Work in Colombia

One Day off, until a call from Barranquilla!

SusanMayclinStephenson1 Comment

They thought we were crazy. After all of the work we had done in the Cauca Valley and the mountains of Colombia, we were on our way to beautiful Cartagena, on the north coast of Colombia, for a little rest before the opening of the annual AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) congress for Colombia. But a few days earlier a friend in Barranquilla asked us (Lyda Franky, my good friend, translator, and head of the AMI affiliate for this country) and I, if we would come to see her brand new school and perhaps give a public lecture.

So we were met at the Cartagena airport upon arrival, driven 2+ hours to Barranquilla to do what we could to help this tiny new school, and driven back, still with a few hours to rest before the congress begins. Most people from outside the country are familiar with the beautiful tourist destinations of the coast of this country, but I always enjoy seeing the typical villages, shops, people going about their daily lives. There was plenty of this between the two cities. Continue reading →

Colombian schools, and the ADHD Question

SusanMayclinStephenson3 Comments

It is so rewarding to share what I have seen here during these days. I often tell people, “Authentic Montessori can exist without materials, but not without the very best of teachers and a deep understanding of Montessori.”

THE TIMBIO MONTESSORI SCHOOL
The picture here shows an amazing practical life task, a seven-year-old saddling his horse at the end of the day at the Montessori school in Timbio, Colombia. Think of the executive functions (the most important predictor in success in life) being strengthened with this work: planning, organization initiating work, patience, logical sequence, self-control, perseverance, solving problems, working memory . . . And the feelings of the child as he engages in real work that he sees being done around him every day, and can do largely on his own. Continue reading →

Montessori Work in Colombia, South America – Fall 2019

SusanMayclinStephenson3 Comments

1 colombia on globe

September 29, Bogotá, Colombia
The picture above shows Colombia on the map of South America, and the view from the top of a hill in Bogota. I had been at the Bogota airport many times since 1978, but this was my first time seeing the city and it is a beautiful as one hears.
CLICK:Bogota

Journal Notes, several places in Colombia over the weeks
September 30.
Arranged by FEMCO, the AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) affiliate in Colombia, on the first day I gave two PowerPoint presentations based on the book “The Universal Child, Guided by Nature” which has been translated into Spanish (See links below). In the audience were the government heads of the early childhood departments from all of the areas of Colombia. There was much excitement as Montessori practices are new to the government of Colombia and it was clear that they are logical and kind and successful. Continue reading →