it grows too quickly or irresponsibly it could hit a tipping point and swing the pendulum against Montessori.  Right now I think those people who know Montessori favor it, but there are not many who really understand it.

NL: I think that many companies and researchers are finding that many of the Montessori methods and materials make sense.  You can look in so many catalogues and you will find companies creating materials similar to Montessori’s, but she doesn’t get any credit.  I think there is a lot of stigma around Montessori.  I think our society encourages independent thinkers, but still promotes the factory model of teaching which does not always promote independent thinkers.  I see that traditional education is changing slowly to meet the needs of children (small group reading instruction, following the interests of children in writing, hands on materials in math, etc..). I only speak from experience in Arlington County, but from what I hear, that many other counties are not doing that yet.  Some of the wealthiest counties are still doing the same types of spelling, math, science, etc…as I did many years ago.  I think there are too many fears that people have to allow Montessori work at a national level.  I would hope to see that in my lifetime, but I seriously doubt it. 

TBR: Definitely!  I feel that most people in our society do not know much about Montessori.  If they did, they would see that it is the future of education in our country.

MJ: More public and charter Montessori schools open every year. I am thrilled to see this trend; Montessori should not be accessible to only the wealthy! I believe it is the ideal method of education for children of all backgrounds.

There has been contention amongst Montessorians over how strictly a curriculum must adhere to Maria Montessori’s ideas.  Do you feel as though there is room for expanding upon her teaching? Is it is even necessary to do so in order to keep up with evolving society?  Or does it only do harm to modify Montessori in the classroom?

MJB: We all modify Montessori’s curriculum as we use it every day whether we mean to or not.  We must be very careful, though, about expanding on her teaching.  I think the best way to incorporate new ideas into a Montessori classroom is case by case, and to remember which things are classically Montessori and which are not, so that if something is not working, we know what we can take out and still have a legitimate Montessori class.

NL:  This has been a challenge for me since there are many different opinions on this.  I think there is room for expanding her ideas.  For example, the grammar boxes are often an area of avoidance in my classroom.  I have branched out to make many more materials to teach similar content to meet the need of developing a foundation for English grammar.  I think Dr. M would have approved of this.

TBR: I feel as though we must expand on Montessori’s ideas.  We live in difficult times and are faced with challenges Maria was not.  It is our responsibility to prepare our children for the future.  We need to adhere to the philosophy, but change it to meet the individual needs of our students. 

MJ: I do feel that Montessori training should present all of the lessons, materials, and philosophy in the way that Dr. Montessori intended. It is important that we begin with a thorough understanding of all aspects of the methodology. That said, I do feel there is room for teachers to adapt aspects of the method as necessary. For example, computers are an important part of our culture today and I think that elementary students need to learn keyboarding, word processing, and online researching skills in order to be successful later in life. In moderation, and in keeping with the spirit of the method, I think there is room for such modifications/additions to the original lessons.

If Maria were alive today, what would you say to her?

MJB: Thank you.

NL: “Dr. Montessori, Am I doing this right?”

“I am so grateful for your wisdom, it has changed my life.”

“How can I help children with certain disabilities feel more successful in the Montessori classroom?”

TBR: Thank You!

What could the “older” generations of Montessori do to support you as a “younger” Montessori teacher? 

MJB: I am so indebted to older generations of Montessorians who have changed my life and who continue to support me.  I could not ask for more that what I already receive from them: support, encouragement, wisdom, humor, peace, love, and understanding.

NL: Open their eyes to how new strategies can be incorporated into the Montessori curriculum.

Observe and give constructive feedback.  Just come and spend the day. 

TBR: I think “older” generations of Montessori should share their wisdom with “younger” Montessori teachers. 

MJ: I am fortunate to have a mentor, a veteran Montessori teacher (and trainer) with whom I can discuss my questions, ideas, and observations. That mentorship has proven invaluable. In addition, I appreciate the opportunity to attend workshops given by experienced teachers so that I can continue to evolve and improve as a Montessori teacher.