There are plenty of engaging, intellectual, and hands-on workshops planned for middle school students, but an equally important component of the upcoming Montessori Conference on Diversity & Equity (MCODE) are the two parent tracks and afternoon panel that is ‘by parents, for parents’.
As our children learn about same and different, fair and unfair, and how to navigate peer groups, they often make statements or pose questions that catch us off guard—whether they are preschool, elementary, or middle school students. While these questions can be tricky, and we often feel like we miss opportunities to teach our children valuable lessons, simply being willing to engage in these conversations is key to helping our children develop positive self-identities, no matter what their age.
“We all want our children to be able to navigate the global, multicultural world that is their reality. The parent workshops at MCODE will give us, as the adults in their lives, some much-asked for tools and language for those critical discussions with our children about who we are and who we want to be in the world,” said Donna Milani Luther, Inly Head of School.
For full details about the conference, the programming for students, the sessions for parents, and the keynote, visit the website at http://www.inlyschool.org/community/diversity_conference.cfm. Register today to join the 80+ participants (including more than 30 parents) from half a dozen different Montessori schools who are already signed up for the conference.
Additionally, Friday, October 24 (the day before MCODE) is the “Inside Inly: Diversity” Parent Insight Event. While Saturday’s MCODE programming will focus on tools for conversations between conference attendees and their children, Friday’s “Inside Inly: Diversity” conversation will focus on Inly’s curriculum and the multicultural competencies that are taught throughout all the different levels.
We hope to see you at one or both of these events — Inly is indeed “going places” when it comes to the important and challenging work of fostering global citizens!