During the summer after I graduated from college, I was offered a job to immediately begin teaching at a year-long Montessori school in Temple Terrace, Florida. I instantly fell in love with Maria Montessori and her philosophy. I was completely mesmerized watching children working independently with various materials throughout the classroom with such purpose and care. They showed such a deep intrinsic drive and a love of learning that radiated so naturally. I immediately enrolled myself in the Early Childhood Montessori training program and attended many workshops to learn more about Montessori during my first year of teaching. My career continued in NYC where I worked in a Montessori school near Central Park. It was a scary time to be teaching after the attacks of 9/11, but boy did we have the best field trips! My city kids developed essential Practical Life Skills. I would take my class on the subway to Carnegie Hall, The New York Ballet, Museum of Natural History, Central Park Zoo, you name it, that city was our playground! I loved seeing my student’s spark of curiosity as I would guide them to new discoveries.
I eventually made my way back home to Florida and decided to pursue the Elementary I Montessori training. At that time, I began working with older students and really enjoyed that age group. I became part of an accreditation board and worked at the first AMS accredited Montessori school in Tampa. I also began training teachers and developing curriculum. Teaching was becoming such a big part of me, but it was time to start a family of my own. The 2008 market crash resulted in my husband getting laid off, and a drop in enrollment at the private school I was teaching. I had a 2-year-old and was 8 months pregnant with my second child and we were living off of my teaching salary not knowing if the school would stay afloat. I decided to leave and began working at a Florida School of Excellence, “A” rated Montessori Charter School on a quiet country road in Land O’ Lakes, FL. I eventually had my 3rd son 5 years later. All my children were able to attend school while I worked and it was so beautiful watching them grow from Montessori babies into Montessori young men.
Over my years of teaching at various Montessori schools ages 2-12, I would find myself spending a lot of our parent-teacher conferences discussing parenting issues. I would provide suggestions and strategies to help support families that were struggling and desperate to find peace in their homes. I would encourage parents to prepare the environment at home in a way that their child could flourish, feel nurtured, seen and heard. Parents would come to me and ask me to tell their children to do extra reading or math at home because they felt they would listen if it came from the teacher, but not from the parents. What happened to the trust and connection in their homes? As a teacher, there just wasn’t enough time and too many restrictions to dive deeper and provide them with the support they actually needed. It became clear to me that there was a need to help parents discover their true potential in parenting. Parents need more support, now more than ever! I found my calling! I was on a mission to pursue becoming a parent coach.
In 2021 after 22 years of teaching, I decided to take a leap of faith and leave the classroom. It was a very difficult decision for me to make because teaching had become such a big part of who I was for so long, but I was longing to connect with a greater purpose. That purpose was to become a parent coach.
There were a few reasons for me pivoting from teaching to becoming a parent coach. The first was my desire to follow my calling and contribute to society at a larger scale. After the 2018 Parkland shooting, I will never forget the feeling I would get preparing my students for the inevitable Active Threat Drills. They would look at me with tears in their eyes, some of them trembling and hiding under tables. I would reassure them that this was only a drill and that they were safe, but the conversations of the ”what ifs?” continued throughout the day. There was such a deep disruption to their innate need for safety. The fact that school did not feel safe anymore was so heartbreaking to me. Why? Why was this happening in our country? Why was there gun violence in our schools? What happened in that child’s life to bring him to the desire to shoot innocent people for no reason? How can I help prevent this from happening again?
Not only was I longing to connect with a greater purpose, but I was also looking for more flexibility with my family of 5 (6 including my Goldendoodle, Bruno). My husband and I always discussed how tender the middle and high school years are and agreed on me finding more flexibility during these years. Having three children, an elementary, middle and high schooler, at different schools along with 2 of them in competitive soccer has its challenges. My schedule now allows me to have more time to connect with my family than before.
Undoubtedly, there was simply Teacher Burnout that played a role in my decision to move on. It’s so real for so many teachers right now! When the pandemic hit us all in 2020, I could’ve never imagined the challenges teachers would face ahead. Parents and teachers were equally desperate and worried about the well-being of everyone along with the social/emotional learning gaps beginning to surface. Creating an online platform from scratch while teaching online and in-person congruently had to be one of the most challenging times during my teaching career. Helping parents transition their children to learning at home, while coaching them through their frustrations and sorting out tech issues all in between quarantines and school closings was completely draining my spirit. It is very difficult to pour into the cups of your students when your cup has completely dissipated. It was my time to move on!
Along with my Montessori, teaching & ESE credentials, I am also certified as a parent coach through the Jai Institute for Parenting and am the proud owner of Practical Life Parenting-The Parent Life Coach. By understanding the latest research in the nervous system and brain science as well as conscious and intentional practices, I help parents and caretakers make a shift in their parenting. Being a witness to my client’s transformation is beyond rewarding, it is my why! When you are passionate about what you do and it’s tied to your core values, it doesn’t seem like a job. I have a career that I love which also makes me be a better parent. I am grateful to continue serving children, through their parents, by creating a more peaceful parenting approach in hopes of a brighter tomorrow.
