By Alex Chiu
Parents who choose Montessori for their children’s education hopefully find themselves embarking on an educational journey that goes beyond what their children learn within their classroom walls. An equally important aspect to Montessori education is creating a community among the children, parents, teachers, and administrators, and then extending this community to work together within their towns and cities. Just as the children learn the importance of caring for, respecting, and appreciating the people in their classrooms, Montessori schools try to extend this same sense of inclusion to their school parents and families and then branch out to work together with their neighborhood communities in a variety of positive and contributing ways.
At The Montessori Children’s Academy, we ring in the new school year with an informal Welcome Back Coffee where parents can meet one another and congregate at the school for a social gathering. It’s a great time for new parents to meet returning parents and glean some insights into what to expect in the coming days, weeks, and months. They might share helpful hints for smoother drop offs with their children or exchange phone numbers for playdates. It’s simply an opportunity to connect.
On a larger scale, MCA hosts an annual Harvest Family Fun Day at a park near the South Mountain Reservation. This celebration of the season includes a picnic, games, crafts, and other fun activities that all MCA families from across MCA’s three campuses can join in together. Not only does the Harvest Family Fun Day provide families with a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon, it also allows children to see their teachers outside of the classroom and gives parents a chance to interact with teachers and other children and families in a relaxed environment without the demand of weekday schedules.
Additionally, MCA offers parents several Parent Education events throughout the school year. There is a book club for parents each year which focuses on one specially selected book with discussions led by MCA teachers who facilitate open dialogue and field questions from participants. The Parent Education Nights we host throughout the year each focus on different areas and materials of the Montessori classroom so that parents gain a better understanding of what is available to their children in the classroom, as well as learn the purpose of the lessons and the meaning behind the methods. The annual MCA Speaker Series is another evening event for parents, which features some of the most acclaimed professionals in their fields who come to share insights into a variety of educational and parenting topics. Past speakers have included Jonathan Wolff, Trevor Eissler, Carrie Donegan, Madelyn Swift, and Teresa LaSala, to name a few.
And another community-building endeavor is MCA’s annual outreach project. Each year, MCA selects a charity to support through classroom and community awareness about the charity, fundraising events, and meaningful connections with those involved in the organizations. In years past, we have focused our efforts to help Girls on the Run, Paws of War, St. Peter’s Orphanage, and Instituto Nueva Escuela. Last spring, MCA enjoyed a beautiful celebration of its ongoing work to make the world a better place in many ways both big and small, and we have found that our MCA families have come together so wholeheartedly to instill within our children the importance of helping others. Our MCA Lights the Way for a Lifetime of Caring event was truly a celebration of everyone’s combined efforts to not only support a variety of charitable organizations, but also to find joy in participating in such worthy efforts and making it a way of life.
Montessori education works best when we can build connections between school, home, and the greater community. This makes Montessori truly a way of life. And when children are able to move from home to school to the world at large where the values and expectations are aligned, the Montessori community and all of its members grow and flourish and work together even more beautifully.