Tatenda Blessing Muchiriri, American Montessori Society (AMS) Emerging Leaders fellow, is the founder of Rungano Montessori on Wheels, “a revolutionary and liberatory approach” to providing children and their families access to a Montessori education. Tatenda was born in Zimbabwe and discovered his love of Montessori when he lived in China for seven years. He received his AMS Infant/Toddler and Early Childhood credentials through the Montessori Education Center of the Rockies (MECR). Tatenda moved to the Boulder, CO area in 2015 and now serves as a board member for the Colorado Montessori Association and for the MECR Teacher Education Program (TEP) board where he also works as their MECR Alchemist, responsible for the experiences of student teachers working towards their certification. In this digital interview, Tatenda shares his story, discussing how his experience as an AMS Emerging Leaders fellow impacted his professional journey and how he continues making an impact in the Montessori community through his innovative project, Montessori on Wheels.

Can you share a bit about your experience in the AMS Emerging Leaders Fellowship Program?

Tatenda:

The Emerging Leaders Fellowship Program was an amazing opportunity for me. It really helped me launch myself into the Montessori community. It was the first professional development that I did outside my training that focused on my professional growth and honestly, I think, it was the foundation of what I do now.

I was paired with Claudia Mann, who was my mentor for the whole year, and she was amazing in not only mentoring and helping me grow my profession, but also showing me what it looks like to also mentor someone else. I really appreciated her coaching style which was very responsive and very human-centered. It felt like a good pair, just being with her for the whole year; that pairing was really, really amazing!

What was the most valuable aspect of the program?

Tatenda:

I appreciated the idea of focusing on the teacher, or the leader, as full of potential, because in training there is so much focus on nurturing and sustaining children’s potential. With the Emerging Leaders Fellowship, I appreciated that the focus was on our potential to explore, which I tapped into while being surrounded by amazing educators from around the nation. They were really thinking about ways in which we could change the landscape of Montessori Education, whether through expansion or doing it better, and really innovating within the Montessori community. So, it helped me to lean on innovation, creativity, and tap into my own abilities and ways in which I could really grow outside the classroom.

I think that was something that they really focused on during the fellowship that I appreciated; it was about how we can emerge these leaders, and I really came out of it fully emerged.

How did the program impact your career?

Tatenda:

I really came out of it strong as a leader, being able to speak publicly. I think after that I was able to attend AMS conferences and present, and also seek out other opportunities outside Montessori where I could share about Montessori Education and be a leader in the community. I went on to become a board member in Colorado with the Colorado Montessori Association which, right now, has opened up a lot of opportunities for me where I sit on different boards and am invited to different education spaces where I speak about Montessori. I am part of a design team about how to really think about education in general in Colorado.

What skills and knowledge did you gain during the fellowship that helped you advance in your professional journey?

Tatenda:

The Emerging Leaders Fellowship was a catalyst to all of the work that I do right now. I really appreciated the teaching and the nurturing that we got from our mentors and teachers who were invested in how they can launch teachers who then become leaders within their community, and within the Montessori community at large.

Continue reading part 2 of this series.