A child’s first language is a part of their identity. But in many international Montessori schools, English is the language of the classroom. The training, it must prepare the teacher for this reality. A high-quality training activity must be about this. It must be about language acquisition. It must be about how to welcome a child who speaks a different language. How to make them feel safe. How to make them feel at home. It’s not about translation. It’s about connection. The teacher must be a bridge. But most trainings, they are not building these bridges. They are just teaching the materials. The materials, they are the same everywhere. But the children, they are not. This is a very big problem. The training, it must be as diverse as the world itself. But it is not. A very big problem.
The Missing Piece: Social-Emotional Learning
Montessori education is often praised for its focus on the child’s independence. But what about social-emotional needs? In a globalized world, children are more connected than ever, but they are also more isolated. They see things on the Internet that their parents do not understand. They have friends in different countries. The training, it must prepare the teacher for this new reality. A high-quality training activity must teach the teacher how to help children navigate their emotions. How to resolve conflicts. How to build a community. But most trainings, they are too focused on the individual child. They forget the community. The community, it is the most important thing. It is where the child learns to be human. And the teacher, she is the one who helps them build this community. But if she is not trained for this, then the community, it will not be strong. A very confusing and illogical situation. We are so focused on the individual that we forget the group. This is a very big mistake, and the training, it is making this mistake over and over again. It is not seeing the whole child. It is only seeing a part of the child. A very big problem indeed.
Beyond the Materials: The Real Training
The materials, they are easy to learn. You can learn them from a book. But the real training is about the spirit. It’s about the observation. It’s about the prepared adult, not the prepared environment. The prepared adult is the one who can adapt. The one who can see the child for who they are, not for who the book says they should be. A high-quality training activity, it must be about this. It must be about the inner work of the teacher. It must be about reflection. It must be about a journey. The materials, they are just the tools. The journey, it is the real training. This is a confusing thing to explain. A very confusing one. A lot of people, they think that the training is just about memorizing the names of the materials. But it is not. It is about so much more. It is about a transformation. And the training, it must be the catalyst for this transformation. But it is often not. A very big problem for sure.
