A Note from the Head of School
Dear Thacher Community,
Welcome to week three of Notes Home from what feels like a futuristic world. Certainly not one I ever envisioned we would be sharing virtually or otherwise.
I shall attempt here to provide you a view through our administrative lens of the challenges we face in creating virtual learning from a Montessori hands on, independent learning environment.
Our goal, with what we are able to provide, is to give parents the resources and tools that will be useful with “learning from home.” The experiences that your children have at home with you during this time will not replace or even come close to replicating the classroom experience - and although there are no expectations for this to happen, we hope that what we provide will give you the content you are seeking, as well as inspiration to create your own!
Most people who seek out Montessori education do so purposefully, due to the little to no use of technology in the classrooms or in our homes. And now, here we are in this incredibly unfamiliar territory where the only way to share Montessori education is only online through the use of technology. Our guides, who all possess AMI or AMS or both Montessori diplomas, as well as Masters’ degrees, have little to no formal training in online resources/platforms and “teaching Montessori online.”
The uniqueness of this situation has pushed us, as an ENTIRE staff to learn more (
in a very short time
) and also will propel us to work harder, in a different way, to provide you, our families, with the best support that we can - remotely - from our own homes, with our own children, and families “working” in the background within a very short distance of our work space. Your patience and understanding - at this challenging time for us - is greatly appreciated, to say the least. We fully understand and empathize with you as you are experiencing this same situation in your families.
Though learning and teaching will now look different, our commitment to reach Thacher’s mission is unwavering. We are nervous and excited about this journey we are on with all of you. The list of ideas for lessons and videos that our staff crafted is nothing short of extraordinary! We want to be sure that we are presenting our best to you all, because you deserve it. Thank you for your patience as we, and the rest of educators around the WORLD, are trying our best to quickly formulate and execute a plan. We look forward with excitement to the new ways we will be connecting with your children and your families in the coming weeks. We appreciate all of you for your support in this process and can’t wait for you to begin to experience our staff and their diverse talents in creative and heartfelt new ways.
Strive for joy and understanding; pause and take a breath; think of all we have to be thankful for in the midst of this world pandemic. Be safe and healthy.
In partnership,
Deba