Our educators from Nature's Classroom Institute and Montessori School give us an inside look on our new normal's during the pandemic.
 

"As each day comes and goes I have been focusing on doing what I can to support students across the country, both through our network and with the American Montessori Society. If students cannot come to the resources that we have here at our sites, then we are working to bring those resources to them. We are in what is now known as the “new normal”, I just hope for everyone that the new normal which I am sure includes more screen time, will also include more nature and more outdoors. Lets work as a community to get through this and be better on  the other side."
-Geoffrey, Executive Director

"I am so incredibly proud to be a part of our teaching community at Nature's Classroom. Our classrooms are all humming along as best they can in these unfamiliar circumstances. Truth be told, I had so many reservations about going online for our students - given that our curriculum is so hands-on and so experiential. I resisted it for a while but my colleagues jumped right in and got it going very quickly, leading  the way for me. Now, our Children's House classroom for 3-6 year olds have weekly packages based on Montessori lessons they had in the classroom and many projects to do at home. They also have 2 daily Gathering Time sessions daily when they interact with their classmates. The Elementary and Adolescent students have a wonderful and creative mix of online and teacher-led lessons and meetings. We are also spending time and taking care to support parents at this very difficult time - when they have the added pressures of working from home and guiding their children's education. We are reassuring them that they do not have to home-school...this is not homeschooling. This is a temporary situation where they only need to guide their children, leaving the teachers to do the teaching in as much as is possible. We are supporting them in the best way we can. The teachers are so grateful for the support of the parents and all their goodwill...our relationship of mutual respect and care remains strong."
-Deepa, Head of School & Directress- Children's House Classroom
 

"During this turbulent time the importance of maintaining and fostering a strong sense of community and personal relationships is more important than ever, and takes on a drastically different form through distance learning. As we strive to educate the whole child, I find that academic excellence must take a back seat to caring for the social and emotional needs of each child. These chaotic times can be especially challenging for our atypical learners, who need extra and modified support; which is bringing to light the value and need for more individualized support and education."
-Katelyn, Directress- Adolescent Classroom 

 

"Although we’re all anxious to “get back to normalcy”, this down-time has been an important, reflection time for me..  And our job as educators and advocates for the environment, and for the next generation, has never seemed more important. I can't wait to get back to introducing the love of science and nature to our students, but what's most important is that we do what we can to ensure our communities stay healthy and safe."
-Britta, Education Director- Florida

"While this virus has been hard on everyone emotionally and in some cases more; the pause has allowed me to see the kindness and creativity that people can have when we feel ourselves cornered. And seeing this side of people has certainly inspired me to do more."
-Jordan, Education Director- Southwest Region