This article first appeared in the February 2013 issue of Forest & Bluff

It only takes a few minutes of conversation with Ann Jordahl to understand her deep devotion to the students, teachers, and families she works with on a daily basis.

As the recently appointed Interim Executive Director for the Montessori School of Lake Forest (MSLF), Ann’s sense of dedication and direction is hard to find elsewhere. Aside from her evident passion for the school and its goals, Ann also brings a wealth of experience to her new position. “I came to the school 18 years ago, as a mother,” she says. She joined the school’s board, but, inspired by her children’s Montessori education, she decided to train as a Montessori teacher, and began teaching at the toddler level 16 years ago. The school then asked if she would be interested in helping build the MSLF Adolescent Program, and Ann agreed, working in that program for several years before becoming the Adolescent Program Director. Early in the summer of 2012, she stepped into the role of Acting Executive Director for the school, which led to her current role as Interim Executive Director. The announcement of Ann’s new role has been met with enthusiasm from MSLF faculty, administrators, and families, who have come to know her well.

As Interim Executive Director, Ann hopes to continue the Montessori tradition of creating a safe environment where children can develop independence, learn respect for self and others, and cultivate a lifelong love of learning. MSLF offers students and their families the opportunity to become part of a community within a community. “Many people are looking for community in their lives. I think that community is a chance to work and think together,” Ann explains. “We may not always see eyeto- eye, but if we can be authentic, with the ultimate goal of hearing and respecting one another, then we are creating a living community which has room for all kinds of people, educates children well, and provides children with models of how to live responsibly.”

In an effort to foster community, Ann, along with the MSLF faculty and administrators, is working to build the school’s parent education program, which gives parents the opportunity to deeply understand their child’s dayto- day classroom experiences. “Parents want to understand what their children are experiencing, how to support that at home, and how to be part of their child’s school life,” Ann explains. Parent education includes parent-child work days (when parents visit the classrooms) and parent meetings on topics like standardized testing, transitioning into and out of the Elementary Program, and seasonal topics, such as a “Family Celebrations” meeting before the holidays.

The parent education program seeks to inform and empower a parent to foster their child’s learning experience. One of the works—or lessons—for young children is to follow lengthy, step-by-step instructions for shoe polishing.

Ann remembers one mother, in particular, who was confused as to why the teacher would give a young child such a task. “When she did the many steps of the lesson herself, it hit her; she finally understood what her son was learning. She saw that he was learning a great deal about eye-hand coordination, concentration, logic, and memory,” Ann explains. “Then she began to understand, in a new way, when the teacher said that a work like this prepares a child for reading or math.”

In order to make MSLF a secure and fulfilling community for the children, Ann is also working to uphold Montessori standards in the areas of homework and bullying. MSLF does not assign homework to the younger children; in the Adolescent Program, students are assigned a lot of academic work that they have time to work on during the school day and must sometimes finish at home. This creates a sense of accountability for the older students and prepares them for high school. When it comes to bullying, MSLF has a holistic and preventative approach. “Bullying can exist anywhere, and people need a combination of grace, courtesy, and personal power to prevent bullying,” Ann says. “Those are taught from the very beginning of a Montessori education. I think it’s effective because the teachers and parents work on it, and it’s modeled and enacted in every single area.”

As the MSLF staff continues to uphold the school’s standards for excellence in education, they are excited about this new chapter for MSLF, in which Ann’s leadership is greatly valued. With her multifaceted background of Montessori parent, board member, teacher, and program director, she brings a thorough knowledge to her position. That knowledge, coupled with her love for MSLF’s work, will shape a bright future for the school’s families and students.

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