October 25th is World Teacher’s Day – a day of great importance at FMS!
More than teachers, our educators are partners in learning, guides, mentors, role models, and friends. They make it possible for us to share the high-fidelity Montessori education FMS students enjoy. FMS teachers bring Montessori learning to life every day, so today, it’s hats off and gratitude to our team.
FMS teachers have a personal connection to the Montessori philosophy, to our school and to each student. Teachers partner with students, serving as their guide for 3 years, not just one. This allows a genuine relationship of respect, understanding and care to develop between teacher and student.
We are privileged to have an exceptional team of long-serving teachers and teaching assistants, most of whom have been at FMS upwards of 5 years, many for 10 years and a few heading closer to 20 years of service.
Our educators are traditionally trained (degree qualified) teachers. They are also Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) trained. This makes our staff unique, even within a Montessori environment.
They are our FMS unicorns!
Our assistant educators are also AMI trained. All FMS staff keep their learning and skills up to date with internal and external professional development throughout the year. More importantly, they ooze passion for all things Montessori and will do whatever it takes, to bring learning to life for your child.
As we celebrate our staff on World Teachers Day, we’d like to highlight the vision of teaching that Dr. Maria Montessori imagined, how teachers become certified today, and what it takes to become a modern Montessori educator.
“An ordinary teacher cannot be transformed into a Montessori teacher, but must be created anew, having rid herself of pedagogical prejudices.”
-Maria Montessori, Education for a New World
Dr Montessori had a vision for educators who go beyond conventional teaching expectations, beyond even their own notions and beliefs about education, and what or how we may each be capable of learning.
This is a challenging task. Unless we were Montessori educated ourselves, we all hold onto ideas of what school, learning and education is supposed to be.
What makes a Montessori Teacher?
Regardless of one’s education history, a good Montessori teacher has to be able to be flexible in their thinking. They have to be able to confront their own bias and be willing to see education in an entirely new way.
Dr Montessori based her educational methods on her scientific observations, and she expected her teachers to do the same. Today, Montessori educators rely heavily on their ability to observe children and take careful notes. This information is then used to inform their work in the coming days, weeks, and months.
We believe the best way to assess a child is by watching them, unobtrusively, while they are at work. This method gives a clear picture of abilities, strengths, and challenges, and provides an important glimpse into who each child is as a person.
Typical teacher training
Most teachers in conventional education settings must obtain a bachelor’s degree in teaching and/ or within a specialty subject or field. Some schools require teachers to obtain a master’s degree within a set amount of time, others don’t require this at all. All teachers spend some time in a practicum, student teaching, working in a classroom with children, but without the responsibility of being the head teacher. Many schools and programs provide mentor teachers for new teaching staff allowing some level of early on-the-job guidance.
Modern Montessori training programs
Montessori teachers in Australia within a reputable Montessori training program must have already obtained a bachelor’s degree. Many Montessori training programs today are done concurrently with master’s programs, so the educator will complete the program with a degree and their Montessori certificate. The training programs themselves entail many hours of work, often spanning several years. This includes:
- Philosophical and subject area lectures
- Detailed training on the Montessori materials
- Extensive reading requirements
- Written papers
- Practical examinations
- Practicum experience
- Creation of the personal albums (collections of lessons on all subjects)
- Creation of handmade learning materials
Of special note in the programs is a focus on child development so they genuinely understand your child and how to individualise their learning program. You may be interested to learn that many successful Montessori educators begin their training after being inspired as Montessori parents. If you’d like learn more about how our teachers are trained, or to do some training yourself, visit AMS teacher training or AMI teacher training, or speak to one of our staff.
Please join us this week to celebrate all FMS teachers and classroom assistants. We are grateful for their expertise, their care of our students, contributions to our community and unwavering commitment to our students’ education.
