Intensive Montessori Adolescent Training

Ben Moudry, one of the founders of Great River School in 2004, is currently the Montessori Director and Adolescent 1 social studies guide. Ben was a generative force in the creation of Great River School and in holding a vision for this training to happen. We are pleased to honor him on February 4 as we celebrate his work over the past 8 years and focus on this summer's Montessori training opportunity largely provided due to his leadership.

Many hours of professional development over the past few years have been dedicated to Montessori pedagogy. Since the founding of Great River School in 2004, six of its teachers have attend the Montessori Orientation to Adolescent Studies through the North American Montessori Teachers Association (NAMTA) in Cleveland, Ohio. This is the most comprehensive training available for Montessori teachers of adolescents.

In the summer of 2012, all GRS teachers will have the opportunity to participate in an intensive adolescent training program offered by NAMTA here in Minnesota. This opportunity has never before been available locally;it represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for faculty from GRS and other local initiatives to train together on a farm owned by Lake Country School and in town. Participants will be come intimately familiar with the transformative and inspirational pedagogy of Montessori for adolescents.

This training has the potential to transform Great River School teachers from dedicated and skilled professionals with more generalized experience to teachers with a deep understanding of the Montessori philosophy. Thus, our school will reflect the inspiration of Maria Montessori to provide students with the opportunity to learn and be inspired by guides steeped in Montessori pedagogy.