As part of our theme for the 2019-20 school year and ongoing work in the realm of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Greenspring Montessori School has put together a series of parent events around these topics. Please take a look at the list below to learn more about our upcoming events.
Lending Library
Available year-round
Greenspring Montessori School’s library in the Main Building silos houses an array of resources for parents and children. Speak to our librarian, Sherry White, for recommended readings.
The Importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and reflections on Greenspring’s DEI journey
Thursday, September 12, 2019 at 6:00pm
Tamara S. Balis
Head of School at Greenspring Montessori School, Greenspring Parent
Human-Centered Design Workshop
Date TBD
Monica Tanase-Coles
Certified Integral Coach and adjunct faculty at New Ventures West, Greenspring Parent
George Coles
Process Engineer and Project Manager in the REDD Department of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Greenspring Parent
Vision together what we wish for our children’s education as it regards Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging. Identify Greenspring’s “Roses, Buds, and Thorns” and make a plan for areas to improve and grow.
How to Talk to Your Children About Race
Monday, December 2, 2019 at 6:30pm
Britt Hawthorne
Equity trainer and Montessori educator
This family and community presentation seeks to dismantle the color-blind assumption and prepare children to work toward justice. This presentation shares concrete ways families can support and affirm their children’s developing racial, ethnic, and other identities, empower their children to celebrate differences, and help them learn to stand up in the face of injustice.
Coffee & Conversation: How Privilege Impacts My Parenting and My Child’s Access to Opportunities
Friday, January 24, 2020 from 8:45-10:45am
Jeff Gray
Founder of the Johns Hopkins Homewood Council for Inclusive Excellence, Greenspring Parent
Learn about and reflect on the many dimensions of privilege in this parent-led workshop. Encourages individuals to reflect on and recognize their own unearned advantages and disadvantages as parts of immense and overlapping systems of power and how that impacts their children’s education.
Suggested pre-reading:
- White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, by Peggy McIntosh
In addition to these events, our faculty and staff will also be receiving a number of professional development opportunities throughout the year on these topics. To learn more about the work happening among our faculty and staff, please click here.
Tamara Sheesley Balis joined the Greenspring community as Head of School in 2012. With an extensive background in Montessori education, school administration, and childhood development, Tamara believes it is her mission to bring Montessori education to as many families and educators as possible. Tamara lives with her husband and two daughters, one in Upper Elementary and one a recent graduate of Greenspring Montessori School.