International Festival

My family likes to tease me about how often I speak or write of being "inspired", but I embrace it with open arms because I am truly blessed to find myself inspired by things I experience, read, hear or see.

When I contemplate the evolution of Montessori education and reflect on the written words of Dr. Maria Montessori, I believe she was also inspired by things she experienced, read, heard or saw.  Not only was she inspired, but I believe she took this inspiration and made it her "life's work".  Not only was she an educated scientist and a gifted observer, but she was very spiritual and wrote extensively about human development.  She wrote often about children and their ability to affect social change and hope for the future of mankind and our world.  Below are just a few quotes of many, from Maria Montessori's extensive writings.


“All humanity that works for the common good, even though it may be unaware of it, is creating the new world that must be the world of peace.”


“Joy, feeling one’s own value, being appreciated and loved by others, feeling useful and capable of production are all factors of enormous value for the human soul."

“Human consciousness comes into the world as a flaming ball of imagination.  Everything invented by man, physical or mental, is the fruit of someone’s imagination.”  


Sun Grove Montessori School recently held a Second Annual International Festival at the Port Saint Lucie Botanical Gardens and I couldn't help but notice the beautiful diversity represented not only by our school families but our community at large.  I noticed the smiles from our youngest attendees who may have only been weeks old and the smiles from grandparents.  I saw children and adults come together to help others in big and small ways.  I noticed the exquisite beauty of the gardens, the gorgeous weather, and the beauty of the people that came together.  I'm sure those who know me best will smile or laugh, but I will admit that I was inspired!  

Let's continue that spirit of diversity, appreciation and love for others, creativity and imagination, and work for the common good . . .

Work. . .

I am fresh from another "Work Day" at Sun Grove Montessori School and it never ceases to amaze me how gathering for a common purpose can bring people together.  There is a certain bond that comes from not only gathering, but laboring together.

Over the years I've come to appreciate all the different types of adult volunteers.  We require 20 hours of annual service from each family so many are working for those hours, but I am particularly struck by how many grandparents and extended family members participate.  I also hear time and time again that people feel community work like this is a rare occurrence.

While working there are always volunteers who see what needs to be done and quietly do it.  There are others who look for direction and gladly go where needed.  Some bring special energy and enthusiasm that motivates when things get difficult and then there are those move back and forth between roles.

Every person with their own talents and gifts make the work a bit more tolerable and I can't help but relate this to the larger goals as we role model and teach our children.  That working together is sometimes better than working alone.  While everyone doesn't contribute the same thing or in the same way, everyone contributes.  That sometimes the best laid plans need flexibility.  That there is satisfaction in working for the greater good and in a job well done!

This type of work allows us to keep tuition down and I am really glad that work days are part of our school culture.  On this particular work day we had parents, grandparents, an aunt, and an alumni who attended Sun Grove Montessori School many years ago.  If it weren't for the work, sweat and labor of those who came before and had the vision, Sun Grove Montessori School might not be here today!

2012 Montessori Foundation Conference

We were fortunate to send a few Sun Grove Montessori School administrators, staff and our middle school students to a recent Montessori Foundation Conference in Sarasota.

There were workshops, keynote speakers and a documentary to inspire and educate.  We all felt we  experienced elements that will make us better leaders, guides and more effective in our work with children.  It was also a nice opportunity to meet and share with others who have dedicated their lives to children and the best of Montessori education.

The conference organizers also offer a unique invitation to those who have secondary students.  In the spirit of nurturing leadership and collaboration there is an open invitation for the these students to attend the conference at no cost.  They help facilitate connections with other groups and they give suggestions for workshops the students may enjoy.  Because of scheduling conflicts we were not able to join other students in a special showing and discussion for the documentary "A Race to Nowhere" but our students were able to view it during the Keynote presentation.  

They were asked if they would share about their experience to be published in "Tomorrow's Child" and they graciously did.  I thought it would be nice to share the experience from their collaborative prospective.  It follows this introduction . . . 

After being in the car for three hours we finally arrived at the hotel. When we were walking towards the entrance the first thing that caught our eye was the water wall.  When we walked inside there was a big glass window with a view of the amazing pool and the Sarasota Bay.  We were even more excited when we got to our rooms and saw the great view from the rooms.  After we unpacked and explored a little we went down stairs to our first workshop, Action Socialization with Joel Wilkenson.  This was our favorite workshop during the IMC conference because the leader was really nice and we got to interact with other Montessori Middle School students from Oklahoma. 

                When our workshop was finished, we headed down to the pool with the Oklahomans for a nice swim. It was amazing!  The pool and hot tub both had waterfalls pouring into them.  We had so much fun running back and forth between the hot tub and pool that we lost track of time and swam for hours.  Once we had finished swimming we changed out of our bathing suits, and walked to a nearby Italian café, where we had delicious pizza.  When we got back to the hotel we said goodbye to the Oklahomans and went up to our hotel rooms.

                The next and final day we were there we woke up fairly early and went to the lobby where we met up with the Oklahoma students.  We also met some students and faculty from a nearby school, New Gate.  The people from New Gate took us downtown and gave us a short historical tour.  We walked through the farmer’s market, where we got some delicious lemonade and watched a group of kids from a drum academy.  Before we knew it we ended up at the circus themed chalk festival.  The artwork was incredible!  Our favorite piece of chalk art was a 3D optical illusion, where it looked like a man was coming out of the ground.  Along the way a couple of magicians caught our eye, we had actually stood there trying to figure out their tricks for forty-five minutes.  Before we left we got to see some lions, white tigers, regular tigers, and ligers.

                On the way back we stopped by a park near the water.  We saw a really cool sculpture of “Olympic Wannabes”.  In the park there was a tiki bar, where we had lunch with the Oklahomans.  Our day was slowly coming to an end, and the only thing we had left was more of the IMC conference.  We went and saw a video called “Race to Nowhere”.  The last workshop we went to was where we learned how to use the Weebly website.  After that we reluctantly packed our bags and headed to the car, and headed home. 

“My favorite part was the pool, where we got to swim for hours.”  -Cristian (student)

“I thought it was cool to meet other middle school Montessori students.” –Veronica (student)

“The downtown area was amazing!” –Kaylee (student)

“I absolutely loved the chalk festival.” –Emma (student)

“I think the movie portrayed a really good message.” –Bradley (student)

Adolescents as Leaders

I am inspired daily by things I observe at Sun Grove Montessori School, and obviously I was inspired to write about this one.  

As many Montessori programs do, our students brainstorm plans for "micro economies" or small business ventures that are designed to provide a service and/or raise funds.  This year they embraced the breakfast shop that was passed on to them by the orginal founders of the program and this business is open and running the majority of the school year.  They studied local menus, food costs and history to design a new menu, set costs and get the word out to customers as they prepared to open for business ("Wake up Montessori" is currently open T-W-TH from 7:45 am - 8:15 am).

In addition, with the support of adult guides, the students brainstormed and researched additional ideas for serving the student and parent community.  They decided to offer regular movie nights where children can come to have fun and caregivers can have time to themselves.  They also decided to offer homemade meals for take out.

This is a vital part of their curriculum and they are fortunate to have parents who value these activities and understand the important life skills they teach.  These skills may not be testable on the FCAT or SAT but they are crucial for these students as they prepare for highschool and the larger responsibities in the near future.  The skills they are practicing and mastering are numerous; leadership, teamwork, planning, problem solving, time management, oral and written communications, marketing, mathematical computation, customer service, grace and courtesy, safety, cleanliness, food preparation, measurement, accountability, finances and so much more.

These students were also gifted with the opportunity to extend this life lesson even further because of the generousity of David Kruse with A/C Doctors.  He proposed a donation which would not only support the middle school students in their business venture, but would provide meals for families in need.  With Mr. Kruse's donation, the students were not only able to receive a generous gift, but they were able to experience the feeling that comes with giving to those in need.

When stories in the news and the stresses of daily life wear on so many of us, I am grateful to have the opportunity to share this true story of inspiration.

AMS 2013 Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida | American Montessori Society

AMS 2013 Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida | American Montessori Society

MontessoriSeeds: Cosmic Education

MontessoriSeeds: Cosmic Education: Cosmic Education ‘It is this vision of an indivisible unity made up of energy, of sky, of rocks, of water, of life, of humans as adu...

Personal Reflections

As I reflect on this past school year, I smile as I remember each individual child's presence and their unique personalities, talents and interests.  I take a long deep breath absorbing my first year as Director of Academics which taught me so much and will continue to for years to come. I experience a deep feeling of gratitude when I remember staff members who selflessly gave time and energy above and beyond.  I also admire all the parents who gave of themselves in small and large ways to make this year a little bit better for everyone.

I look forward to many more years of creating new experiences and memories with all of the children and families at Sun Grove Montessori School.

Please help me spread the word about the best kept secret in Fort Pierce, Port Saint Lucie and the Treasure Coast!  Sun Grove Montessori School!

To learn more about a Montessori education visit http://www.montessori-science.org/montessori_science_articles.htm.