Our Commitment to Anti-Racist/Anti-Biased Education

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At The Earth Tortoise School, we recognize that our society is shaped by heteronormative, white-centric standards. We are committed to making changes towards eliminating the biases, prejudices, and injustices created by living in such a society. We strive to be a safe and welcoming community for people of all races, ethnicities, cultures, languages, gender expressions, sexual orientations, religions, family structures, and beliefs. In order to move ever closer to this goal, The Earth Tortoise School continually reflects upon our staff’s development, our ways of being with the children and families, the materials and experiences we provide for the children, and the policies and procedures we enact.

 

Our staff will take part in Anti Racist/Anti Bias professional development on an ongoing basis. This will be done through direct instruction at conferences, workshops, and seminars – consciously and deliberately chosen – as well as through continued reflection, assessment, and refinement of our approach -both guided and self-directed. Understanding the perspectives and experiences of others is a core value of The Earth Tortoise School and Montessori Education in general. As is the celebration of our differences and similarities. These values will guide our personal growth and how we approach our interactions with others. In all things, listening, thoughtfulness, respect, and appreciation are paramount. We are continuously learning about and looking for new, diverse, evolving experiences we can share with the children through new materials, books, conversations, celebrations, etc. We are mindful of the words we use and the actions we take. We reflect on both the intentions and the unconscious biases behind these words and actions as well as the direct impact they have on others, regardless of those intentions. And we are dedicated to growing The Earth Tortoise School with these goals in mind. Decisions and policies are made through a lens of equity, striving to take into account the individual experiences of everyone in our community while also moving everyone forward together.

 

We understand that this work is never done. Upholding justice and cultivating peace is a daily practice. We are committed to being mindful each day. At The Earth Tortoise School, we are lifelong learners. "The real preparation for education is a study of one's self. The training of the teacher who is to help life is something far more than a learning of ideas. It includes the training of character; it is a preparation of the spirit."--Maria Montessori.

 

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Our Commitment to Inclusion

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The Earth Tortoise School is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all children and families. Through our work with the Multnomah Early Childhood Program (MESD) for almost 15 years (as well as with many private specialists) we have been learning, and continue to learn, how to best elevate our classrooms to “Follow the Child”, each and every child – a tenet of the Montessori approach to education.

 

In this work, we have learned how meaningful inclusion is for our whole community -supporting the development of mutual respect, the recognition of everyone’s strengths and challenges, and the importance of supporting one another in our growth. We are striving to support children with their individuals needs AND to normalize the use of tools to center one’s self as a way to end the stigma around neuro-differences, developmental differences, mobility differences, etc.

 

To this end, in addition to providing individual supports as may be specified in a child’s Individualized Family Services Plan, we have seen how making universal accommodations available to the whole class supports ALL the children with self-regulation and focus.  Lots of different tools are available in our classrooms - to all the children all the time. These include visual schedules, sound-canceling headphones, timers, wiggly seat cushions, sensory chews, additional railings, various types of seating, etc. Children can choose these at will.

 

These early years are a time when it is developmentally appropriate to explore various tools and strategies that help kids get through their day in a regulated manner so their brains are available for cognitive and social tasks.  When a new tool is introduced into a classroom, many kids want to try it.  That is perfectly fine.  It is the children who truly need/benefit from that tool who will continue to use it once the novelty has worn off.  It is important to understand that just because a tool, such as headphones, works well for a child, it does not mean there is a diagnosis that needs to be made.  As kids mature, they will find more socially appropriate ways to get their needs met. If, however, we feel a child would benefit from an Early Intervention evaluation, we will support and inform you through this process. It is important to remember that differences are natural and normal; if your child receives a diagnosis, it does not change who they have always been – it simply provides them with supports to meet their fullest potential; there are endless ways to be human and they are all valid and beautiful and important.