Mary Kay Dum, BVM uses Montessori
math materials in her work with students.

“This year, we are proud to announce that Old Mission Montessori School (OMMS) is 30 years old…. The conception of OMMS is thanks to Sister Mary Katherine Dum of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

“Therefore, it is fitting that the students and staff of OMMS are both privileged and honored to dedicate our Yearbook 2006 to our founder and mentor, Sister Katherine Dum.

“…Sister Katherine can be described by all the letters in the alphabet. It is no wonder that such a wonderful woman founded such a great school like OMMS. She was the principal/director of OMM for ten years (1976-1986). Today, the endless work and devotion of Sister Katherine can still be seen on our campus.”

This tribute fittingly describes the accomplishments of BVM Mary Kay Dum (Meda) in Montessori education, for she applied the discovery and conviction of Maria Montessori (1870-1952) that children teach themselves! OMMS is one of more than 3,000 such preschool, kindergarten and elementary schools established in the United States since 1957.

Montessori education is characterized by

• Individualized instruction. A prepared environment maximizes independent learning and exploration on the part of the child and allows him or her to act freely on his or her own initiative.
  
• The use of sensorial materials. Since children live in a world of senses, sensorial learning is really a key to the abstract thinking necessary in acquiring knowledge.
  
• Collaboration between parents and teachers. It is imperative that parents and teachers work together to implement and support the whole Montessori process.

Growth in Many Directions

When Mary Kay returned as a volunteer in 2005 to the school at Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside, Calif., she discovered significant changes, not in the educational methods of Maria Montessori, but in the broadening of these methods.

Additional learning materials for science and math were being utilized, with older children using computers to search for current facts and teachers making cards and games to reinforce the computer-generated material. The children, ages 6-13, were working independently in mixed age groups, using these materials to guide open-ended research.

The enrollment has grown from 45 children in 1976 to 232 in 2006 and includes students from 2½ years of age to 13. Mary Kay is now working with young readers who speak several languages and need help with pronunciation.

Unlike the past, Spanish is not the only second language here. German, Japanese, Arabic, Turkish and Hindu are also spoken by these young learners whose parents have chosen the Montessori method for their children's education.

Thirty-one years ago, the pre-school occupied only four classrooms. Now, the elementary school (pre-school to grade 8) is housed in an academy formerly operated by the Precious Blood Sisters.

Parents have become more involved in their children's Montessori education, and a tangible family spirit and determination to keep the school going financially have evolved. Although Mary Kay's administrative skills are no longer needed now when she serves as a volunteer teacher, she enjoys working there because, “It's like going back home.”

Certainly the dream of Maria Montessori in the 20th century, that children teach themselves, is still being fulfilled in this 21st century.

Montessori education continues to expand with an ongoing movement to consolidate and define a Montessori framework for high school students where they carry on practical activities related to present day economics as envisioned by Maria Montessori's “ Earth School.”

Very few of these unique programs currently exist, but they will, no doubt, increase as the wisdom of Maria Montessori's method endures and flourishes.

About the author: Mary Jeanne Stopper, BVM (John Edward) is a retired high school English teacher in Glendale, Calif. She is a member of the Communications Advisory Committee.

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© 2007 Sisters of Charity, BVM