Water

“We must be taught and we must be willing to accept guidance if we wish to become effective teachers.”
-Maria Montessori

Water is formed by the bond of two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. This simple bond is needed for survival by every living thing on Earth. The human body is 66% water. 75% of the Earth’s surface is water. 75% of the human brain is water. 75% of a living tree is water. Water regulates the Earth’s temperature. It also regulates the temperature of the human body, carries nutrients and oxygen to cells, cushions joints, protects organs and tissues, and removes wastes. A person can live about a month without food, but only about a week without water.
Just as the bond of water is key for our survival, so is the bond of our fellow Montessori teachers, and the parents of our students, key for our success as teachers.

“No school is perfect. No combination of imperfect humans muddling along their own uncharted routes will be without missteps. It is easier, sometimes, to focus on the faults of our colleagues than to pull the planks from our own eyes. We feel better about our mistakes by first acknowledging the seemingly larger ones around us. Who notices the chipped paint when the house is falling down?

How does it help though? We critique each other. We point fingers and pick each other apart. We complain to our administration or openly criticize each other. Do we find ourselves better heard for the hostility? Do we improve each other’s practice by first tearing it down? Hardly. We know better than to ridicule the children, yet we feel totally empowered to mock each other. How would you respond to a child who surprised you with this behavior? Would you jump first to conclusions, assume you understood his motivation or intent? Or would you ask gently, ”Tell me more about that?” Would you sit beside him, observe him, try to understand his behavior, which may seem so misguided to you, helps the child? Likewise, we can choose to gather together with our colleagues, to learn with and from them, and in turn to make them open to the support we might be able to offer.

When a single classroom is in crisis, so is the school. As members of a community, our obligation is not fulfilled when we have met the needs of the children within our own classrooms. Chaos spreads. When a cancer is in the body, the healthy organ cannot ignore the illness. But like the survivor who can value life because she has faced death, the learning community that brings itself through crisis so values the calm of collaboration and interreliance. It is when a classroom is in crisis that the support of the community is so dearly needed. We refortify by assuming that even those teachers with whom we disagree believe that they, too, are serving children well. We refortify by suspending disbelief, working with, instead of against the other adults in our communities. Ineffective teachers, even damaging ones, are loved by the children in their care. If for no other reason that the model it offers to the children who love us, we need first to seek the redeeming and redemptive qualities in each other. We chose between buildings bridges or throwing stones.”
(Pg. 35-36 “The Tao of Montessori”)

Earth

“Education demands, then, only this: the utilization of the Inner powers of the child for his own Instruction."
-Maria Montessori


Earth. It Is home to 6 billion people, from different cultures, religions, and perspectives. Each of these 6 billion people make choices everyday that Impact others. Like ripples in a pond, our choices have consequences. What Is the moral compass that guides our students In the choices they make? What Is the moral compass that guides us as their teachers?

There is a scene In the movie, "Family Man" starring Nicolas Cage, where he Is In a convenience store. The cashier, played by Don Cheadle, Is a reoccurring figure whose role Is to test the character of others. The scene opens with a teenage girl giving the cashier $1 for a $.99 Diet Coke. The cashier pretends the dollar Is actually a $10 bill, and gives her $9.01 In change. There Is a pause as the girl Is contemplating what just happened. The cashier looks at her and says, "Is everything all right?" She hesitates again, weighing her options. It Is a moment that defines who she Is. You can see her wrestling with what Is right, and what she wants to do. She looks at the cashier, smiles, and replies, "Yep!" She then walks out of the store. The cashier turns to Nicolas Cage and says, "You see that? Character! And for what, for nine bucks? I mean, that's just so disappointing."

Character Is one of the only things that we have that no one can take away from us. It Is In the end, the final definition of who we are. The only way to lose It, to compromise It, Is to give It away ourselves. The girl from the movie scene sold her character for $9. What do we sell our character for as teachers? What do we watch our students sell their character for?

In the book “Good to Great” by Jim Collins, the best, most successful companies had employees who, “…their moral code requires building excellence for its own sake, and you’re no more likely to change that with a compensation package than you’re likely to affect whether they breathe. The good-to-great companies understood a simple truth: The right people will do the right things and deliver the best results they’re capable of, regardless of the incentive system.” (pg. 50).



There can be so many perceived purposes behind a life changing moment, various reasons, motivations fueling the direction you choose. Often, after that moment has passed, the reasons can be stripped down, or combined together and summarized by one word or phrase. I guess that is why they say hindsight is 20/20.

Character.

Although we lived in Nashville for three years, a city where everyone is an expert at least in their own minds, I never developed a music critic's ear. On key or off key, overly produced, or too simple. A song could have the cheesiest lyrics, or an overused formula, and it wouldn't matter to me, as long as it connected. My favorite songs, the ones I enjoy listening to over and over, somehow relate to my story, they connect with my soul. I might not always know exactly why or how, but they put words or a rhythm to something that maybe I didn't know how to communicate.

Viva la Vida from Coldplay's new album by the same name, has been spinning constantly this summer. I love it and I haven't exaclty been sure why. Until this morning.

There are moments when a book I am reading, a song I am listening to, a movie I am watching or a conversation with a friend, or something my daughters or wife will do or say, come together to reveal a truth or unlock a little mystery. Those moments are magical and I experienced one this morning. I have been reading "Uprising" by Erwin McManus. It is a book about what our personal character should be as Jesus followers. I've read it before and picked it up again this summer, as I've been interested in teaching the value of character to my students. Of course I could plan out a whole curriculum on good character, which would mean very little without it being modeled for them by their teacher. This morning's chapter was on humility. I came across this:

"Certainly a great deal of the conflict that exists in churches is a result of individuals being moved to prominence for reasons irrelevant to character. Instead of raising up leaders, churches hire by resume. We prostitute ourselves in the name of Christ. Isn't that exactly what we are doing when we receive payment for our skills regardless of our character?"

Now Viva La Vida...

I used to rule the world,
seas would rise when I gave the word.
Now in the morning I sleep alone.
Sweep the streets that I used to own.
One minute I held the key.
Next the walls were closed on me.
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand.

The seas never actually rose when I gave the word, but in my mind they did. The excerpt from Uprising was me, and Chris Martin is singing my story. Pride and humility. I was seeking promotion and power in the ministry, prostituting myself in the name of Christ. It didn't satisfy, and we left it all behind. My first job after moving to Nashville was washing dishes. I used to scrape half eaten breakfast burritos off of plates into a trashcan filled with other once edible remains. I used to wipe down tables and clean up other people's trash. And I made some amazing friends. No one liked me because of my prominence. I had none. And I wasn't stepping on others to climb a ladder. There was no ladder to climb. All pretensions were gone. It was just me, and my scraper, hot soapy water, and the amazing people who liked me anyway.

Erwin McManus goes on to say this:

"Humility's closest attribute is honesty. Humility doesn't require us to be self-deprecating. Humility is not about having a low self-image or poor self-esteem. Humility is about self awareness."

Wrinkly skin on my hands and salsa and coffee stains on my shirts left me with a new humility and started me on my way to becoming more self-aware, more able to be honest with myself about my motivations, my talents, my shortcomings, my character.

"For some reason I can't explain
I know Saint Peter will call my name.
Never an honest word
but that was when I ruled the world."

In “Her Life and Work” E.M. Standing refers to the multi-age groupings, especially in the 9-12 cluster, as extremely important to the development of this moral compass, a key element of this sensitive period of development. “This organization of youth should take the form then of a “moral unions of boys or girls who have consented to form part of a society which has a moral aim, and which requires its members to live up to a certain moral level,” (pg. 357).

The Montessori Philosophy helps develop the moral compass of the student through it’s unique perspective on obedience and discipline, respect for order, and something called “going out.”

In her book, “From Childhood to Adolescence”, Maria Montessori defines going out not as field trips, but as “the goal sought is not an immediate one, not the hike, but rather to make the spiritual being which is being educated capable of finding his way by himself,” (pg. 13). She goes on to say, “In teaching him the necessity of preparation, we oblige him to reflect. He understands that to go out consists of an activity that requires first the acquisition of information and materials, (pg. 12). “The outing whose aim is neither purely that of personal hygiene nor that of a practical order, but which makes an experience live, will make the child conscious of realities. It is up to the teacher to arrange that the moral teachings of life emerge from social experiences. Morals have at the same time a practical side, which governs social relations, and a spiritual side, which presides over the awakening of conscience in the individual,” (pg. 13).


Character isn’t just the moral choices we make as teachers, or the moral compass we are helping our students to develop. It is also the unique talents of the students, their strengths, their special abilities that we are able to observe being developed in them right before our eyes. It is as if, in our very midst, we have the humbling opportunity to guide tomorrow’s super heroes in the development of their superpowers, and help them understand how to use those superpowers for good instead of evil. This places even more emphasis on the character that we model for our students. The future of the world depends upon it.

Wood

“The definition of school is a prepared environment in which the child, set free from undue adult intervention, can live its life according to the laws of its development.”
-Maria Montessori


Trees are able to grow in all kinds of environments. Pine trees on the sides of mountains, kapok trees in the dense rain forest, date palms in a sandy desert. Each environment provides exactly what each species of three needs to grow and develop.

In the book, “Good to Great,” by Jim Collins, one of the characteristics of extremely successful companies is their ability to find their “Hedgehog.” This is defined as a sharply, fine tuned focus on what you can be the best at combined with what you are passionate about. If Montessori schools, and in my case specifically, Towles Montessori Public School, were to pick their hedgehog, I believe it would be preparing the environment that best supports the development of the students.

If public schools were honest with themselves, their hedgehog would be “to get students to score higher on the standardized tests.” Teachers are encouraged to get through as much curriculum as they can, and do what is necessary to insure the students are prepared to score as high as possible. This is a very teacher and outcome centered approach to education. Montessori Public schools cannot operate with this as their hedgehog. Standardized tests are not going to go away for the time being. But that cannot be the focus. I believe that if we focus on what we are supposed to, as Montessorians, preparing the environment that best supports the development of the students, and determine a way to measure and observe how the student is developing, one of the results will be more success on the standardized tests. But this is not the focus, it is a bi-product of having the correct Montessori focus.

How many times this year did I or one of my peers say, yeah, but we are a public school. How many times did I use that as an excuse to not observe, to not make nomenclature, to not individualize a lesson, or keep track of what a student knows or hasn't quite learned yet.

Why is this used as an excuse, a crutch, to not have to follow through on who we are supposed to be. I was thinking today, because I do think from time to time, that I don't want to use that as a crutch anymore. We are a Montessori school. We are not a public school who happens to like some things about the Montessori philosophy. We are a Montessori school, that is public. There are also Montessori schools that are private, or charter. They are all Montessori, and that is how we need to see it if we are to trust the philosophy. It may seem like a silly little game of language semantics. But words are very powerful. Everytime I say that I serve at a public school, that means that somewhere in the back of my mind, I am acknowledging that I answer to the public school perspective first, then the Montessori comes later. When I begin to say that I serve at a Montessori School, it changes that perspective.

We may argue that those other Montessori schools just don't have the same problems we do. That is a correct argument. But it isn't one that we should continue to use as an excuse. Montessori Private schools have to worry about parents breathing down their necks all the time, trying to control what they do. They also have the issue of fundraising and making sure finances are available to pay the staff and supply the rooms. Many of our peers in Montessori Private schools don't have very good insurance plans, if any at all. Montessori Charter schools have the pressure to succeed immediately and are always under scrutiny, operating under the threat of losing their charter.

We are Montessori - with a public set of challenges. Let's help each other to not use that as an excuse that keeps us from fully embracing the Montessori Philosophy.

I've been contemplating structure for the last few days, not the architectural type, but the organizational kind. I've had a hard time with structure in the last few years. Whether it's the church or government or the school I teach at, I've continually felt that structure exists to control me, and that it is completely unflexible. A few years ago, my family spent three months in LA interning with a community called Mosaic. They had several core values (structure) that guided them. One of which was, structure must submit to spirit. My recent contemplating has been about this value and what it means. I've come to this conclusion:

My recent difficulties with structure have led me to be anti-structure. Which in turn has led to chaos. I've been teaching 4,5,6, graders for half a school year now and I've resisted structure as much as possible. You can only imagine what a classroom of twenty four 9-12 year olds is like without much structure. Yikes.

So back to structure must submit to spirit. In the great story of God, there is this whole period that we know as the Old Testament, in which there is structure galore. All of this structure which is meant to help people live the way God intended them to isn't working out so well, so instead of wiping humanity out, because they obviously are having a hard time following the rules, God sends grace and love in the form of Jesus, who not only shows us how to live and invites us to follow, giving us a choice, but then also steps in and takes the punishment for our inability to follow the rules. Love became more important than following the rules. Structure must submit to spirit. I realize that it's not structure that is bad, but it's the type of structure and the motivation behind it and how flexible it is. Good structure should exist to empower people to become all that they have been designed to be, not get them to conform and be controlled or manipulated into simply assisting in the pursuits of the organization for the benefits of it's leaders. It should also be able to adapt to moments when love is more important than following the rules.

Maria Montessori understood this when she spoke of the prepared environment. The prepared environment allows for independence and growth. It provides protection, beauty, and an opportunity for activity. It liberates the spirit and yet provides a sense of order. Everything we do in our Montessori class, in our Montessori school should have to answer, “Is this preparing the environment that best supports the development of the students?”

Wind

“If help and salvation are to come, they can only come from the children,
for the children are the makers of men.”
-Maria Montessori

The Greek word for wind is “pneuma”, also spelled “nooma”, which is translated as spirit or breath. As the wind blows it speaks to us. Sometimes as the gentle reminder of a cool breeze on a warm day. Sometimes as the harsh rebuke of a fierce storm. It is always there, a spiritual force, reminding us of our greater purpose.

In “Science Behind the Genius,” by Angel Lillard, she compares the predominant school model to a factory of mass production. As the country industrialized, the factory mass production ideals of efficiency and standardization were used to shape our school systems. Administrators were urged to run schools as a business, viewing teachers as middle managers or assembly line workers and students as products, essentially dehumanizing the entire educational process. Even today, “children in traditional schools are still marched in lockstep through an educational system and even daily schedules and physical structures reflect the factory model…the factory model makes poor sense both from the standpoint of how children learn, and of what society seeks,” (Science Behind the Genius, pg. 9).

Woodrow Wilson once said, “We are not here merely to make a living. We are here to enrich the world. We impoverish ourselves if we forget the errand.” At the core of the Montessori Philosophy, is the understanding of the actual purpose of education. Maria Montessori once said herself, the aim is, “how to live, not merely how to make a living,” and, “there is a moral union of boys and girls pledging themselves to members in a group with a definite moral aim,” (Her Life and Work pg. 358-359). The author of “Her Life and Work”, E.M. Standing, summarizes, “From the bottom of our hearts, we adults of a different world wish you Godspeed, for you carry, literally you carry, in your frail barque, the hopes of humanity and the destinies of the human race,” (Her Life and Work pg. 105).

I've been reading a book called Affluenza by John DeGraff. I found this little nugget of Montessori goodness on pg. 115 in a chapter called "Disastisfaction Guarnteed". From psychologist Richard Ryan who has done studies and showing material wealth does not create happiness, one of which was done with adolescents..."The wealth seekers had a higher incidence of headaches, stomachaches and runny noses. Ryan believes that while people are born with intrinsic curiosity, self-motivation, and playfulness, too often these qualities are squelched by deadlines, regulations, threats, directives, pressured evaluations, and imposed goals that come from external sources of control rather than self motivated choices and goals."

Montessori embraced and understood that the children of today are the adults of tomorrow and the very future of humanity was dependent upon the healthy development of today’s children. The purpose of education was not to mass-produce but to guide each student, individually, through the process of development. Her observations led to discoveries that form the core of the philosophy that allow this important developmental process to take place.

Montessori Moments

What does it look like? I asked myself this question today. I sometimes wonder with deep, sleep robbing, mind occupying anxiety. What does the Montessori Philosophy in action look like in my classroom? I've spoken about it. Been trained in it. Even waxed eloquently for others to hear. But I'm not exactly sure. I have an idea, an ideal even, locked away in the back of my mind, of what I think it should look like, what it is supposed to look like. But that ideal isn't based on anything I've actually seen. It is what my imagination has conjured up based on readings and dialogue with others who I trust have seen it before. I think maybe I have seen a few Montessori Moments, but I am not exactly sure. Do they exist in my public school test driven environment? I don't know. I want to see it. I want to feel it and sense it and breathe it. Like the kid who stays up really late to catch a glimpse of Santa Claus, only to fall asleep and wake up the next morning to see a plate of crumbs and a half empty glass of milk. There is evidence that he may have been there, but you aren't completely certain. This makes it seem like I can't make it happen. I have to let go and just believe that it will. Almost like faith. I'm not sure if I can do that or not. It is such an odd thing to be pursuing something that I am not even sure I have ever seen before.

Have you caught a glimpse? Do you have a Montessori Moment to share that could encourage me and others to press on?

Fire

“If a child is to be treated differently than he is today a radical change, and one upon which everything else will depend, must first be made; and that change must be made in the adult.”
-Maria Montessori


The word ethos is defined as: “The fundamental character or spirit of a culture; the underlying sentiment that informs the beliefs, customs, or practices of a group or society; dominant assumptions of a people or period.”

As I began to study and process the Montessori Philosophy I realized that they could be easily organized into the elements, and used as core values of my classroom, and of a Montessori Public school community. Each element is used as a reminder of important concepts of the Montessori Philosophy. The purpose being to create a common language, to shape the spirit of the culture, to serve as a constant guide as individuals and school communities strive to embrace the Montessori Philosophy in the public school setting.

Fire, Wind, Wood, Earth, and Water are in some way a part of our everyday lives, and are essential to our survival as individuals and as a community. They are also at the core of the Montessori Curriculum: The Needs of Humans Chart, Functional Geography, The Timelines, and God With No Hands. Maria Montessori based her philosophy on the basic elements of child development, and the essentials needed to guide that development. As one engages the curriculum and daily life with the students, the elements will serve as a reminder of who you are striving to be as a director or directress in a Montessori Public school.

Fire is first because it burns. It purifies. It refines. You have to go through it in order to prepare yourself to understand, to grasp the other elements.

If you teach in a public school, you have a state teaching license. If you have a state teaching license you have at least a bachelor’s degree in education and at least a semester of student teaching. At the minimum, assuming you attended pubic schools growing up, or something similar, you have been a part of the standard American system of education for 13 years, plus 4 years learning how to be a facilitator of that system, plus the number of years you have been a teacher in a public school. The minimum number of years being indoctrinated into the “school as factory” process of education is 17. 17 years. The thought processes, the habits, the instincts that are developed during those years run deep. They become a part of who we are.

“Traditional teaching fits both a teacher’s memory and the culturally dominant view of what school is, and teachers who have less understanding of alternatives will naturally fall back on it.”

“Teachers have to work very hard to use unconventional methods in the face of all the structural support schools provide for the traditional method.”
-Science Behind the Genius, pg. 13

In order to embrace the Montessori Philosophy, we must go through the fire. A change must occur in us at a deep, spiritual level. While camping with my family this summer, I noticed several times that the wood on the campfire, the wood that creates the most heat, is burning from the inside out. It has become consumed by the fire, not in a way that it is gone, but in a way that from its core, it is radiating heat outward.

“It is my belief that the thing which we should cultivate in our teachers is more the spirit than the mechanical skill of the scientist: that is, the direction of the preparation should be toward the spirit rather than toward the mechanism.”
-Maria Montessori

Practicing the Montessori Philosophy must radiate from the core of who we are. Our beliefs about education and children, and possibly even the world have to be reexamined and possibly changed. It is hard. But it is necessary.

How To Find Your Way Through The Dilemma

Here are the articles referenced in the Fidarsi Newsletter:

Anything But Standard!

How To Find Your Way.

The Secrets of Successfully Recording a Child's Work.

Can Montessori Work in Public Schools?

Good for us!

As I had the luxury of spending a day in Indianapolis yesterday attending a joyous Curriculum Mapping conference, I noticed that much of what Dr. Heidi Hayes-Jacobs was saying needed to be done in the classroom to benefit our children the most, has been going on in our classrooms at Towles and in Montessori classrooms now for 100 years. Sometimes I may question what I am doing or how I am teaching, but never in my two years have I questioned the method. I think it is amazing how progressive and innovative the thinking was, and is, that Dr. Montessori brought to education across the world. Fidarsi is a great term Josh. Kudos brother.
Also I just wanted to say hi to all and hope the break is allowing for much needed relaxation.

Yeah but...

How many times this year did I or one of my peers say, yeah, but we are a public school. How many times did I use that as an excuse to not observe, to not make nomenclature, to not individualize a lesson, or keep track of what a student knows or hasn't quite learned yet.

Why is this used as an excuse, a crutch, to not have to follow through on who we are supposed to be. I was thinking today, because I do think from time to time, that I don't want to use that as a crutch anymore. We are a Montessori school. We are not a public school who happens to like some things about the Montessori philosophy. We are a Montessori school, that is public. There are also Montessori schools that are private, or charter. They are all Montessori, and that is how we need to see it if we are to trust the philosophy. It may seem like a silly little game of language semantics. But words are very powerful. Everytime I say that I serve at a public school, that means that somewhere in the back of my mind, I am acknowledging that I answer to the public school perspective first, then the Montessori comes later. When I begin to say that I serve at a Montessori School, it changes that perspective.

We may argue that those other Montessori schools just don't have the same problems we do. That is a correct argument. But it isn't one that we should continue to use as an excuse. Private Montessori schools have to worry about parents breathing down their necks all the time, trying to control what they do. They also have the issue of fundraising and making sure finances are available to pay the staff and supply the rooms. Many of our peers in Montessori private schools don't have very good insurance plans, if any at all. Montessori charter schools have the pressure to succeed immediately and are always under scrutiny, operating under the threat of losing their charter.

We are Montessori - with a public set of problems. Let's help each other to not use that as an excuse that keeps us from fully embracing the Montessori Philosophy.

The Choice

There comes a moment, when you have to decide for yourself, in your own heart, if you will trust the Montessori Philosophy. It might not happen at training, or even after your first year. But eventually, you have to remove yourself from your environment, tune out all the voices of your peers, look within yourself and ask, "Do I really believe this philosophy works? Am I willing to fully trust it?"

Initially making this decision is extremely difficult. There are theories and habits that you have learned about education that you want to hold on to. Trusting the Montessori philosophy will require you to rethink, or let go of them. Trusting the Montessori Philosophy will require you to let go of having complete control. At times, the simple thought of this seems unbearable. Initially, it will all seem so messy. But the difficult times will eventually pass. And on the other side of them wait the amazing rewards that the Montessori philosophy promises.

Choosing not to completely trust the Montessori Philosophy feels much easier...at first. You don't have to let go of some of those old habits or re-think. And the idea that you have all these great new materials to add to your teaching arsenal is so exciting. The first difficult year passes and you know that next year will be better, because everyone says the first year is tough. But as the second year lingers on, things aren't changing. Riding the fence is beginning to catch up to you. The students are doing the things that you were told they were going to be able to do. You begin to grow weary and doubtful that this Montessori way really works. You lean even more on your old teaching habits, that got you in this situation in the first place.

The choice. It's okay to decide that you do not want to trust the Montessori Philosophy. There are alot of amazing teachers in amazing classrooms at amazing schools that are not Montessori. But don't ride the fence. It's a miserable place to be for you and the students.

Trust, Enthusiasm, and Forward Movement

I am so glad to be part of this blog, and a group of teachers who are so committed to the growth of young people. Although I am not yet trained in Montessori, I chose to enroll my child in Towles Montessori. I trust the community and style of learning offered to my child. Thank you for living the life of a Montessori teacher, allowing me to provide reading instruction to Montessori students, and accepting me as a peer in this learning community.

I am inspired by Joshua's posting about trust. I trust Towles is the appropriate environment for each student to reach his or her potential. Each teacher offers so much to our community and to the students. Your trust in Maria Montessori is what liberates each student to fulfill their destiny. Keep the trust alive!

I blindly opened The Tao of Montessori and was delighted to see this quote:

Either education contributes to a movement of universal liberation by showing the way to defend and raise humanity or it becomes like one of those organs which have shriveled up by not being used during the evolution of the organism. ~Maria Montessori

Here's to keeping FWCS and Towles alive and moving forward, for the best! I am excited about the discourse to follow!

Fidarsi

According to wordreference.com "fidarsi" is Italian for trust. The exact translation is "believe", or "have confidence in". Anyone who speaks Italian, please feel free to correct us.

Most, if not all of us, were educated in traditional public schools. Most, if not all of us, were trained in college to be traditional public school teachers. Most, if not all of us, have some experience, or a lot of experience, teaching in a traditionally public classroom. It's a part of who we all are. It's our default mode. It's what we are comfortable with. Enter Fidarsi. We are a part of a Montessori Public school, learning to trust the Montessori Way. Fidarsi is the conversation we will continue to engage in as we learn to trust each other, while learning to trust the Montessori Way.

Welcome to the conversation.