This week, I’ve been reflecting on the start of a Montessori journey, and how special that moment is. For many of us, our first encounter with Montessori sparks a lifelong passion that burns over the course of a long career. To be there at the start of the journey, watching the moment when someone first falls in love, then to see that play out over the course of many years, is a unique privilege that I’ve gotten to enjoy in the work that I do.
There are a few examples that are top-of-mind for me this week, but one in particular that I’ve gotten special permission to share.
Please enjoy this short video clip of a brand new Toddler Guide, at one of our Boston campuses, doing her FIRST EVER practice with a material. Literally, this is the very first time she has picked up a Montessori material and tried to offer a full-length presentation from start to finish!
She hasn’t given herself an easy task to start. She’s chosen one of the longest and most complex exercises in the toddler classroom: dish washing. She has only seen the material demonstrated one time. And yet, she jumps straight in, with excitement and pride, and gives it a try. And, shockingly, she gets probably 75% of it down on her first shot.
Whether you are an experienced Montessorian or whether you are newer to this field, I encourage you to revel in this historic moment of someone new starting on her Montessori journey. And I encourage you to remember, or visualize, how it feels in this moment.
When you first do a mock presentation with a real material, you feel self-conscious, almost silly. You have to lean into the feeling and embrace it, in order to overcome it. But despite the heightened self-consciousness, or perhaps because of it, there’s also a specialness to that moment. Some people describe it as a profoundly mindful moment—a moment when you are fully present and calm, with nothing but yourself, another human being, and a gentle stream of water flowing from a pitcher.
And then later, there’s the thrill of adrenaline that comes the first time you actually present that exercise to a real child. There are the fumbles you make, the steps you forget. And then, somehow, amazingly, despite all of your imperfections… the child takes up the exercise, and works with it for 20 minutes! The feeling of pride is profound.
The journey is launched. There’s no turning back.
Enjoy and happy Friday.
Yours,
Rebecca
Thank you for your lovely words. They have prompted me to reflect on my own Montessori journey, which, just like you mentioned, ignited a lifelong passion that still burns brightly within me.
Over the past two decades, I have been fortunate enough to serve as a Montessori Guide, witnessing firsthand the incredible transformations that children undergo in a nurturing environment. This experience has infused my life with profound meaning and purpose.
Your encouragement means a great deal to me. I hope that the joy you derive from your work continues to overflow your cup, and that you can continue making a positive impact on the lives of the children you serve.
Wishing a bright future for Guidepost and wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead!