Mao Montessori Project - (Final Update - May 2012)

This page is a running log, summarizing the progress of the Montessori project started at Instituto de Ensenanzas de Ninos Especiales (IDENE) in Mao. Project planning and fundraising began in January 2011 and you can find brief updates here as well as links to longer stories and pictures on the project's progress. In short the project included grant-writing, fundraising, multiple ongoing teacher trainings in the Montessori Method, classroom remodeling with construction project, the purchase of Stateside Montessori materials (thank you to my family and friends!) and shipping them to the DR, creating handmade didactic classroom resources, curriculum development, and finally sharing the acquired knowledge and practice with teachers of other schools in the Dominican Republic. 

Thanks for reading this page! :)

(May 2012)

Final update to this page... for now. 

Over the last few months, I posted about our progress in the Montessori project at IDENE. During January-March we were making more handmade materials, extending and adding to the already existing classroom handmade Montessori collections that we made last summer and earlier this school year. In this second half of the school year, the students have become experts in many of the Montessori materials and are using them on a regular basis as part of the school curriculum. Furthermore, the teachers have been able to share the Montessori method that they have learned and practiced with two other teams of teachers at an elementary school in Miches (March 2012) and a Special Education school in Esperanza (May 2012). In these sessions, my teachers replicated their own Montessori trainings for teachers in other school is the Dominican Republic - leading the trainings that they themselves were participating in less than a year ago. For me, the project has come full circle in that the teachers are really motivated to continue sharing the methodology with other schools through even more traveling teacher trainings and workshops. You can read more about the progress I’ve mentioned in the links above. 


Thank you for reading along, for your interest, and for being a part of this project. :)

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(November 2011)

Hello there! We are well into the start of the school year, and it has been fun seeing the teachers and students at work with the materials in the classrooms. At this point, we have done teacher trainings on just about all of the Montessori materials brought back from the USA, the remodeled classrooms are all set up, and the staircase we had built is being used in physical therapy sessions. Also the teachers are still continuing to make the handmade teaching materials that we presented back during the June Training. 

Some updates and pictures about using the Montessori materials can be viewed in these September, October, and November posts. For me, it has been great to see the progress of each of the kids - the students (and teachers!) really seem to enjoy the new supplies. So hopefully things continue like that throughout the year! I have videos of the students working, but unfortunately was not able to upload them (the internet is not fast enough/I'm probably doing it wrong) - but I will look for some faster internet and keep trying because I can’t wait to share more about what the school is doing regarding this project. Photos are nice, but it would be better for you to see some of the project in action. The kids are amazing! Here are pictures of students posing in the newly remodeled classrooms with some of the Montessori materials.

Sensory Shelf and Materials

Backpack Hooks

Rugs and Rug Stand

Practical Life Shelf and Materials

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(September 2011)


At the end of July I went to the States for a visit. While there, my family and I checked out the Montessori Materials that had arrived - everything was there safe and sound! Upon leaving, I brought back the materials in my suitcases, and those that were too big to fit were sent back to the Dominican Republic through embarque.

all of the Montessori Materials!

In early through mid-August we held our August Montessori Teacher Training session, which you can see pictures of here. Everyone was so excited to see and learn to use the new teaching materials - some of the pictures show just how happy the teachers are! Due to time, Hurricane Irene, and just the quantity of new materials, we did not present all of them at once. Instead, we'll use our teacher workshop days (once a month on Fridays the school is closed, and just the teachers come in for training and presentations) to present the remainder of the materials on an ongoing basis throughout the fall. Already the materials are being used by the students, and many of them are loving it!  Look out for pictures soon.

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(July 2011)

Last month we had our first Montessori Teacher Training. It was funded through a USAID grant, was two weeks long, had 17 teacher participants from ours and other schools in town, and overall went really well! I added a whole long post about it with many pictures, which I'll eventually include on this page, too. For now, you can read all about and see the recap of June's training here. 

Also, the Montessori materials have been purchased and are now waiting Stateside! These materials are the ones that all of you helped us receive through such generous donations. We'll be using these materials for another Teacher Training (similar to June's, but even better!) coming up soon in August. For now though, here's a sneak peek!

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Hello Friends!

(June 2011)

Thanks for visiting. Funding has arrived and we're ready to get started! Thank you for caring about our school and supporting us. Please check back soon for updates! :)

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(March 2011)

My primary site here in Peace Corps is a small special education school in northwestern Dominican Republic. I have been working with this school for about a year, and in that time have gotten to know the 52 students and 15 teachers well. Students at our school all learn at different speeds, in various ways, and can require more assistance than their peers in certain academic areas. One example: some students can read and write, many can recognize numbers and letters, but many cannot yet. Simply put: the purpose of this project is to provide our students with the educational materials to meet their individual needs and help them improve in the classroom.

What exactly is the project?

1. To supply hands-on activities, learning games, and resources to students with special educational needs in northwestern Dominican Republic. 
2. To train the school’s 15 teachers in how to teach with these materials.
3. For the teachers to provide students with Montessori resources in a child-centered, learning environment.

What is Montessori, and how will it benefit students?

1. The Montessori Method focuses on individual achievements and success of students. It is a technique that recognizes that all students acquire and retain information differently, and therefore emphasizes learning that is child-centered.
2. The School Director has a lot of training in the Montessori Method and wants to eventually foster this approach to education school-wide.
3. My project partner and I chose materials that focus on four skill areas: Language, Math, Sensory Learning and Practical Living. We’ll use funds to buy the products from a vendor in the States. The hope is that teaching resources in these areas will help the students with letter and number recognition, memory, retention, and independent living.

What is the school doing to support their project?

Of the total cost, the school will be funding 35% of the budget, an amount which will cover:

1. Transportation of the materials (both those purchased in the States, and those purchased locally).
2. Labor in constructing materials (some products will be hand-made to save money).
3. Teacher training for 15 in the use of the new resource

This school is very important to me, so thank you for taking the time to read about our project.