“The greatest sign of success for a
teacher is to be able to say, ‘The children
are now working as if I did not exist.’”-Dr. Maria Montessori.
The morning parent presentation in the Maple Room at Heartwood Montessori, 229 13th Ave. NE, was just finishing up and the questions started to filter in from the eager audience members.
“Why do you read that [music on the iPad]?,” a student asked.
“Because we didn’t memorize it,” admitted the presenter.
“That’s a ridiculous answer,” the student proclaimed joyfully.
“I know,” laughed the parent.
Other questions included inquiries about Squishmallows and various hairstyles, all somewhat distant curiosities rather than conversing about the presenters’ spot-on French horn and trumpet duet version of “O Christmas Tree.”
During the presentation, one student left the circle and headed to the snack station, saying, “I’m hungry. I think I will eat a snack.” Other students followed, some of them leaving to pursue an activity of their choice as the presentation ended.
By the time the students independently found their area of choice, the room looked almost like a miniaturized version of an office, complete with a breakroom, work stations and the “guides” or teaching staff overseeing the small operation.
At Heartwood, that’s just what the community promotes: curiosity, autonomy, self-sufficiency and self-regulation. There is no right or wrong way for a student to approach a task. It’s all about learning from the decisions made by each individual child and what might happen next.
Both the Head of School Sinéad Carolan (left) and Assistant Head of School Angharad Picton. (Marla Khan-Schwartz)
A personal inspiration
Heartwood’s current director, Sinéad
Carolan, has always valued the idea of peace and independence through education. Carolan’s passion for Montessori goes well beyond personal experiences with her own children, sparked by a drive influenced by growing up surrounded by the political unrest and violence in Northern Ireland during the ’80s and ’90s.
After pursuing an education degree, Carolan was drawn to the Montessori method. She said, “Montessori at its heart is education for peace. If we give each child their autonomy and their ability to self-construct, they are innately peaceful humans, innately peaceful creatures. One of the goals of Montessori education is to construct a society that works for the good of each and all.”
Carolan moved to the Midwest and immediately started her first classroom in 1996. She invested herself in the Montessori method, and in 2003 opened Augsburg Park Montessori School in Richfield.
Penny shows “short chain.” (Marla Khan-Schwartz)
Filling a Northeast void
A little more than a decade ago, Carolan and her neighbor Sarah Walker, both Northeast residents at the time, drove their children daily to attend Carolan’s Richfield Montessori school because there wasn’t a Montessori option in Northeast Minneapolis.
The commutes led to an epiphany for both women — to bring a Montessori school to the community so their children could learn in a familiar place while also encouraging local community engagement.
“We wanted it to be Northeast-focused,” Carolan said. “We know and see that Northeast Minneapolis is really always kind of identified as a small town in a big city.”
The idea quickly became a goal and in 2014, supporters, parents and community members convened at Village Pub in St. Anthony, leaving with a plan. After organizing and fundraising, the idea catapulted into a 501(c)3 nonprofit. In 2015, with a student body of less than ten students, the doors of Heartwood Montessori School opened.
Caspian shows his drawing of a house. (Marla Khan-Schwartz)
A unique environment
The idea of Heartwood stems from the center of a tree. The oldest part of the tree, the heartwood is where growth first begins, a concept integral to the school’s mission. “We believe nurturing a child is a hope for humankind,” said parent and board of directors President Molly Each. “We work on building community through our school within an authentic Montessori environment and pedagogy.”
Because the word Montessori is not protected by a trademark, anyone can use the name when identifying their school even if they do not provide a true Montessori environment. According to the Minnesota Montessori Network, schools must adhere to identified critical elements as defined by both the American Montessori Society (AMS) and Association Montessori International (AMI) to be considered an authentic Montessori curriculum. Heartwood aligns with these fundamental elements, providing an environment for their students that stands out.
At Heartwood, the idea of community in a Montessori world encompasses inclusivity, interacting with and learning from others — even if they are half your age. In the Maple Room, a two-and-a-half-year-old may interact with a student twice their age, but all with the intent of bridging learning.
“It’s more like an authentic community,” Maple Room guide Anna Edgington said. “Having the next age [group with you] is really special and beneficial because the next age allows them to occupy different social spaces like the learner, the observer and the teacher.”
The choices students make when choosing snacks, games, activities or even playing with the loose parts scattered on the playground are up to them. Michelle McCabe, an assistant guide, believes these distinctions make early on impact each student’s ongoing ability to navigate life. “They develop the responsibility [by] making choices and can go back to it [tasks] and succeed. They will be working on something and make mistakes, learn from those mistakes, and then change the path,” she said.
Community within the classrooms is a big deal at Heartwood, but maintaining relationships amongst parents of the students is also held to a gold standard. The board of directors works with the school to ensure parents have the chance to know each other, socialize and engage with each other. Parent Keith Johns says this value has encouraged relationships with other parents and strengthened his relationship with his daughter. “It’s brought us closer together,” he said.
Luka, a kindergartener, says his favorite activities are eating lunch and playing games on Fridays. (Marla Khan-Schwartz)
Framework for the future
Now comprised of almost 50 students, a board of directors and 11 staff, Heartwood Montessori has grown into a village. This year, the school will celebrate its ten-year anniversary and plans to continue to expand programming to ensure its mission and values align with the true Montessori method.
Besides the two classrooms, the school offers ECFE classes, half days, summer camps and a full Montessori education through kindergarten, readying a child for the first grade. Johns said his child, who now attends Yinghua Academy, seems adjusted and prepared for the school’s curriculum. He said, “She’s able to both recognize and do things she’s asked, but also do things that she herself wants to do. I think it has been something that’s carried over from her time at Heartwood.”
Carolan believes her students are prepared and giving them the independence of voice is a key to their growing individualism. “We think children need us to do everything for them and tell them what to do, and really, once you’ve shown them how to do it, if you just trust that they will do it, they do.”