Montessori guide training courses successfully conclude
The Secondary group had its experience of Erdkinder, whose term comes from the German "children of the earth", and seeks that adolescents can develop optimally in community, with their peers and in contact with nature, and that adults can develop the skills to guide them.
The Academic Program (PA) of Instituto Nueva Escuela (INE) completed its summer of Montessori training for teachers of different levels, schools and towns.
During the summers, INE’s headquarter are filled with educators who aim to train as Montessori guides. Although the training continues for several months, without a doubt the summer is the longest period, and the one that begins to prepare them for the start of classes in a new educational philosophy and methodology.
Gladiza Santiago, who coordinates the elementary courses at INE, shared that she feels satisfied, because it was a quiet summer, which they enjoyed a lot. In addition, she highlighted the responsibility, curiosity, hard work and commitment of the group of teachers.
This summer was characterized by the integration of a shadowing process for Montessori guides, providing them with new professional experience and allowing them to contribute from another space to the Public Montessori project.
The “shadow guide” is a trainee facilitator. She is a certified guide, with experience in implementing the methodology in the Montessori environment, and who is starting out as a facilitator of Montessori training courses. One of them is Raquel Gómez, who is a Montessori guide at the Juana Sánchez school in Juncos.
“The work is hard, but it is seasoned with joy and hope. It was in the summers that I trained as an adult apprentice and it is now that I have been given the opportunity to relive the experience from the service,” Raquel testified about this new experience as a “shadow.”
This year the Academic Program served teachers at all levels of schools already existing in the project, allowing the growth of the Montessori methodology in several school communities. Likewise, it received educators from two new schools that are integrated into the project in the municipalities of Utuado and Fajardo.
In the municipality of Utuado, the Segunda Unidad Marta Lafontaine school begins this year to offer the Montessori methodology. Likewise, the Rosa Pascuala París school located in Fajardo, this being the second school in said municipality.
Elizabeth Vázquez Rivera is the teacher at the Rosa Pascuala París school in Fajardo who began to be certified this year as an Early Childhood guide, a level that serves boys and girls from 3 to 6 years of age in Montessori pedagogy.
Adult learners at the elementary level in presentation of the area of mathematics.
One of the characteristics that caught her attention to begin her training process was that children, through this educational method, learned to read from an early age and developed their independence.
“Today I feel happy and I have learned many things during this summer being here. Things one knew, but not with such depth. And today I am leaving happy, hoping to return for the next stage of training,” said Elizabeth on her last day of the summer course.
Just as Elizabeth took the opportunity, Liliamrym Rivera, a teacher with seven years of experience, also did so. For the educator at S.U. Marta Lafontaine school in Utuado, the course found her at a time when traditional learning did not made her see better results in her students.
“My motivation for taking the course was the hope of positive change, the desire to apply better learning techniques, to see them enjoy the educational process being happy, independent and prepared to be leaders in life, in our society,” shared Rivera, who is preparing to be a guide for Early Childhood.
For Annabel Martínez, director of INE’s Academic Program, this summer has been a great one. It highlights the joy of the facilitators and coordinators with the adult learners, as well as the cohesion, joy, enthusiasm, commitment and passion for education on the part of the teachers in the formation process.
Teachers in training at the Infant and Toddler level 2024.