Doreen Adamo (left) and Bernadette Fasolas (right)

New beginnings are often exciting and yet daunting at the same time. Throughout our lives, we find ourselves at the ‘beginning’ over and over. As children, we anticipate the start of a new school year every September, and as we enter into adulthood, we launch into one of our first (and subsequent) new jobs. Each new beginning, in every phase of life, can bring about feelings of anticipation, and sometimes trepidation as well. This has certainly been true throughout my journey from Assistant Teacher to a member of the creative team, and eventually Program Director, of a newly established Montessori Teacher Education Program.

My Montessori journey began in 2001 when I took a position as an Assistant Teacher in a Montessori school near my home in New Jersey. Montessori was relatively new to me, and as I started out in my role as an assistant, I was unsure of what exactly to expect. In this new role, I quickly learned so much about the Montessori Method and realized its value in the education of young people, that I decided I wanted to pursue my certification to become a Lead Teacher.

Although I was excited to begin my formal Montessori training, I was concerned about the amount of time it would take away from my family and other responsibilities. However, as my training continued, what I was learning reinforced my belief that the methods developed by Dr. Maria Montessori truly were the best way to reach all children. Creating my albums was as arduous as it was rewarding. In my particular training, Adult Learners were presented the lessons on a floppy disc in typewritten form. As I was a Graphic Designer in my previous career, I was able to rely on that background in order to create an attractive layout for the material write-ups. I decided to rework the formatting of the type and then photograph and import the photos that were needed for each write-up. I incorporated notes into the albums that were taken in class…notes that I clearly remember taking, like it was only yesterday.

When it was time to begin my Practicum, once again there arose within me the feelings of eagerness and apprehension. On the one hand, I couldn’t wait to put into action all of the things I had learned in my training. On the other, I worried that I wouldn’t be able to uphold the great tradition set forth by Dr. Montessori. Fortunately, during my Practicum, a great friendship formed between me and another woman in the program. Bernadette and I began to work together in the classroom and found that our strengths and weaknesses were very well balanced. We quickly became a great teaching team. In our Practicum classroom, as we watched our students grow, learn, and gain independence and self-confidence, we found that our friendship and love of Montessori was growing rapidly as well. For both of us, it silenced the feeling of worry during this new phase in our Montessori development.

Bernadette and I were fortunate to work together through our Practicum and beyond. However, when the 2005 school year came to an end, Bernadette made the difficult decision to accept a position at a new Montessori school in another town. As we parted ways in the classroom, we vowed to one day reconnect and teach together again. Once more, I was faced with a new beginning by having to team up with a new teacher, and Bernadette and I had to create a way to maintain our professional connection and our personal friendship.

Although Bernadette and I no longer worked together, we began to spend some of our free time walking together. Over the next seven years or so, our walks continued and it never took long for our conversations to turn to Montessori, teaching, and our dream of working together again. During this period of time, I had also started serving as a Field Consultant and Guest Lecturer for a Teacher Education Program in my area and had aspirations of becoming a full instructor for the program. But as luck would have it, the program closed its doors before I had the opportunity to achieve this goal. New Jersey was now faced with having one less teacher education program and many worried a bit about the future of Montessori training in our area.

Around the same time that this door was closing for me, a new one was opening for Bernadette. The Montessori Children’s Academy, where she was now teaching, was at the beginning stages of launching its own Teacher Education Program. Bernadette was asked to assist with helping create some of the curricula for the new TEP. As happy as I was for Bernadette, I couldn’t help but think “If only I had that opportunity as well.” She and I had spent many hours during our walks brainstorming what we would do, if ever given the chance, to make a new TEP successful and noteworthy. We loved sharing our dreams of how we would create a ‘perfect’ TEP, and we discovered that we shared a similar vision.

Our dreams included working together again, of course, but we also envisioned a TEP where Adult Learners would be immersed in a positive atmosphere for learning. The courses would obviously cover all of the requisite Montessori information, and they would be enjoyable and engaging too. If given the chance, we would lead by example, sharing our experiences and wisdom, and providing Adult Learners with inspiration. The TEP classrooms would be fully equipped with beautiful materials, and the two of us, as well as all others on staff, would be totally committed to the learners and a strong belief in the Montessori approach. I envisioned the Adult Learners creating albums similar to mine, which continue to be very special to me, not only because they hold key information that I need to reference on occasion, but because I remember how much time and effort went into creating each one. Our Adult Learners would leave this program prepared and enthusiastic about perpetuating Dr. Maria Montessori’s legacy.

Then, in April 2013, I had the long-awaited opportunity to teach once again with Bernadette at The Montessori Children’s Academy (MCA). One goal achieved! Not too long after joining MCA as a 3-6 Head Teacher, I was approached by the Executive Director and the President of the school about becoming involved in the planning for the new TEP, along with Bernadette and other members of the development team. Without hesitation, I accepted the challenge, and although this would again be the start of something new, the exhilaration of being able to fulfill a dream overshadowed any anxiety. Bernadette and I worked with the Director of Montessori Development, the Executive Director, the President of the school, and a number of others to move forward with the arduous task of bringing The Montessori Children’s Academy’s vision of a TEP to life. All of our conversations during our walks, all of our dreams of creating the perfect TEP, were becoming a reality for the two of us, as we became part of a community of Montessorians who were moving toward this common goal.

After spending countless hours over the next several months working in tandem with the other team members to carry out the preliminary tasks of drafting curriculum, researching guidelines for new TEPs, and maintaining frequent contact with both AMS and MACTE, I was offered the position of Program Director, and Bernadette the position of Assistant Program Director, of Montessori Center for Teacher Development (MCTD). Our workload increased as we revised previously drafted curricula and created new, poured over transcripts and background checks for potential staff, read through the stringent AMS and MACTE guidelines to ensure everything was in place and compiled the necessary information for the self-study. The daily communications and meetings between the two of us and our editor, Executive Director, and MCA President seemed endless at times, but we all understood it was critical to the success of our program. As we were writing lessons and putting together the Adult Learner Handbook and the Syllabi Packet, it became obvious that everything needed to be explained clearly for someone new to Montessori. We wanted to be sure that accurate and detailed information would be passed on to our Adult Learners, so we looked at all of our materials with even more critical eyes, and every document was double- and triple-checked. Bernadette and I worked endless nights together at one another’s homes and spent snow days from school on conference calls, as the other members of our team were putting in similar hours carrying out their own set of tasks. It was what had to be done to ensure we adhered to the team’s timeline for completing this process. Was it daunting at times? Yes! Without a doubt! But it was also exciting and incredibly fulfilling to bring to life a new TEP in New Jersey

Now that the self-study and application process was well underway, promoting the new TEP was the next challenge. Under the guidance of MCA’s Executive Administration and using the outline we were provided, we drafted a marketing plan and began to contact prospective Adult Learners. The momentum for the program was building, and Bernadette and I kept one another afloat during the times we felt overwhelmed. With each progressive step in this process, I found myself learning new skills and pulling up a resolve and strength I didn’t realize I had. It was a longtime dream that was materializing. As word spread and applications for Adult Learners began to trickle in, it seemed to become even more real. The day we realized we had enrolled enough Adult Learners for Montessori Center for Teacher Development to officially launch, Bernadette and I celebrated! Then we got back to work….

When the Montessori materials we’d ordered for the TEP arrived, it was like Christmas morning. Bernadette and I unpacked each box and carefully placed the materials on the shelves around the classroom. Once everything was in place and we had a moment to step back and take it all in, we realized that indeed this was the TEP of our dreams. As we prepared the environment, we took time to talk about how we would prepare ourselves for the first day with the new Adult Learners. We wanted the program to begin with a certain feeling: one of joy, anticipation, and optimism. It would be a feeling that would sustain the Adult Learners throughout their time with us. As the learners embarked upon their own educational journeys, the aim was to guide them beyond the apprehension and into the appreciation of the Montessori way.

One of my proudest moments was when Bernadette and I stood in front of the initial cohort of Adult Learners on that first day of class introducing ourselves and the other MCTD Instructors. The commencement of this program and the realization of our goal to help create a strong, well-planned TEP was a momentous occasion. Not only did it feel like all the hard work and long hours were worthwhile, but we also felt great pride that we were preserving the extraordinary work started by Dr. Maria Montessori and ensuring it would continue for future generations. We were now sharing our passion for the Montessori Method with people who would carry on the tradition of what we know is an incredibly effective educational philosophy.

I like to think back to the beginning of the journey which started 14 years ago. Bernadette and I sat side by side learning about Maria Montessori and what a truly amazing woman she was. We learned about the impact she had on education, and we took that learning with us into our classrooms with our own young students. Now, we too, are able to make a positive impact on the future of children and adults alike. It is our goal to make MCTD the best that it can be, with its Adult Learners becoming skilled and prepared to provide a nurturing, positive learning experience for every child who comes into their care. All of us at Montessori Center for Teacher Development hope to live up to the perceived potential of the On-Site Verification Team that visited us last fall. The team provided constructive criticism, praise, and much encouragement…and in the end, new friendships within and ties to the greater Montessori community.

As Bernadette and I continue our frequent walks and talks, we agree that together we aspire to help build this new TEP into something wonderful, something meaningful, something that will grow much like a child grows. And we have also come to realize that every new beginning, while scary, is equally, if not more, exhilarating. Once we get past the fear of facing a new beginning, we have the satisfaction of reflecting on the experience and acknowledging that those first steps have led to something great. I have to believe that Dr. Montessori would agree.