by Patricia Patrick, Past President, BC Montessori Teachers Provincial Specialist Association

What do you think about when you hear “100”? The 100th day of school, a medium-sized wedding, the cost of dinner at The Keg? To a group of teachers wanting to form a provincial specialist association (PSA), 100 members is the golden ticket to achieving this goal, which we finally did in 2015.

My own journey started in 2010, when I was delighted to discover that the public school system offered free Montessori programs to parents and students, especially considering the high cost of Montessori programs in independent schools. 

I also learned that a group of Montessori teachers had formed an association with the mandate to network and share ideas with other Montessori teachers in public schools and become an official BCTF PSA. This association had been started by teachers in Richmond, with Thelma Valle-Serano being their first president. They organized wonderful conferences for Montessori teachers that were well received and well attended. “It was apparent then, as much as it is now, that we have unique needs and experiences as educators and that talking together really made a big difference,” stated Dawn Lessoway, a long-time Montessorian in Richmond and current executive member of the British Columbia Montessori Teachers Public School Association (BCMTPSA).

However, the elusive number of 100 BCTF members continued to fall short until it was finally achieved in 2015 by the PSA’s president Roland Samson and vice-president, Michael Piper. Once the required 100 members was achieved, “Roland had to present the idea of a new PSA to the BCTF, and they gave us the go ahead.” Stated Michael Piper, who then became the president and met all necessary requirements to being an official PSA of the BCTF.  

So why was it so important to be under the BCTF PSA umbrella? There were numerous reasons that supported being an official PSA. Firstly, the BCTF supported all PSAs by offering a $5,000 grant each year toward professional development/conference costs (now a minimum $6,000 for 100 members, $7,000 for 101­–200 members). This money, in addition to the reasonable $25 yearly membership fee for BCTF members, allowed our PSA to continue to offer exciting conferences with experienced workshop presenters and memorable keynote speakers, such as Irma Rodriquez, Dr. Adele Diamond, Dr. Paul Epstein, Michael Duffy, and Michael Dorer, to name a few.

Furthermore, through the BCTF, we now had a list of all public school districts offering Montessori, a membership list stored at the BCTF with the ability to send group emails regularly, access to the expertise of the finance department, and a seat on the PSA Council that meets three times a year.

As Montessori educators, we appreciate the exceptional nature of the Montessori method and the importance of the prepared environment.  It is infinitely better having the support and encouragement of our collective association. 

“The children of today will make all the discoveries of tomorrow. All the discoveries of mankind will be known to them, and they will improve what has been done and make fresh discoveries. They must make all the improvements in houses, cities, communication, methods of production, etc. that are to be made. The future generation must not only know how to do what we can teach them, they must be able to go a step further.”

• Dr. Maria Montessori the 1946 London Lectures, p. 140

In memory of Michelle Griffiths, a dedicated Montessorian and beloved teacher at Maple Grove Elementary