Experts assist with environmental projects in public Montessori schools

Anielys with students from Barranquitas

Approximately seven farmers and a butterfly specialist are part of the support provided by Instituto Nueva Escuela (INE) to teachers and students participating in the program, which integrates environmental initiatives into the school curriculum. The environmental specialists support school communities in understanding the land and utilizing the resources available to them to promote environmental awareness at the Montessori public school.

One of these farmers is Anielys M. Matos Rodríguez, who gained her first knowledge and contact with the land through her great-grandmother and grandfather. Her grandfather, a farmer and teacher, played an important role in her upbringing, so she feels she grew up close to the land. 

After studying at El Josco Bravo and working as a teacher, she learned of the opportunity to work with INE to support the environmental project at the Inocencio Cintrón Zayas Montessori School in Barranquitas, which she found to be excellent. 

“ I am a teacher because I want to be and it is where I really want to be… Plus, Barranquitas is very close, it feels more familiar ,” shared Anielys, who is originally from Aibonito.

“ I feel very happy in that space,” described the farmer, who explained that this is the job she likes the most because it's in a school. She also expressed that, “This school has something special about it. The children who are there are very wise. They have a very beautiful relationship with the land, with the animals that surround them. The children of Barranquitas are very eager to connect with the land, they have a lot of knowledge from their grandmothers, grandfathers, and family, and they welcome me with love .” 

There, Anielys and her guide Edna organized the area, created drainage to address humidity, removed soil from the planting beds, and prepared the ground. They transplanted pumpkins and are currently composting in a space the students have worked on. 

This project has also allowed for curriculum integration, as in a very practical way, students have not only received an introduction to the seed cycle, but have also seen it in action in the natural areas and green spaces of their school. Additionally, through reading, planting planning, and soil removal, they have learned about the different types of soils and what types of plants can be grown in them. 

For her part, and with a similar experience with the land, farmer Carla Rivera Morales supports schools that have school gardens, such as the Salomón Rondón Tollens Montessori School in Guaynabo. 

Carla also owes her early memories of the land to her grandfather, but as an adult, she had the opportunity to work on organic farms and gardens in the United States, which allowed her to gain experience and more knowledge.

Already in Puerto Rico, and during one of her training sessions at El Josco Bravo, she learned about INE's work with Para La Naturaleza in public Montessori school communities.

Carla was part of the creation process for the Environmental Manual that INE developed in conjunction with the Peter Alfond Foundation. The agriculture department was tasked with presenting the manual to a group of teachers from the same school and showing them how they could integrate it into their classrooms. 

Later, she began accompanying the guide Myriam Vázquez in the school garden. 

“It's very interesting. You have a lot to learn from the children. You know what it's like to stay after school for two hours to work in their school garden with great enthusiasm. It's quite incredible ,” she described with great emotion how the students work the land. 

The experience at school has been a learning experience for Carla, and an opportunity to plant the seeds of sowing, and the love and knowledge of the land in the children.

Carla in the school garden

Regarding her mentoring, she described Myriam as a passionate, incredible, and persistent teacher. “It’s been really nice working with the teachers. They love what they’re doing ,” Carla shared. The mentoring experience has helped her professionally and served as motivation for her projects. 

These experiences provide students with a lively curriculum, relevant to their interests and the country's social reality. This type of program, which INE promotes in schools, allows public Montessori education to be comprehensive and provides opportunities for social and academic development for children and young people.