Emma Moody’s Update

Hello, my name is Emma Moody. The first formal Montessori training I received was the Assistants to Infancy course in Manhattan over the summers of 2017 and 2018. However, I began my Montessori journey at two-and-a-half years old in a toddler environment at Versailles Montessori School in Kentucky. From the ages of 2 and a half to 14 I was in an AMI Montessori environment. Transitioning from this environment to a public high school proved to be difficult. This was mostly because I was shocked that my peers’ interests and love of learning varied so much from my own. In my first semester at a public high school, I took a government class that was often held in a seminar style. I recall a discussion we had about the education system and the way my peers described their classrooms full of desks and strict nonsensical rules and about having to sit and take tests. They would talk about their 15-minute recess on a cement playground as well as not having any designated time in the day for play after the 6th grade. They would compare strategies for memorizing class material most effectively in order to pass tests. All of this was so foreign to me and made me realize not only what a blessing my education was but also how unnatural and crippling the current public education system could be on the human spirit’s natural love for learning.

In 2008, one of the first private Montessori High School in the United States opened in Cleveland, OH. I was one of 17 people in the second graduating class of 2011. Montessori has and always will be a huge part of my life, due to how the method of education both allows for and encourages the development of the individual. 

In 2015, I was my mother’s assistant in her 3 to 6 classroom where I learned more about child development and observed the growth of children. Here, it became plainly clear that this was the beginning of a life passion. Soon after, a high school friend called and told me about 0 to 3 training beginning in NYC in 2017. From this point forward everything fell into place. The training was intensive, and challenging, yet immensely rewarding. Previous notions and ideas cultivated throughout my own experiences as a student with regards to respecting children and trusting in their development and capabilities were solidified. A new confidence was gained from knowing that I was capable of doing all of this hard work. Friendships were formed, bridges were built, but most importantly, I gained a wealth of understanding of the needs of children, aged 0 to 3, in addition to the support needs of the parents.

I am currently taking classes at the University of Hartford and participating in the Elementary Montessori training at Montessori Training Center Northeast.

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