Who is giving us their ‘Top Picks’?

Our new Waterpark Montessori Additional Locations trainee tutor based in Sarajevo: Mäelys de Rudder

How will I recognise her if I meet her?

Mäelys at her Montessori School in Sarajevo: Bloom School Sarajevo

Mäelys and her husband Danis

The Middle East: A place Mäelys loves to be

Mäelys 5 children

Mäelys as a shamanic practitioner

Who is she and what does she do?

Born in Philadelphia and raised across Europe, my unique background has deeply influenced my vision for education. Now living in Sarajevo for 17 years, married to a Bosnian film director, and a mother to five children, I’ve woven my French, Belgian, and English heritage into a mission to revolutionize education. My journey, from law school in Belgium to internships at the European Parliament and a career in Human Resources, highlighted a crucial insight: many people are unable to realize their full potential in traditional settings. This realization, combined with my diverse educational experiences and the desire for my children to discover their inner potential joyfully, propelled me towards a significant change.

I founded Bloom, a school embodying a forward-thinking educational approach, with Montessori principles at its core. This foundation emphasizes nurturing each child’s creativity, courage, authenticity, integrity, and self-knowledge to prepare them for the future. My goal is simple yet profound: to move beyond the outdated factory model of education, which neglects holistic growth, and embrace a system that adapts to our rapidly evolving technological world.

Believing in the lifelong journey of personal growth and identity formation, I challenge traditional perceptions of what is achievable, encouraging exploration into new realms of expression and opportunity. Identity and belonging, integral to a fulfilling life, are central to my educational philosophy. I advocate for recognizing and celebrating the complex, layered identities of each individual, shaped by diverse experiences and cultures.

My exploration of human experience extends into spiritual practices like meditation and classical shamanism, enriching my understanding and connection to the world. These practices have deepened my personal growth and my ability to assist others on their transformative paths. As a shamanic practitioner, I aim to serve as a conduit for individuals seeking their truth, emphasizing the liberating power of our perceptions of one another.

In essence, my educational approach is about setting free the boundless potential within each individual, guided by the timeless Montessori principles, to foster a world where everyone can thrive.

My 3 favourite Montessori materials:

• Constructive Triangle Boxes

These are used to help children understand plane geometry and explore the properties of various shapes through hands-on manipulation.

• Metal Insets

Designed for writing preparation and fine motor skill development, these tools also introduce children to drawing different shapes and patterns.

• Timeline of the Evolution of Life

A visual and interactive material that guides children through the history of life on Earth, fostering a deep appreciation for the natural world.

• “The Absorbent Mind” by Maria Montessori

This classic work by Montessori herself delves into the development of children and how they learn from their environment during the early years of life.

• “The Science Behind the Genius” by Angeline Stoll Lillard

Lillard presents Montessori’s educational practices in light of modern scientific research, offering a compelling case for the effectiveness of Montessori methods.

• “Children Who Are Not Yet Peaceful: Preventing Exclusion in the Early Elementary Classroom” by Donna Bryant Goertz

Goertz shares her experiences and strategies for creating inclusive classrooms that address the needs of all children, emphasizing the Montessori principle of peace education.

• Loo Conversations in 3-6

The candid and often humorous exchanges that happen in the most unexpected places, reflecting the innocence and curiosity of young minds.

• A Very Articulate Five-Year-Old

Who, with utmost respect, translates my incorrect Bosnian into proper Bosnian, ensuring all children understand, showcasing early signs of empathy and leadership.

• The Little Three-Year-Old Rule Enforcer

Who meticulously follows rules and steps in to guide a younger child, demonstrating the internalization of classroom norms and the positive influence among peers.

My 3 key experiences as a Montessori teacher

• Being a Mother

Experiencing first-hand the development and learning process of my own children, providing a deeper understanding and appreciation of Montessori principles.

• Watching a Child Grow from 18 Months to 15 Years

Observing the long-term impact of Montessori education on a child’s growth, learning, and development in a continuous environment.

• Simply Being in the Classroom

Where theory and practice come alive, experiencing the joy of seeing children engage, explore, and learn in a prepared Montessori environment.

The 3 people who have inspired me the most on my Montessori journey:

• Barbara Isaacs
• Wendy Compson
• Clare Healy Walls

My 3 favourite Montessori quotes:

• “The hand is the instrument of intelligence.” – Maria Montessori

This quote emphasizes the Montessori belief in the importance of hands-on learning and the role of eye-hand coordination and physical activity in cognitive development.

• “The goal of early education should be to activate the child’s own natural desire to learn.” – Maria Montessori

Montessori highlights the importance of nurturing intrinsic motivation in children, encouraging them to explore and learn driven by their own curiosity.

• “Establishing lasting peace is the work of education.” – Maria Montessori

This reflects Montessori’s vision of education as a means to achieve peace, teaching children independence, freedom, respect, empathy, and understanding from an early age.

Who is giving us their ‘Top Picks’?

Our new Waterpark Montessori trainee tutor Marianne Appold

How will I recognise her if I meet her?

Marianne has just joined our team!

Marianne at home with one of her chickens.

Having fun at her cabin.

Marianne telling the first great story with her students.

Who is she and what does she do?

Marianne is our newest tutor to the Waterpark staff. We would like to warmly welcome her and we feel very lucky to have her join our team. Marianne has a Montessori diploma in 6-9 years and is currently studying 9-12 years and 12-15 years along with training to become a tutor for Waterpark. She is a founding member and the principal of Hamarøy Montessori school.

Out and about in beautiful Hamarøy.

She lives in Skutvik, Hamarøy, close to the the stunning Lofoten Islands, with her partner Nils-Arne and her son Markus. She is a woman of many talents – she sings with a jazz band, she snorkles for many months of the year, she loves to garden and raise chickens. Wow!!! And her greatest talent – being a wonderful Montessori guide and leader.

My 3 favourite Montessori materials:

• Grammar materials
• The timelines and the stories
• The fraction materials

The top Montessori book every teacher should read:

• From Childhood to adolescence by Maria Montessori
• All of Clare’s books – the place to find everything – my go to books

A key experience on my Montessori journey:

The first meeting with the Montessori pedagogy and Dr. Montessori’s writings. It felt like everything fell into place. I had a three-year old at the time, and it changed the whole way I thought about his upbringing.

My favourite Montessori quote:

“It is well to cultivate a friendly feeling towards error, to treat it as a companion inseparable from our lives, as something having a purpose which it truly has.” Chapter 24 Absorbent Mind, Mistakes and their Correction.

The person who has inspired me the most on my Montessori journey:

I would have to say Clare, first and foremost, but the whole staff at Waterpark has to be mentioned. I have always felt really welcomed, and a part of the wonderful Waterpark family since my first course with you back in 2013.

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Who is giving us their ‘Top Picks’?

Waterpark Montessori tutor Astrid Schmidt

How will I recognise her if I meet her?

Astrid always has this smile for everyone she meets

Astrid working with a Montessori activity for 0-3 years

Astrid having fun with the Montessori materials

Who is she and what does she do?

Astrid lives in the south of Norway with her husband Sveinung. She has 4 children and 6 grandchildren, the most recent who was born this July. She loves to sing and she is also in the process of building a workshop where she hopes to learn to build things from wood. I am not sure where she finds time for it all as she also works as a leader in Villa Snøringsmoen Montessoribarnehage and as a tutor for waterpark Montessori.

Her expertise is in 0-3 and 3-6 years. She really understands these age groups and how Montessori is so beneficial for a great start in life. She has obtained her credentials at Høgskolen i Agder, and at Waterpark Montessori International.

She has worked in Montessori pre-schools for more than 20 years as an owner, educator and manager so her experience is vast. Hopefully you may meet her at one of our workshops around Norway

The top 3 Montessori books every teacher should read:

So difficult to choose. For those working with the youngest children, the first two are a must have, but Maria Montessori`s own books are also a necessity. Then again what isn’t important. I have chosen four books, but the list is way longer.
– The Montessori Toddler by Simone Davies (“Smårollingen” in Norwegian)
– The Montessori Baby by Simoen Davies
– The 1946 London Lectures, Maria Montessori

My 3 favourite Montessori materials:

– Decanomial cards
– The hierarchical cube
– Metal insets

The 3 people who have inspired me the most on my Montessori journey:

There are lots of people who have inspired me along the way, but I must say my tutors from my Montessori training have given me the most. Not just during my training, but in all the years after – Talks, lectures, discussions and reflections.
– Clare Walls Cole
– Martine Hestnes Healy
– Brid Walls

My 3 favourite Montessori quotes:

“Democracy begins at birth. The child must know what is going to happen to him, that he will not be seized suddenly, that his permission will be asked first.” Maria Montessori, The 1946 London Lectures, p. 132

“The child sees the same action repeated at the same time every day in the same way. This attracts his attention. Children have a sense of the succession of activities in time. It is like a muscular memory, a memory of movement and of time.” Maria Montessori, The 1946 London Lectures, p. 131

The last one I don’t remember where I found it (it is hanging on my wall), but anyway…..
“The greatest sign of success for a teacher is to be able to say, the children are now working as if I did not exist” Maria Montessori

3 key experiences on my Montessori journey:

The absorbent mind: I have a story about a guide doing a presentation for a three-year old, transferring with tweezers. Her glasses were slipping down on her nose and she had to, in the middle of the presentation, to adjust them back up again.

When it was the child’s turn to repeat the exercise, he started transferring with the tweezers, then in the middle of his work he took his finger and did the same movement as the guide did when adjusting her glasses. The exception was that the child did not have any glasses on.

It is amazing how the child was absorbing the presentation to the smallest detail with no discrimination. That shows how important all our actions are in and out of the classroom.

The sequence of material and how one experience builds up to the next was given a new dimension when I was working on one of the “object permanence” – boxes (the one in the middle of the picture below). There is no wall at the end of the drawer, so if you put the ball in before closing, the ball will not roll out into the drawer, but you will be able to close the drawer and then the ball will role out into the drawer. The box with the green drawer has a full drawer, so if you put the ball into the hole without closing the drawer, you will not be able to close the drawer without removing the ball. Getting the “closing of the drawer” automized will give the child an understanding of the movement of closing before putting the ball into the hole. The child will get this experience anyway, but might get some other “aha” experiences by using the ball and drawer shown in the middle picture before using the box with the green drawer. I have talked about this in my video above.

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Who is giving us their ‘Top Picks’?

Waterpark Montessori Kenya Co-ordinator Shreya Shah

How will I recognise her if I meet her?

Shreya at home in Nairobi

Shreya (centre) visiting WMI Malta this summer. She is joined by tutors Aleksandra and Amii.

Shreya with Clare (founder of WMI) and a group of WMI Kenya students at a workshop in April. It sounded like they had lots of fun at this workshop.

Who is she and what does she do?

Shreya is the college coordinator for our Waterpark Kenya branch. She has a
Montessori diploma for Early Childhood 3-6 years and is now studying 6-9
years. Shreya has many years’ experience working with children 3-6 and was
the head of the kindergarten for the past 2 years.

Here are her ‘Top Picks’ for all things Montessori

The 3 people who have inspired me the most on my Montessori journey:

1. Clare Healy Walls who I had the pleasure of meeting in person in April this year. Her knowledge and understanding of the Montessori method and life experiences are fascinating and inspiring.
2. My aunt who was the one who got me to start the course after seeing how well I worked with children over the years when I assisted her daughter for school events.
3. My teachers, all my lecturers when I was studying Montessori to my first class teacher, Janiffer, whom I learnt a lot from, both in the classroom and out.

My 3 favourite Montessori materials:

1. The Binomial Cube – I got this for both my mock and final exam and during my time in Malta I really realised how genius is it, especially when you move on to the trinomial and hierarchy cubes.
2. The Pink Tower – So simple yet so genius.
3. Anything in mathematics – I always say, had I learnt mathematics the Montessori way (concrete to abstract) I would be a genius!

3 key experiences on my Montessori journey:

1. Seeing how children thrive in a Montessori environment. Coming from a country that favors traditional learning, and focuses solely on academics, seeing how children prosper and loved learning in a Montessori environment really instilled in me how important it is to foster a love for learning.
2. Really understanding rewards and punishments and the detriment is can have in our views of ourselves as we get older.
3. The importance of observations. We get so caught up in needing results and being in a hurry in everything that we do, that it is important that we take time observing.

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Who is giving us their ‘Top Picks’?

Waterpark Montessori Business & Development Director Dr Sandra Healy

How will I recognise her if I meet her?

Sandra in her garden in Limerick, Ireland – between showers of rain

Sandra in her role as a midwife at the birth of her grandson

Who is she and what does she do?

Sandra works as the Business & Course Development Officer at Waterpark Montessori and is also the Additional Locations Liaison. This really means that she is involved in the management side of the business but also works with other team members on course development. She is also the liaison for our Additonal Locations in Sweden, France, South Africa, Kenya and Malta.

Sandra is a qualified midwife and has a PhD in Nursing & Midwifery from the University of Limerick, Ireland. She earned a Montessori diploma for Early Childhood 3-6 years and has many years’ experience working with children of this age.  

Sandra lives in Ireland with her husband and daughter while her three sons have flown the nest and all live in London. She has one grandchild at whose birth she was privileged to be. Sandra continues to work in both Montessori and midwifery roles and is passionate about both.

The 3 people who have inspired me the most on my Montessori journey:

1. My mother Clare Healy Walls who started studying Montessori in the year I was born. She was such an inspiration and guide when my children were teenagers.
2. My aunt Brid Walls who is such an expert in 0-3 years and with whom I have worked and been in awe of how she sees the young child.
3. My fellow Montessori students when I was studying Montessori way back in 2004/2005 – Eva Depping and Bríd Ní HIcí. They kept me sane but gave me plenty of laughs through the whole journey.

My 3 favourite Montessori materials:

1. Colour Box 3 – I spent many an hour in my youth with this material
2. The Trinomial Cube – a little bit of genius
3. Anything that my colleague Sarah Kennedy-Berge creates

3 key experiences on my Montessori journey:

1. The moment I realised that the Montessori Method is so amazing that it can literally change the world.
2. Finally deeply understanding the concept of Freedom and Discipline
3. Being brave enough to stand up for my sons and their right to respect in an education system that did not value them as individuals. I could not have done this without my Montessori background.

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Who is giving us their ‘Top Picks’?

Waterpark Montessori College Director Sarah Kennedy-Berge

How will I recognise her if I meet her?

This is Sarah right before one of our fascinating topical webinars. Always so glamorous!!

Sarah & Nicole: always having such fun with the Montessori materials.

Sarah combining two of her favourite topics – music and Montessori!

Who is she and what does she do?

Sarah is our college director which means she ensures that all our Montessori courses and materials follow the Montessori method but also that they are set up in the best way to suit students in our busy modern world. She is continually developing and updating our courses, making sure they are of the highest quality.

Sarah knows all about being busy as she works full-time for us but she also has four children and travels all over Norway & Europe for her job with Waterpark Montessori. She is American but has lived in Norway for many years now and is married to a Norwegian man. She recently celebrated 20 years of marriage 🙂

She first began to study Montessori in 2005 and has many years working in Montessori environments with children of all ages. Before finding Montessori she received a Bachelor of Arts with a focus on education from Central Connecticut State University. She is incredibly creative and keeps us in awe continuously with this talent and its application to Montessori education.

Here are her ‘Top Picks’ for all things Montessori

The top 3 Montessori books every teacher should read:

1. The Absorbent Mind 
2. To Educate the Human Potential 
3. The “Psycho-” Series (Psychogeometry, Psychoartithmetic, Psychogrammar, Psychomusic)

My 3 favourite Montessori materials:

1. The music materials – tone bars and notation materials 
2. The large cubing “suitcase” with wooden cubes and prisms
3. The grammar symbols 

Sarah says, laughing ‘how do I pick a favourite?’

My 3 funniest moments as a teacher:

1. Discussing a timeline with lower elementary students and looking at how everything after year 0, which we count as from the birth of Christ, was positive numbers, and everything before year 0 was negative. A student piped up, “but wasn’t it positive that Christ was born??” 
2. Doing a presentation of types of quadrilaterals, and we started with the basic quadrilateral which has no special qualities and no special name, just quadrilateral. After going through the full sequence of quadrilaterals, adding qualities of sides and angles, each getting special names, a student sat back and began laughing hysterically. “That poor first quadrilateral!”. For some reason, this was so funny at the moment, and the whole group burst out into laughter. It became a standing joke for several months. 
3. There have been some pretty hilarious moments in my experience working with adults in our WMI practical workshops, probably due to the intense Montessori bubble we get into during the weeks. One instance I particularly recall is a complete meltdown into hysterical laughter during a grammar lesson with the phonetic farm. I won’t go into the details of it, but there are just so many phonetic nouns on a farm, such as sack, or man, and a UK English alternative to what I would call a rooster. Add some phonetic adjectives to those, like “big” or “wet” and you have set the stage for eliciting contagious giggles from the group of adults… 

3 key experiences on my Montessori journey:

1. The many, many “aha” moments I have had over the years when I’ve played with the genius Montessori materials.  
2. Watching the moment of dawning realization on the faces of adult learners when they use the materials and suddenly understand concepts they have previously learned in an abstract way.
3. The moment I realized that this philosophy was not just a method for teaching children, but was a life-philosophy that is applicable to all aspects of human development – also in my personal development.

The 3 people who have inspired me the most on my Montessori journey:

1. Clare Walls Cole, my inspiration and mentor for the last 20 years 
2. The many adult learners who I have had the privilege of guiding and learning with over the years I have worked in WMI 
3. Michael Dorer, a weaver of stories who brings learning to life.

My 3 favourite Montessori quotes:

1. “Imagination does not become great until human beings, given the courage and the strength, use it to create.” – From Childhood to Adolescence 
2. “We shall walk together on this path of life, for all things are part of the universe and are connected with each other to form one whole unity.” –To Educate the Human Potential 
3. “We give the name scientist to the type of man who has felt experiment to be a means guiding him to search out the deep truth of life, to lift a veil from its fascinating secrets, and who, in this pursuit, has felt arising within him a love for the mysteries of nature, so passionate as to annihilate the thought of himself.” –The Montessori Method 

Again Sarah says ‘how to pick only 3? 🙂

Who is giving us their ‘Top Picks’?

Waterpark Montessori tutor Halvor Berge

How will I recognise him if I meet him?

Halvor standing on the balcony at Oslo Montessori school after a busy Waterpark Montessori workshop – and still smiling!!

Who is he and what does he do?

Halvor is a trained Montessori educator and tutor for ages 0-9 years. He has worked with children since 1996 and in a Montessori kindergarten and school since 2005. Halvor also has a Bachelor’s in Early Childhood from Queen Maud’s College in Trondheim. He is currently studying for his Masters in Education.

He is passionate about plants, bees and anything connected to nature and believes that nature can be the best learning environment for a child. He lives in Norway with his wife, 4 children, cats, chickens, turkeys, ducks and goats. And of course, he tends to his gorgeous garden.
Recently he has taken on the Social Media role in Waterpark Montessori to highlight all the many wonderful things we do here. If you have studied with us you may well have met him at some stage.

Here are his ‘Top Picks’ for all things Montessori

The top 3 Montessori books every teacher should read:

1. The Child, Society and the World
2. The Discovery of the Child
3. Psychogeometry

My 3 favourite Montessori materials:

1.  Pink Tower
2. Importance of the Sun
3. Era Timeline

My 3 funniest moments as a teacher:

1. As a preschool teacher, I had 3 rather lively boys in my group. Full of energy, one day we decided together that it was time to cut the grass outside. So we all got a pair of scissors, went outside, and cut the grass. This day we got lots done outside, and for many more days to come, this was a favorite activity.
2. Working in lower elementary, we raised chickens in our school. We hatched them from eggs in an incubator and watched them grow up to become nice chickens and roosters. One day, one of the chickens injured its leg, and the students in the school decided that we could not let the chicken suffer; it needed to be butchered. The next day, the activity of the morning was to butcher the chicken and prepare it for lunch that day. I took along the ax, picked up the chicken, and did the deed while some of the children wanted to watch. But no, the children ALL went screaming, getting each other more and more hysterical, after the chicken was dead. No chicken for lunch that day.
3. Walking alongside the river one day, all the children enjoyed the sun and watched the swans swim back and forth. After some time, we all hear a big splash; one of the boys had joined the swans, and wanted to swim along with them. Well, the water wasn’t quite warm enough for that, so he came quickly out again and we found appropriate warm covers for him to dry up with, and warm up. 

3 key experiences on my Montessori journey:

1. Being a rather uninterested student myself, I highly appreciated the clearness of the lessons and the beautiful learning materials as a Montessori student myself. After some time I realized how much I had forgotten from my own time at school, but the materialized abstraction of the manipulatives really helped me to grasp concepts, I had only heard about at school, in a completely new way. I finally grasped the meaning behind many of the math formulas, which I before only learned by heart.
2. Many of the learning materials are quite attractive to young children, which I experienced while working with some exceptional learners in lower elementary. Some materials were so catching, that they were able to do them over and over again, without getting bored. That was a new experience for me. 

The 3 people who have inspired me the most on my Montessori journey:

1. Clare Healy Walls has been an inspiration for me since I first became interested in the life and work of Montessori. I had the privilege of having her as a Montessori guide during my own studies, and later on, once I started my training to become a tutor as well, she has truly been an inspiration, mentor, and guide through many years.
2. Claus Dieter Kaul has through many workshops I attended shown exceptional insight into the use of Montessori materials, and used his whole body, soul, and mind to connect with the learning aims of the exercise. This makes an impression on a young Montessorian and inspired me to go deeper into the Montessori philosophy on many materials. 
3. As the third person to mention, I wanted to mention all the teachers and school leaders that have crossed my path in the last two decades. No school can exist without teachers and guides that burn for the education of young minds, and I have met many very inspiring teachers and school leaders in many different settings and countries. A big hurray for all of them. 

My 3 favourite Montessori quotes:

1. “The roots of every plant seek out, from among the many substances which the soil contains, only those which they need. ” Maria Montessori (The Absorbent Mind, p. 248)
2. “The interest that drives spontaneous activity is a truly psychological key. ” Maria Montessori (Psychogeometry, p. 5)
3. “We must give the child relaxation from the continuous direction of adults. So we give them the right environment, relaxation, and freedom from orders. This is an indirect treatment; it is not the correction of the individual but the preparation for a new life. This is something children have never had, even in the grandest and richest of homes. For even in a palace, you find that the children are relegated to some obscure nursery. ” Maria Montessori (The Child, Society, and the World, p. 78)

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Who is giving us their ‘Top Picks’?

Waterpark Montessori founder Clare Healy

How will I recognise her if I meet her?

Clare at home in Cork, Ireland reading one of the books she has written – Conscious Adult, Conscious Child

Who is she and what does she do?

Clare Healy Walls is the founder of Waterpark Montessori.  She spent over 20 years as a Montessori pre-school teacher and a Montessori school teacher.  Since 1981 she has been training adults as Montessori teachers.

Clare has been extensively involved in the research and development of training programmes. Her personal interest in Jungian psychology and BodySoul Rhythms (as developed by Marion Woodman, Canada) has encouraged her to use Maria Montessori’s philosophy for people of all ages, highlighting the common themes of life from birth to adulthood.

She received an MA in Education (Management) from the Open University where she learned how to make flexible and online learning support Maria Montessori’s philosophy for life and learning.  She also holds Montessori St. Nicholas teaching diplomas for pre-school and school. 

She lives in Ireland with her husband Andy. She has five adult children, nine grandchildren and one great grandchild. She continues to be passionate about Montessori education and travels extensively in her aim to bring quality Montessori to as many people as possible.

Here are her ‘Top Picks’ for all things Montessori

The top 3 Montessori books every teacher should read:

1. To Educate the Human Potential
2. The Absorbent Mind
3. What You Should Know About Your Child

My 3 favourite Montessori materials:

1. The Arithmetic/Hierarchical Cube
2. The Tree of Life
3. The Farm for Early Grammar and Reading

My 3 funniest moments as a teacher:

1. A boy of three years to his mother – “When I was in heaven before I was born, were you with the dinosaurs?”
2. A girl of four years using the Spindle Box, would wait until she thought nobody was looking and then she would slip one spindle into the zero box! She thought it was a bit unfair for the zero to get nothing!
3. I was due to give my first ever lecture, Montessori for Parents, to a group of women in a small town in Ireland in the early 1980’s.  I was prepared – all dressed up and had an overhead projector (only those over a certain age remember them!). But someone had got the dates wrong; the women were expecting a lecture on farm insurance! “But its ok love”, they said, “we will listen, and it will be useful for our grandchildren.”

3 key experiences on my Montessori journey:

1. A boy of 5 years, mildly autistic, started to practice letters and numbers only when he had used the button frame immediately beforehand. The Hand and the Brain!
2. A little girl of eighteen months was eating a very large biscuit. Her mother broke it in half thinking it was too big.  She screamed hysterically for several minutes. We then stuck the biscuit together with tape. She stopped screaming immediately. The sensitive period for order!
3. In a group of 6-9-year-olds where I was observing, the adults had always organised the tidy-up at the end of the work cycle. We decided to try to allow sufficient freedom for the Montessori “community” to appear. We bravely stood there and observed. It was absolute chaos, with a high volume of noise; but eventually, after about ten minutes, everything was in its place, and the children were sitting, ready for lunch. The adults were surprised but the children appeared to be satisfied! Freedom is necessary for independence to happen!

The 3 people who have inspired me the most on my Montessori journey:

1. Síghle Fitzgerald (my first trainer, co-founder of St Nicholas Montessori College, Ireland).
2. Claus Dieter Kaul (an inspiring innovative colleague from Germany, head of Biberkor Akademie).
3. The WMI adult students through three decades

Clare recently met her great Montessori inspirer, Síghle Fitzgerald. She said after meeting her: “What a special moment ❤ At the opening of the beautiful new St. Nicholas campus, the library was dedicated to her. A well earned honour. ❣What a legacy!”

My 3 favourite Montessori quotes:

1. “Here then is an essential principle of education: to teach details is to bring confusion; to establish the relationship between things is to bring knowledge.” Montessori, M., From Childhood to Adolescence. Schocken Books, New York. 1973
2. “The essential thing is for the task to arouse such an interest that it engages the child’s whole personality.” Montessori, M., The Absorbent Mind. Kalakshetra Publications, Madras. 1973
3. “The child should love everything that he learns, for his mental and emotional growths are linked. Whatever is presented to him must be made beautiful and clear, striking his imagination. Once this love has been kindled, all problems confronting the educationist will disappear.” Montessori, M., To Educate the Human Potential. Kalakshetra Publications, Madras.1973

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Who is giving us their ‘Top Picks’?

WM tutor Yumna Hoosain

How will I recognise her if I meet her?

This is Yumna in her home city of Cape Town.

Who is she and what does she do?

Yumna has been working in various Montessori age groups since 2003. She
currently runs an organisation that manages several Montessori schools in Cape
Town. Her dream is to take Montessori into the less fortunate areas in Cape
Town. This is becoming a reality as she is currently running training through
Waterpark Montessori – South Africa
Yumna offers Montessori Training for 6 to 9 years in South Africa and soon will be offering 3 to 6 years as well.
She has a degree in Education and various Montessori Diplomas in working with
ages 18 months to 12 years.

Here are her ‘Top Picks’ for all things Montessori

The top 3 Montessori books every teacher should read:

1. To Educate the Human Potential
2. The Child, Society and the World
3. The Secret of Childhood

My 3 favourite Montessori materials:

1. Stamp game – math is my favorite subject!
2. Grammar materials- these really bring joy to learning!
3. Pouring beans- the calmness it brings as you listen to the beans or rice being transferred

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Who is giving us their ‘Top Picks’?

WM tutor Aleksandra Zarosa

How will I recognise her if I meet her?

This is Aleksandra in Amsterdam while attending a Montessori Europe conference in 2022

Who is she and what does she do?

Aleksandra has been working in Montessori since 2004. She has worked in Montessori pre-schools and schools both in Ireland and Norway. She is from Poland but has lived in a number of countries – she is quite the jet setter. She has always been passionate and actively involved in the inclusion of children with special needs.

In Waterpark Montessori Aleksandra works full time as the College Coordinator and as a trainer for ages 3-9 years. If you come to one of our workshops in Oslo, you will always see her chatting with students or demonstrating some fascinating Montessori material.

Aleksandra holds a MA in Psychology from the University of Opole, Poland. Apart from her Montessori qualifications, she also holds a Diploma in Crèche Management together with a Certificate in First Line Management from The College of Progressive Education, Blackrock, Ireland.

Here are her ‘Top Picks’ for all things Montessori

The top 3 Montessori books every teacher should read:

1. The Absorbent Mind
2. The Discovery of the Child
3. To Educate the Human Potential

My 3 favourite Montessori materials:

1. Knobbed Cylinders – for the perfect control of error
2. The Golden Bead Material – for the genius representation of the decimal system
3. Sandpaper Numbers and Letters – for the multi-sensory experience

My 3 funniest moments as a teacher:

1. All Christmas plays organized in Irish pre-schools
2. Discovering what it means to GO OUT in Norway (“There is no bad weather, only bad clothing”…)
3. Understanding Grace & Courtesy and everyone-speaking-at-the-same-time in Italy 😊

3 key experiences on my Montessori journey:

1. Discovering Montessori in a small kindergarten in Dublin
2. Studying Montessori 3-6 in Ireland and 6-9 with Waterpark Montessori
3. Visiting Montessori’s Study in Amsterdam and meeting Alexander Henny,
   the great-grandson of Maria Montessori

The 3 people who have inspired me the most on my Montessori journey:

1. Maria Montessori herself!
2. Children in my classrooms
3. Waterpark Montessori team

My 3 favourite Montessori quotes:

1. “Free choice is one of the highest of all mental processes.”, The Absorbent Mind

• “Through working by themselves children acquire an active discipline, a practical independence, and a gradual increase in knowledge.”, The Discovery of the Child

• “The child should love everything that he learns, for his mental and emotional growths are linked.”, To Educate the Human Potential