Spotlight Jessica Pina

We can't wait to introduce you to Jessica Pina. She's from Aruba. Do we need to say anything more!? It's been a real pleasure exchanging notes with her, getting to learn all about her experiences, and what her unique perspective brings to Montessori. As you'll see from the conversation, we've proposed to set up a student exchange. Any volunteers?

You should follow her new schools Facebook page.

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Your background, your interests, your dreams? 

A: I was born and raised on the island of Aruba. (Aruba is situated 18 miles north of the coast of Venezuela and 12 degrees North of the equator.) Growing up I was always very interested in sports and was always very good at it. I traveled a lot to South America and islands in the Caribbean representing Aruba and did so up to the age of 15. Meeting different people all the time was already a characteristic an Aruban would have, since tourism is one the main source of income. Mix it with all the traveling I did representing Aruba in track and field and you get someone who is really passionate about tourism. So in 1998, at the age of 17, I moved to Holland to study tourism. I lived in Holland, mainly Amsterdam, for 7 years. 

Late 2004, I found out I was expecting my first child, so in early 2005 I moved back to Aruba to be closer to my family. I also knew that growing up here was the best thing for my daughter. Nice weather all year round at the ocean never more than 10 minutes away from the house.

Here we have only one educational system and it is the traditional Dutch system. Living abroad for 7 years made me open my eyes to alternative methods of education. I decided to educate myself about methods of education and even decided to go back to school attending the only teacher's school we have here. Even though I knew the only system we had was traditional, I wanted to know everything I could about it so I could guide my daughter the best way I can. Right before I applied I found out that a Montessori Primary school was looking for an assistant teacher. This school has only been open for a year and they had 17 children. Immediately I contacted the directress, applied for the job and scheduled an observation day. 

I was amazed at what I saw and fell in love with it :-). The feeling was mutual.  Long story shorter ;-), I got hired! So in August 2009 I left behind tourism and began my Montessori Journey. That same year I did my primary training and in 2011 I started with my Elementary Training in Dallas. I am proud to say that I will be graduating this summer.

Right now I am extremely interested in child development and also am very interested lately in healthy diets and recycling. I guess I'm catching up to the rest of the world! ;-)

I have a lot of dreams, but my main dream now, is to make Montessori Elementary happen here and leave something behind that will last forever. I believe with all my heart and soul, that this will dramatically change the future for the better. My dream is to help form happy, healthy, self-confident children who are not afraid to dream. For they are our future. 

Q: Now that the hardest question is out of the way: What's your favorite color?

A: Can I have 2 favorite colors????? My favorite colors are deep purple and turquoise ;-)....

Q: Do you have a favorite book? How about a film?

A: My favorite book is Brida by Paulo Coelho and I am a big movie lover. But my favorite, the one we enjoy with the whole family and that is very inspiring is "Secretariat".

Q: When you close your eyes late at night, and imagine waking up and starting a new adventure: what is that adventure?

A: My new adventure is traveling to our sister islands and help improve the education of children and to make them realize that our children are extremely important and that we need to offer them nothing but the best, with respect and understanding. Always making sure that we are only here to guide them. 

Q: Can you tell us about your hobbies?

A: I still love interacting with visitors and I always inform them about Aruba the best way I can. I love to swim in the ocean, what I call snorkel-swim, I exercise while I enjoy the coral and the fish. Track and field was my first passion, so I still run every now and then. I prefer short distances though. I love to hike, I would hike everyday if I could. And last but not least, I love watching movies and "shame on me" I am a "Survivor" fan :-S

Q: Switching to Montessori, what advice do you have for new Montessori schools? 

A: Make sure you have at least a handful of people (especially if on an island) who understand Montessori philosophy, who understand the mission of your school and who believe in it as much as you do. Who are in it for the right reasons. Strategize and plan thoroughly and carefully, find out about local educational laws and if you find yourself not fitting in those laws, do not give up. Keep fighting for a law where you do fit in.

Q: With that in mind, we suppose the same question can be applied to established Montessori schools. 

A: Our work is never over, we should never stop educating the community, never stop educating ourselves about what is going on and what is developing in the Montessori family. The bigger our family, the more we can accomplish. So, basically, always organize events such as open houses and keep attending refresher courses.

Q: While we're at it, can we set up an exchange with your school? We'll spend the Winter learning about Aruba?

A: :-D YES, you can! You chose a great time to come ;-)

Q: How have things changed since you first got started in the field of education?

A: I feel like I am finally making a real difference. Like I am finally part of something much bigger than you and I. A lot of things have changed, I am sacrificing everything, time with my family and my salary. But I feel like this is definitely my calling and that I was put here to do this. The sacrifices I have made to make my trainings possible are worth it and I am lucky to have a family who supports me.

Q: Did you have a "Montessori Moment?"

A: My never ending Montessori Moment ; seeing my daughter and other children through Montessori's eyes! It's beautiful. Watching them cross the bridge from first plane to second plane is amazing and I would have never noticed it if it wasn't for Montessori.

Q: What's your favorite Montessori quote?

A: "If help and salvation are to come, they can only come from the children, for the children are the makers of men".

Q: What do you think is the best introduction to Montessori?

A: Invite parents to observe classrooms in action and definitely organize an event where you give a parents lessons the same way you would a child and have a conversation about the lesson afterwards with the parents.

Q: What continues to inspire you about Montessori?

A: What inspires me the most about Maria Montessori is her perseverance, it continues to inspire me. Thinking about what she went through  and still never gave up and never stopped believing gets me through the day. 

What inspires me about the method is the sincere interest it has in a child's individual journey

Q: How do you feel Beautiful Sun Montessori has impacted your community?

A: Beautiful Sun has definitely improved the quality of life of a group of parents and children. It definitely got more people interested in the Montessori Method and got a group in the community thinking about different ways, better ways to raise our children. What it has impacted the most is me. Thanks to Beautiful Sun I will be the first AMI certified Montessori Elementary Teacher and will soon start the first elementary program on Aruba. Still needs a lot of work, but it's coming along, slowly but surely. The name of the elementary school will be "Nos Fortalesa Montessori Aruba". "Nos Fortalesa" means, "Our Fortitude". The definition of 'fortitude' is; mental and emotional strength, in facing difficulty, adversity, danger or temptation with courage. ....It sounds a little more serious in English :-).

Q: What kind of legacy would you hope you and Nos Fortalesa will impart to students?

A: A legacy of encouragement and perseverance. I would love Nos Fortalesa students to inspire others, young and old, in being the best they can be. In always giving a 100% in everything they choose to do. In always choosing to be happy, respecting others and the universe we share. I wish for them to be friends with mistakes and learn from them, never giving up on their hopes and dreams.

Q: In what ways do you envision the future of education? 

A: Children taking their education into their own hands. Having the freedom to choose subjects, explore and experience, always acknowledging that freedom comes with responsibility and that collaboration is a main ingredient in learning!

OTA Sessions

A little over three years ago, at an exhibition of sorts, we had the great opportunity of meeting Hugh Weber. Hugh is one of those larger than life type characters. Before you meet him, you seem to know everything about him and you're just trying to evaluate if what you heard is true.

Well, "it's all true", as one of our mutual heroes, Orson Welles, used to say. Most of it, anyways. Wink. Wink. Hugh Weber is known for many things. Perhaps, most importantly, he runs the OTA Sessions. However, we urge you to inquire about his other accolates. Oh the wonderful stories!

Here's a little bit more about OTA: "OTA serves as a creative collaborative offering extraordinary experiences and engagements that educate, empower, and serve as catalysts for community-builders and change agents to improve the lives of all people living in South DakOTA, North DakOTA, and MinnesOTA." Yep, that's where the OTA comes from.

Baan Dek couldn't be more pleased to announce that we've sponsored the OTA Sessions for the third year in a row. Have you seen this years line-up? It might be the single greatest list of speakers to visit the region on the same day. We're very proud to call this region our home. And, we're very proud to sponsor Hugh Weber's vision for what OTA is, and what it is becoming.

You should follow OTA on Twitter: @otasessions.

Meet Jenna Thielen

We couldn't be more pleased to announce that Jenna Thielen will be joining Baan Dek in the Fall of 2013. A native of Sioux Falls, Jenna completed her AMI Elementary Training from the Montessori Institute of Milwaukee.

She has been working in Milwaukee as a public Montessori Elementary teacher for the past year and will be joining us, to start, as a Toddler assistant. She'll also be around to answer any questions about the Elementary program, which she will pioneer in the Fall of 2014, depending on interest.

Needless to say, we are so excited! Jenna holds a BA and an MA from the University of South Dakota. She also holds an AMI Advanced Diploma from the Montessori Institute of Milwaukee. Her hobbies include, film, cooking, music and...awesome hats! Those are our words, not hers.

Toddler at Baan Dek

We have some very special and exciting news to share with you. We're going to open a Toddler program in the Fall of 2013. It'll be the first of its kind in the state of South Dakota. If you would like to reserve a spot in the Toddler program, which will accommodate students between 18-36 months, please send us a note.

Mrs. Bauer will be the lead teacher in the Toddler classroom, and she will be joined by Jenna Thielen. Mrs. Bauer will embark upon her Association Montessori International Toddler training in Denver, Colorado this Summer and we couldn't be more excited! Jenna Thielen, a certified Montessori elementary teacher, with experience as a Toddler assistant, will work with Jamie for one year, before pioneering the Elementary program in the Fall of 2014.

Spotlight Dane Peters

We have a very special Spotlight to share with you. Meet Dane Peters, of the Brooklyn Heights Montessori school. It was such a pleasure to discover his background, hear his advice, and learn what might be in store for the future of education. We hope you enjoy!

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Your background, your interests, your dreams? 

A: Born and raised in a strong family and in traditional public schools through undergraduate work, I have always enjoyed listening and talking to people. Be they friends, children, colleagues, or students, I now know why I stand at the front door of my School over the past 20 years greeting students, teachers and parents. Teaching—no, learning—is the battery that keeps me going, and people are where my power supply gets charged. My life-long learning has manifested itself in many ways; to name a few: learning to fly, teaching, sky diving, being an officer in the Marine Corps, serving as a husband and parent for 40years, writing, blogging, discovering Montessori, serving others, and now grand parenting. 

Q: Now that the hardest question is out of the way: What's your favorite color? 

A: I believe if you view “Crayola Doesn’t Make a Color for Your Eyes” you will see my favorite color. And do treat yourself by viewing this beautiful video.

Q: Do you have a favorite book? How about a film?

A: I love reading. I am never without one or two books in process. I do tend to lean towards non-fiction but read the likes of Ken Follett, John Steinbeck, and John Irving, and I admit that I do have a passion for middle reader books, especially Newbery Medal winners. If you haven’t read Wonder by R. J. Palacio you must. 

There is one book that keeps rising to the top: Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning. Actually, the best way to answer this question is to click over to my blog where I love to talk about the books I read.

I do enjoy watching movies. I often reflect on Pat Conroy’s “The Great Santini” starring Robert Duvall and “Pay it Forward,” starring Haley Joel Osment and Kevin Spacey. Both have so many good family lessons.

Q: When you close your eyes late at night, and imagine waking up and starting a new adventure: what is that adventure?

A: Writing a book. That way I can pass on my experiences and life-long lessons learned to others so they might have an easier time in life.

Q: Can you tell us about your hobbies? 

A: Writing, writing, writing, and working with my hands. I love to do home repair activities. Give me a broken faucet, misaligned molding, or a room in need of a painting, and I will enter into what Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls “flow.”

Q: Switching to Montessori, what advice do you have for new Montessori schools? 

• Make sure everyone—owner or Board, head or principal, teachers, staff, parents and surrounding community—understands the school’s mission and Montessori philosophy. 
• Define the roles and responsibilities of each constituency within the school community, i.e. head/principal leads the operation of the school, Board governs, teachers teach and care for children, parents parent.
• Have plenty of resources—particularly Montessori resources—available for children, and teachers, and maintain a prepared environment.

Q: With that in mind, we suppose the same question can be applied to established Montessori schools. 

• Make sure everyone—owner or Board, head or principal, teachers, staff, parents and surrounding community—understands the school’s mission and Montessori philosophy. 
• Define the roles and responsibilities of each constituency within the school community, i.e. head/principal leads the operation of the school, Board governs, teachers teach and care for children, parents parent.
• Have plenty of resources—particularly Montessori resources—available for children, and teachers, and maintain a prepared environment.

Q: Can you share with us your experience on the AMS board?

A: Having served on 10 different non-profit boards over the past 20 years, three as Board Chair, I have come to appreciate the beauty of boards that run smoothly and follow best practices; as an aside, Dr. Richard Chait’s Governance As Leadership is the bible of good governance. This is where I feel the AMS Board is presently. With a wonderful Executive Director and 18 committed Directors who are dedicated to Montessori education, I enjoy being with these leaders whether we are on the West Coast, or Florida, or New York City, where the headquarters are located. Often when I consult with schools or give a presentation on governance, I share my experiences with this Board and my own School Board as models. 

One of the highlights of this year’s Board work was when the Board met with André Roberfroid, President of AMI, and Virginia McHugh Goodwin, Executive Director of AMI USA. There was no question among those present that it is important for both AMI and AMS to unite behind our Montessori missions and help others understand the benefits of a Montessori education.

Q: Did you have a "Montessori Moment?"

A: Ever since I began my Montessori training, the day I began heading Brooklyn Heights Montessori School, I have accepted — no relished — my Montessori journey. The day I began observing my grand daughter’s absorbent mind through a Montessori lens, was a special Montessori moment.

Q: What's your favorite Montessori quote?

A: The quote I use over and over again with parents, colleagues, and adult learners is “I know the children are learning when they don’t know that I am in the room.”

Q: What do you think is the best introduction to Montessori?

A: Observing a classroom in action. It is truly magical. My first experience with Montessori education was when I observed a classroom and subsequently sat on the Board of The Cobb School Montessori. Thank you, Mary Lou Cobb.

And, if you cannot get into a classroom, then read Montessori Today by Paula Polk Lillard, or Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s Flow, or Jane Healy’s Your Child’s Growing Mind, or Mind in the Making by Ellen Galinsky, or Drive by Dan Pink. Whether it is a book specifically about Montessori or a book that is inspired by her work, you cannot help but be touched by how her work has endured over the past 100 years, particularly the principles that are forever applicable to today’s child. This is all beautifully illustrated in M. Shannon Helfrich’s book Montessori Learning in the 21 Century.

Q: What continues to inspire you about Montessori?

A: Whenever I peek into a classroom at my school and see toddlers or 3- to 6-year olds or middle schoolers engaged in work, I inevitably stare in amazement. This past summer I read Rita Kramer’s biography of Dr. Montessori. I couldn’t put the book down. Amazed by Montessori’s determination and insight into the child, I wrote for Montessori Life “The Child Whisperer.” I believe that it is a perfect characterization of who she was as a human being, educator, and expert in child development. 

Q: How do you feel Brooklyn Heights Montessori has impacted your community?

A: It has become the option of choice for those families who are looking for an education that is not a standardized test factory with a cookie cutter curriculum. And, once you walk through the doors you immediately see and feel a caring staff that appreciate children and guide them using grace and courtesy. A school that respects the child, something we sometimes take for granted in our Montessori communities is a breath of fresh air for many of our families.

Q: What kind of legacy would you hope you and Brooklyn Heights Montessori School will impart to students?

A: A legacy of confidence, a strong sense of self, and the ability to embrace failure as a tool to success. I like to think that Sir Ken Robinson’s TED Talk “Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity” is an excellent vision of how Montessori schools work. Having heard him at both a National Association of Independent Schools Conference and an American Montessori Society Conference, I know what inspires educators; he understands child development and what motivates children and adults. His book The Element stands out as an important book for me.

Q: In what ways do you envision the future of education? 

A: Well, we will all come to embrace creative thinking, choice, exploration, empathy, thoughtfulness, and learn to not get hung up on standardized testing. My short piece “930” explains this further.

Technology is going to have an increasingly larger role in education. I have experienced the evolution of listening to music from a 45rpm record to a vinyl album, to an 8-track tape, to a cassette tape, to a CD to an mp3, to now cloud-based listening, e.g. Pandora and Spotify. I love the evolution of books and newspapers. Begrudgingly, I now accept the ease with which I can read an e-book using highlighting, bookmarking, note taking, see a definition or follow a source all with the touch of a finger.

Classroom learning that was once called online learning has evolved into blended learning, that is some classroom learning blended with online learning, e.g. Massive Open Online Learning (MOOC), will soon be all virtual one day. Although I like to think that the younger ages will always have teachers nearby. When imagining the future of education, I often reflect on Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, and M. T. Anderson’s young adult book Feed and ask about the latter, “Will it get to that?” I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Finally, I do believe that Dr. Montessori’s genius will always be with us, because in the end, it IS about respecting the child.