Montessori Materials Workshop

Bay Area Montessori Association held its annual Montessori Materials Workshop at the Renaissance School in Oakland,CA.

We had local Montessorians, Jan Lee, Anne Diamond, Monica MacDonald, and Carolyn Daoust share their knowledge about practical life, language, sensorial, and math.

Jan Lee, is a head teacher for a toddler program. She has 18 years experience in Montessori education and 15 of those years in the toddler classroom. She not only received her Montessori infant-toddler credential from the San Leandro Teacher Training Center but also has pre-school and elementary Montessori training from St. Mary’s College.

Anne Diamond has earned her BA in Philosophy from the University of San Francisco, a Post Baccalaureate in Child Development from Virginia Commonwealth University, her Primary Level Teaching Credential from American Montessori Society, and certified with her California State Supervisor Credential. Anne has over 24 years experience working with children in Montessori and non Montessori environments.

Monica MacDonald has been an advocate for Montessori Education for over 20 years. She holds an AMI diploma from the St. Louis Montessori Training Center. She has worked at all different sorts of Montessori Schools in her career and owned her own school in Wildwood, MO. She worked as an AMS Trainer here in the bay area. Presently she is working at Marin Montessori School directing 30 children. Monica's passion is bringing Montessori to the basics so that the children are well served by what Dr. Montessori taught us.

Carolyn Daoust is Associate Professor, Director of Interns, and Elementary Coordinator at Saint Mary’s College of California. She is American Montessori Society(AMS) primary and Association Montessori Internationale(AMI) elementary certified. Carolyn is an AMS Research Committee member and Winner of the AMS 2005 Dissertation Award for her research titled, An examination of implementaion practices in Montessori early childhood education.

Cindy Acker shared about the work of Montessori Council of California (aka MC squared). Their public policy platform is as follows:

The purpose of the Montessori Council of California is to influence public debate and public policy in support of quality education for the children of the State of California. The Montessori Council of California identifies and supports educational principles that lie at the foundation of the Montessori method, and supports those practices as they are found in other educational models. The Council seeks support and recognition for these proven educational principles at all levels of State government.

In particular, the Council seeks recognition by the State Department of Education for accredited teacher training centers including Montessori accredited teacher preparation programs. The Council seeks parity in funding, stipends, and awards for teachers with coursework from accredited teacher preparation programs including Montessori. In these goals we seek to:

1. Monitor regulations generated from State agencies to ensure their accommodation to proven educational principles and in particular the tenets of teh Montessori method of education.

2. Lobby for legislation that supports and honors the uniqueness of each child's learning style, and the need for an individualized approach to education, as articulated in various educational models, including the indvidualized, self-paced Montessori method.

3. Educate legislators on the research data that supports the Montessori principles of education in order to bring the proven benefits of this educational methodology to all children.

4. Require the California State Department of Education to recognize alternative accredited teacher preparation programs including accredited Montessori teacher preparation centers in the State of California.

5. Require the California State Department of Eudcation to recognize the teacher credentials issued by accredited teacher preparation cetners as equivalent to the State teacher credential indluing the credentialed Montessori teachers.

6. Require that special funding, stipends, and awards distributed by First Five become equally available to teachers of various methodologies without barriers to access.

MC Squared contact info:

101 Callan Ave, San Leandro CA 94578

510.278.1115 phone

510.278.1577 fax