I have always wanted to be a preschool teacher. I would spend hours as a child playing school with my dolls and neighborhood kids. I always loved being the teacher. When I was in high school I organized summer camps in our garage for younger neighborhood kids. The joy and fulfillment that I felt teaching kids to read, organizing activities and spending time with those children was very rewarding and deep.

That experience validated or solidified that teaching was what I wanted to do. Studying Early Childhood Education in college naturally felt like the next step for me. But while I was in my last year of college, I realized that the methods I was being taught and using did not give me the same satisfaction that I had experienced when I ran my summer camps. I had many debates and discussions with my boss because I was not following the school’s teaching style. I was letting the children get up from their chairs, letting them talk, move around, and make projects together. But my boss had a different idea of how kids should be educated. His traditional approach was the way most of us were taught: sitting quiet and still, following the teacher’s directions without question, using the same tools, and making the same projects as everyone else at the same time.

I could not find my passion in that style of teaching and I did not have to as I was soon introduced to “Montessori” by a collegue. The Montessori method focused on teaching children as individuals. I took my first course and it felt like everything fell into place. What I learned made sense and my enthusiasm to teach returned. Children worked at their own pace which fostered their independence and autonomy and they were given the opportunity to think outside the box. For example, an apple didn’t always have to be red. It could be green, yellow, or brown if it was rotten. That first course completely changed my perspective of children and how I pictured imagined myself having an impact on their development!

The first course I took inspired me to learn more about this cutting-edge approach to teaching. I headed to Perugia, Italy where Montessori began, to attend a well known school, Centro Internazionale Maria Montessori. I was fortunate to be one of three students under world renowned Montessori professor, Luciano Mazzetti. He would speak about children with such passion, depth and eloquence which was incredibly inspiring. After his lectures, we would experience his teachings through our observation of the children. Because of him, I have a deeper understanding of what I have read in books and experienced self-transformation in how I interacted with children.

After a short return to Mexico, I moved to San Diego to further my training at the Montessori Institute of San Diego at USD. Here, I was blessed to have another world renowned professor and mentor, Dr. Silvia Duvovoy. I am forever grateful for her guidance and support through the years. Her knowledge, experience and devotion have had a profound influence on the way I interact with my students.

After 17 years of working with children in Italy, Mexico and San Diego and earning two AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) diplomas and a Master’s Degree in Montessori Education, I have developed an extensive knowledge base and appreciation for the complexities of early childhood education. I am thrilled to be starting my own Montessori program and to share my knowledge and experience to create an environment for your children to thrive.

 

Welcome to Kindred Montessori!

Veronica Martinez