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Is Your Board Prepared to be Effective?

Embarking on a journey in Montessori governance requires a prepared mind and an understanding of Montessori principles. This blog post explores the critical roles of The Prepared Environment and The Prepared Adult in effective leadership within Montessori schools, offering insights into the challenges faced by Montessori Board Directors and the impact of MSCA’s Governance Workshop Series.

This is a guest blog post, by Dr Karen Bennetts PhD, GAICD. 

Karen is a Trainer for the AMI Administrators Certificate Course at SMTC.

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Dr Karen Bennetts

Following a career in government and corporate organisations, Karen became involved with Montessori education in 1993 when her first child began in a Montessori toddler program. She subsequently undertook state teacher training at primary and secondary levels as well as Montessori training from birth to adulthood, including AMI 3-6 and AMI 6-12 Diplomas and the AMI-NAMTA Orientation to Adolescent Studies. Karen has worked as a Montessori teacher, principal, advisor and researcher. She has a PhD in Montessori leadership and is currently an SMTC Trainer for the AMI Administrators Certificate Course. Karen began her governance career two decades ago. She is now Board Director and Company Secretary at SMTC as well as Board Chair of Mansfield District Hospital. Karen is a graduate of the AICD Company Directors Course and a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia. She was granted a State Fellowship Award by the Australian Council of Educational Leaders in 2016 for her significant contribution to education.

Maria Montessori spoke about The Prepared Environment and The Prepared Adult, two core considerations that are fundamentally significant for implementing Montessori education in a school or centre. If we are to unify and strengthen a Montessori school by applying Montessori principles across all aspects of the school’s operations and governance, then the Montessori Boardroom and the Board Directors who work in it must also be prepared.

Challenges and Responsibilities of Montessori Board Directors

Governance is hard work. People decide to become Directors on a Montessori Board for many different reasons. Often, they are keen to make an impact and support the school’s mission. Yet many are also unprepared, rarely having substantial governance training or Montessori training. Often, they are volunteers, perhaps even on their first Board. With little previous experience, it can be hard to make sound and timely decisions that are in the best interests and truly benefit the school.school governance workshop series. Dr Karen BennettsBeing an effective director involves understanding your legal duties and responsibilities and understanding something about the sector in which your board is situated.  It can include managing conflicts of interest, managing a difficult balance between the school’s short and long-term needs, and serving a community of discerning stakeholders that usually have multiple perspectives and priorities.  Like an early career teacher, a Montessori Board Director can quickly become overwhelmed.

Empowering Montessori Governance Through MSCA’s Workshop Series

MSCA’s Montessori School Governance Workshop Series aims to help bridge the inexperience gap and support early-career Montessori Board Directors to become more effective.  Concentrating on the foundations of good Montessori governance, these workshops will assist Directors to prepare themselves and their environment.  Directors will be encouraged to adopt a leadership orientation and a questioning mind.  How do I add value as a Board Director?  What matters are the highest priority or potentially have the highest impact?  What aspects of these matters do I need to consider?  What is the Board’s culture?  How can I work with the rest of the team to be most effective?

Through presentations, discussion groups and case study work, participants will explore what it means to be an effective Montessori Director. With the support of workshop materials and experienced MSCA leaders, I look forward to guiding you to maximise your impact in Montessori governance. 

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