Montessori 101 - An Interview with Charlotte Peck (Montessori Consultant)

Ready to start learning Spanish at home with your child?Join Mighty Bilingual Families  and start today!Charlotte Peck is a Montessori educator and consultant who helps parents navigate Montessori learning at home so they can be present with their children, avoid overwhelm, and feel capable and confident in supporting their child's natural learning process. She holds a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education, a Montessori certification for children in ages 3-6, and is a Certified Positive Discipline Parent Educator. She has spent nearly a decade working with children and families in nonprofit youth organizations, public and private education, and in Montessori schools in the US and in Mexico.I started consulting as a response to a need I saw with families during the pandemic. I realized families needed more personal, direct support in their new reality. This grew into helping parents be more intentional with learning at home, work with what they have, and find rhythms and routines that work for their family.What is Montessori? Montessori education is a child-centered approach to learning developed by Dr. Maria Montessori in the early 1900’s. Dr. Montessori, originally a physician, dedicated her life to developing methods and materials for a child’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development. This later evolved into her work educating for peace, as she believed that “early childhood education is the key to the betterment of society.”Some key components of Montessori education include: child-centered or child-directed learning, individualized learning, emphasis on a child's freedom of choice, intrinsic motivation, independence/autonomy, and community.  Concepts are explored and skills are practiced through 'work' or purposeful activity.I offer a free checklist with follow-up videos that cover the basics of preparing the home, which includes making space for materials, a few key supplies, some design elements to keep in mind, and suggestions for tying it all together with rhythms and routines.Through my years of teaching and working with parents, I have found that often what brings people to Montessori is the want for something different or better for their child. Something other than what they themselves experienced. I think it’s important to affirm how special and powerful that is, and that realization and choosing to explore or implement Montessori is already doing so much for your child. Montessori can look a lot of different ways. It’s a philosophy, a lens, rather than strict rules you have to follow “or else.” The basis of Montessori is to “follow the child” and guide them according to their unique needs and interests. I help parents make Montessori easy and relatable for them and their family and assure them, as Montessori said “One test of the correctness of educational procedure is the happiness of the child.”With observations and insight from parents, I guide them in creating a home environment and create personalized lessons based on their child’s interests and abilities, to meet them right where they are. Activities are designed to deepen the child’s understanding and integrate all areas of the Montessori curriculum, as well as being fun and enjoyable for everyone. I will also soon be offering online Positive Discipline workshops for parents. Connect with CharlotteWebsite: https://charlottepeck.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/montessoricharlotte/Free Montessori at home checklist: