Educator, creator writes reserve about her family’s substitute education story – Moments-Conventional

Susan Mayclin Stephenson of Trinidad has unveiled her seventh e book. “Montessori Homeschooling: 1 Family’s Story” chronicles the many years (kindergarten by means of 12th quality) that she and husband, Jim, household-schooled their son, Michael.

“It was Michael’s strategy from the very starting. We never would’ve considered of it as parents. Each and every year, he built the conclusion for the following yr,” Stephenson said in an e mail job interview with the Instances-Typical.

“The e book tracks this journey — not only what Michael acquired, but what we, his dad and mom, uncovered,” she stated.

Stephenson — who has traveled in additional than 70 countries — initial obtained interested in the Montessori process of instruction in the early 1970s although attending faculty.

“I experienced found so considerably poverty in Third Environment international locations,” she reported, “and philosophy seemed to be what I necessary to research to figure out how to help. I was in graduate college finding out philosophy at San Francisco Point out University when a close friend gave me a ebook about Montessori. My very first kid was then 3 a long time aged and at the mum or dad co-op nursery. I observed by the immediate improvements in her — also several to go into, but they ended up exceptional and optimistic — that encouraging young children by means of this system of ‘education’ in the broadest sense would be a way (to assistance). I requested the head of the university where was the ideal spot to find out to be a Montessori teacher and she advised me the AMI (Association Montessori Internationale, the group started in 1929 by Dr. Montessori to maintain the highest specifications as the process spread) heart in London. So, we packed up and went there.”

Stephenson was a Montesorri instructor for much more than 20 decades, working with kids of all ages. Given that 2002, she has been an global Montessori college marketing consultant, speaker and oral examiner for AMI teacher coaching programs. And, she’s been a complete-time author.

“I commenced to write about Montessori … since we had a Montessori source retail store (Michael Olaf Montessori Enterprise — now on the web) on College Avenue in Oakland, and every working day I located myself outlining Montessori to all forms of folks — school professors, mother and father, general public faculty administrators, and many others. — and I could uncover no e book obtainable that coated the subjects I found myself speaking about. … A great deal of my creating was throughout our homeschooling a long time as I realized to explain Montessori to other residence-schoolers,” Stephenson stated.

In 2013, Stephenson printed “The Joyful Kid: Montessori, World-wide Wisdom for Delivery to Three” and “The Universal Little one, Guided by Character.” The titles “Child of the Globe: Montessori, Worldwide Instruction for Age 3-12+,” “The Purple Corolla, Montessori Cosmic Instruction,” “Montessori and Mindfulness” and “Montessori Chess Classes for Age 3-90+” adopted. “Montessori Homeschooling: One particular Family’s Story” is her latest e-book.

“Many moments more than the yrs,” she stated, “I have been requested to compose down our dwelling schooling experiences. So in March, I sat down to begin, and created the reserve which has just been produced.”

She added: “It is geared towards dad and mom of little ones of all ages, traditional teachers and Montessori teachers of all ages,” mentioned Stephenson, who hopes “Montessori Homeschooling” will also be handy for instructors and mother and father trying to navigate education and learning for the duration of the COVID-19 overall health disaster.

“I hope it presents strategies for points for people to do alongside one another, as 1 of the silver linings is that people are investing much more time together,” she explained. “I also hope it offers thoughts for lecturers who are functioning remotely with their students.”

“Montessori Homeschooling: A person Family’s Story” ($19.95) is obtainable at Northtown Publications in Arcata, Blake’s Guides in McKinleyville and the two Trinidad Trading Organization and The Lighthouse in Trinidad. It’s also offered at www.michaelolaf.internet and by way of Amazon.