Montessori is born at the Victor Parés Collazo school

The Victor Parés Collazo school, which serves the Special Education population aged 3 to 21, joined the Montessori project in 2010.

By: Andrea Santiago Vicente 

The Víctor Parés Collazo School in Hato Rey is a community that serves students with functional diversity from 3 to 21 years old.

Montessori was born in this school community through two teachers, Lourdes López and Jessica Rivera, who were concerned with finding a better way to reach the special education child.

They saw the Montessori methodology as a tool to reach the child. Precisely María Montessori began her research on the educational method designed for children with functional diversity, who were rejected by society. At the same time, she saw in them the potential to be independent beings who could have trades and contribute to the common good.

The same desire of María Montessori to develop an education that benefits these boys and girls was what the teachers of the Victor Parés Collazo school saw in 2009, and it is what they continue to see in 2022.

"We realized that everything is here," said the guide Dilmayra, referring to the specific materials, the prepared environment, and the human contributions that led her to be certified in 2013 at Instituto Nueva Escuela (INE) as a guide of Early Childhood.

''We needed more resources to offer our children because here there are multiple, severe, deep conditions... Montessori offered us another alternative to get there, more concrete, a more structured room,'' said the Early Childhood guide. , Katiria.

They expressed that philosophy has made them better human beings and more tolerant teachers. There are four certified Montessori guides and three Early Childhood environments in each school.

The certification process they described as a wonderful one. It made them see in greater depth the importance of education and following the child, going to their needs and time.

Later, the project that was born out of that need at the Victor Parés school became even more beautiful, as they created a proposal so that Montessori environments could have special education and regular students.

At first, it was the siblings of the special education students who enrolled, but then the word began to spread, and today there are two inclusive environments in the school.

The guides hope to have these environments for much longer, they are witnesses that they work, and it is beautiful how the students help and learn from each other.

''It works, here there are children who have come out to the regular stream, and that is an opportunity that is given to the child, just like a regular child,'' Dilmayra commented with great emotion.

For the guides of the Montessori Victor Parés Collazo school, there must be more inclusive environments because, in general, students with functional diversity isolate themselves from the rest of the students.

It is necessary to start educating from an early age so that we are more empathetic, supportive, and defenders of this population.

The school currently serves 19 students since their environments are smaller, but since the beginning of the project, they have impacted approximately 68 students.