As a school leader, I spend a certain amount of time reflecting on my work, my relationship with myself and others. Of late this has included thinking about my connection to Montessori and progressive education, which in turn requires thinking broadly and deeply about my own inventive and creative abilities. I recall vividly my first role as a Montessori school head and my ensuing conversations with the school community that had selected me. I became increasingly appreciative of the dual responsibilities of a major administrator – the doing (involving whatever skills I might bring to the position) and the “visioning” (being a furtherer of Montessori education and values).
My journey into Montessori began by opting to enroll in Montessori administrator training through which I was able to identify what I would need to approach my role thoughtfully and well. I learned that I would need to examine my own habitual thinking in order to be sensitive to parents and faculty and – with teachers especially – their proclivity for invention and creativity. In short, I would need to bring change about within myself – a complex challenge that faces each of us if we are to grow meaningfully in life. I contacted a Montessori trainer, Alice Renton, to meet with me once a month for the three years I served in my role; I wanted to benefit from her experience (over 40 years) in Montessori environments and her sense of my potential in addressing the challenges that inherently arise in such schools. For me, that decision was a life-altering and -affirming choice that has profoundly informed my way of being as an educator and leader, especially when coupled with the experience of becoming a Montessori parent, a significant piece of my growth in understanding Montessori.
Over time, I audited primary and elementary teacher training sessions, observed as much as I could and endeavored to take the time to listen respectfully, remembering that my most important task was – and is – cultivating relationships. Throughout this process I have tried to become a person who sees strengths instead of deficits, and I have struggled to see my own limitations – as I perceive them – as potential strengths. I have emerged more aware that I do not know all the answers and more willing to embrace curiosity about how to arrive at answers. So, for me, Montessori invited me to practice being with a different spirit, a spirit that seeks a balance between my own efforts to be proactive and the act of receiving wisdom. Along the way, I am striving to attain a deeper sense of how the process of giving up opens new possibilities; a clearer perception of the ways that educators want to be appreciated for their commitment, respected for their patience, and acknowledged for their understanding; and a real connection to learning as a natural process that takes time and that should not be rushed – a thoughtful and intentional ‘walk to somewhere’.
The Chrysalis-A Butterfly Story
A man found the cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared .He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress .It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and could go no further So the man decided to help the butterfly .He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings .It never was able to fly. What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were nature's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. To go through our life without any obstacles would cripple us. We would not be as strong as we could have been. And we might never fly.
