Making Montessori Mine

Solutions Customized to Support the Individual Needs of our Clients
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Experience and Expertise

I am a professionally trained Montessorian with over 30 years of teaching and coaching experience. I work with adults and children to support Montessori learning in schools, homeschools, and various other learning environments to support the needs of my clients.

Products & Services

At Making Montessori Mine, I offer virtual or in-person Montessori educational consulting services for individual families or groups of students learning together in a school, homeschool or co-op style setting. I offer student assessments and student lessons. In addition, I do teacher coaching, professional development workshops, homeschool mentoring, and support for Montessori administrators. I offer courses on a variety of Montessori topics. I provide Montessori materials for purchase, as well as various toolbox kits specifically designed to increase success for my clients. I can also custom-build a material, course, or program if my clients have a need for it. 

Students

Parents

Homeschools

Educators

“As a fellow Montessori teacher and parent, I truly admire the passion Jen has for delivering an authentic Montessori experience catered specifically to each child they work with. She focuses on meeting the child where they are, learning about what drives them, what learning style they respond to, and then develop a path to help them grow toward their success. When we worked together, I could count on the fact that a child Jen had taught in Lower El would be prepared to thrive in Upper El. I also knew that her drive to help students as individuals continued even when the children had moved up, and that we could collaborate and share ideas on how to help students continue to grow in Upper El. I always appreciated her extra time and thoughtful insights in our work to serve children.”

– Rebecca
Fellow Montessori Teacher

“Jen has been incredibly helpful in filling in the blanks of Montessori philosophy I was missing. Her knowledge makes it possible for her to deliver concise and informative coaching and lessons. She is flexible in scheduling, allowing me to schedule coaching when it is convenient for me. [She] is professional and personable. She has been a teacher so she understands the development of teachers and students, which gives her unique insight into delivering coaching lessons. She offers valid recommendations based on what I have learned, and what I might need next in my professional development, but allow me to make the final decision in choosing what should come next.”

-Riann

Learning Pod Teacher

Ashley

“Jen was a very inspiring and helpful teacher. She pushed me to work hard and was always there to help me when I was confused. It was an honor to have her as my teacher and I am thankful for what she did for me.”

-Ashley

Former Student

Shoeba 1

[Jen’s coaching] was an essential resource for my teaching experience.I found it very helpful. She always makes sure that all my questions are answered. She has done so much for me. I cannot ask for more. She is such a nice, helpful person who always tries to help me by providing as many resources as she can. Thank you so much for giving me time and providing me with all the resources and amazing tips for my classroom. You are amazing, Ms. Jen!

Hi Jen,Thanks for presenting the First Great lesson. The way you presented the lesson and the experiments sparked so much excitement and curiosity in the class. Everything was perfectly planned and organized. You have created the perfect atmosphere for the whole presentation. [The] kids also enjoyed it too.Thanks again!

“I would like to recommend a website owned and directed by a Montessori teacher who has years of experience and who offers an extensive variety of support for students and parents.
The website is makingmontessorimine.com, and the director is Jen Turkaly. I learned so much from her, and she was a terrific role model and mentor for all of us. She has helped many families and students.
If you are interested in checking out her website or communicating with her about your child, you can go to her website, makingmontessorimine.com, or email her at education@makingmontessorimine.com.”

-Katie

Montessori Teacher

“Both our teaching partner and I have been really impressed with your[virtual student] lessons with my children: always clear, concise, and effective. I know it is making a difference for my children. I know that our teaching partner has found your [coaching] sessions with her to be very very good, and [she] is making good progress with my child in the areas that you have guided them on. Before we worked with Making Montessori Mine, we worked with a few other online Montessori schools and consulting services. You are by far the best person we have worked with, and I hope we can continue to work with you for some time to come. If I could have you teaching my child full-time, I would!! So thank you for all you are doing!”

-Sarah

Montessori Parent in the U.K.

“You are speaking directly to my soul! I am so excited to work with you! I can’t wait to get started.”

-Jackie

Montessori Administrator

“You have saved our child. Just looking at the progress she has made since we started with you is incredible. I can’t thank you enough.”

-James

Parent of a student

“I feel so much less stressed about everything after only just talking with you in the last half and hour”

-Beth

Teacher Coaching Client

“With Ms. Jen’s coaching, I feel so blessed. Before, I was so nervous to be in the classroom. Now I have SO much more confidence, and I have a plan of what to teach the students.”

-Sheila

Teacher Coaching Client

“Jen understands where my child is (in her learning), and she gives her just what she needs to build her confidence to help her learn what she needs to know. I don’t know what we would do without you,”

-Kris

Parent of a Student

“When I look and see the work you are doing to support our classroom, I am thinking “YES! Thank you!” Please come all day, every day!”

-Beth

Teacher Coaching Client

A Word

From Owner/Consultant/Coach

” I want to take a moment to introduce myself and to tell you about my experience as a Montessori educator, parent, homeschool teacher, coach, consultant, and mentor. I am passionate about helping my clients access the incredible benefits of Montessori education in ways that are relevant, meaningful, practical, and inspiring. I aim to empower learners of all ages and help them create and navigate their own unique Montessori learning journey. Learn more about me and the work I do by watching this short video. “

– Jen Turkaly

Mission

Connecting, Celebrating, and Supporting the Learning Journey of My Clients

Every Step of The Way

Making Montessori Mine In Action

"What the Hand Does the Mind Remembers."

-Maria Montessori

"Never Help a Child With a Task At Which He Feels He Can Succeed."

-Maria Montessori

"The Greatest Gift We Can Give Our Children are the Roots of Responsibilty and the Wings of Independence."

-Maria Montessori

Expand to see my thoughts on these Montessori tenets:

Multi-age Learning Environment
To me, the multi-age environment is beneficial in so many ways. In a family setting, birth order doesn’t change. In this type of learning environment, all children get the opportunity to be the youngest, the middle, and the eldest in the group. Each stage presents unique opportunities to both learn and lead, inspire and aspire to, set and follow an example, and collaborate across ages and stages. It also offers an opportunity for building trust and relationships over a longer period of time for the adults and the children involved. It is a truly magical experience for all.
The Power of Observation
When I was in Montessori training, we spent a great deal of time talking about this Montessori tenet. As a guide, one can learn SO much about a student just by simply objectively observing them- their learning style, their strengths and challenges, their problem-solving abilities, their thought processes, their level of mastery of a skill, how they handle frustration, collaboration techniques and challenges, and so much more! Observation is THE most important thing a teacher/guide can do to inform their instruction of each and every student/child they work with.
Celebrating Successes
As humans, we all encounter moments of self-doubt and negative inner dialogue at some points in our lives. In the work I do with educators, parents, and students, I have found that finding, naming, and celebrating successes that my clients have in the educational process is KEY to boosting their self-confidence and their willingness to take risks, make mistakes, learn from them, and adjust course when problem-solving. When we feel successful, we can be successful. I work hard to build trust with my clients in this way and celebrate their accomplishments at every stage of their learning journey.
Follow the Child
This is a key concept in the Montessori educational philosophy. In order to best serve our children/students/clients, we must work with each of them to identify their needs, their learning style, their level of mastery of the various skills and curricular areas, their fears, their beliefs about themselves and the world around them, and their willingness to take risks and learn from mistakes. Once we know those things, we can build trust and work collaboratively to craft a unique and individualized plan for their growth, development, and learning. This plan is different for each and every person because each one is a unique expression of humanity that learns and grows at their own unique pace and along their own path.
Demonstration of Mastery
I have never been a traditional type of teacher. I don’t believe that standardized testing reflects learning-at all. In order to see if a student has mastered a concept or skill, you have to watch them demonstrate it. Anyone can make a guess on a multiple-choice question and get it correct just by chance, but that doesn’t mean they know it. By asking students to demonstrate their knowledge by doing a task or performing a skill from start to finish, a skilled educator can clearly see if the student truly knows the path to complete it successfully. They can see where mistakes are being made along the way. They watch the student try to problem-solve, and they can see when the student knows that they made a mistake and when they can confidently complete the task at hand. That is a true and precise evaluation of learning and mastery.
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