When someone asks me to describe the school, it is as if they want me to describe how my heart is being transformed. That organ that gives us life, that beats at full speed when we need it, and that keeps its balance when it rests.
Since its inception, Valencia Montessori has had at its core the intention of creating opportunities to connect and experience that mind and body are not a duality. This is evident in various micro-plans within the context of our school, which adds to the humble and simple purpose of manifesting a place where children, guides and families can grow.
I have dreamed and visualized this project before it existed, and 9 years later, each experience is a clear example of my own growth and the breadth and immensity of life. When you begin to understand the impact of using the right words, to understand what others need, how important it is to give space and time to everything that cultivates our being, a force is created that attracts the need to move forward and actively choose to live in what we understand to be a better world; one in which each and everyone of us as a community has the knowledge, the will and the magic to live in harmony with and to respect the Earth.
Some families ask themselves and tell you when they hear about Montessori methodology and our educational project “This is wonderful, but what happens when my child goes out into the real world?” Some families may have the idea that the real world exists beyond the walls of the present moment. But this is our challenge: this is the real world, the real world that we want our children to trust. And school is our manner of demonstrating that challenges the idea that the environment we provide to our students is temporary or transitory. The learning and growth they experience here is what will help them remain lifelong learners; curious, proactive and, above all, compassionate human beings.
When children are at the center of their learning, we empower them to move, react, think, reflect, observe and undertake, as it applies equally to their academic, social and emotional development. Dr. Montessori said, “The best gifts we can give our children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.
Montessori’s pedagogy is the engine that is fueled by environmental education and the focus on food education, two important pillars that contribute to the construction of a global citizenship in each and every one of the boys and girls who are VMS.
When we are encouraged to follow our passions and curiosities, when we see the beauty in admiring and encouraging the interests of others, and when someone gives us the key to be explorers and not spectators of our life, this is when education becomes meaningful and gratitude is amplified.
It is amplified because we squeeze out the days, because we become more aware of our present and therefore our future. We choose to educate consciously by breathing and living the vision of this project. Admittedly, it is an intense journey with many challenges faced from the beginning. Yet here we are, we continue evolving, growing and adapting to open a path that very few travels to overcome them by a uniting as a great team who call this place their home. I know that many people want the school to grow but we want to continue doing so while maintaining our essence, our commitment and respect for each family. 2021 is a turning point in the history of VMS because it will be the year when the school will have its full capacity in the first 10 years. We continue to focus on continuing with a unique mid-term expansion. This year, we opened the reservation period for the next year earlier, because it is important to know the spots that will be available and to configure a balance in the classrooms in order to commit ourselves to the families and the community towards the sustainable future of the school. After these years, I have realized that the school is not a timetable, nor a guide, nor one activity or another, nor myself; the school is a project led with passion, love and dedication, firmly believing in the values that allow it to shine. This is what must continue to be built, after all, it is not only my heart that is transformed, but that of each one of us.
There is nothing I want more than to share this experience and education with people who are pursuing the same dream, that we have already turned into reality.
I await you at the gates of 2021.
Sincerely, Sonia.