What Will You Do?

Happy New Year! We hope all of you have had a relaxing break full of fun with family and friends.
And now, back to the routine? or is this a time to commit to new ideas, new hopes, and new ways of looking at business as usual?

In our role as Montessori educators, we have an amazing opportunity to benefit children and their families. We know what works for them and we work hard every day to give the best we can. We see the results of our work in the children that we teach on a daily basis.

So busy as we are running schools, preparing stimulating environments for learning, and meeting the needs of so many, how can we make the time to support this work we are so passionate about in the world outside of our school or classroom walls?

We know that there are disconnects between our high quality practice and competencies and current and proposed education policy at the federal and state level. Common Core Standards, mandated assessments, increasing demands for teacher performance and professional development and parent expectations are impacting both private and public Montessori schools. 2013 has seen more policy initiatives and accompanying mandates for early childhood education than ever before. And in 2014, this promises to be THE education issue nation wide.

How are we going to approach this dilemma of policy and its implementation in our Montessori practice? It's a question we need to ask at the national organization level, the state level, the school level and as individual Montessori educators. What will we do?

Will we just ignore it all and try to stay comfortable in our "Montessori bubble?" Will we give in, and accept these changes and mandates at the risk of losing "authentic" Montessori practice? Or do we decide to take action to support and advocate for the high quality we care so much about?

Advocacy can seem like an overwhelming concept and task. What do we do, where do we start, how do we take action? Think small, think one small doable step at a time. Feel successful in that one step and that reward will be your encouragement to take the next step, and the one after that.

Think about~

1. Contacting your state Montessori organization and becoming a member today. (The contact list is at montessoriforward.org)

2. Can't find a group in your state, start one! Reach out to 2 or 3 of your fellow educators who might want to help you. Look at Resources for a How-To or reach out to us for assistance if you need.

3. Read through Our Stories: Grassroots Advocacy in Action to become inspired. Read the blog posts, join the List Serve, check out the Resources section. Be in touch at montessoriforward@gmail.com

4. Search QRIS in your state. There is almost always an online power point presentation that you can read through in less than an hour

5. Sign up with your state Office of Early Learning and Care to receive newsletters and notifications

6. Plan to attend just 1 state agency or Montessori meeting some time in the next 6 weeks

7. Register for QRIS: Next Steps. This free webinar, January 22, 7-8:30 ET, is presented by Montessori Forward and sponsored by AMS http://amshq.org/Events/Webinars.aspx

8. Contact us at montessoriforward@gmail.com, or through our List Serve

One step at a time, one active person at a time, our Montessori community will become a voice to be heard.

Now share with us. What action have you taken that could be shared with others? Reps from state Montessori groups, share your ideas, your actions, your surveys, your experiences with policy. Let others learn from your work. Add to this conversation.

Thanks,
Montessori Forward