Montessorians pride ourselves on having a scientific pedagogy. Our curriculum and our choices in the classroom are informed not only by our own experiences, but also by the observations and findings of 116 years of Montessori educators. Being a proponent of scientific pedagogy means that having curiosity and being interested in learning about new findings in education and neuroscience is a must. Many studies confirm things we Montessorians already knew about the development of children. But there is always more to explore. At Three Tree, we take our continuing education seriously so that we can better serve your children. The courses vary, but all inform our professional development.

We often use some or all of our in-service day time to engage in professional development. At our most recent staff day, we heard a presentation on the development of gender identity and expression in children. Other inservice presentations have included Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion seminars; a presentation on recognizing signs of autism; and learning about new tactics for working with challenging behaviors. Several years ago, the Primary and Elementary teachers took a ten hour intensive introduction on the Slingerland Method for working with students with dyslexia. These school-based workshops help the staff all get the same information so that we can work together in a unified way when we are with the children.

I have been fortunate enough to do some extra trainings recently that have brought a lot to my practice in the classroom. Most recently, I and a few Three Tree folks attended the Refresher Course, an annual weekend lecture series put together by our accrediting body the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI). Each year is a different topic, and this year the Primary workshop focused on the benefits of music in the classroom and shared ways we could include it more into our days. We learned about the health benefits and community building that singing promotes, some basic music theory, music both as a means of oral language expression and as a language in itself, and music as a means of introducing diverse cultures into the class environment. What a gift this has been! It has been so wonderful to see the effects these new approaches to music have had and the joy and peace they have built in the classroom.

In the fall, Victoria and I took a three month series of lectures and seminars through the Montessori Medical Partnership for Inclusion (MMPI). Each month focused on a different type of neurodivergence so that participants could better understand the basic etiology, signs and symptoms, and common adaptations for each difference. We learned about children with high sensory needs and Sensory Integration Disorder, children with dyslexia, and autistic children. Even though this course had a particularly medicalist lens on neurodivergence and disability, there was a lot of healthy conversation about the ways disability is constructed in our society, and the shifts we could make in our classrooms and our lives to lower barriers for all. This course had a wealth of information and techniques that we have been able to share with our colleagues, to all of our benefit. AMI held a similar seminar last month as part of their ongoing series of DEI workshops. Because of my work in the MMPI class and the recent seminar, I have been invited to contribute to some upcoming meetings to improve AMI’s approach to neurodiversity. I am so honored and thrilled to be taking my experience from my Three Tree home, and the knowledge that all of the professional development Three Tree has provided over the years, and sharing it out to help improve Montessori as a whole!

But we always have more to learn. Our local Montessori organization offers seminars on topics from storytelling, to ADHD in Montessori, to the development of language, to partnerships with parents, to creating inclusive and equitable Montessori schools, early intervention strategies, and so many more. We each attend some events every year, not just to fulfill requirements, but because it helps nurture us as educators so that we can better nurture your children. If you would ever like to join us, parents are usually welcome too. I hope we can move forward together, always with a spirit of curiosity, growth, and wonder and the amazing being that is the child.

Ryan Cowdry, TTMS Guide

June 2023