Montessori school educator gains high-level certification
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STEUBENVILLE -- It took months of hard work and laser focus, but one of the founders of Hilltop Montessori School completed a training he believes will take the school's elementary program to the next level.
Tom Crowe -- who co-founded the LaBelle neighborhood school with his wife, Noëlle, in 2017 -- completed the course work toward his elementary guide diploma and will finish his required practice teaching in the fall.
The diploma certifies individuals meet the standards of the Association Montessori Internationale, a nonprofit formed by Dr. Maria Montessori, an Italian medical doctor who created the Montessori education method based on her observations of children and their development.
The AMI diploma is the highest level of certification for Montessori educators, is recognized internationally and qualifies a person for employment worldwide at Montessori schools that value the association, Noëlle Crowe said.
For Hilltop, she added, this was the next step toward achieving its goal of being "as authentically Montessori as possible" for the benefit of its students.
In the Montessori education method, students learn subjects like science, math, art, writing and more at their own pace by engaging with physical, manipulable materials that help convey the concepts being learned. The Crowes noted how the method is not merely abstract, instead employing students' intellects and bodies in learning.
"Self-construction" is the method's aim, Noëlle Crowe said. Students gravitate toward whatever subject and accompanying materials they're drawn to at the time, and instructors -- known as "guides" -- are present in the school's space to help students set goals and encourage them to take up subjects they haven't given as much attention to.
Hilltop operates two spaces for two age groups, the programs for which are tailored around where the students are developmentally, how they learn and what kinds of questions they're inclined to ask.
Noëlle Crowe guides the primary group, roughly ages 3 to 6, students in which generally work individually and look at "what is the world around me," she said. Her husband, meanwhile, guides the elementary group, roughly ages 6 to 12, students in which are more social, forming their moral foundations and inclined to ask philosophical, why-based questions.
The Montessori method is uniquely beneficial for students, the Crowes said, citing a 2022 study that found "people who had at least two years of Montessori education report a sense of well-being in adulthood" and a 2022 study from the same that found "a Montessori preschool education helps typically under-performing low-income students keep pace with their higher-income peers."
The Crowes founded Hilltop out of a desire to help make their community better. Beforehand, Noëlle Crowe had been working in religious education and learned about the Montessori method through her own instructor.
Upon the founding of Hilltop's primary program, Noëlle Crowe only had online training under her belt, along with help from other, experienced Motessori educators. With the goal of providing a better education, she pursued an AMI diploma through the Southwest Institute of Montessori Studies, an AMI training center based in Mesa, Ariz. She completed her training in 2021 after mostly online sessions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, Tom Crowe was doing freelance work in marketing and ended up temporarily becoming an assistant guide to fill a staff gap, until a replacement could be found. That year was great, Crowe recalled, because he learned a lot about the Montessori method, which he now professes to be the "best, most humane" form of education.
Hilltop added its elementary program in 2022 when it acquired a new building next-door. Once again, Tom Crowe stepped in as the temporary guide but found the new age range to better suit his teaching proficiencies. With SIMS offering a discount on AMI training, Crowe decided he'd like to go all the way and take his abilities to the next level.
Training began in July, and Tom Crowe said it required "hours and hours" of work. The program lasted more than 10 months, concluding in May, but Crowe estimated that he put in the equivalent of seven months of 40-hour work weeks in that time for training, in addition to being a guide at Hilltop. He recalled late nights completing homework, as well as several trips, three weeks each, to Mesa -- community is an important part of the training, just as it is in the classroom, Crowe said.
Regarding the sacrifices he had to make during the training period, Crowe said, "A whole lot of things in life went on hold or didn't get the attention they needed. It wasn't easy."
The course work ended with a two-tiered exam process, with an online written exam and an hours-long oral exam in Mesa. Now, Crowe said he's excited to share what he's learned with the students, and he's already been able to pass along more things during the training itself.
"When I started two years ago, I was confident that I'd be able to manage well enough, but I'd look at certain materials and not know how to use them fully. ... (Now) I am equipped to ... help the kids unlock their own potential and develop an excitement for learning."
The students seem to enjoy their time at Hilltop and learning from him, Crowe said, adding that with his training, he is able to teach "a whole lot more."
It's rare to see a school have two fully AMI-trained guides, Noëlle Crowe said, noting that she and Tom Crowe may be the first husband-and-wife duo to achieve AMI certification.
Part of a growing movement of Catholic Montessori schools in the U.S., Hilltop has more on its agenda, the Crowes said, including expanding its Montessori programs to toddler and adolescent age ranges, the latter of which reaches up to age 18. Other goals include having all school staff AMI trained and creating a garden space and pavilion for the school's use.
Hilltop's goal has always been to be "an asset to the hilltop and have a positive impact on Steubenville," not being closed to students based on religion and seeking to offer affordable tuition and tuition reduction opportunities, Noëlle Crowe said.
Tom Crowe added his training is "important for the kids. It's what they deserve. I'm happy and honored to be able to do it, and I can't wait to see how much they learn because of what I'm able to show them."