24 February 2016 12:00 am Views - 6526
“It is not enough for the teacher to love the child. She must first love and understand the universe. She must prepare herself, and truly work at it.”
-Dr. Maria Montessori
Following the words of Dr. Maria Montessori, founder of the AMI method of educating children, Good Shepherd Maria Montessori Training Centre has produced hundreds of Montessori teachers who serve in Sri Lanka and the world around. For more than 70 years this hallowed institution has been silently moulding the minds of thousands of children who have now reached the highest positions and achievements in their lives. More importantly the Montessori Training Centre has produced hundreds of highly qualified and internationally recognised preschool or Montessori teachers who are now serving in countries like Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Canada.
Affiliated to the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) in Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Good Shepherd Maria Montessori Training Centre is the only authorized AMI Montessori Training Centre in Sri Lanka.
Handed over to the Good Shepherd Sisters-- a congregation of reverent nuns in the Roman Catholic Church--by Dr. Maria Montessori herself in 1944, the legacy continues with the mission “to understand that the true spirit of teaching is in the imparting of knowledge, the building of a good character and with love and dedication to be faithful custodians of the Montessori Method,”.
Situated at St. Bridget’s Convent, 85, C.W.W. Kannangara Mawatha, Colombo 07, the centre has a commendable vision, “to communicate an understanding of education as a help to life, nurtured by love, compassion, patience, care and commitment to the needs of little children the world over, practising the principles of Dr. Maria Montessori’s method of Education”.
The year 1944 was a milestone in the history of Montessori Education in Sri Lanka as it marked the arrival of Dr. Maria Montessori along with her son Mario. Having completed conducting a Training Course in Koddaikanal, India, on the invitation of the Ceylon Teachers’ Association they came over to conduct the first ever Training Course in Sri Lanka. At the Training Course in Kodaikanal, India , a few Sri Lankans too, followed and successfully completed the Course. Among them were the late Joyce Goonesekera and Lena Wickramaratne.
Dr. Montessori’s lectures were given in the evenings in Italian and her son Mario presented the English translation in the morning. He together with Joyce and Lena demonstrated the Montessori activities and the students were free to practise them. The participants comprised 300 principals of schools, teachers, lecturers and their wives from universities and training colleges, young students from schools , mothers interested in helping their children and many Good Shepherd Sisters, who later opened children’s houses in the convents in different parts of the island.
At the conclusion of the course in 1944 ( July – September ) those who attended lectures having the required credits in the Written and Practical Examinations were awarded certificates which were endorsed after practice in a recognized Institute.
In 1944 before Dr. Maria Montessori left Sri Lanka, she handed over her pedagogical legacy to Rev. Mother Immaculate Conception Hughes, Provincial Superior of the Good Shepherd Sisters, who became her extended family, under the umbrella of the AMI. Good Shepherd Convent , Kotahena started its first Children’s House with Sr. Ita Cleery as Directress in 1944 . In the same year Leena Wickramaratne started her House of Children in Colpetty and later in her home town, Kandy. Having given the initiation to this world-renowned method Montessori teaching to Sri Lanka, Dr. Maria Montessori returned to the country in 1948 on the invitation of the Government of Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) for the celebration of its Independence. She was also accompanied by Mario, Ada and Renilde her grand daughter and they were present at the opening of Joyce’s first Children’s House in her Home Town - Galle . She also visited other Houses of Children that were opened by this time and endorsed diplomas. After she had seen the seed of education she sowed in many countries she returned to the Netherlands and she was called to her eternal reward on 6th May 1952.
In 1957 under the auspices of the AMI , A. M. Joosten was appointed the personal representative of Mario Montessori and Director of the Good Shepherd Maria Montessori Training Centre, St. Bridget’s Convent Colombo 07- Sr. Ita Cleery was appointed as the First Directress aided by Joyce Goonesekera , which position she held till Sr. M. John Bosco Curley succeeded her in 1961. Sr. John Bosco worked with great zeal to spread the Montessori Method. A.M. Joosten visited Sri Lanka every year, presided at the Practical Examinations, Awarded Diplomas, visited the Children’s Houses affiliated to the Training Centre and conducted lectures for those interested in Montessori Education until his death in 1980.
Good Shepherd Maria Montessori Training Centre – St. Bridget’s Convent, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka.
Joyce Goonesekera continued to work unstintingly for the Children of Sri Lanka, opening Children’s Houses in many parts of the island. In recognition of her work for the children and the young girls she was presented the Deshabandu Award by the Government of Sri Lanka. There was a crying need for Montessori Education in Sinhala as the course was conducted only in English. In 1963 Srs. John Bosco and Stanislaus Vas visited Mario with the intention of requesting permission for a course to
In 1985 Sr. Benildus was appointed as the Directress of the Training Centre and under her leadership the Training Centre celebrated the Golden Jubilee of Montessori work in Sri Lanka in 1994. This took place with great pomp and pageantry. She was again succeeded by Sr. Stanislaus Vas in 1994 and she continues to lead the Training Centre to date.
In recognition of the great service to the country and its education, the Sri Lankan Postal Department issued a stamp in 2000 to commemorate the 130th Birth Anniversary of Dr. Maria Montessori. Dr. Mainardo Benardelli- the 1st Secretary and Deputy Head of Mission of the Italian Embassy in Sri Lanka - was the guest of honour at this occasion. In 2004 the Good Shepherd Montessori Training Centre celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of Montessori work in Sri Lanka with Mrs. Susan Blankhart, Ambassador to the Netherlands in Sri Lanka, as the guest of honour.
“The greater number of our Montessori diploma holders are working in the many children’s Houses that have come into existence in Sri Lanka, some opening their own Children’s Houses. Others have gone further in the field and are devoting themselves to the service of children in various parts of the world. Some others are working in the Primary Departments of the Public and International Schools and their services are much appreciated,” says Rev. Sr. Stanislaus Vas, the present Directress of Montessori Training Centre. “Our beginnings were small as we conducted lectures at St. Bridget’s Montessori House of Children, after school hours. With gratitude we acknowledge the generosity of our benefactors Mr. & Mrs, Ananda Senarath for we now have a beautiful two storeyed building where we have our lectures and demonstration classes.
Since then we have had more extensions with a practice class, a library and an atrium, yet again through the generosity of another benefactor,” Sr. Vas elaborated.
“God has rewarded the labours of the years with the increase which now shows itself not only in the extension of the buildings, but also in the continued efforts to form the mind and heart, to train the will and strengthen the moral sense of all those entrusted to us, for they - the Trainees - nurture and form the greatest resource of our world - THE CHILD” We teachers can only help the work going on, as servants wait upon a master.
- Maria Montessori