I am looking in to Montessori teaching/eventually opening a nursery. Can anyone give me any advice?

Question

I am looking in to Montessori teaching/eventually opening a nursery. Can anyone give me any advice?

Answer 1

What qualifications do you have now?

If you have a degree, you might want to consider a Master's Degree in Montessori.  If you don't have a degree, you might want to consider a Bachelors Degree in it.  Otherwise, there are some great training centers around the world.  Look them up at http://www.amshq.org  or http://montessori-ami.org/

If you're in America, I would not get training through any other organization.  These are the two most recognized groups and you might lose parents if your center is not recognized by one or the other.

Your start up costs will be high - about $30,000 initially for materials.  After that, Montessori is generally cheaper to run from year to year.

I'm, of course, assuming you're thinking 3-6 age range.  It may be different for the younger children (infant/toddler).  Your training center will likely help you with more region-specific information about how to set up the school, if you really are working towards that.

As far as the response about Reggio Emilia being more child-centered, I don't see how it's possible to be more child-centered than Montessori.  It's a philosophy based off the idea that children learn what they learn when they learn it.  Reggio Emilia is, however, another fantastic philosophy.

Answer 2

If you have not gone to college and are looking to do so, I would suggest finding a good early education licensing program first, and then applying for montessori training. Montessori schools are all over, but only some of them are actually certified with the national Montessori network. You should see about working at one as a part-timer or sub, or try volunteering. Also, read up about Montessori before you read her books (they are rather wordy). You can also get a teaching certificate (CDA), or simply apply to a Montessori training center without either a license or certificate.

If you are unfamiliar with Montessori, you might also want to look into Reggio Emilia. Their philosophy, I feel, is more child-centered, and less based on what adults feel children should accomplish.

I hope this helps! If you want to know more, you can send me a message.

Answer 3

Be sure to also include a lot of psychology coursework in your studies.  A lot of Montessori teaching is actually observation.  You then have to look at your observation notes, try to interpret what you saw, then change the environment and situation to accommodate what you observed.  You want to be able to understand why a child is doing what he or she is doing.  You also frequently need to understand the parents in order to understand the child.

Try to do observations in several different Montessori programs.  While the philosophy is fundamentally the same, many people can interpret it a little differently.  Also, the name is not copyrighted, so many schools out there can have the name Montessori, but not really be bona fide Montessori.

When you feel confident that you wish to pursue it, go for the training.  It is most advantageous, of course, to receive your training as you get a bachelor's or master's degree.  Some colleges, however, do not accept Montessori training credits.  You have to do the training elsewhere.  In that case, get an early childhood degree of sorts, then pursue a Montessori degree.  Sometimes you can get a job as an assistant or a substitute teacher as you pursue your degree.  That will also give you some experience to go with your education.  It also helps you see the light at the end of the tunnel as you pursue your education.

Experiencing the Montessori classroom while observing other teachers in action is just as important as any book learning you may do.

The works by Maria Montessori can be somewhat overwhelming to read.  While you can never substitute for the original, know that there are also many modern, easier-to-read books available.  Start with some of those, such as anything written by Lilliard or Seldin.  Then pursue Maria's own works.  Sometimes it is difficult to find Montessori works in the bookstores, but you can easily find them all in online book retailes.

Consider subscribing to the magazines, such as Montessori Life, offered through the American Montessori Society.  Their website, amshq.org, also has a lot of information to help you.

A few Montessori blogs exist, as well as other articles written by educators.

Take notes on things that you discover.  Figure out what you really like and what you don't like.

Know that starting up a Montessori program is very expensive.  Sometimes you can find discounted items at Montessori conferences or on eBay.  Temporarily use printable activities found on montessorimaterials.org or jmjpublishing.com, but always have the goal of getting the real materials.  Shop garage sales and dollar stores for practical life materials.