Montessori Training – Upper Elementary
Ms. Rachel is The Glen’s most recently certified Upper Elementary teacher! Like her teaching partner, Ms. Amelia, she has spent years preparing to teach children during this sensitive period focused on socialization and increased awareness of their place in the world. Ms. Rachel came to The Glen in 2012 with a Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s of Science in Elementary Education and years of experience teaching in public schools in Maryland and Pittsburgh. She has taught at all age levels of a Montessori environment—Birth to Three, Children’s House, and Elementary.
In the Summer of 2019, Ms. Rachel moved to Upper Elementary and attended the Montessori Model United Nations (MMUN) Coordinator Training. This three-day course focused on preparing students for the year-long curriculum, including topics such as the role of the United Nations, writing position papers, crafting speeches, drafting resolutions, and utilizing the UN Rules of Procedures to negotiate among delegates. This specialized training equipped them with the knowledge and skills to facilitate the Montessori Model United Nations program, empowering students to engage with global issues and develop critical thinking and diplomatic skills.
The unique qualities of the MMUN—compared to other model UN programs—are that it uses the official UN’s Rules of Procedure to negotiate resolutions and take action. This approach strongly supports the Montessori philosophy steeped in peace education, compromise, and consensus building, which are found in real-world international diplomacy. It is the core of Montessori education and what sets both the MMUN and Upper Elementary experience apart from traditional programs.
Then, in 2022, Ms. Rachel pursued additional master’s level work through The Center for Guided Montessori Studies and, over 18 months and more than 2,000 hours, achieved her Elementary II Montessori Teacher Certification. It began with a month-long residency in North Carolina, followed by more than a full year of practicum and coursework, further advancing her understanding of child development and the cultural studies created by Maria Montessori. Specifically, she delved into language arts, mathematics, biology, geometry, art, music, technology, and the unique focus on Peace Education and classroom leadership.
Coming to Montessori with a background in traditional education has been eye-opening and rewarding for Ms. Rachel. The Montessori philosophy truly follows the child and helps each individual develop to their fullest potential—in reading, math, and science—but it also focuses on those critical skills that make a difference in successful adults: self-control, working together as a group, peacefully resolving conflict, and developing individualized educational expectations for each child in all of these areas.
Focusing on the whole child—cognitive, social, emotional, and physical—allows the child to flourish across all planes of development. In her non-teaching time, Ms. Rachel is a swimming and acting mom to two girls (Caitlin and Cecily) and lives with her husband, Mike. They have two wonderful dogs named Boomer and Duke.
