I often think about community service and its importance to any community. Giving back is a vital part of a full and rewarding life. I have discovered my greatest strengths while serving others. I truly believe in investing my time, knowledge and resources to Montessori education wholeheartedly.. You will be surprised with the number of personal, meaningful, life changing stories I could share from my own experiences with community service.
People choose to give in different ways. Some give time and or knowledge and others donate money. Let's take a moment and think about time. Do we own it? Do we know how much we have left of it? Majority would say no, we don't own time, like we do our knowledge and money. Why is it then time sometimes is the hardest thing to give back? I feel that our time should be used to benefit others. There's definitely something very satisfying about giving your time for the betterment of others.
The Montessori community has several exemplary members who do their best to reach out in the form of philanthropic activities. What could be more fulfilling than doing what you love to do while contributing to the quality of life of others in need within your own community?
The American Montessori Society each year names an exemplary Montessorian a Living Legacy, for their dedication and leadership to the AMS community. The AMS Living Legacy Scholarship Fund was created to give back to the community. Donations in honor of the Living Legacy support the awarding of scholarships to aspiring Montessori educators at AMS -affiliated teacher education programs. These individuals all have dedicated their time, knowledge and money to Montessori in one way or another.
Let me share a few stories about service and time the past few AMS Living Legacy's have rendered to Montessori education.
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| Munir Shivji and Judi Bauerlein |
2010 Living Legacy, Judi Bauerlein.
Judi is a Montessorian top to bottom, left to right, through and through. Judi has five grandchildren in Montessori, the mother of Montessori children, and a Montessori teacher of children and adult learners. To seal the deal, Judi’s husband is also a teacher! She has been gallivanting around the world educating and inspiring teachers in private and public schools for 35 years. Like a super Montessori hero, Judi is known for going where ever she is needed, with joy in her heart and a mission of peace in her mind.
Without hesitation, Judi came to Houston to share her wisdom and knowledge at TIME's second Montessori Leadership Forum. Seven seasoned Montessori teachers from across Texas including Beverly Carson, Carolyn Edgar, Connie Laufersky, Darla Miller, Kathryn Miller, Nahla Nasser and Nekelai Jones (these teachers also contributed their time and knowledge) joined Judi on a panel to address various topics on teaching in Montessori. This Leadership Forum honored the Montessori teacher and their vital role. After the forum Judi and I headed to Austin, Texas where she gave a special talk, "Nurturing the Spirit of the Teacher" to Montessori teachers.
What was her contribution? How did this help the Texas Montessori community?
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| Munir Shivji and Marie Dugan |
2009 Living Legacy, Marie M. Dugan.
Marie M. Dugan has helped nurture the growth of the American Montessori Society and, indeed, the American Montessori movement since the earliest days, when AMS founder Dr. Nancy McCormick Rambusch became her mentor and friend. Marie Dugan and I both are members of the AMS Development Committee and AMS Gala Committee. She also chairs both the Archives Committee and the Centennial Campaign Committee which has raised a half million dollars for AMS.
Throughout her career, Marie has been devoted to the American Montessori Society. She served as AMS president for 5 years and as the first chair of the Heads Section. She continued her service to AMS through the Schools Accreditation Commission and as chair of the Founders Fund. Marie also agreed in 2004 to take the position of AMS interim executive director, leaving her home and moving to New York City to help guide the organization through a complicated transition.
Marie is known to support any Montessori initiative or program that needs her expertise or advice. When I requested Marie to come to Houston in 2010 to help launch a new Montessori initiative hosted by The Institute of Montessori Education, she willingly agreed without reluctance. She graciously also agreed to serve as a panel member for TIME's first leadership forum. Without hesitation, Marie shared her time and knowledge to the Houston Montessori community and expected nothing in return. Marie Dugan is a kind, compassionate, insightful person, who inspired me to get involved with AMS.
How can you get involved?
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| Kathryn Miller, Betsy Coe and Munir Shivji |
2008 Living Legacy, Dr. Betsy Coe. I have had the pleasure to work on many volunteer based Montessori projects with Dr. Betsy Coe. Betsy, is an internationally known and respected Montessorian responsible for significant contributions to education, Montessori teacher education, research, and peace education.
Betsy has served on the AMS Board of Directors for 20 years. Her volunteer positions have included AMS president and chair of the Teacher Education Committee. Betsy continues to serve on various committees and task forces for AMS.
With the help from Betsy, we were able to create a city-wide festival to celebrate the centennial anniversary of Montessori education. This two part event held at the University of Houston, Main Campus on October 6, 2007 was attended by over 5000 people. The local Houston Montessori community came together and created a Global Village that consisted of ten huts representing cultures from around the world, a mock Montessori classroom and a 100 foot Montessori timeline exhibit. We also produced a finale celebration variety show and tribute in honor of Maria Montessori, titled, "Celebrating Peace and Culture" at the Cullen Performance Hall.
Along with Judi and Marie Dugan, Betsy has also served on the panel for The Institute of Montessori Education's annual Leadership Forum. Betsy kindly accepts invitations to presents workshops at TIME's conferences as well as supports many of the community initiatives spearheaded by The Institute of Montessori Education.
The above listed stories about the past few Living Legacy's are just a few examples of the community service they have rendered to Montessori. I am sure I could write a book about each one of them. How can you share your time and knowledge? Imagine what you will gain by giving some of your time back, even if it is as small as sharing to others in your own school. What is the worse that will happen by being open and willing to generously share your talent, information and time? Live and practice your life with mindset of abundance rather than scarcity. True time sharing is compassion. I work hard every day to fulfill my purpose and I hope to leave a legacy of sincere service that will inspire others.
FYI: To help aspiring Montessori teachers fund their studies and ensure that Montessori classrooms are staffed by well-prepared teachers who meet rigorous professional standards, you can make a tax-deductible contribution to the American Montessori Society in honor of this year's Living Legacy. This AMS Living Legacy Fund awards competitive scholarships to individuals accepted into AMS-affiliated teacher education programs.
