Stepping into a Montessori school is much like entering a toy house, the only difference is that it is not a toy town. And the teachers or chittis (aunties) in this case monitor and facilitate these learning environments — I wonder who would not want to work with kids in a colourful setting where school means fun? This is exactly what Rukmini Ramachandran was drawn to when she left Gokulam as a journalist and pursued the Montessori course in England in 2000-2003. “People often think that a Montessori school means ‘children play at school and are happy’. It is not like that at all. Children here work within certain rules and need to maintain discipline,” says Ramachandran, director of training at the Navadisha Montessori Foundation-Chennai.
What is Montessori edu?
A typical Montessori school has the usual pattern and colour recognition toys that kids use to learn the basics. You will also find vessels, pulses, various installations where children learn to tie and untie knots they come across in daily life and even button and unbutton shirts. Mirrors at a height of two feet, kid-sized brooms, soap, dirty cloth to clean and other such accessories make the classrooms look like home more, or less. “Through the activities that children do here they are prepared to learn abstract ideas later. A child does not know mathematics at the age of two-and-a-half, so he cuts vegetables into two parts and learns division. Gathering grains from a couple of friends teaches him addition,” says 48-year-old Sheela Parthasarathy who heads the Montessori section — Kamala Nikunj at the Beasant Arunadale Senior Secondary School.
Teacher’s role
The Montessori philosophy is simple, yet enlightening. “The classroom is a mini society and the chittis are enlightened teachers. We are role models to the kids. If we tell them to roll their mat and place it in the bin at the end of the day, we need to do the same thing as well. We can’t be lax at any time, because the kids take everything at face value,” says 46-year-old Ramachandran. Parthasarathy adds that Montessori education is all about understanding — one needs to have a lot of patience and should be able to work at the child’s pace. “Completion of work is important, so even if we are getting delayed for lunch or parents are waiting to take their kids back home we must ensure that the child has completed his work to his satisfaction and has put things back where they belong,” she says.
“At this tender age, we actually see the child become someone. We need to be practical guides and direct them to do the right thing, thereby developing strength of character in them,” adds Ramachandran.
Study is a challenge
To be Montessori teachers, one has to complete a nine-month pre-primary diploma course developed at the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) which is internationally recognised. AMI offers three courses — The Assistants to Infancy Course is for birth to three years, the Primary Diploma Course is for three to six years and the Elementary Diploma Course is for six to 12 years. Navadisha and Mumbai-based RTI Montessori Training are the only the two schools you can head to for the course in India.
“The course is very rigorous and one needs to have a lot of dedication, time and family support to complete it successfully,” says Ramachandran. English fluency is very important to pursue the course. Those who are unable to cope with the course load have the option of completing it over a period of two years. “There is no entrance test. Those who want to work with children are welcome but we do interview the aspirants and make them aware of the challenges of this course. Degree holders are preferred as they will have some knowledge to take up this course. You have to not only attend full-day classes and maintain 90 per cent attendance, but will also be given homework, which could easily consume three-four hours of evening time,” says Ramachandran.
Opportunities
“There is a great demand for Montessori teachers in the field today. But unfortunately we do not get many candidates,” says Ramachandran. It is a lucrative profession but the remuneration also depends on the establishment where one works. “If being a teacher is not paying much, then those with a stomach for business can set up a Montessori school themselves,” she adds.
Ramachandran has been running the AMI course since 2004 and says that the course can be applied at various levels. “Once an architect joined the course to understand how to design child-friendly environments. Those interested in publishing can write for children after completing this course. One of my students wants to teach pregnant women to make their home ready for the infant and give the expecting mother tips on parenting issues,” says Ramachandran. “In the long run, a teacher can even become a trainer and reach out to more kids”.
— susmita@newindianexpress.com