The Peter Hesse Foundation Montessori initiative in Haiti - by Carol Guy-James Barratt
The Peter Hesse Foundation began its Montessori initiative with the objective of improving the quality of early childhood education in Haiti. To be able to do this effectively, the Foundation launched its efforts in two directions: training teachers and establishing preschools.
A teaching training center, “Centre Montessori d’Haiti” was created in 1986 to train teachers to teach children between the ages of 2 1/2 to 6 years old. A Montessori demonstration preschool, where student teachers could experience the Montessori method in action, was attached to the center.
Today, the Montessori initiative has evolved into a network of preschools and teacher training centers, directed and run by graduates of the “Centre Montessori d’Haiti”.
The Peter Hesse Foundation continues to support its Haitian Montessori initiative by granting scholarships to individuals who will work as teachers for at risk children. Currently, there are two courses available to teachers: Certificat d’Aptitude Professional and a Montessori preschool course. The Foundation assists qualifying graduates with furniture and didactical materials to open Montessori preschools and provides on-going technical support to these schools. So far, the Foundation has helped over 50 schools that benefit an average of 3845 children yearly.
In 2007, the German Peter-Hesse-Foundation has published two teacher-training manuals, written by Carol Guy-James Barratt: in French "Atelier Montessori" (please see French section of our homepage) and in English "Montessori Workshop" (pdf 4-page flyer) - ISBN 978-3-9811650-1-2.
The French version was written specially (but not only) for use in our Montessori-teacher-training in Haiti. Besides being used in future Montessori projects for deprived children in French and English speaking countries in the world, the books are being sold for € 59,- each by "Nienhuis Montessori, Industriepark 14, NL-7021 BL Zelhem, The Netherlands". E-mail: info@nienhuis.nl , www.nienhuis.com.
More than 55% of Haiti's children still do not attend school. Government lacks the economic capacity to provide free education and less than 25% of existing schools are government funded. Private schools outnumber public schools by 65% at the elementary level and 85% at high school level. These private schools are run by religious organizations, non-governmental aid organizations and private individuals.
The quality of instruction varies considerably, since there is no standardized
testing except at the end of the high school cycle. The quality of instruction
is further compromised by:
- overcrowded classrooms. Classrooms are usually packed with 50 or more children
to one teacher
- a shortage of books and visual aids
- poorly prepared teachers. More than half (57 %) of the teachers have less
than high-school-level education and only 0.9% of the teachers have any kind
of teaching diploma.
- learning in a foreign language without comprehension. Children speak Creole
at home, but are expected to speak, read and write French at school.
The public education system does not include preschool. All existing preschools are private. This means that most of the economically disadvantaged children are excluded from education at the most crucial stage of their development, when the wiring and sculpturing of the brain, that builds the capacity for learning, takes place.
Traditional Haitian schools are in desperate need of modernization. Here children do not learn to solve problems or think creatively. Rote learning is very much the norm and knowledge is measured by how well a given text can be repeated word by word. Individual thinking is discouraged, since educators still believe that “children should be seen and not heard”. Curiosity and questioning are often viewed as confrontational or rebellious by teachers and, therefore, dealt with harshly. This kind of education stifles analytical thinking and limits the next generation from participation in policies that affect their lives. Given Haiti’s background of violence, political turmoil and civil unrest, a different kind of education is necessary.
In the spirit of help for self-help, the Peter Hesse Foundation assists Montessori
graduates to open Montessori schools for at risk children, if the local community
provides support to enable the school to become financially sustainable.
The Foundation will train teachers, provide Montessori materials, furniture
and, in some cases, renovate or construct a building for the functioning of
a school.
So far, the PHF has helped over 50 schools in different parts of Haiti.
The Foundation also provides ongoing technical support, in-service training and site visits to the established schools. Visits are made to individual schools according to the amount of technical help that the school needs.
Each year during the “Grandes Vacances” -the 5 week school vacation- the Foundation conducts workshops and seminars to allow teachers to create learning materials, revise teaching techniques and exchange teaching experiences. This period is also used for special interest seminars such as using the internet, teaching French as a foreign language, gardening, environmental friendly practices and techniques in art and other subjects that are pertinent to raising the competency of teachers.
The Montessori Method proved to be a suitable solution to allow teachers with a low level of education to be functional in the classrooms, since the Montessori materials, when used correctly, are self explanatory and children can derive information from them without depending solely on the teacher.
The materials also help to bridge the gap between language and the acquisition of skills, since using the materials does not require extensive explanation. Rote learning is unnecessary since the materials promote comprehension. The materials also compensate for the shortage of books that is the norm in most Haitian classrooms and is cost-effective, since they do not need to be replaced frequently.
The Montessori environment is orderly in contrast to the makeshift environments that most Haitian children are used to. In depressed urban areas, a household may consist of extended family members and various relatives sharing a very small living space, and children are given the last consideration in the social pecking order.
In the Montessori environment, children are respected and are free to pursue activities of their choice. This freedom allows children to feel good about themselves while promoting the development of powers of deliberation, initiative, independent choice and self-discipline with the emotional compliments. In the Montessori environment, each child is an active participant in a group and can contribute to the group in a positive way.
The Montessori Method promotes peace. Haiti has a history of violence and Haiti's children desperately need an environment that is safe and secure. The Montessori environment provides a place absent of corporal punishment where children can feel safe. Mutual respect for each other and the environment promote fundamental qualities of social awareness and social behavior for the benefit of the group. Habits of social behavior learned at a time when the children are constructing their personality will last throughout their lives. The window to instill in its citizens the respect and thoughtful approach to problems is during those early years when the child's personality is still forming. These children will become the decision-makers and leaders to create a society of respect and cooperation essential to Haiti's survival.
The fundamental tenet of Montessori education is to allow children to learn in a social environment that supports the unique development of each child. As opposed to the more traditional “Kindergarten”, which involves group learning, Montessori emphasizes individual learning. Children learn better on an individual level, since not two children are alike and children will be ready for different experiences at different times.
Montessori recognizes that children go through different stages of development during which they can most easily master a particular learning skill. These developmental stages occur at different times for different children. Individual learning gives each child the chance to master a particular learning skill relevant to his/her developmental stage.
Montessori emphasizes children's developmental age and not their chronological age, since age does not determine a child's ability. Classes are structured within a three year age range. This gives children a chance to work at their own pace without being judged as quick or slow in comparison to their specific age group. When children work in mixed age groups, they will have a graded series of models for imitation and the opportunity to reinforce their knowledge by helping each other.
The holistic Montessori curriculum helps children develop the physical, cognitive
and emotional competence and positive attitude towards learning that is required
for school success.
The learning environment ensures the development of self-esteem and provides
experiences from which children can create their knowledge.
The Montessori Method was developed by Maria Montessori, the first woman to graduate from the University of Rome Medical school in 1896. After graduation, she began working at the university's psychiatric clinic with retarded children, who in those days were considered to be insane. Her dissatisfaction with the way these children were treated prompted her to study all existing works on educational theory. To further her knowledge, she returned to the university of Rome and undertook formal studies in philosophy, psychology, and anthropology.
Montessori became director of the State Orthophrenic School of Rome in 1899. Influenced by the pioneers in special education, Jean Itard and Edouard Seguin, she spent the following two years in experimental work, using and creating didactical materials to teach the mentally retarded children at school. Her work was a success and most of the children were able to pass the state education exam given for normal children.
The fact that retarded children could learn when given the right stimulation prompted Montessori to wonder, what normal children could achieve if given a similar opportunity. This led her to look more closely into the natural development of normal children.
In 1907, Montessori opened her first “children's house”, applying to young children of normal intelligence the methods and materials she had developed for older retarded children. She spent a great deal of time observing, reflecting and taking notes on what children did with the materials and how they reacted to the social and physical environment. It was in this context that the Montessori Method of education developed through observation of how children learn naturally.
Her approach to finding an effective method of education sprung from 45 years
of observation and work with children. As a doctor, a philosopher, a psychologist
and an anthropologist Montessori was able to look at education from various
perspectives.
She discovered that children from birth to age six possess unusual sensitivity
and mental powers for absorbing and learning from their environment. She observed
that at this time children are most open to active learning.
Montessori changed the way the environment is set up to accommodate early childhood learning. Some of those changes filtered off into preschools that are not Montessori schools and have become commonplace today, for example child-size furniture, didactical materials and concepts such as individualized learning and combined age groups in open classrooms.
Montessori continued to observe children around the world and found that the principles of development she had recognized, were inherent to children of all races, cultures and social standing.
Montessori classrooms operate on the principal of freedom within limits based
on respect for the environment and everyone within it.
Children are free to work at their own pace with curriculum materials they
have chosen, either alone or with others. The teacher relies on observation
to determine which new activities and material to introduce to individual
children or to small or large groups. The environment is structured to encourage
self directed learning to take place with and alongside the community of the
classroom.
The materials in the classroom allow children to learn new information through
their senses by their own activity. Current brain research shows that in early
childhood the brain develops through stimulation of the sensing pathways:
seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, tasting. The materials, therefore, enhance
mental development.
Each piece of material is designed to achieve a specific outcome; when children
work with the materials they must think and solve problems in order to achieve
the prescribed result. The experience of working with the materials contributes
to logical abilities that are the foundation of academic learning.
Montessori teachers act as facilitators and guides, creating scenarios and
introducing activities that are relevant to the need of every child. Observation
is a major part of their work, since they record and interpret observations
in order to assess the development of individual children and to plan instructional
activities.
Teachers move around the classroom directing individual or small groups of
children and giving lessons as the need arises.
How can an authentic Montessori classroom be identified?
Montessori is a word in the public domain. Unfortunately, this means that
any school can use the word “Montessori” without actually using
the method.
Authentic Montessori classrooms should contain certain elements that work
together in order for learning according to the Montessori philosophy to take
place.
There should be a teacher trained in the Montessori Method who understands the philosophy and can explain the theory behind the activities that are taking place in the classroom.
The classroom should contain a diverse set of materials (not toys) arranged on low shelves according to the subject, for example language, math etc... Children should be able to choose materials for themselves, work with them and replace them on the shelves, when they are finished.
The daily schedule should be programmed to allow three continuous hours in which children are free to use the materials without interruptions. During this period, the teacher should be able to oversee all children while they are working on a broad array of tasks. Children should be grouped in mixed ages and abilities. As well as individual work social interaction for cooperative learning and peer teaching should take place.
In a Montessori classroom assessment of children's progress is ongoing. The teacher should be able to show notes on any given child's progress at any time.
Most children leave Montessori preschool with the ability to read, write and calculate and have a foundation in geography, history and other subjects. This, however, is a side effect to the immeasurable personal strides made in the development of their potential.
Children leave the Montessori preschool equipped with the basic skills necessary
for a lifetime of learning. They would have developed the habit of concentration,
initiative, persistence and the ability to discriminate and judge.
Most of all children would have developed a sense of self-esteem and high
self-expectations.
Although a sense of self esteem and high expectations cannot be measured, it is one of the most important emotional achievements necessary for success. This innate belief in themselves allows children to easily face and overcome the challenge of learning new things in any environment.
Teachers play a critical role in the success or failure of a Montessori classroom.
Montessori teachers act as facilitators of learning, and their basic role
is to maintain an environment in which children can learn new information
through their own activity, develop a sense of self-esteem, high self-expectations
and social skills.
Teachers must have the ability to organize activities, guide children's learning and maintain discipline in order for their classrooms to be successful.
“The power of observation” is one of the most important qualities that determine how successful teachers are in implementing the Montessori philosophy in their classrooms.
The Montessori Method is driven by the concept of individual learning, and Montessori teachers must have the ability to introduce activities that are relevant and adequate to the needs of individual children.
Teachers will not function effectively if they cannot make accurate observations and respond to cues provided by each child. Teachers must be able to record and interpret observations in order to assess the development of individual children and to plan instructional activities.
Appropriate activities help children gain self-discipline. Teachers must provide children with the opportunity to become absorbed in meaningful activities as opposed to meaningless activities that disrupt the class. Children who are self-disciplined are able to regulate their own conduct, and will be able to follow reasonable rules that are necessary for the functioning of the class.
An orderly classroom is necessary to permit constructive activities to take place according to the Montessori Method. Montessori teachers should structure their classrooms so that there is adequate space for walking around, moving and carrying apparatus and working on the floor. The environment should be orderly so that children can easily understand how they can work within it. Everything in the environment must have a place and a purpose. Children should know what the established ground rules are, and teachers should be consistent in reinforcing them.
Children must understand how to use the materials, including taking them from the shelves and putting them back when they are finished. Teachers must demonstrate the proper use and handling of the materials. This is important because each piece of material is designed to achieve a specific learning outcome. If the materials are used incorrectly, the learning outcome will not be achieved.
Maintaining and upgrading the learning environment is imperative to the success of the Montessori environment. Dr. Montessori herself was permanently inventing new materials and activities to meet children needs. Montessori teachers must develop themselves through their own experience and should upgrade and implement new and appropriate activities that would make their classrooms more appropriate for learning.
Through a scholarship scheme, individuals with limited economic resources are financially supported to become preschool teachers and to open their own preschools. Criteria for student teachers are clearly defined, and scholarship students are carefully screened to ensure their future commitment to rural communities. Scholarship students sign a contract which obliges them to teach for 3 years in a poor community after they complete their training. During the 3 year period, they are paid a salary equivalent to other teachers.
Students must complete two years of study to qualify as a Montessori teacher.
During the first year, students participate in a course designed to allow
them to gain the necessary skills needed to function effectively as preschool
teachers. This course does not include Montessori training, but gives a foundation
in early childhood education.
At the end of this course, successful students receive a certificate of "Professional
aptitude in Preschool Education”.
During the second year, students participate in a Montessori preschool course designed to allow them to gain the necessary skills needed to function effectively as teachers or assistant teachers in a Montessori preschool classroom. At the end of the course, students receive one of three types of Diplomas, depending on their accomplishment: Assistant, Teacher or Directrice/Director.
The Montessori preschool course is designed to allow students to gain the necessary skills needed to function effectively as teachers or assistant teachers in a Montessori preschool classroom. Basic knowledge of early childhood development is a prerequisite for this course. Studies will include the Montessori philosophy and practical aspects of its implementation.
Students will have several assignments to complete. The instructor will give
guidelines for these assignments and students will be expected to complete
them on their own. Students must have initiative, self-direction and the ability
to schedule and maintain commitments in order to complete all assignments
and necessary course work which includes:
• completing an internship of 35 days - to gain practical experience
in a Montessori preschool
• designing and creating didactical materials - to use that experience
and ability to take advantage of existing materials and to create others in
response to children's needs
• designing a curriculum suitable for preschoolers. Student teachers
will use a theme to design a series of learning activities that incorporate
different subjects taught as an interdisciplinary study that teaches children
about the world and the interrelatedness of all things. Student teachers will
document these activities in the form of a reference manual, which they can
later use when they actually begin teaching.
At the end of the course, successful performance will be determined by an evaluation of: proficiency exams both written and oral; teaching performance at internship site; documentation of a preschool curriculum designed by the student and four pieces of didactical material, also made by the student.
Students receive one of three types of Diplomas, depending on their accomplishment:
Assistant (this diploma allows the graduate to assist a qualified Montessori
teacher in Haiti)
Teacher (this diploma allows the graduate to teach in a Montessori school
in Haiti)
Directrice/Director (this diploma allows the graduate to direct a Montessori
school in Haiti and teach in a Montessori school internationally).
The duration of this course is one academic year.
“Professional aptitude in preschool education” is a course designed to allow students to gain the necessary skills needed to function effectively as teachers in a preschool classroom. The course will encourage students to learn through guided experiences, rather than on instructional sequences that require learning of certain content. The focus on learning through guided experiences will permit students to construct their own knowledge, reasoning and problem solving processes rather than just memorizing the “right answer” and regurgitating information without understanding its meaning, as is the custom in Haiti.
The student teachers will have to work in teams to complete most of the coursework and will, therefore, benefit both from learning and from teaching others. This will give them the opportunity to observe how other student teachers carry out a task and allow them to compare each other's problem solving processes, increase their knowledge, make the connection between facts and organize and convey information more effectively.
A major part of the course will consist of planning age-appropriate activities for the preschool curriculum, such as activities for literacy and language, art and craft, social development and introductory level geography, history and science. Student teachers will document these activities in a portfolio, which they can later use as a reference document when they actually begin teaching. Their portfolios will also include documents for classroom administration that they will plan and create during the course.
Periodic proficiency tests, as well as ongoing formal and informal evaluation
of collaborative and individual work, will help students to measure their
knowledge and judge their own weaknesses and strengths. At the end of the
course, successful performance will be determined by an evaluation of attendance;
completion of assignments, performance in group activities, proficiency exams
and the documentation of knowledge relevant to being able to function effectively
in a preschool classroom.
Students who complete the coursework will be awarded a “Certificate
of Professional Aptitude in Preschool Education” with the grade of Exemplary
Achievement, Commendable Achievement, or Adequate Achievement. Students who
complete less than 70% but more than 60%, will be awarded a certificate of
Incomplete. Successful students will continue for a second academic year to
specialize in Montessori Preschool Education. The duration of this course
is one academic year.
Protecting the quality of Montessori education in Haiti to match international standards is a massive challenge. How well the materials are kept and the philosophy followed depends a great deal on who owns the school and how they feel about the quality of education.
There are two attitudes towards quality. Some feel that quantity is better than quality and enroll as many children as possible, resorting to the Haitian traditional standard of 60 or more children to a class. This sacrifices quality, and the end result is children leave these schools with few skills and unprepared to be successful at higher levels of education. These children will most likely occupy lower paying jobs and will not be able to break the cycle of poverty.
Those who value quality, enroll a manageable amount of children that benefit from individual and small group instruction. These children are more successful in primary school and go on to graduate from high school and continue to higher levels of education - 30% of children from the first promotion of children in the Foundation's demonstration preschool are now attending university. These children will most likely hold higher paying jobs that will allow them to improve the standard of life for their families and themselves.
About 13% of schools helped by the Peter Hesse Foundation have returned to the traditional method. These schools have overcrowded classrooms and teachers who have been taught by rote all through their school lives and tend to slip back into that system. They also instinctively resort to hitting and treating the children as a herd, rather than individuals.
In general, schools that are owned by institutions and change administrators often are the most likely to fail. In some cases schools were converted back to traditional, when the new administrator felt that having 60 children in a classroom meant that more children got a chance to go to school, and that children came to school to learn, not play, and did not need “toys”. Some people who only know traditional teaching methods equate the standard Montessori didactical materials with toys because they do not understand the approach to teaching those basic concepts. In these cases the Montessori didactical material are removed from the class and the traditional blackboard and stick returned.
Teacher-owned schools perform much better. The reason being that the teacher has immediate responsibility and ownership of the school and must raise funds to support the school. This is done by charging school fees to children who can afford to pay (the fees are usually set to match the income bracket of that particular area) and still include children who cannot pay by granting scholarships. About 50% of children attending these schools are given scholarships, as a condition for receiving subsidized materials and support from the Peter Hesse Foundation. This not only assures the sustainability of the school by making it self-financing, but also assures the quality of the instruction, since the teacher will lose the children who can pay fees if the school gets a bad reputation.
The quality of instruction by teachers who have not deviated from the Montessori philosophy remains good. These teachers are important to the overall objective of improving the quality of stimulation and education to preschool children in their areas. Despite the many obstacles, much has been achieved. The real success story is that many children have now broken the cycle of bad learning and have attained increased self esteem, confidence, and problem-solving skills. Parents are now aware that there is an alternative to the traditional school system. This is reflected in the low drop out rate of 7% of children in the schools.
These results are encouraging, and the Foundation will continue to reach more children by providing well-trained teachers to establish schools in their communities. The necessary furniture and equipment and in some cases remodeling or construction costs, will be given to help establish these schools. The Foundation will continue to monitor the quality of instruction by making regular technical support visits and providing concrete guidance on improvements to these schools.
Aside from one school for children of the elite, Montessori education was generally unknown in Haiti until its propagation by the Peter Hesse Foundation. In 1985, the Foundation sponsored a seminar for 41 participants from 20 educational institutions in collaboration with FONDEV and the National Pedagogic Institute (IPN) to make Montessori education more accessible to poor Haitian children. Educators attended lectures at IPN in Port-au-Prince and gained practical experience with children in an actual preschool in St Suzanne.
Educators who attended the seminar showed great interest in the Montessori method and expressed their willingness to improve the quality of their instruction.
This feedback encouraged the Foundation to establish a Montessori program that would make an impact on the quality of education in Haiti. In order to do this, the Foundation launched its efforts in two directions: Teacher training and establishing preschools. This led to the creation of the “Centre Montessori d'Haiti” a teacher training center, and an assistance program to set-up preschools for poor children by providing start-up funds and ongoing technical guidance and professional development support for teachers.
In October 1986, in Collaboration with the University Roi Christophe, the first class for children and a teacher-training course began on the premises of the Ecole St. Esprit in the city of Cap Haitian.
There were 38 graduates from the first teacher training promotion, including students from Ecole Normale in Port-au-Prince, who traveled to Cap Haitian and stayed in a hotel to attend the course. Not all teachers had this possibility, so in response to the demand for Montessori teacher training in the capital, the course was moved to Port-au-Prince in 1987. A demonstration preschool was also established there.
The Montessori preschool in St. Esprit continued to function, while two other preschools, one in Trou du Nord and one in Ste. Suzanne, were established through financial assistance from the Foundation. Graduates of the first promotion ran these schools.
The Foundation continued its Montessori activities for 2 years in rented premises at Bourdon. During this time, 54 students graduated from the teacher-training program and 6 more preschools for disadvantaged children were set up by Montessori graduates through the Foundation's assistance program.
In 1990, due to the numerous requests for Montessori training, the Foundation moved its activities to larger premises situated on the corner of Rue Moise and Rue Lamarre in PetionVille above the offices of the bishop of the Episcopal Church. The agreement was that the Foundation would pay the construction costs of a third floor and that this addition would be used by the Foundation for training teachers. There was a five-year contract with a gentleman's agreement to renew at the end of the five-year term. Unfortunately, a new Bishop was elected and the contract was not renewed.
In 1996, the Foundation was obliged to move to other rented premises at the corner of Rue Fremy and Ave John Brown in Bourdon. During this year, instead of training teachers, an evaluation of the 31 preschools and beneficiaries of the Foundation's assistance program from 1985 to 1996 was conducted.
As a result of the evaluation, improvements were made to accommodate the growing number of children in schools that had doubled or tripled in size, by providing additional furniture, materials and building renovations in some cases. Language materials for children, as well as three workbooks for student teachers, were also developed during this period.
In 1997, after the one-year pause, teacher training resumed in the cramped quarters in Bourdon with a promotion of 16 students. To be able to train more teachers, the Foundation collaborated with two other training centers, one in Rue Nathan in La Pleine from 1998 until 2001, and another in Ruelle Waag from 1999 until 2001 to train Montessori teachers.
Between 1986 and 2001, the Foundation trained 531 teachers and assistant
teachers and helped set up 45 preschools through its assistance program.
By this time, the Foundation succeeded in raising awareness in the education
sector of Montessori as an alternative teaching method to the traditional
style of memorization and of the importance of early childhood education in
general.
The result was evident from the number of private Montessori schools that
sprang up in and around the capital.
The goal of the Foundation from the very beginning was to train locals to carry out the functions that would enable the Montessori activities to continue only on local capacity. In 2001, the Foundation reached its goal of making the Montessori initiative an independent Haitian-run project when the management of the Foundation's teacher-training center, the “Centre Montessori d'Haiti”, was officially handed over to Haitian trainers in Rue Clermont, Bois Vernat.
When the Montessori initiative started in 1986, it consisted of a single teacher-training center, the "Centre Montessori d'Haiti” and one preschool class. Both, the teaching training program and the preschool class were directed and run by Trinidadian-born Carol Guy-James Barratt, the Foundation's representative. Today the teacher training courses and all preschools are managed and run by Haitians. To ensure that the quality of the teacher training is maintained, student teachers from all training centers submit to an exam given by the Foundation at the end of each academic year. Qualifying students receive teaching diplomas issued by the Foundation.
In 2002, the Foundation launched a mobile training program to reach potential teachers in rural areas who are unable to come to Port-au-Prince to attend the teacher-training course. The Foundation does this by allocating a trainer to a town or village outside of the capital to train a promotion of teachers. The trainer then moves on to another location after having trained a pool of teachers in that town or village. The mobile training takes place parallel to the training in Port-au-Prince and follows the same curriculum. Students sit the same exams issued by the Foundation.
Mobile training took place in Liancourt in 2002, Oswald Durand from 2002 to 2004, Cap Haitian from 2002 to 2005 and in Kenscoff in 2006. In October 2004, Oswald Durand decided to have a permanent training center, conducting their own exams and issuing their own diplomas without the collaboration of the Foundation.
In 2004 the Foundation developed a new teacher-training course “Certificat d'Aptitudes Professionnelles en Education Préscolaire“ (CAP) to enable student teachers to be more successful in the Montessori program and to gain skills to function effectively as teachers in any preschool environment. This course was added especially to help student teachers from disadvantaged backgrounds who have had less schooling than their better-off counterparts. These teachers are important to the overall objective of improving the quality of education to preschool children in their areas. The CAP course lasts one academic year, followed by an additional year of specialization in Montessori preschool training.
By 2006, a total of well over 600 participants have been through the Montessori training courses. Over 3000 children benefit yearly from over 50 schools started through the Foundation's assistance program. During its 20 year engagement, the Foundation has also developed language materials with the didactical approach of teaching French as a foreign language, since children are expected to read and write in French when they enter primary school. Didactical materials for science were also developed, as well as 3 workbooks for student teachers.
A teacher's guide in French, "Atelier Montessori", will be published by the German Peter Hesse Foundation in 2007. The book explains the Montessori philosophy and how it functions in the preschool environment. It gives detailed descriptions of the didactical materials, their use and benefits. This book will serve as a training manual for student teachers, as a reference for teachers working in Montessori schools and as source of information to parents. The book will also act as a quality control tool, since it provides information on how Montessori schools are supposed to function.
Carol Guy-James Barratt
Finances in Haiti - by Peter Hesse
The interest from the Foundation's modest starting capital of DM 200.000 (later increased by DM 10.000 from two donators) was of course never enough to finance anything sustainable. The founder added a total of half a million DM (roughly US $ 250.000) during those almost 25 years himself. Roughly one million DM (1/2 million US $) was donated by a total of a little over one hundred private donators during those years. The German state co-financed three small projects in 1988, 1989 and 1992. Since 1992, the city of Düsseldorf adds an average of $ 18.000 per year from their yearly street collections by children for children of the world. One very active group of ladies in a church community manages to collect a yearly amount of several thousand $ since the early years. All administrative expenses are being covered by the founder himself - and, lately, also by his family. The founder's total of over 40 field-trips to Haiti from one to several weeks each time serves mainly administrative needs. Only in the first 10 years he also visited every new project. Since 1989, Carol Guy-James Barratt is the Foundation's official representative in Haiti - besides organizing and supervising the Montessori training, holding exams and selecting new students since 1986.
Since 1987/88 varying contributions come from those tuition-paying students in Haiti, who fill up the training courses. Those paying participants stabilized at around half of the yearly students. Those coming from former or new projects for deprived children, studying free of charge, however, always have priority. Paying students sometimes open commercial preschools. Those institutions do not figure in the preschool-listing and they receive no help from the Foundation. Their activities do, however, help to stabilize the Montessori-system in Haiti. But most important: They help making the training almost self-sustaining. The Foundation can thereby concentrate the limited resources on providing free didactical Montessori-starting material and varying other help for new project-preschools. The Foundation - being very small - does not have much money. But it is being spent in a very effective way. A renowned auditing-company in Germany does yearly audits for a nominal fee only.
Since the founder's 5-byepass heart-operation in 1996, he only travels to Haiti once a year. The system becomes more and more independent. Since a few years, Carol is also able to reduce her presence slowly to a few months per year. The Foundation cooperates with other - larger - organizations in Haiti to safeguard administrative stability and to assist in growing to scale. Since around 2002 it has, however, become increasingly difficult to safely travel in Haiti. Therefore, a precise picture of the latest development of the project-schools is difficult to obtain. However, it is clearly visible that those preschools who managed to maintain the desired didactical quality are increasingly growing in size and demand more trained teachers. Even though the political situation in Haiti is still unstable, the Montessori-system has managed to establish itself firmly and initiates hope for Haiti's future.
Expenditures in US $ 1981-2000 [pdf, 275 kb]
More detailed financial information can be obtained on request from the German Foundation-office: Peter Hesse Stiftung, Otto-Hahn-Str. 2, D-40699 Erkrath.
Evaluation of the Peter Hesse Foundation
Teacher Training Program in Haiti.
Executive Summary - by Christian Barratt
An evaluation was done of the Peter Hesse Foundation teacher training program in Haiti in the year 2000 to assess the effectiveness and sustainability of its approach. This evaluation visited a sampling of partner preschools and interviewed a number of teachers and others. Cost recovery and local capacity creation were key themes of the assessment.
Since its inception in 1986, the Peter Hesse Foundation (PHF) preschool program in Haiti has supported and encouraged a movement for improved early child education in Haiti, and particularly for the acceptance of the Montessori teaching method by families. The program has trained 372 competent preschool teachers and assistants as of December 2000, and helped establish schools throughout the country. The World Bank has highlighted the program as a model for sustainable education, and the Ministry of Education has solicited its technical assistance at various times to improve its teaching quality. Numbers of available teachers and children in partner preschools appear in the attached graphics.
The PHF has successfully established a permanent and self-sustaining network of preschools in Haiti and created local capacity to train competent teachers to international standards. Even if their school does not receive material assistance from the PHF, teachers value the technical guidance from the program. There is a felt need for strengthened professional networking and continuing education among these teachers. At the time of this report there are three training centers capable of training Montessori preschool teachers to international standards, all staffed and operated by Haitian trainers.
Children completing Montessori preschool appear to perform better in primary school than those who have gone through public or other preschool in Haiti. Children from poor families completing Montessori preschool also seem to perform well in primary school compared to children form wealthier Haitian families. This information is anecdotal from parents and teachers. The PHF will gather more concrete data on post-preschool performance of children in the future.
Some of the specialized Montessori didactical materials are not easily available in Haiti, creating problems with expansion and cost. The Foundation had previously operated a local workshop to produce these materials at minimal cost in Haiti, using Haitian craftsmen. This initiative appears to be reviving and will greatly assist the program's ability to establish more Haitian partner schools and expand at lower cost. The PHF program has been effective in producing a number of guides and materials for preschool classroom use and teacher training, as well as assisting teachers develop their own printed teaching materials.
The program has created local capacity without heavy dependency on external funding. Most partner schools are teacher-owned and operated, and are self-supporting They are generally able to recuperate the $22 average cost per child per year these schools spend to operate. Establishing a new school costs an average of $178 per child for the first year, including all start-up and operating costs for 12 months, and is often loaned or donated by the Foundation, generally with significant counterpart support from the community. The PHF program has established a scholarship system in which these schools accept a number of non-paying children of the "poorest of the poor" as a means of repaying the cost of PHF material assistance over time. The teacher training centers are financially independent, and will, therefore, be producing competent Haitian teachers long after external PHF involvement is removed.
The Peter Hesse Foundation has followed a model focusing on quality of teaching and local capacity building for sustainability. This model is clearly replicable, as expansion has been driven by professionals trained in the program itself, rather than from outside. Teachers have shown that they are able to earn a living offering education that families and communities value. Larger education projects in Haiti touch larger populations, but also consume enormous amounts of money and do not always achieve the economies of scale sought after, and sustainable beyond donor financing is problematic. Virtually all PHF partner school teachers and directors are confident their schools will continue long after PHF support leaves Haiti.
World Bank case-study on our Montessoriproject in Haiti (2000)
World Bank case-study on our Montessoriproject in Haiti (2002)
The future in Haiti and global perspectives - as seen by Peter Hesse
One basic goal, to "convince Haiti" to question their traditional teacher-centered learning-system, is reached. Seeing with their own eyes how much better children develop in a gentle child-centered system like Montessori is convincing. We are being pushed, especially by parents, to continue growing. Not only with preschool, but for primary school improvements as well. Being too small to finance such growth alone, we need additional partners. We need a training-center, a simple big house for the multiple training- and re-training-needs created by 20 years of successful teacher development. Such house would also make the whole project self-sustaining - which is a final objective. Besides using such a center for our own work with new and former students, we could at times rent out space to other NGOs who have comparable needs. We then could extend our service to the urgently needed didactical quality-improvement of primary-teachers in Haiti. Suitable land had already been bought and fenced. A detailed concept is developed and would now "only" have to be implemented together with future international partners.
Unfortunately, in 2006, the land owned by the Foundation has been illegally "re-sold" by someone unknown to someone equally unknown. The distressful legal situation in Haiti has not yet allowed to "bring light" into this strange matter. But basically the underlying need for a Foundation-owned training centre is unchanged.
The Montessori-preschool project in Haiti is considered to be a "model" - by the Peter Hesse Foundation - as well as by the worldbank - not only for Haiti, but beyond. In April 2000, the model was presented in a World Bank-conference INVESTING IN OUR CHILDREN'S FUTURE in Washington DC, and in a UN-conference in New York in the framework of Kofi Annan's "Global Compact" in June 2000. This initiative of the former UN-Secretary General aims at integrating business, especially multinational organisations, into social development in ONE world.
At this "Global Compact" presentation in June of 2000 in New York, we suggested to companies who are working in deprived countries: "Do hire a qualified Montessori-teacher/trainer to care for the children of your employees during work-hours. After work-hours such Early Childhood Specialist could train ladies from the area to be preschool-teachers - just as it is being done in Haiti. The successful students could then open simple Montessori preschools - just as they do in Haiti. Besides the cost of the training, starting-cost for preschools would be "peanuts" for the well-doing corporations. - Their PR-managers would love it. - But it would also add one truly valuable piece to the regional development-puzzle. Like in Haiti, it could create the desired chain-reaction."
Unfortunately, up to now none of the "Global Compact Companies" followed this suggestion. - This "failure" should, however, not discourage anybody. New possibilities are seen to expand the successful Montessori-model to some countries in Africa with the help of the new Montessori teacher-training manual, "Atelier Montessori", developed by Carol Guy-James Barratt, printed in 2007.
To conclude: Whatever qualified child-centered didactical method is being used and whoever carries the initiative further: Deprived children in ONE world in diversity can and must get a fair starting chance in life in this critical period from (and before) birth to the beginning of school-age. This time in life is most essential for development. It can be done. We just have to take up and support such initiatives. GIVE CHILDREN A CHANCE ! - Development is a basic right.
Peter Hesse