Whether your idea of plotting a course means using Google maps, Bike Grand Rapids or even The Rapid bus guide, people love to organize paths of where they want to be. In Grand Rapids, groups of engaged parents in an awe-inspiring parent-education movement, MontessoriGR, are creating an incredible model of how public-private partnerships can work in education. This is great news for the Grand Rapids Public Schools Montessori program.
For many parents, the course of action is often easy to predict and is best illustrated by a conversation with an accountant who spoke to happy, expectant parents upon hearing the news of their soon-to-arrive baby. He suggested the couple talk to him about where they plan to relocate in four years after the birth of their baby.
A lot of parents, whether it is vocalized or not, leave our urban core as they head for the suburbs. Oftentimes, this is the only path they know. Here in Grand Rapids, a group of parents are making a very compelling case that this is simply not the only option anymore. Some parents choose to remain in the city and their choice is producing fantastic results for our region.
In case you think the choice to remain in an urban environment is something new, it is actually a journey that began in this country 100 ago when people moved into the city. There is a resurgence of this philosophy in school systems all over the country, from major urban centers in places as diverse as Houston, Boston and Vancouver, B.C., but also in communities more right-sized like Grand Rapids, including Cincinnati, Redlands (CA) and Milwaukee.
The philosophy method of teaching developed by Italian education physician and educator Maria Montessori is something that is practiced in more than 20,000 schools worldwide, serving children’s education needs from birth to aged 18.
These methods begun by Montessori in 1907 made their appearance in the U.S. in 1911, eventually becoming a very popular education philosophy throughout our country.
The model for Montessori education is very simple and fundamentally organized on the premise of understanding how the human mind works. Teachers respond to this natural developmental period, allowing the space needed for kids to engage in the exploration of a subject. While there are many other layers to this teaching method, the results make this a topic worth exploring.
In short, Montessori is not about the traditional educational framework where students march from class to class within a timed structure. Instead, the method gives students the space they need to develop and organize around the topics presented within the program at a level and pace that is compatible with each student's skill. Here's the proof: The local Montessori High School has a 90% graduation rate.
Our local parent-led group organized MontessoriGR began in late 2010 born out of the GRPS Montessori task force with hopes of implementing their goal from about the current number of 150 students in our local schools to numbers that match those presented in a recent report on the
Sane School Report.
In this report, it was argued that high schools with student populations ranging form 450 - 650 performed at the same level or greater than the mega-schools with as many as 2000 students. In order to get to this level of success, MontessoriGR needs to get the community engaged so they are looking at activities that will bring people together around this topic.
A few months ago, a member of the MontessoriGR group posted a link about a Montessori parent who created an interesting animation about this style of education based on his research on the topic. It was quickly discovered that author Trevor Eissler was about to embark on a series of speaking engagements to support his book
Montessori Madness: A Parent to Parent Argument for Montessori Education.
After a few quick phone calls and fast organizing within the group of parent-leaders, a Grand Rapids tour stop by Eissler was in place and the event was booked for Friday, Nov. 11.
It is interesting that a group of parents advocating for the Montessori method for their children have been able to use some of the same principals of self-organizing and mentorship, concepts found within Montessori, to bring together 70 parents along with district staff and teachers to make this event happen.
“Our goal for this event is to essentially community build with our fellow parents who are interested in Montessori education,” says Matt Patulski, one of the parent organizers at MontessoriGR. “We hope this event facilitates the building up of greater collaborations within our community by engaging parents to accomplish the goals of the MontessoriGR, but also the Montessori community at large in West Michigan."
Montessori schools from Holland to Kalamazoo have also been invited and agreed to attend this special event. The expectation of this inclusion is to build, strengthen and improve regional education.
These parents involved in the Montessori process also see the value of staying in the city, enjoying the rebirth of traditional neighborhoods with easy walking distances to new local merchant stores. Another real benefit is the experience living in a city provides for their children.
“We see extremely diverse communities within the classrooms at the Montessori Grand Rapids schools,” says Patulski. “If you take the statistics of the schools based on the diversity, you discover that the classroom matches the city of Grand Rapids diversity profile of our city. It is why after we left Brooklyn, New York that we sent our two kids to a Grand Rapids Montessori school.”
Patulski also added that the school system in Brooklyn where his kids attended was organized more around sameness than the diversity he is seeing in Grand Rapids. Patulski sees this experience as beneficial for kids.
The Montessori model is not for everyone. However, Montessori is for any child or family that chooses the method and has a passion of life-long learning. In the end it's about providing the option for parents to make an informed choice.
What the group of parents here have organized is a set of goals that are very monumental. What it means for our city is that any push to raise our graduation numbers in the school system is a boost for our region on many levels, since the city's education system is truly the backbone of its future success.
The push by the members of the Montessori GR has always been about courtesy and grace, the same character-building traits they instill in the students. These skills not only serve the students, but also serve us as adults helping us to navigate the choppy waters of changing systems.
It is a course worth setting out to explore within our region, following the Montessori map that arrived here 100 years ago from Italy.
The special lecture event is at the North Park School on Friday, Nov. 11 from 6 - 8:30 p.m. It will involve a half hour mixer beginning at 6 p.m. People are encouraged to bring a dessert to pass. Trevor Eissler begins speaking at 6:30 p.m., followed by a book signing immediately after the lecture. Please RSVP
here.
The Future Needs All of Us (To Come Together)
Tommy Allen, Lifestyle Editor
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