Maria Montessori emphasized the importance of “The Spiritual Preparation of the Teacher” as critical to supporting children into developing into their true selves. She said that a teacher must notice and accept their faults and “must be willing to accept guidance if we wish to become effective teachers”. She speaks against being defensive about shortcomings, but rather encourages teachers to work against “pride” and “avarice”and “anger”. Teachers need to have humility and willingness to confront and address personal shortcomings and be open to instruction and growth. This year at Hilltop Montessori School, we are investing a great deal into the “spiritual preparation of the teacher” including:
- Montessori Training for all new staff: On Saturday, December 3rd, our school was transformed into a Montessori Teacher Training Center as we hosted teacher trainers from Montessori Training Center Northeast and 20 adult learners and in a full day of in-person Montessori training at both the Children’s House and Elementary levels.
- Yoga instruction open to all staff: The Wheeler Fund has enabled interested teachers and staff to participate in weekly yoga sessions taught by InnerHeat instructors and conveniently offered at our location!
- Parent and Staff Education Sessions: We have provided two evening training sessions available to parents and staff, Parenting with Love, Logic, and Self-Regulation, and one Co-Regulation, A Focus on Social-Emotional Learning. A third, on Executive Function, will be offered on Jan 19th at 3:15 p.m.
We are grateful for the resources available to support our teachers in their continued growth and also to our staff in availing themselves of these opportunities to continue to prepare themselves to be guides for our students.