Montessori Teacher Education in Brazil, 2004

Montessori Life, Spring 2004 by Perry, Desmond

July 2003: The Problem

It all began very simply. The Brazilian Montessori Society (O.M.B.) announced a seminar in Florianopolis, a resort in the south of Brazil, and invited Celma Perry (MECA-Seton) to speak about preschool education, and Dr. John Chattin-McNichols (Seattle University and the Montessori Education Institute of the Pacific Northwest) to speak about elementary education. Celma is a native of Rio de Janeiro and it was John's first visit to Brazil1.

After the seminar speeches, they had the opportunity to visit several long-established Montessori schools and to report to the group what they saw. What they reported was that the schools were beautiful, well directed and well equipped, but the quality of Montessori work was poor, due to the lack of trained classroom practitioners at all levels. What had happened over the years was that most of the best trained teachers had been absorbed into administration work and were no longer in the classroom. The untrained and partly trained teachers who remained were devoted to their pupils, but good will and good intentions were no substitute for the essentials of Montessori.

The Solution

The solution proposed by the leaders of O.M.B. was straightforward. We must prepare people for classroom work. But how? At this point, Celma and John stepped in with an offer. They would help to set up and staff an initial Montessori course for teachers of children from ages 2 ½ to 6, with the possibility of continuing into birth to 2 ½ and 6 to 9. Scholarships would be offered, with a view to establishing a cadre of Brazilian teacher educators. The overall plan was to establish one or several self-sustaining Brazilian courses, to be accredited by O.M.B., initially using the standards and procedures put in place by the American Montessori Society2.

The Initial Course

Three leaders volunteered to get the first course underway. It would be run in three, two-week segments, six months apart. The first segment, in January 2004, would be in Sao Roque, near Sao Paulo, at a small conference center. Marcia Lima, who graduated from MECA in 1974, lives in Sao Roque, a small mountain town of about 20,000 residents, famous for its vineyards and market gardens. Marcia persuaded the local public schools to cooperate by "lending" a class of pre-school children, who would form the demonstration class. The conference center had a large room-enough space for the class of little children and 50 adult observers.

Meanwhile Nadia and Fatima, the other two volunteers, along with Celma, hammered out a schedule, a financial plan, and two or three mailings to every known Montessori school in Brazil, announcing the course and inviting applicants. This work took most of August and September 2003.

The emphasis was to be on preparing classroom practitioners. Applications soon began to pour in. Preference was given to schools sending a director and two or more teachers, to help establish strong Montessori communities.

January 16, 2004

On the appointed day, a school bus rolled up to the conference center, 22 children emerged for their first introduction to washing hands and to the pink tower; 42 eager candidates took their places around the big room, and the course was under way. The demo class was conducted by Maria Loreto Wille and Mauro Cabrai, with some input from Marcia Lima-all MECA instructors. This class was to be the foundation on which everything else rested-lectures on educational philosophy and child development, and presentations of the materials displayed in the classroom. John Chattin-McNichols led the post observation session each day, to drive the lessons home: follow the child's lead; observe and refine your observations; and look for sensitive periods and stages of development.

After some initial hesitation, the children went straight Io the prepared environment, and when they were introduced to water activities they took to them like ducks, enjoying their new-found freedom. In the discussions, there was much reference to self-discipline, self-regulation, and normalization, processes that were taking place right before our eyes. Hitherto unruly children were soon engaged in work requiring much concentration, to the surprise and delight of theirpublic school teachers, who were present as observers.

The school bus picked up the children about 10:30 a.m. and the rest of the day was devoted to adult lectures and material presentations. We were blessed with an outstanding translator, Claudia, who is studying for her master's degree in Montessori elementary education. Even the fact that some translation was needed helped everyone to focus on what was essential. The emphasis was always on the practical-how to overhaul your class environment, set the child free to choose, and select the right moment for giving a lesson. The instructors were thrilled at the quality of the students' spontaneous interactions and questions.

The two weeks rolled by quickly. Announcements were made and everyone was invited to the next segment of the course at Niteroi, near Rio de Janeiro, in July 2004. A few lucky students were invited to take advantage of scholarships to MECA in Chicago (infant-toddler and preschool) and to Seattle (elementary), during the summer of 2004. The plan is for the practicum phase to begin in August 2004, with visits from the staff to the students own schools, and for the final, two-week academic session to take place in January 2005, at a location to be decided soon. The content and organization of the course will follow the MECA-Seton structure and tradition.