Holism

The Ohio Montessori Alliance (OhMA) is a young non-profit which has been exploring how Dr. Montessori’s insights about optimal development of children might inform the collective development of its statewide community.

Montessori principles place primacy on holism -- the individual is thought of as a whole. Montessorians create the space where children can develop themselves to their fullest potential as an integrated personality, recognizing that optimal development depends on how the parts work together.

Therefore, the Ohio Montessori Alliance is using a holistic view of our statewide community's development.  We seek to support the development of the various parts of our community (supporting the administrators, teachers, families, students, alumni, and community members of Montessori schools and teacher preparation programs,) as well as nurture connections between them.

The Ohio Montessori Alliance invites you to explore how together we might connect our community from the top-down, bottom-up, center-out, fringe-in, thereby co-creating ourselves into a holistic organism capable of transforming the world for children.

2016: An Empty Canvas

Happy New Year! The now-empty-canvas of 2016 is waiting for us to continue our work together, creating the future we long for our children and society!

As the Ohio Montessori Alliance (OMA) enters this new year, as well as our next 3-year-cycle of development, we continue to experiment with the premise that our community will self-construct through a process similar to children -- by engaging in real work in a prepared environment.  However, for our community, the internal process of discovery, reflection, and refinement that takes place within the individual child must become an externalized and social process in order for its collective personality and wisdom to emerge. Towards this end, we'd like to use this blog as a way to host conversations in which we may collectively consider topics affecting our community: Who are we? What do we long for? What is the context in we are navigating? What tools and processes we might use in our work together which most align with Montessori practices? Who do we need to become to create the change we long to see in the world?

Who Are "We"?

The OMA considers the "Montessori Community" to be anyone who has been touched by, or feels drawn to, Montessori education -- as a student, guide, parent, administrator, teacher trainer, and/or community member. We recognize the Montessori Community as rich in wisdom, expertise, resources, and passion -- full of change-makers eager to create a different future for children and society.

To help you get to know us better, the OMA is a non-profit organization committed to creating the environment where the diverse parts of our statewide community can connect, learn together, and co-create ourselves into a unified organism, capable of transforming the world for children. Our state has long been a hub in which Montessori individuals and organizations work tirelessly to serve children.  It is the potential impact of your efforts that the Ohio Montessori Alliance seeks to magnify -- by kindling the power of community, amplifying communication, and weaving networks to facilitate awareness, cohesion, and coordination of our community's efforts. 

We look forward to getting to know you better and working together to create a shared vision of a different future on the now-empty-canvas of 2016!

"Opening Space for Peace and High Performance": The Gift of Invitation in Montessori Education and Open Space Technology

Somewhere beyond the notion of peace-as-the-cessation-of-war (as one side oppresses another) exists the possibility of a future that works for all.  Wondering what such a future might look like and what would be required of us to create such a reality, I've been exploring theories and methods from a variety of fields.  At an Open Space Technology (OST) event this weekend, the value of authentic invitation was highlighted.  It deeepend my appreciation for the gift of invitation in Montessori education and how each day it edges the world closer towards Dr. Montessori's vision of peace.

Open Space Technology "is an approach to purpose-driven leadership, including a way for hosting meetings and events focused on a specific and important purpose or task, but beginning without any formal agenda beyond the overall purpose or theme". (Wikipedia)  Montessorians who attend an Open Space event often comment that it feels "Montessori-like" in that the facilitator creates a safe and often beautiful environment where all choices are displayed so individuals may freely choose based on their curiosity and passion, and they are encouraged to remain with their choice only as long as they are meaningfully engaged, at which time they are free to move around and explore other choices.  

Having experienced the power of OST to stimulate, shift, and galvanize groups, I wanted to dive deeper and learn more from its founder, Harrison Owen, who was co-hosting, "Opening Space for Peace and High Performance" in NYC this past weekend.  An intrepid and diverse group of individuals from as far away as France and Chile gathered, recognizing that humans, our organizations, indeed the entire cosmos, are all self-organizing systems, and considering how we might leverage the power of self-organization to guide society through the turbulence and chaos of our times.

Harrison emphasized that the magic associated with Open Space Technology is not something we "make" happen. Rather, OST establishes the conditions for it to emerge by providing a safe space in which the power of self-organization (similar to "self-construction") is freed to flourish.  He cautioned that fear and force collapse space, and that when space is shut, options disappear and creativity evaporates.  

Fear is infectious, Harrison noted, as evidenced throughout today's world.  The only way out of fear, he explained, is to open the space somehow -- but you cannot force people into that space.  Any time someone is forced to do something, the spark of engagement, innovation, and possibility is extinguished.  An authentic invitation -- an invitation to realize one own's humanity -- is essential for the magic of transformation to emerge.

Peter Block echos this sentiment in Community: The Structure of Belonging: "Choice [is] another term for engaging the whole person", and "the only way real transformation occurs". (Pg 114-115)  "Invitation is not only a step in bringing people together, it is also a fundamental way of being in community...and manifests the willingness to live in a collaborative way." (Pg 117) 

Invitation, in the world of self-organizing systems, is a seed of possibility that may someday flourish into a more harmonious, just, and sustainable future.  Although intuitively it makes sense that such a future will be beckoned, rather than mandated, into existence, it seems radical to consider that rather than toppling institutions, peace might spread virally as the global organism/self-organizing system known as humanity recognizes that "every day, in every moment, in every encounter, we have an opportunity to open space, inviting someone to realize his/her own humanity".*  And that's something Montessorians are doing everyday! 

(*Quote from Harrison Owen)

Representative John Becker Comes to Visit

As a first step in bringing the awareness of Montessori Education to the legislative table during educational policy meetings, I invited Representative John Becker, Ohio House District 65, to tour Children’s Meeting House in Loveland, Ohio and see the power and beauty of Montessori Education in action.

The classrooms were quiet, yet bustling with activity and movement.  Children were working together sharing ideas and answering questions about their work while other children worked independently, absorbed in their process.  Teachers were hard to find, quietly giving lessons, answering questions, and providing assistance when needed.  Looking like chaos compared to a conventional classroom, Meg Thomas, the Head of School for Children’s Meeting House, explained some of the reasons why a Montessori classroom is so successful.  She emphasized how the children working independently, on work of their own choosing, from carefully designed and sequenced materials deepens the level of learning within the child and, through careful observation, allows the teacher to easily assess the child’s skills and knowledge – without the time-consuming testing that is so prevalent in conventional schools.

A father to a college-aged daughter, Mr. Becker had heard the term Montessori but was not aware of what it truly meant.  With an MBA with a focus on taxation, the math curriculum was a great place to explore the Montessori materials in action.  In the pre-primary class, a 4 year old, was working with the golden bead material and let him share the sensorial experience of the difference between 1 and 1000.  “Wow, that’s heavy!” declared Becker.  Another child, age 5, introduced the linear counting chains, counting and labeling the six chain, then showing him how to fold the chain and stack the squares to make a cube. As the tour moved into the elementary classrooms, Becker received a presentation for the trinomial cube.   With gentle guidance from his 7 year old teacher, Becker successfully built the cube and put it back in the box.  Such great patience and perseverance!  He even got to take home the written expression of the trinomial equation.  What a fabulous introduction to the Montessori math materials, making abstract numerical concepts a concrete understanding.

Knowing that there is a large push to remove cursive writing from the curriculum, he seemed surprised to see our students writing in such beautiful handwriting.  Becker asked, “Do the children learn to write in script?”  Thomas’ replied, “Yes, it is still a valuable tool to learn, if for no other reason than it is a significant part of our history.  Our constitution is written in cursive; we’d like our students to be able to read it.”  Quite a powerful perspective for a politician to consider!

It is my hope that the next time Representative Becker places his vote on an educational topic, he will ask himself, “How will this affect Montessori schools?”

I continue to urge you to take action.  Support Montessori education by inviting 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 impressed 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 and www.ohiosenate.gov/senate/index.

Written by Jill Wilson

The Journey Towards a Future that Works for ALL...

It's not too late to be part of creating a Montessori Community for all!  The conference may be over, but the journey has just begun! 

The Concepts
Although impossible to express the intangible and magical quality of connection, hope, and possibility that was kindled as Paul Born led conference participants on a brief tour of "Deepening Community" and "Collective Impact",  it is important to share some of the experiences and concepts, to build our community's "pool of shared meaning" (a concept from Crucial Conversations that refers to the importance of getting all the relevant information out in the open, as this is the "birthplace of synergy").

Carefully considered and structured exercises which created the time and space to deeply listen to each other's stories (about why Montessori education so important, especially at this moment in history, and what matters most to us about Montessori) gave participants a glimmer of the profound inner shift that is possible on the individual and collective level which might transform how we think and work together going forward.

This tapping into our shared values enabled participants to open our minds, hearts, and wills as we collectively considered:  How might we work together to live out the values of Montessori and transform our community and world?

It became clear that the answer is not about working harder (everyone is already doing everything they can), but about working better together!  Hope was kindled as we realized that by working together differently, we might change the circumstances of children everywhere -- in a way that none of us could do on our own.

Paul Born introduced the concept of Collective Impact -- a way to declare our longing for larger scale outcomes, and understand a system so we can talk about working together in a more systematic way. It gets us thinking together about, "Who is part of the system we wish to affect and how might we engage them?"  "How do we engage more broadly?" "How do we connect with parents, alumni, schools, neighbors, businesses, policy makers, and get them active and engaged -- get them to care?" Paul emphasized that it is hard for people to "care for" something, if they don't feel "cared about". We began to consider, "How might we begin caring for each other, including those with diverse voices and perspectives?"

The power of Collective Impact is magnified by deepening community.  It will only be by getting to know one another -- sharing our stories, enjoying each other, caring for one another -- that we will be successful in working together for a better world!

To Join or Not to Join the Journey?
Paul Born helped us realize that ultimately, we don't need agreement on WHAT we are doing, so much as WHERE WE ARE GOING TOGETHER!  While this collective understanding is something that will only unfold as we turn towards, and get to know, each other, conversations throughout the weekend, and the stories of the 2014 Distinguished Ohio Montessorians, suggested a possible direction -- towards Dr. Montessori's ultimate vision -- the possibility of a different future, a more peaceful future, for children and society.  

Are we ready to embark on the journey towards collectively actualizing this possibility?

Given a taste of the magic of deepening community, and a glimpse of how we might create a bigger impact together, are we ready to venture off the trail of "business as usual" to explore unchartered territtory and pioneer paths towards a future that works for all?  Will we give the time and energy needed to turn towards one another? Will we develop the courage and curiosity needed to explore and experiment with what we might create together?  Will we tolerate the discomfort that comes from shifting our mindsets towards a greater awareness of the whole, recognizing ourselves as integral parts of that whole, and embracing the participatory nature of life that we nourish in our children?

Collective Impact and Deepening Community are powerful concepts but not easy ones! They will require us to learn new ways of thinking, working, and being together! Truly revolutionizing society and how children are cared for and educated, will require the gifts that we give Montessori children each day -- learning how to learn, learning by doing, embracing mistakes, and finding joy in the process of discovery.

The journey towards a peaceful future will not be clear or easy, but it promises to be meaningful! Opportunity is knocking -- will we answer?

"It doesn’t matter where we start -- it just matters that we start!"
If we know where we are going together, and commit to ways of being with each other, we don't need to "figure it all out" before we get started!  Instead, we are freed to embark on an iterative process where we do, measure, tweak -- repetitively do, measure, and improve our way forward together.  It will be a simulaneous process where we "build the plane as we are traveling down the runway together" -- a thrilling process!

As we continue the "meta-process" of HOW to move forward together, we are simultaneously getting started by doing!  Sunday's Open Space event at the conference gave participants the opportunity to collaborate with individuals throughtout the state and nation!  We invite you to join these projects, as their momentum and potential grows!  

Imagine!  

A Glass Classroom!  Based on the Model that Dr. Montessori presented at the World’s Fair in 1915, imagine hosting a glass classroom in Ohio for the public to view and learn about the Montessori Pedagogy!

Ohio Montessori History Project!  Ohio's history is long and full of Montessori individuals and organizations who have pioneered great change! Imagine documenting this history for the future -- individual oral histories, school histories, AND a timeline!

Regulation Relief! Imagine there was a way for accountability to be self-regulated in a way that would build recognition for Montessori education and the Montessori teaching credential, as well as educate and protect parents!  Join the conversation about the MF Validation Model!

Special Education: Cultivating Capacity and Community!  Imagine if there were ongoing conversations, learning, and support related to special education; if Montessori-relevant special education resources were aggregated!

Spreading the Word! Public Awareness campaigns are being created, including a "WHY MONTESSORI" brochure that any school could use with their logo for marketing purposes!

And so much more!!!!  Email us to learn more and get involved in any of these collaborative initiatives!

When We Tell OUR Story, What Might It Be?

(Pictured above, from left to right, are the 2014 Distinguished Ohio Montessorians: Laurie Ewert-Krocker, Martha McDermott, David Kahn, Virginia Varga, Marta Donahoe, and Lynn Fisher)

A highlight from "Creating a Montessori Community for All" was the Distinguished Ohio Montessorian Dinner on Saturday evening, where we heard the stories of 6 Montessorians who've pioneered paths for Montessori education -- in Ohio and throughout the country!

Although each story was unique, several themes emerged, including:
     1.  Opportunity knocks!  Many mentioned that they felt they had been in the right place at the right time; that opportunity beckoned and they responded to the need before them.
     2.  One piece of the bigger puzzle!  Many felt humbled by the honor, that they had only done what so many others are doing -- playing their part in aiding life and transforming humanity!
     3.  It takes a community!  So many mentioned that they could never have accomplished what they did alone.  Each story was intimately linked to the lives and stories of so many others.
     4.  It's not easy, but it is joyful!  Creating new ways forward involves a lot of hard work, which wasn't easy but was deeply meaningful!
     5.  Part of an Unfolding History! There was a powerful linking of the individual's life work to the past (seeing it as an outgrowth of the love, efforts, and hopes of the generations of Montessorians before us) and to the future (imagining the possibility of what level next generations might bring our collective work).
     6. A Unifying Mission! We were reminded that Montessori education is ultimately about creating the possibility of a different future...a more peaceful future...a future that works for all!

These felt like powerful and timely lessons, as opportunity seems to be beckoning each of us to step forward to co-create a community -- and a future -- that works for all.  This IS history in the making! Twenty years from now, when we tell our story, what might it be?  Will our eyes twinkle, like the Distinguished Montessorians', as we reminisce about the hard but meaningful work that was necessary to find new ways to make a greater impact together?  What might be the piece of the puzzle we each contributed that brought Montessori education to such a scale that it fulfilled its mission -- to create a more peaceful future for all?

Creating A Montessori Community for ALL...

If you believe Montessori is a movement for real and lasting change in this world -- capable of transforming children and society -- we invite you to join us at the NAMTA/OMA 2014 Fall Conference, "Creating a Montessori Community For ALL" to explore what possibilities might unfold when presenters from both AMI and AMS, national leaders in the field of community and Montessori advocacy, and parents/families, guides of all levels, and administrators, join together.

Why Community?

Community and a sense of belonging are important... 

...for our children!  Alfred Adler, (an eminent psychologist and student of Maria Montessori) suggested the primary need of every child is to feel a sense of belonging and significance...many consider the psychological sense that one belongs, to be a necessary condition for successful learning experiences.

...for ourselves!  Community shapes our identity and bolsters our physical, mental, emotional, and economic health.

...for Dr. Montessori’s vision of peace!  Our capacity to contribute to the creation of a world that works for all is intimately tied to the vitality and connectedness of our communities.

Why Collective Impact?

The potential for the Montessori community to create real and lasting change for children and society grows exponentially as more and more Montessorians begin to work collaboratively to protect high quality Montessori education and ensure it becomes an option available for all children. But how might we orient ourselves to be successful?  One model to consider is Collective Impact -- a powerful paradigm for social progress that enables diverse organizations to create lasting large-scale change.

The power of Collective Impact lies in the heightened vigilance that comes from multiple organizations looking for resources and innovations through the same lens, the rapid learning that comes from continuous feedback loops, and the immediacy of action that comes from a unified and simultaneous response among all participants. (SSIR) [Click here to learn more about Collective Impact.]

Why Paul Born?

Holding the intention that whatever results we are hoping to accomplish in the world, community needs to be at the center of our thinking has enabled Paul Born and the Tamarack Institute to leverage the power of Collective Impact and transform how social issues like poverty are being addressed across Canada -- changing more than fifty government policies, supporting over two hundred social innovations, and reducing poverty for more than two hundred thousand people.  Paul is a Montessori Dad who believes “that we do have the time, the money, and all the tools necessary to solve any challenge, by coming together in community.” (Deepening Community, Pg XIV)

Work Harder or Work Together?

These are chaotic times! The pace and scale of change -- as well as the number of issues that impact our ability to optimally serve children -- continues to grow. As a result, we often find ourselves working harder -- running full-speed, deeply immersed in our isolated spheres...What else can we do? 

Paul Born (keynote speaker for the 2014 Fall Conference) suggests that there is indeed another way to navigate through these chaotic times, which will not only quench our thirst for belonging, but bolster our physical, mental, emotional, and economic health, as well -- by working together and deepening our experience of community! 

In his book, Deepening Community, Paul suggests that "community has the power to change everything". Rather than trying to survive in chaos, community can help us thrive by "finding joy together in chaotic times". Through his immense experience, Paul has found that "people can learn and make choices to work together and to care together. That no matter how difficult the task, through community engagement and collaboration we can create a positive vision, organize ourselves to achieve it, and realize a better future for all...The deeper the community, the easier and better the outcome."

The OMA and NAMTA are partnering to host a Fall Conference which warmly welcomes ALL members of the Montessori community -- family members, admins, and guides of all levels, from all settings (private and public), training, and regions -- to gather together in community to:

(1) share information and develop relationships and skills to help us work more effectively together
(2) earn professional development credits
(3) appreciate the significant part each of us plays in the whole of our community,

We hope you join us in Columbus, September 26 - 28, 2014, to consider the possibilities of what we might create together -- for our children and the world!

"Light A Candle for Peace"*: A Story About the Power of Conversation & Networks

Montessorians are becoming increasingly concerned by the growing number of issues and regulations constricting our ability to effectively serve the developmental needs of children.  What can we do to affect change?  Do any of us really have time to work with others on these issues, when too often it feels that it is more talk than action? 

But the power of conversation is becoming increasingly recognized in a variety of fields (including Politics, Information Technology, Executive Development, and Evolutionary Biology).  In fact, some scientists suggest that,"because we live in language -- and in the sophisticated coordination of actions that language makes possible -- we 'bring forth a world' through the networks of conversation in which we participate." (Maturana & Vaela, as described in The World Cafe)

In The World Cafe: Shaping Our Futures Through Conversations that Matter, the authors relate a story describing how a dinner conversation among four friends evolved into one of the largest mass movements in Germany since the end of WWII: 

"Over dinner, 4 friends decided it was time for them to step out from the 'silent majority' and show their repudiation of the rising number of neo-Nazi attacks on foreigners.  By the time dessert was over, each agreed to call several friends and colleagues and share the idea of creating a silent candlelight vigil to bear witness to these injustices.  Their first gathering drew 100 friends to a popular downtown bar, each of whom agreed to call 10 others to encourage a larger turnout for a second event.  Within days the "candlelight conversation" spread across the city through circles of acquaintances in businesses, schools, churches, and civic groups.  The original group of friends -- and the nation as a whole -- were stunned when 400,000 people turned out in Munich for the vigil.  Inspired by the Munich gathering, citizens in other cities held conversations and created vigils over the following weeks...The seemingly endless chains of flickering candlelight became a powerful symbol of the nation's collective commitment, born in conversation, to turn the tide against such behavior." (Pg 20)

When viewed from this perspective, "conversations ARE action -- the very lifeblood and heartbeat of social systems like organizations, communities, and societies.  As new meanings and the coordinated actions based on them begin to spread through wider networks, the future comes into being."(Pg 18)

If, before the internet, 400,000 people can rally to action within days, imagine what we could do together to defend the developmental rights of children, given the current technology and our community's passion! 

Here are 3 ways to leverage the power of conversation and networks:

• Save the date! Saturday, September 27, 2014 for the OMA/NAMTA Conference: "Building A Community For All", to gather as a statewide community and engage in conversations that matter.
• Join in conversations!  To facilitate conversations amongst Ohio Montessorians, the OMA has created virtual forums for Montessori families, administrators, guides serving all planes of development, and Montessorians in public schools.  Contact us to get connected!
• Widen the network! Talk to those within your networks and encourage them to engage in the conversation by joining the OMA mailing list and virtual forums.

*May this song that Montessorians around the globe sing remind us of the power of conversations and networks to affect change and spread peace around the world.

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!