Communicating with Diplomacy and Tact, and Collectively 

Hello, this is Sharon Damore, Executive Director, Association of Illinois Montessori Schools (AIMS).  I am part of the new Illinois State Coalition and we have selected our issue as QRIS.  You might have viewed my recent letter to our Heads/Principals of AIMS member schools to ask them to get educated in the QRIS process in Illinois, ExeleRate Illinois, which includes training on the environmental rating scales (on this website:  go to Resources, click How to, and click on AIMS letter).

Being a good model, I have taken the training on the ECERS/ITERS and PAS in the past few weeks.  And as a result, I learned a valuable lesson that I know I need to pass on to my constituents here in Illinois.  And maybe to you.

We are at a juncture in Illinois where we are not quite ready to speak against the QRIS rating system or to make recommendations even to tweak. But we are learning quickly (from many of you).

When the trainers identified me as Montessori, I was subject to some probing and a couple of disparaging comments that I wasn’t quite prepared for (how are Montessori schools doing with QRIS or I heard there may be some issue with glass and safety?).   With all questions, I smiled, the politician in me “kicked in” and I gave responses such as “well, you will find Montessori a little different but it is a long-time, well respected, evidence based curriculum” or “that’s interesting that you should mention that, wouldn’t it be helpful for the validation to include someone with some Montessori training?”

So, the point is, I could have been defensive and told the individuals that they didn’t know what they were talking about.  BUT I didn’t and I walked away without confrontation but left behind some positive statements about Montessori education. 

Now I will have an adapted strategy that I need to communicate to my Illinis Montessori colleagues:  take the training, listen, take good notes, respond diplomatically.  Not the time to argue…. We represent one another.

And now, once a few of us are trained, we will organize our task force and further develop our strategy.  But we will respond collectively, and constructively, not as individuals, but as one voice in Illinois.