Student Diversity

All children are different. We live in America and it is important for all children to learn about each other. I am a true believer in multicultural education due to my experiences as an bilingual Afro-Latino young woman living in New York City. I try my best to tailor my classroom environment to not only the multicultural needs of my students but of the world. Montessori allows my students to do extensive research about different parts of the work therefore I make sure I have lots of reading materials and resources for my students. As my students read "I am Malala" by women's rights activist Malala Yousafazai, they were able to make so many connections with what was going on around the world and at the same time understand how the plight of girls was similar to those of African Americans in American during the Jim Crow/Civil rights era.  In the upcoming year, I am excited to introduce the book "Esperanza Rising" to my students. It is a book about a young Mexican girl. I will be taking that opportunity to introduce to my students some Latin American culture, history and current events. I like to tell my students that they are "Citizens of the World" because it is important to be able to aware and prepared for all of life's situations. A classroom that celebrates diversity is one that is kind and responsive. I want to teach my children that it is important to be aware of the needs of others and treat others with respect no matter where they are from and how they look. 

Foundations for Teaching

As educators, it is essential for us to understand how children develop. Piaget's theory of cognitive development proposes that a child's development progresses in stages. It is very important for teachers to know the stages that their students are in because it helps them plan lessons that are developmentally appropriate to their needs. As a Montessori teacher, a child's stage impacts the kind of work that they are ready to do in the classroom and that is why the instruction is individualized. Not all students are at the same level therefore it is important to understand where they are when it comes to their cognitive development. Vygotsky's theory of development is interesting because the idea is that children learn from others. That makes a lot of sense because children learn language from their surroundings and students learn best from interactions with others and their environment. I have noticed that during lessons, I will explain something but my students would explain it even better to a peer. One of the things I love most about the Montessori environment is the mixed age groups. My older students help the younger ones with their work and they are happy to do so. As the directress, I love to sit back and observe how the students work with one another. I have a beautiful experience that I would love to share with you all. My nephew was visiting from New York City and had the opportunity to spend some time in my classroom. I loved observing him interact with the other students because they helped guide him throughout the day. He had the opportunity to read Malala Yousafzai's autobiography "I am Malala" and the book impacted him so much that he decided to do his Civil Rights project on Malala when he got back to New York City. Children learn and are easily influenced by their surroundings and that is why it is important that they have the opportunity to interact and learn from their peers.