A Young Chic's Montessori Journey of Becoming a Spiritual Aware Adult

I am in the beginning of Nurturing the Spirit as a Montessori teacher. With seven years under my belt I may still be considerd a young chic. I came upon Montessori as many Montessori teacher's do. I was a parent looking for a place for my child to be while I was at work.


With a suggestion from a friend, I observed the toddler Montessori classroom where my 2 year old would spend her days. It was in the most peaceful, caring and loving environment. As I continued with the tour, it amazed me. Teaching was always deep in my heart, but I was always yearned for something more...something that I believed would make some kind of difference in the world. As I was touring the Primary and Elementary environments, this is the place I knew my child and I had to be.


From that moment it all seemed to fall into place. The following year I was an assistant in the elementary classroom and learned many of the important aspects of the Montessori Philosophy such as Caring for the Environment, Order and Independence. That summer I began my training to become a Primary teacher. I then continued my independent study and began in my very own Primary class. Seven years later, I continue to be forever thankful for the Montessorians that have been around me to help guide and direct me on this journey.


At the end of each year, I take the time to reflect on the past year. What worked? What didn't? Do I need to change the environment? What will my goals be for the following year? What are the spiritual needs of the children? How will I implement these in the classroom? How will I prepare myself?


I have always wanted to expand my spirituality. Why not with the Montessori philosophy and children I work with. How do I begin? I began reading, Nurturing the Spirit in Non-Sectarian Classrooms, by Aline Wolf. This is an amazing guide for all Montessorians who want to be true to Montessori's philosophy, "Help me to help myself". This is a widely used Montessori quote. It is not only Practical Life skills, but more about guiding the spirit of the child. "We must help the child to act for himself, think for himself, this is the art of those who aspire to serve the spirit. It is the teacher's joy to welcome the manifestation of the spirit." - Maria Montessori, Education For A New World.


Below are some more links that may help you continue on your journey of nurturing the spirit within yourself and the children you guide.


Montessori Conferences:
www.montessori.org
www.amshq.org
www.montessori-ami.org


Mindful Blogs:
http://blog.beliefnet.com/mindfulnessmatters/

Please feel free to comment or add more additional information to Mindful Montessori. Follow me and cheer me on!