APPLE & DESK: ROMOLOTAVANI/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS; GLOBE & BOOK DRAWINGS: DISCAN/DIGITALVISION VECTORS; TEACHER PHOTOS PROVIDED BY SCHOOLS
Pearl Brown (far left) and Hannah Chick (far right) with their
students at Oneness-Family Montessori
confidence they exude when they mistakes with resiliency, grace,
surpass their expectations of and a deeper knowledge of their
personhood. their abilities.

Chick: I hope that the students
What is your teaching
I work with grow in their
approach? Brown: My approach is to teach confidence in their capacity to
students to think through an meet challenges, their ability to
assignment. The most important advocate for themselves, their
skill in learning is not that you capacity for self-reflection and
got the “right” answer, but that their willingness to seek out
you can explain the reasoning novel experiences that push them
that led you to the answer you beyond their comfort zone.

got. That helps students develop
confidence in their reasoning and
analytical skills, which helps them
better handle their academic and
personal challenges.

Chick: I tend to lean into
understanding the big picture
and recognizing
patterns over encouraging students to
memorize information.

What is one of your
biggest goals as a
teacher? Brown: My hope is that after
my students have left my class
they will have confidence in their
abilities to think and reason and
to explain their work, that they
will love and honor the person
they are becoming, that they will
always affirm their goodness and
that they will recover from their
How can parents work
with teachers to best
support their children?
Brown: Understand that the
child we see and interact with at
school may not be the same child
they see at home. Therefore, it
is important that teachers and
parents form a team in which
consistent communication flows
easily and honestly. Parents
should love and accept their
children as the whole person they
are. Too often parents act like
grades define their child’s success
or failure, and that is simply not
true. The goal of education should
be to educate the whole child,
not just isolated academic parts
of the child.

Chick: Communicate! If there
are things going on at home that
are out of the normal routine,
send an email so teachers have
a heads up. Trust that your
child’s teacher has his or her
best interest at heart. If your
child tells you that something is
going on in class that surprises
you, reach out and ask questions.

Make it a family routine to talk
about the things they do in class
each week. T
Montessori School
of McLean
Where Authentic Montessori
Meets the 21st Century:
Ages 2-12
Cultivating each child’s unique ability to flourish in
mind, body and spirit
ENRICHMENTS • Science • Technology • Spanish • Outdoor Classroom
• Library • Music • Drama • Art • Physical Education
Extended Day • Transportation • Summer Camp
1711 Kirby Road
McLean, VA 22101
703-790-1049 Accredited by
www.mcleanmontessori.org WashingtonFAMILY.com 13