A Call to Action (by Jill Wilson)

I often think of the old proverb that says, “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago.  The second-best time is now.”  The same holds true for so many things in my life, and especially for advocacy of Montessori.  I just returned from the AMS National Conference in Dallas, Texas and I have been spurred into action.   It became overwhelmingly obvious to me that our children need more Montessori programs.  But at the same time, Montessori programs are struggling when it comes to legislative and regulatory challenges at the federal, state and local levels.  Many of these policies are weighted against and adversely affect Montessori classrooms and practices.  For instance, in many Quality Rating and Improvement Systems, quality Montessori programs are given low scores due to the lack of building blocks, stuffed animals and toys in the classroom.  It is up to us to educate legislators to what is a quality Montessori program.  The best time to begin grassroots advocacy was 20 years ago.  The second best time is NOW!

Big movements are happening in the Montessori circles.   The circles are beginning to overlap and they are big enough to include everyone.  In order to impact policy, we need everyone from the large national organizations to the smallest local schools and classrooms.   Montessori Forward andThe National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector are two websites that are bringing together multiple Montessori organizations to collaborate and disseminate valuable information. AMS and AMI/USA have joined forces to support state organizations in developing their voice, strengthening their platform and providing them with the necessary tools needed to succeed.  

The Ohio Montessori Alliance is the state organization created to do these things (and more!) for children and Montessori schools in Ohio.  As they state on their website, “The OMA is a call to action and a commitment to community.”  I have been called to action and now I am calling on you, too.

So, what can you as a parent, teacher or administrator do?

1.  Invite your state representative and senator to your school.  No agenda, no issues to discuss, and no speeches, but just a casual visit as an introduction to some Montessori constituents.  Not only does this provide an opportunity for the politician to be awed by the Montessori environment and touched by the children working, but also it aides in raising an awareness of just how many Montessori schools may be in the district.  Contact your state representatives here:  www.ohiohouse.gov andwww.ohiosenate.gov/senate/index

2. Be Counted!  At the CMS and/or AMS conference, you may have seen and heard people talking about the 2013-14 USA Montessori Census.  This is a collaborative project to strengthen the US Montessori Community.  The information gathered through the census can be used by the general public and researchers, as well as federal, state, and local governments, in making important decisions about education reform and the proper role of Montessori in that reform effort.

Currently, there are only 30 schools listed in the state of Ohio – a small fraction of what is really out there. There is strength in numbers and every Montessori school along with every Montessori student must be counted.  With current accurate numbers of schools and students, we can make a greater impact on policymakers!

Please do your part to add your school right now!  Go to www.MontessoriCensus.org  You will be asked to create an account.  The census has 30 questions and will take you less than 15 minutes to complete. Questions are asked on four broad areas:

• Demographic Information
• Leadership
• Affiliations and Accreditations
• Program

You will also have the opportunity to provide a brief overview of your school and to provide a photo of your school. The ideal size for the photo is 220px by 220px, and photos must be less than 1 MB in size.

At the very least, just add the name and address of your school to get it on the map today and do the rest later.

3.  Get Connected!  In addition to showing the SIZE of our community, our CONNECTIVITY to one another is equally crucial!  The more we can link together, the more capable we'll become!  Reach out to other schools, organizations, and communities, linking your networks together.  Our power would grow exponentially if each of us shared this newsletter with 5 people in our network, and asked them to forward it to 5 people in their network, and so on.

If all of those reading this do these three things, here is what I envision would happen:  The next time a piece of legislation comes up, the question is asked by many legislators, “How does this affect the 45 Montessori schools, 5000 students and 10,000+ voting parents in my district?”  That is powerful.

If you find yourself called into action and want to do more than these three things, please email the Ohio Montessori Alliance president, Laureen Golden.

There is not a moment to spare.  Change is going to happen and it is up to us, individually and collectively, to ensure that it changes to our benefit, not detriment. 

Rising Together for Children

We are living during an exciting time, in which a major resurgence in the Montessori Movement continues to gain momentum, fueled by a collective longing for quality Montessori education to become an option available to all children. The possibility for real change is growing, but is not to be taken for granted.  Twice before, the popularity of Montessori education in America has swelled...and then waned.  In order to rise together in time to leverage this "third wave" of intense interest to create lasting change for children and society, we must define who "we" are, and cultivate "the experience of belonging" for all in our community.

The Montessori Community: Defining Who "We"Are

We will rise together as a powerful and unified whole once we become clear on who "we" are.  Is who we consider to be "in" our community defined by their role? school? setting? type of training? location? similarity of values and ideas?  When we encounter Montessorians who are different from us (in role, school, setting, type of training, location, or way of thinking) do we recognize them as "self" or do we ignore them, or perhaps treat them as "other"?  Wisdom from the Mindfulness Community helps us realize that we train our attention to include or exclude.   Our community can harness the healing power of inclusion by cultivating our awareness and creating intentional choices that expand who "we" become. 

"Belonging" to the Montessori Community

Rising together to catalyze real change for children and society requires us to move beyond the notion of "community as a collection" of schools or individuals (connected mostly in name only), to one that is focused on "the experience of belonging". 

1. "Belong can mean to be related to, and a part of something.  It is membership, the experience of being 'at home'".
2. "Belong has to do with being an owner. Something belongs to me. To belong to a community, is to act as a creator and co-owner in that community."
3. "Belonging can also be thought of as longing-to-be.  Being is our capacity to find our deeper purpose; the capacity to be present, and to discover our authenticity and whole selves. Community is the container within which our longing to be is fulfilled." (Peter Block, Community: The Structure of Belonging, Pg xii)

Imagine what being a part of the Montessori community might come to mean for each of us when we prioritize the experience of belonging!  This is the vision that guides the development of the OMA.  We define a "Montessorian" as anyone who feels touched by Montessori education (students, alumni, family members, guides, administrators -- anyone who has discovered and feels moved by Dr. Montessori's work), and invite all such people to join us in creating a community that feels like a "place for you", in which you are a co-owner, and in which your deeper purpose may be fulfilled.  Use our newsletter, FB page, and website to give feedback about what is, and is not, working for you...Connect your community with the statewide community (which connects with our national and international community) by sharing our newsletter with your networks...Save the Date: We will gather together as a statewide community the Weekend of September 27, 2014...Participate in the development of this conference so it is most meaningful to you and supports you in the issues you care most about...Envision the possibilities of what we can create together...Welcome each other as fearless learners, inventors and discovers, agents of change, who, together, will surf this “third wave” to ensure the developmental rights of all children are understood, nurtured, and secured. 

We CAN Create What We Know is Possible!

Dr. Montessori's understanding of the world is so distinct from the prevalent worldview, that is has remained on the margins for over 100 years.  And yet, each member of our community discovered it -- often by synchronicity and chance -- and it resonated deeply within us, which suggests that in our bodies we know another way to be in this world; the possibility for a more just, harmonious, and sustainable future that works for all.

Together, we can create what we know, deep inside us, is possible!  Together, our power to create the world for which we long, is magnified exponentially!

Recognizing our community's power to affect change, Montessorians around the globe are linking up by forming a network of networks. Here are 2 small steps, that if each of us took, would make a big difference in our community's capacity to work as a unified whole:
1.  Make sure your school is included in the National Montessori Census, as it will be the foundation for research, advocacy, inclusion and support.
2.  Link your networks to other networks! Click here to sign up for the OMA Communications Network (mailing list).

Let It Flow! "Information as Nourishment"

Testing, regulations, enrollment...the number of issues that impact our ability to effectively serve the developmental needs of children continues to grow.  Rather than contorting ourselves to fit the antiquated notion of education, Montessorians are joining together to redefine it!  In order to grow a strong community and unified voice that is capable of effecting real change, it is essential for us to reconsider how we treat information.  

In the prevalent worldview based on competition, information is equated with power*, and access to it is restricted to the few.  But the holistic paradigm that Montessori education embodies, recognizes that we are all parts of a greater whole. In this world of interdependency and collaboration, information is heralded as nourishment*, and every effort must be made so it can freely flow because “innovation is fostered by information gathered from new connections; from insights gained by journeys into other disciplines or places; from active, collegial networks and fluid, open boundaries.  Knowledge grows inside relationships, from ongoing circles of exchange where information is not just accumulated by individuals, but is willingly shared.” (Wheatley, Pg 104)

Creating “circuitry” for information to flow freely and nourish all parts of our community is one of the primary tasks the OMA is spearheading.  Here is some of what we've been doing:

• We are increasingly using social media and our newsletter as a means to share relevant information.  
• Wanting to share information in a way that does not overwhelm, the OMA is trying to build a database that will enable us to share crucial information in a timely manner, with the members of our community who will be most impacted.  
• We have begun working with the National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector (NCMPS) to align our work developing a state database with their national Montessori Census Project, to limit redundancies in time and resources, while ensuring that everyone is counted and included. Look for us at the CMS Conference to learn more!
• Striving to build a “network of networks”, the OMA is linking up with Cincinnati Montessori Society (CMS) and other regional networks, as well as participating in the National Advocacy Project.
• Metaphorically, the OMA has been trying to move forward the ball-of-organizing-for-impact. What is really exciting is how schools and organizations are taking this ball and running with it! We appreciate those who are acting as conduits, spreading the word through conversations with those in their schools and networks, and linking the OMA’s Newsletter within theirs, thereby enabling the flow of information to reach individual families, students, and alumni.
• Prioritizing the importance of distributing information, the OMA has incorporated this value and capacity into our very structure by using Dynamic Governance (click here to see a current visual of the OMA's structure). With DG's trademark features of consent (everyone's input and thinking is valued) and double linking (information flows in two directions, from those with specialized, tacit knowledge to those with broad vision, and back from the broad vision to the specialized groups) we are able to develop into a more complex organization, capable of differentiation and integration -- the same capacities we seek to cultivate in our children.

If the concepts of "information as nourishment" and "developing a network of networks" resonates with you, please help link up our networks to ensure that information can nourish all the parts of the Montessori community!

Have other suggestions for ways the OMA can share info and strengthen our community's ties? Please share!

Beyond Wishes for Peace: Reflections and Resolutions for 2014

The pause that quietly exists between the exhalation of one year, and the inhalation of the next, is a favorite moment of mine.  There is something magical about the cusp of a new year, as it is ripe with potentials and possibilities -- for ourselves, our community, and our children.  It is an opportunity to reflect on where we are now and where we want to be in the future; to consider how closely aligned our daily habits are with our future vision, and to resolve to incorporate new actions to bring us closer to where we want to be. 

Where We Are Now...

I believe we live at a crucial juncture in history.  Due to the pace and scale of change in our globally interconnected world, we are increasingly bumping up against the limits and potentially dire consequences of the prevailing paradigm that is based on competition, conquest and consumption. 

The prevalent view of "life as a machine" has caused us to seek understanding by breaking things into parts, create plans expecting predictability and linear progress, attempt to maintain order by exerting control (domination), view people/the environment in terms of production and use, and continually search for better methods of measurement.   A relic of the industrial economy, this paradigm is crumbling as our population grows, resources dwindle, and we transition to a knowledge economy.  Society desperately needs an alternative worldview ... which is exactly what Dr. Montessori gave us.  Not only did she provide us with a vision of a “genuine community of all mankind”, she also gave us a map (“The Method”) for how to get there.  

The great task remaining before our community is to unite and bring this transforming education into the lives of more children!  

On the local, state, and national level, more and more people are joining the movement to collaboratively move Montessori education forward, ensuring that it becomes an educational option available to all children.  The momentum is growing to strengthen our community’s ties, and coordinate our advocacy, public awareness, and research efforts.  These are exciting times!

Where We Want to Be...

As the winds of change blow in our world, and uncertainty about the future grows, Dr. Montessori’s vision of peace shines like a Northstar; a beacon guiding us towards a new way of being in the world. Might the visceral longing we share for a "different form of society on a higher plane" suggest that in addition to developing "the spiritual life of man" we must also "organize humanity for peace"? (Montessori, xii) 

I am fueled by the belief that the Montessori community* has an essential role to play in shifting humanity’s trajectory towards a more just, harmonious, and sustainable future.

I believe this because Montessori education embraces “Life” (in the sense of the dynamic energy and innate wisdom which orients leaves towards sunlight and guides migratory animals on heroic journeys), rather than trying to control or contort it.  In doing so, Montessori education embodies an alternative worldview that not only whispers the wisdom of our ancestors, but is being substantiated by discoveries in modern science and a growing number of fields (including quantum physics, biology, and chaos theory).  

Science is now describing “a world of interconnected networks, where slight disturbances in one part of the system may create major impacts far from where they originate...a world that knows how to organize itself without command, control, or charisma...[with no] independent reality that exists without our observations...[in which] the ‘basic building blocks’ of life are relationships...and we are all ‘bundles of potential’.” (Wheatley, Pg 170)  

Few, I believe, are better equipped to help humanity navigate the transition to the paradigm of living systems and fluid reality, than Montessorians, who, in their quest to “aid life”, have grown experienced in trusting its wisdom and cultivating its creative energy. 

Montessorians understand what modern science is confirming about our “participatory universe” -- that “all life participates in the creation of itself, insisting on the freedom to self-determine.  All life participates actively with its environment in the process of co-adaption and co-evolution.” (Wheatley, Pg 163)   The emerging worldview, which is foreign to many, is rather familiar terrain for Montessorians.  Through our work with children, we anticipate the awe and wonder of Life, and recognize that change takes its own path, emerges in its own time and often comes in seemingly sudden bursts.  We appreciate the value of indirect preparation, and the focus on cultivating conditions rather than controlling outcomes.  We understand the role of differentiation, integration, and interdependency in complex living systems; we know that the whole IS greater than the sum of its parts and that relationships are everything.  Great change will happen as our increasingly unified Montessori community, aware of our destiny and “guided by nature”, recognizes the fractal landscape of this world (in the sense that the shape we see at one magnification will be similar to what we’ll find at all others), and uses this understanding to leverage our expertise in aiding the development of life of an individual child, to aid the development of the collective life of humanity-as-an-organism.

Great change will happen when our increasingly unified community leverages our expertise in aiding the life of an individual child, to aid the collective life of humanity-as-an-organism.

Resolutions 

(Daily practices to transform ourselves into the change we wish to see in the world)

I feel called, as I believe many of us do, to work in community to help humanity transition to this new paradigm that embraces the creative force of life since "the forces that create the world are precisely the forces that must create peace”. (Montessori, 115)  Yet, such a grand task is intimidating and humbling.  What can I really do to make a difference?

*Believe  If the beating of a butterfly's wings can affect change, then with hope for a better world, I commit to making small consistent steps each day to create impact.

*SHOW UP!!!  In this participative universe, nothing is more important than connecting with others in conversations that matter!  I commit to carving time to connect with other Montessorians.

*Go with the flow  Although I don't know how I am going to help, each day I will commit to chipping away at whatever I can to get this work done.  This is the world of emergence -- once we are in relationship with each other and eager to participate, problems and opportunities will emerge and suddenly each of us will clearly see the unique gifts we have to offer.
*Build our virtual central nervous system Our community will be as strong as we are connected and united.  Through technology, we are capable of universal connection, but we need to choose to participate in the collective body.   I commit to joining and growing networks, and to encourage others to join me in linking up with our larger community.

*Go slow to go fast  Valuing indirect preparation and the primacy of relationships, how can I attend to the wholeness of others?  "What makes community building so complex is that it occurs in an infinite number of small steps...It calls for us to treat as important many things that we thought were incidental." (Block, 9)  I commit to inquiring more about the lives of the people with whom I interact before "getting down to business".
*Banish the "empty echo"  Almost all of us have had the experience of what I call the "empty echo"-- when you put yourself out there, reaching out to others, and hear nothing back.  And as lonely and disheartening as it is, I know there are times when I play a part in the silence.  "I see you" are some of the most meaningful words we can say to one another.  We don't need to agree with each other, we don't need to join every event, but we can acknowledge each other's overtures.  I commit to noticing, acknowledging and appreciating the efforts of others.

*Pay attention The Mindfulness Community considers compassion a skill we can cultivate by noticing, "Who do I pay attention to? Who do I ignore? Who becomes 'the other'?"  I commit to observing and reflecting upon where I put my attention.

*Hold our attention at two levels simultaneously (Wheatley, 141).  Just as when we work with a student in our classroom, we attend to the immediate interaction while remaining aware of the entire room, so too, is it important to be aware of our own specific sphere while remaining aware of the happenings of the broader community.  "Transformation unfolds and is given structure by a consciousness of the whole." (Block, 19) I commit to learning more about what is happening regionally, statewide and nationally by staying connected with colleagues and resources.

*In the safe cocoon of community, allow vulnerability to dissolve my ego, and emerge as a fearless learner There is a learning curve to figuring out how to be together and work together, to leverage diversity while building cohesion.  I commit to stretching myself, embracing my mistakes, and iterating as I go.

*Explore structures and tools that focus on "establishing the conditions".  Dynamic Governance, Open Space Technology, Collective Impact, collective creating, World Cafe, and more ...  I commit to read and experience different structures to learn more.

*And when I bump up against the feeling that I just don't have enough time for this work, I commit to remind myself how much I care for my children -- for all children -- and the world that sustains us, and remember that I don't have time NOT to do this work!

Wishing our community a wondrous 2014!  May it be a year in which we greet each other as fearless learners, discoverers of new ways of being, and agents of change who are ready to work together in the realm of magic and possibility!

(*I define the Montessori community as anyone who feels a visceral connection to Montessori education, regardless of their role or title.)

Have other ideas for 2014 Resolutions to move us towards a more peaceful world?  Please share them with our community by using the form below.

A Prepared Environment for Optimal Group Development? Considering Dynamic Governance for Montessori Organizations

Our ability to provide quality Montessori education for children is greatly influenced by our ability to work together, as a school, faculty, Board, or student/family/regional/statewide organization.  Recognizing the essential role the prepared environment plays in a child’s development, the Ohio Montessori Alliance (OMA) has spent a year considering and experimenting with structures that align with Montessori principles, to support our organizational development.  What follows is a reflection, and an invitation... 

The potential for the Ohio Montessori Alliance (OMA) was birthed through dialogue...a quiet truth that existed within each of us that transformed into a palpable presence within the safe space and energy created by the group -- “We are all in this together, and working together is necessary for real change to happen”.   The magic of Life is that you never know how it will express itself through a particular form or being, and so we waited in wonderment of what would unfold, and set about the task of nurturing our development.  

Montessorians excel at establishing conditions that enable Life to flourish...the question before us was, "How can we transfer our shared knowledge of the critical role the prepared environment plays in an individual's development to nurture the development of our Montessori-community-as-an-organism?"

Considering structures for our prepared environment, we quickly recognized that traditional hierarchical organizations are based on the same understanding of the world as is conventional education: “Newtonian images of the universe [where] we manage by separating things into parts, we believe that influence occurs as a direct result of force exerted from one person to another, we engage in complex planning for a world that we keep expecting to be predictable, and we search continually for better methods of objectively measuring and perceiving the world.”(Pg 7) This recognition echoes the words of Edward Deming, who, “revered around the world as a pioneer in the quality management revolution...would often say, ‘We will never transform the prevailing system of management without transforming our prevailing system of education.  They are the same system.’” (Pg xi & xiii)  This system and its underlying assumptions has served a phase of humanity’s evolution, but is not accurate or comprehensive enough to help us interact with change and each other, at the pace and scale necessary for the Earth’s survival.  

An alternative paradigm for understanding Life is emerging through discoveries in a variety of fields (quantum physics, biology, chemistry, partnership studies, chaos and complexity theory, systems thinking, etc), that echoes the indigenous wisdom of our ancestors, and aligns with the truths observed by the scientific mind of Dr. Montessori.  This paradigm focuses on holism and integration, rejoices in complexity and interdependence, and recognizes “relationship [as] the key determiner of everything”. (Pg 11)  It is in this paradigm that the OMA sought an organizational structure to serve as our prepared environment.

For the past year, the OMA Board has been experimenting with Dynamic Governance, “a decision-making and governance method that allows an organization to manage itself as an organic whole” [Pg 2].  Based on equivalence and Systems/Complexity theory, Dynamic Governance (DG) seeks to leverage the creative forces of self-organization, which allows the overall organization, as well as each of its members, to “achieve their full potential”. (Pg 20)

Some benefits of DG-as-a-prepared-environment include: 

   *establishes a “power-with” governance structure 

   *maximizes inclusion and efficiency

   *builds autonomy and enhances alignment

   *fosters engagement, productivity and commitment

   *encourages creativity and innovation 

   *creates energy and harmony around decision-making

Although we have only “dipped our toes” in the DG waters, we have noticed that, similar to how the prepared environment shapes the development of the child's brain and personality, the practice of engaging with others within the structure of DG seems to guide and shape our optimal development, as individuals and an organization. 

A little over a year into our growth, I’ve had a chance to glimpse the form of Life that seems to be unfolding within the OMA:  This past week I fumbled.  As one of the leaders of the OMA, I missed an important detail; dropped a major ball.  With full trust in the safety and wisdom of the group, I sent out an SOS -- sharing my failure and seeking help.  Within an hour, support and resources appeared, and multiple solutions emerged where none had seemed to exist.

I believe the structure of DG has helped the OMA organize for change by building our capacity to manage crucial conversations, cultivate a learning culture, tap the group's collective intelligence, harness system's thinking and the healing power of inclusion, embrace complexity, and develop a “win/win”, “both/and” approach to decisions-making.

Striving for real and sustainable impact, the OMA Board has committed to a two day training in Dynamic Governance with John Buck, by embedding it within our Annual Meeting, an opportunity we wish to share with all interested individuals and organizations throughout the Montessori community...

If you are someone who is excited about Montessori education (parent, administrator, directress, student, alumni, grandparent, etc), we welcome you to join us at the OMA Annual Meeting in Columbus, Ohio, on October 26th and 27th, to:

   *gather and grow as a community,

   *deepen our connections, as well as our understanding of the work before us, 

   *better understand this new paradigm, and consider ways to leverage Montessori Education, Dynamic Governance and “collective impact”, as complementary tools for architecting a new culture, within our schools, faculties, Boards, and student/family/regional/statewide/national organizations...and perhaps, the world.

We hope you will join us!

Exploring "The Map"

Have you had a chance to explore "The Map" of the Montessori movement?  Approaching this dynamic and interactive tool is a journey of discovery.  What is it?  How many ways can it be used?  What possibilities does it hold?  Although the answers to these questions are probably limitless, here are some personal discoveries/reflections...

Orienting
Inundated with work in our own spheres, it is all too easy to miss the early exponential growth of the Montessori movement that is occurring all around us.  The Map, at its most basic level, visually frames the many monumental initiatives, giving us a chance to see ourselves in context of our community, and witness our evolution.

Building a Public Repository of Our Collective Knowledge
Montessorians committed to children and working tirelessly for change is nothing new, but the unprecedented collaborative commitment of our community is.  The "crowdsourcing" technique of The Map empowers us to build a public repository of our collective knowledge, that we can continue to organize and develop.

Engaging Our Social Brain
The Map enables our our entire community to "be on the same page" -- literally!  This shared focus activates our social brain to become alert and attentive.  Recognizing our interrelationship with others can help us (1) more effectively communicate visions for what is possible, (2) cultivate connections with others with similar passions/interest, (3) share resources/information which will shorten our learning curves, and (4) coordinate efforts that will magnify the voice and presence of Montessori in education dialogues.

Generating Purposeful and Unified Action
If the unprecedented collaborative commitment for cooperation signals a new ability for our community to act as a unified organism, might The Map be a metaphoric brain? Perhaps this is a stretch, but worthy of consideration, so we don't overlook a potential capacity.

Similar to a brain, The Map brings information acquired by our various parts, to be stored in a central location.  Accessible for all to view, this new knowledge will build on, and be shaped by, what each of us knows.  Once integrated with our current needs and past memories, The Map endows us with the ability to plan, coordinate, and execute purposeful and unified action.  Recording the findings/reflections of these efforts back into the map, where they can be further processed, integrated, and acted upon by increasingly more individuals, makes the Montessori-community-as-an-organism capable of more rapid learning and ever greater and more refined movement.

......................................

Perhaps the Map as a metaphoric brain is an overly simplified idea, but concepts about brain development may still offer guidance for our collective growth:

      *If you don't use it, you'll lose it:  The potential of The Map will only be realized if we commit to making it purposeful and meaningful.  If we do not constantly input, refer to, and act upon information in this repository, The Map will fade into obscurity.

     *Development depends on activity:  Our motive for action is great!  The world desperately needs an alternative vision for our children and our future.  Dr. Montessori provided such a vision, as well as a roadmap for how to get there! But, since Montessori education currently reaches only about 2% of the population, there is much work to be done.  The more we get involved and engage with others, the stronger our network of relationships will grow, and the more effective and refined our efforts will become.

     *The beginning years are foundational: Recognizing that "as the twig is bent, so grows the tree", Montessorians invest much time preparing the environment for a child's optimal development.  Similarly, it is essential that we intentionally establish communication/decision-making/governance structures that foster curiosity, engagement, respect, lifelong "fearless learning" and group flow.

     *Connections matter:  The development of The Map will be greatly influenced by how many people know about it, and link together through it.  But, just as the number of neurons are not as important as how they are connected, the way in which we reach out to, and work with, one another, will greatly influence our collective intelligence.

...........................................

Orienting, building, engaging, generating -- what other possibilities do you discover when you explore The Map?