How Prepared Montessorian Institute Prepares Guides for the Classroom from Day One

When you observe a 20-month-old toddler serve herself a snack, throw away scraps and stack her dirty plate when she finishes, and wash her hands before going back to work—all without a word of reminder from an adult—the Montessori classroom feels a bit like a fanciful dream.

When you watch the same child at 3-years-old select a literacy material like the sandpaper letters or moveable alphabet, focus intently, persist through challenges and distractions, and continue to work over a period of weeks, gradually teaching herself to read—the Montessori method seems nothing short of miraculous.

Yet both of these achievements, and countless others like them, were made possible by the efforts of a Montessori guide (teacher)—preparing the environment, observing and understanding the child’s needs, and offering timely support and guidance.

Becoming the kind of excellent guide who can create an environment that supports a child’s independence, and who can inspire a child to choose to apply effort, to learn deeply, and to gain mastery, requires a specialized set of knowledge and skills. Guidepost Montessori partners with a teacher-training institute, Prepared Montessorian Institute (PMI), to provide our guides with one-of-a-kind resources and the support system they need to thrive in the classroom.

What is PMI?

Prepared Montessorian Institute is a comprehensive Montessori learning center that helps current and prospective guides (teachers) become more knowledgeable about the Montessori method and how to implement it in the classroom.

Prepared Montessorian Institute is accredited by MACTE, the only accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Though the institute has only been in operation since 2019, they have grown to enroll more people in their certification programs than any other accredited Montessori-training program—many of whom are now guides at Guidepost campuses across the country! Over 1,000 Guidepost educators have joined PMI’s training programs. Roughly 1 out of every 5 Guidepost assistant guides and 2 out of every 3 Lead guides at Guidepost are in training or have already graduated from PMI.

PMI offers certification programs for every age group: whether an educator is interested in working with infants and toddlers or with adolescents in high school. Each certification program is rigorous and all-encompassing. Current and future Montessori educators learn the fundamentals of Montessori theory, how to present the full scope-and-sequence of Montessori materials for their chosen age range, how to apply positive classroom management techniques to create a benevolent classroom culture, and so much more.

The program is delivered in a hybrid style: some sessions are live on zoom, some are recorded resources for independent study, some are activities to be carried out in live Montessori classrooms with children, and some are at our Training Center locations with immersive experiences of intensive studies. These multiple mediums allow for people in our program to study at their own pace, in their own style, and in all circumstances.

Uniting Theory and Practice for a Best-in-Class Certification Program

Most teacher-training programs, whether Montessori or otherwise, spend years teaching theory before the educator ever steps foot in the classroom. Once in the classroom, however, the educator quickly discovers that things don’t operate according to a textbook’s theories. The classroom is dynamic, and many educators find themselves in their first few years of their career overwhelmed, blindsided by curveball situations, and alone. It’s no wonder that 44% of new teachers leave the profession within the first five years of their career.

Inspired by Montessori’s approach—observing students carefully, understanding their stage of development, and designing materials and hands-on experiences to scaffold their progress— PMI has designed an approach to adult-education that considers the unique challenges and circumstances of a new Montessori educator.

PMI offers the only Montessori teacher-training program designed to combine theory and practice from day one. Like a medical in-residency or engineering co-op, PMI and Guidepost partner to offer guides-in-training the opportunity to study the fundamentals of Montessori while immediately applying them in the classroom with the support of their colleagues and mentors.

Through this partnership, guides are able to learn what they need at the moment they need it to support the children in their classrooms. The program blends online, in-person, and practicum learning components to create a feedback loop between what guides learn in their training classes and how they actually manifest in the classrooms, where curveballs are common! PMI doesn’t just help people know what it takes to have a perfect Montessori classroom, but also how to respond when it isn’t perfect yet, and which steps to take to get it there.

Best of all, guides are not alone while gaining expertise as educators. Through Guidepost’s wide network of campuses offering opportunity for collaboration, regional team leaders with programmatic expertise who can provide in-classroom observations and support, and their PMI classes and mentorship, guides have a one-of-a-kind support network to lean on as they hone their craft.

The end result? Certified guides who know—through theory and practice—how to set up a Montessori classroom that meets the needs of every child and helps each unlock their full potential.

Are you ready to launch your teacher-training to the next level?

Are you ready to re-imagine education? Both for children and for educators-in-training? Do you believe a teacher-training program should do more to prepare educators for the situations they’ll encounter in the classroom, more to support them as they’re honing their skills, and more to help them launch an impactful career? Then, we encourage you to check out PMI and the Guidepost career openings near you!

Here’s a brochure that goes over the details of PMI’s Diploma programs for educators looking to become Montessori certified.

The best place to get even more information is to visit www.preparedmontessorian.com or reach out to the PMI team at hello@preparedmontessorian.com 

PMI Courses for Parents and the Montessori-Curious

Many Montessori educators found the approach because they first were Montessori-curious parents. PMI fully believes that the greatest educator of an individual child is their parent or primary caregiver. No one knows the child more and no one has as constant of an influence on the child.

PMI offers introductory and other short courses for parents who either want to learn more about the methodology, to enroll their children in a Montessori school, or to bring Montessori’s approach into their daily lives at home, as well as courses to help parents approach pivotal parenting moments like toilet learning with Montessori’s guiding philosophy.

One of the best places to start is the course called “How Montessori Education Works” a free course on the learning platform Udemy that you can find here: https://www.udemy.com/course/how-montessori-education-works/

PMI also offers courses that we love to share which are targeted to help with parenting situations like toilet learning, how to bring Montessori into the home, or how to speak so children hear you. These courses can be found here: https://preparedmontessorian.com/parent