Changing the future of Zapotec peoples in Oaxaca

Two local teachers, Osvelia and Margarita, received funds from Montessori Global Growth Fund to cover their travel expenses for teacher training at the Montessori Institute for Workshop Guides AC.  Osvelia has now formally completed the training and has obtained the AMI certificate as a Workshop Guide.  Both Osvelia and Margarita have returned to Ananda Learning Center in Sierra Sur de Oaxaca community of San Sebastian Rio Hondo, Oaxaca, Mexico.

This learning center seeks to become what Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) calls a Community Rooted Education (CoRE) training center for the region.  To do so necessitates training more local community members as Montessori teachers.  It is with our financial assistance that we are helping Ananda move toward its goal.

As Ananda Learning Center's leader commented,  Guiding children "between the ages of 3 and 12, our greatest goal is to foster independence and the development of awareness of the interrelationship that exists in the universe. Maria Montessori called it the cosmic vision, and it refers to the fact that all the elements of life, the sun, water, air, minerals, plants as well as animals and all human beings are united and interdependent on each other, forming part of a great cosmic plan that guides us to self-perfection."

Thank you for helping this remote community develop a learning environment for its children.

• Osvelia has received her certificate (PDF)
  

Dear Donors,

The following is a copy of the most recent update on our grant to Ananda Learning Center for their training of two elementary Montessori teachers.  This report was received at the end of May 2024.  (For privacy, I have removed the surnames of the teachers in training).

These are local women from the Zapotec community.  Once they finish their training they will teach at the elementary level at Ananda Learning Center.  Because they are local to the community and area they will bring Montessori principles into the local culture, enriching the children's education without negatively impacting their Zapotec culture.  In addition, these women will receive a salary, providing them with an income they in all likelihood would not have had.  

As you'll read below, clearly these women are enthusiastic about what they are learning, knowing that they will be able to take their experiences in Mexico City back to San Sebastián Río Hondo, Miahuatlan, Oxaca, Mexico. 

Thank you so much for your wonderful support of these women on their journey to becoming certified Montessori elementary teachers.

REPORT OF ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT DURING THE IN-PERSON TRAINING

COURSE FOR MONTESSORI WORKSHOP GUIDES SC 2022-2024

Dear donors, we want to thank you for the support you have given us to ensure
that two of the local teachers continue the Montessori training, one of them
completes the course this year and thanks to that we will be able to have teachers
trained at an AMI Montessori level with standards of ideal work so that in the future
we can be the regional training center and serve as a training center for other
schools in the region or state.

Below, we briefly describe some activities carried out during our 2022-2024
workshop guide course, which consists of eleven modules, some synchronously
and others in person. This course is led by trainer Tessie S.

On the dates from March 25 to April 5, 2024, we had the opportunity to attend our
classes in person at the Montessori Training Institute. Addressed at Colonia Santa
Teresa, Parques del Pedregal, Tlalpan Delegation, located in Mexico City. Taking
the course for two weeks, with a schedule from 9:00 in the morning to 3:00 in the
afternoon.

Through our coach Tessie we continue learning in the areas of Geography,
mathematics and botany, receiving various presentations of experiments and with
these activities we conclude our albums to continue virtually with other areas.
In the same way, we carried out some practices of these presentations,
manipulating the materials available in the Training Center, all the activities carried
out during the course in person have been very important, since through it we
obtained new tools with which we can continue working in our “Ananda” Learning
center, we are very grateful for the support given to us to take the course, and thus
continue preparing ourselves to contribute more effectively with each of our
children.

A. Practice report of the guide Osvelia R. in the training of Montessori
guides in Mexico City.

On April 8, I went to the Montessori school in Pedregal to carry out my internship,
which consisted of working with children from first grade to sixth grade for 60 hours
for each workshop, completing a total of 120 hours.

The first two weeks I had to accompany the 4th, 5th and 6th grade children. The
guide Elsa M. helped me understand what the children's areas of
opportunity were and advised me how to work with some children with autism and
ADD, I was able to notice that the method helps them significantly since they still
work in a sensory way with the material. which is a great advantage because they
advance at their own pace.

The third week I was working with the guide Araceli S. , attending 1st,
2nd and 3rd grade. In general, the stay in the environments was very pleasant, I
was also able to notice that the rhythm and mode of work in both workshop 1 and 2
change a little due to the stage in which the children are, workshop 2 is more
independent while workshop 1 It is in its process.

Personally, I was able to notice my areas of opportunity, as well as my strengths in
both workshops. This was a very enriching experience that will bear fruit
throughout my work with the children of Ananda.

I attach some photographs of the guides, the environment, practice.

B. Report of observations by guide Margarita S. made at the
Montessori del Pedregal school, located in Mexico City.

As we have mentioned in previous reports, we are currently preparing for
Montessori Guides during the period from 2022 to 2024. A fundamental
requirement during this course is observations of 90 hours in workshop I and 90
hours in workshop II. The observation must be carried out at a school that has
certified guides with the AMI diploma, so on this occasion I had to observe at the
Pedregal Montessori School, located in Mexico City.

I began the observations by carrying out workshop II in the environment by the
guide Elsa M., starting on February 26, 2024, in which it was of great help to
me, since I observed many new and different things in its environment, as well as
the various strategies that the guide applies to carry out presentations, conflict
resolution, etc.

Starting on March 11, 2024, I began the observations in the same place, but now in
the workshop environment I in charge of the guide Araceli, in the same way I was
able to observe the various activities that are worked on, as well as the materials
that We still lack them in our environment and they are very necessary for carrying
out children's activities.

I concluded all observations on March 19, 2024, complying with the total hours
required in our course.

Both observations have been of great help to me, since they open up a better
perspective for me to reach and apply within our work environments in the
community.

Below, some evidence is attached, since the Institution does not allow the taking of
too many photographs.

Thank you for reading these uplifting reports.  Know that your donations have enabled them to pursue their training to become Montessori elementary teachers.  They will have a significant and positive impact on their community and its children in Oaxaca. And you have made that happen. Again, thank you.

• Attending Elementary Training Workshop in Mexico C (PDF)