Profile: Emily, part 3, Work

Emily, while nannying in Scotland.

Emily teaches. Teaching is a job that is entirely beyond me; I was woman-handled into babysitting for next door's six year old this weekend, and am full of renewed appreciation for anyone who enters the profession. In addition to teaching middle schoolers - that's junior high school, or children between age 11 and 14, their most horrifying age- Emily also took on the challenge of teaching special needs children in the Montessori system, one that's not yet entirely geared to the age group. I asked, why? why? why?

Tell us about your job. What do you do? What does it involve in practical terms?

I am a Montessori middle school teacher. I enjoy this method because it affords me the opportunity to teach realistic skills and get to know each learner on their terms. It is a method that encourages individuality and interest based study. It is hoped that students of this type of school will think like scientists and be great questioners with insatiable curiosities. I also work a great deal with special needs. This ranges from mental disabilities to physical needs.

Did you always want to teach?

My passions have always been in education. I will certainly have to admit my perception of teaching has shifted and my passion and desire to advocate for learners has become more prevalent and significant as I have gotten older and more resolute in my position and self-awareness.

Can you tell us about your education and career path? I know you were a nanny in Scotland before becoming a teacher.

I went to Indiana University. I studied elementary education with an emphasis on health and wellness. Then I started some graduate level courses in cultural education and entered an immersion program. I actually taught for two years before taking time off to go nanny in Scotland. I wanted a chance to travel and Scotland seemed like a beautiful place. Everything fell into place once I arrived and found the farm where I lived. I had taken a week to jaunt to Amsterdam and was checking my email in a café when I saw a note from my director asking if I would be willing to come back and take my old classroom. It seemed fitting, so I returned. This is the third year back.

You’ve chosen a relatively unusual career path. You teach in a Montessori High School- there aren’t many around- but you also teach special needs. Firstly, can you explain to those of us who aren’t familiar, what the principles of Montessori education are? How do the teaching methods differ from the education many of us may have had in High School?

Maria Montessori pictured with some of the children from La Case de Bambini

Well, it is slightly complicated to explain because it has taken on so many faces. Montessori classrooms look different across the US and across the world. Different organizations have tweaked them to fit all varieties of molds. Maria Montessori was the first woman to become a doctor in Italy. She began by studying the brain. She worked mostly with children and noticed a great deal about special needs children. Her first school, La Case de Bambini was in the slums of Rome, and began as an experiment in 1907.

She helped to transform the way the children learned, and wanted to make things practical and exciting. She encouraged questions and created a set of materials to show physical reasoning behind concepts. She empowered the learners to respect themselves and their environments. Her son Mario helped to perpetuate the method and they spread the concept across Europe and the world.

Learners are put in to three year cycles; 3-6 years, 6-9 years, etc., this helps the learners become teachers of one another and offers the instructor the opportunity to have full understanding of interests and abilities. Because the original process only went up to 12 years old, the high school concept is a work in progress. Some guidelines have been laid down, but it’s difficult to work around the rigid state and national standards and still provide a self-empowering, practical based curriculum.

We allow our students to create their own courses based off of the standards. They are responsible for their learning and curriculum. This helps to ensure that they base their learning on their individual interests. It takes a massive amount of planning and double-checking.

Why did you want to teach Montessori, rather than mainstream education?

I appreciate the integrity the Montessori system provides the learners. It helps to keep my own ego in check because I am not the “say all.” I am able to help kids tap into their interests and look at the world from many different angles rather than having to adhere to the strict regulations that the state and school boards put on the traditional teachers.

And why become a special needs teacher? Do you think Montessori education is more effective for students with special needs?

I have known since high school that I enjoyed working with special needs. When I was in college I started a branch of swimming in the Special Olympics in my town. I find that people with special needs bring out my patience and help me to look at different perspectives. I find their honesty and triumphs endearing.

And finally, and most unfathomably to me, why High Schoolers? It seems like such a difficult age to teach.

Ahhhhh. If I could only bottle their uncensored hormones, I could make a million. I love their ability to be so blunt. The drama that exudes from their every move puts my life into perspective.

Do you have ambitions to live and work outside of the US again? Where would you go, and why?

Yes. I am open to going pretty much anywhere. I would love to study international schools as a curriculum project. As far as just travel, I next hope to do the Inca Trail in Peru—need to be a bit more physically fit first though. I would also love to travel to the Greek Isles, then ferry over to Turkey… all the possibilities.

Where do you see yourself in ten years time? Can you imagine staying in the same field in the long-term? If not, what are your other career goals?

Honestly, ten years seems like an eternity. I have a certain feeling that I will remain in the education field in some capacity. I don’t hope to be still a classroom teacher, as I hope I have other things to contribute. I would love to work writing legislation to shift the way we test kids in the US. I would like to be on the forefront of changing expectations of what school has to be, and I would enjoy writing curriculum that would be based on a more global and cultural view.

Outside of work, how do you spend your time?

Well, work takes up a lot of life. In addition to being a teacher, I work at my family’s pawnshop, and am the head coach for a local swim team. I love to plan travels, head to the woods, or find a place to boat. I love to dance and, dare I say, drink beer.