“I’m not going back”

She is Raquel Rodríguez, affectionately known asMrs. Rodríguez by their little ones from the Apollo del Sur environment, at the Susana Rivera Montessori public school in Coamo.

Today she lives her vocation as a Montessori guide to the fullest, but her journey began long before. Raised in a family of educators in the Los Llanos neighborhood of Coamo, Raquel worked as a traditional kindergarten teacher for over 20 years. Although she had heard about pedagogy during her university days, it was the principal of her former school who introduced her to Montessori as a genuine alternative for community transformation, opening the doors for her to visit and begin her journey with the New School Institute (INE).

As with many teachers, the fear of taking the plunge was present. Raquel was worried about the multi-age group—a new challenge as she prepared to be a Casa de Niños guide with students between 3 and 6 years old.years—and the logistics of individualized planning. Transforming their workspace and letting go of the traditional classroom with blackboards and posters was no easy task. However, today it all has taken on a profound meaning.

After completing her training and four years implementing Montessori, Raquel has no doubts:has found the place where he belongs.

“I think the decision came when I finally found something right for the child; I found what childhood needs today. When I began to understand what Montessori was and experienced that course that transformed me from the inside out, I fell in love.”Rodríguez shares with us.

What Raquel cherishes most about this transformation are the deep bonds that are built in the prepared environment. Working under the multi-age principle, the guide accompanies the student and their family throughout a continuous three-year cycle, witnessing their holistic development.

“You really get to know the child. Since you're not just with them for ten months, but for three years, you truly discover their strengths, weaknesses, their likes and dislikes, and their family. Accompanying and teaching them in such an intimate environment, one-on-one, changes everything.”"That's what the educator says."

That alliance comes to life every week in the parents who come to read stories in the classroom on Wednesdays, in the shared snacks once a month, in the workshops for families at the school, and in the active presence during the progress reports of their sons and daughters.

The experience has transformed Raquel's life in such a way that she reaffirms with a smile thatI wouldn't go back.Her story is a testament to courage and a call to other educators to become informed, rediscover the profession, and embrace the impact of public Montessori education in Puerto Rico.