Cibele Thomaz

Pre-primary Montessori Teacher and Pre-primary Curriculum Leader

Graded School of São Paulo

My name is Cibele Thomaz, and I have been working with early childhood education for more than ten years now. I have a degree in Pedagogy and earned my Montessori certification from MACTE Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education in 2016. I am part of the Centro de Educação Montessori de São Paulo's team. This center certifies early childhood Montessori teachers. I teach demonstration classes in the course and present its mathematics curriculum. This is my 6th year working at Graded, The American School of São Paulo. This year I am also working as the school's preprimary curriculum leader. Before working at Graded, I worked as a teacher and as a coordinator at a Canadian school that is quite present in Brazil called Maple Bear. Currently, I am pursuing a psychopedagogy specialization certification to add more value to my practice inside the classroom. The Montessori methodology is one of my passions as I see it as a way to build a more peaceful world. 

"The child who has felt a strong love for his surroundings and for all living creatures, who has discovered joy and enthusiasm in work, gives us reason to hope that humanity can develop in a new direction." Maria Montessori

The Importance of the Prepared Environment

"To assist a child we must provide her with an environment which will enable her to develop freely." -Maria Montessori

One of the premises of the Montessori philosophy is the prepared environment and how it affects the way children relate to others, the environment itself, the adults around them, and their own selves. When it comes to the environment, the prepared adult, in our case, the teacher, must consider all aspects of the room, such as the space, the light, and the ventilation. The components inside the room have similar relevance. The selected materials, their organization, how accessible they are, and the beauty and order of what is presented to the child's eyes play a very important role as well. All these elements are essential to promote the children's autonomy, concentration, and the desire to seek what will fulfill their emotional, social, and academic needs not only as learners but also as members of a larger community. As Dr. Maria Montessori wrote in one of her books, "The education of even a small child, therefore, does not aim at preparing him to school, but for life." This, and more, will be shared during this presentation through references from Maria Montessori's work and observations from my experience as a teacher.