Mentorship Program

FOR EDUCATORS

Dr. Montessori provided us with an incredible path to help children reach their potential during this most critical first plane of development. Our efforts to reach this potential, however, are limited when the adults working with these children do not get the support they need.

Mariana, an AMI 0-6 trained educator, administrator, author, and classroom & parent coach, supports the adults supporting children on either side of the classroom doors in service of the child’s liberation from the oppressive systems that are constraining their ability to develop as they are trying to. She has worked with over 2500 families, has mentored 100 Montessori guides, and has delivered over 400 Montessori workshops. In 2024, she started a new mentorship program that replaced the PEACE Scholarship so that more Montessori trainees and recent grads can get support in a community.

““Being able to work with Mariana in The PEACE Program opened up a whole new area of possibility for my work. It has inspired be too look beyond the classroom and address what is lacking in training, like parent education and classroom management. As a new guide, having a mentor during this process has given me so much confidence.””

— Dominique, PEACE Scholar 2022

Who is the Mentorship Program for?

The Mentorship program is designed for educators who are in process or have completed Montessori teacher training. This would include trainees at the 0-3 or 3-6 levels in addition to recent graduates. Participants do not have to be in a lead position to take advantage of this program, but it is designed for those who have started or completed training.

What is the time commitment?

We are currently piloting this program for the 24/25 school year. We are offering twice monthly live sessions that are 1-hour each. Sessions are offered from September - May with a total of 16 1-hour sessions. In addition, participants will have access to a private, online community to engage in as much or as little as they would like. This pilot cohort meets at 4:15pm PST every other Monday. Future cohorts will be subject to adjustment in schedule and time based on participant feedback.

What do we do in the live sessions?

Mariana Bissonnette (AMI 0-6) facilitates the cohort and plans sessions to problem-solve participant’s current issues, dilemmas, and wonderings using child development, Montessori theory, and observation. As the cohort develops over the year, Mariana may spend some time offering Professional Development on certain topics that may be useful to the group. As an experienced classroom teacher and Montessori coach, Mariana also has—at the ready— video observations, systems for record-keeping and observations, as well as other specific coaching methods to support your work in the classroom. The live sessions are highly productive group coaching spaces to address what's challenging you where you get to learn from other's questions and challenges as well!

Are there any specific expectations of participants?

Part of the work we will do together will incorporate each of the four core values at The PEACE Program, including being/becoming Anti-Bias / Anti-Racist. We will handle topics such as white supremacy, de-centering whiteness, race/racism, Anti-Blackness, Anti-Bias, and Anti-Racism. It is ok if you are at the beginnings of this journey or are unfamiliar with these ideas! However, it is important to note that in these more challenging conversations, we will lean into them with our core values of self-reflection, self-care, being/becoming Anti-Bias / Anti-Racist, and a deep commitment to the whole child within the whole family. This is how we will show up for each other and I ask that every participant commit to showing up with these values in mind.

What is the cost of the program?

The pilot year cost for the 24/25 cohort is $375. This registration fee is at a sliding scale where participants that can contribute more, do, and those that need support to access the program, can pay what they can. So far for the 24/25 Cohort, The PEACE Program has subsidized $1370 in registration fees to increase access to Montessori coaching and mentorship.

Why did the PEACE Scholarship evolve into the PEACE Mentorship?

The PEACE Scholarship supported a single Montessori trainee with mentorship and financial support during their training year. Seeing the need and interest in mentorship, along with our deep commitment to creating community spaces, we shifted to a cohort-style mentorship program to support more teachers! We offer this program at a sliding scale with similar financial contributions to the cohort as we did to the PEACE Scholarship.

.

HOW IT WORKS

PEACE Mentorship

  • Amazing session! Really great take-aways I can surely implement! Thank you!

    Syleste

  • Thank you, Mariana, for an extremely practical and insightful presentation. One of my big complaints of Montessori conferences I have attended in the past was the lack of useful tricks, tips, and recipes that can be used in the classroom or home setting.

    Mary

  • You hit this presentation out of the park, providing me and so many others exactly what we have been looking for in a Montessori conference. A million times, thank you!

    Mary

  • I found this really useful. I work alone and would love a space like this as my weekly staff meeting.

    Syleste

  • In Mariana's Masterclass, I really enjoyed hearing her intentions behind the pedagogy and loved that she created it with the idea of child development and actual those with special needs at the forefront.

    Taressa

  • Very insightful and a great refresher on freedoms and limits/self-discipline.

    Helena

  • As someone new to Montessori, the concept of the triad was new to me. It helped me learn that I can step in less.

    Kylie

  • I thoroughly enjoyed learning the woman behind Montessori education and the challenges she faced. I feel very connected to the person vs. the name, finding similarities between her and myself. My biggest takeaway is thinking about obstacles and the impact these have on children's futures.

    Queenie

  • I am just continually grateful for Mariana and the support she provides for parents and our children. She has made the Montessori approach feel possible for our family.

    Tanya

  • Mariana has an incredible amount of expertise that I am sure has helped so many parents get through what is a lonely and difficult period.

    Sheila

  • I am grateful for Mariana and her program's places emphasis on reaching BIPOC families- thank you!

    Hana

  • The PEACE Summit presentation were fantastic. They were all so clear, insightful, and practical. Really excellent conference!

    Shawna

  • I LOVE the examples Mariana gives as they help me connect to the big ideas so easily.

    Shraddha

  • The open-mindedness and compassion that Mariana brings to her work is invaluable.

    Sheila

  • I spent 30 days with Ms. Mariana and I call them 30 days of transformation because this course changed my thinking. Concepts that seemed very familiar in Montessori, under her teaching seem entirely new. I just listened and wrote about 50 pages of notes every time she spoke.

SIGN UP

PEACE Mentorship

The 24/25 Mentorship Cohort is full.

Please apply for the 25/26 Mentorship Cohort in May 2025.

There are five pillars to Mariana’s coaching and support:

  • Developmental context: Mariana is well-researched about child development and always leads with grounding in the child’s development

  • Montessori pedagogy: Mariana has a deep understanding of Montessori theory and has a knack for explaining it in simple, understandable terms.

  • Montessori Curriculum: Mariana is a systems-thinker and has spent many years understanding and sequencing the Montessori materials and classroom in the First Plane of Development (0-6 years).

  • Observation: During Mariana’s 10 years in the classroom, her filled notebook after notebook of observational notes about the children and their activity in the prepared environment.

  • Systems: As someone who likes creating systems that work, Mariana uses a systems approach to support classrooms and schools so that practical advice actually sticks!