The leaders of tomorrow lay dormant in the children of today. Academic excellence is important, but essential skills such as love, empathy, resilience and acceptance cannot be overlooked. In this heartfelt talk, Gavin McCormack adjusts our perspective of what the word ‘education’ truly means.
Gavin McCormack is a trained Montessori teacher, children’s author, teacher trainer, philanthropist and school principal. While working in the teaching profession for over twenty years, he has used his experience and training to understand what it means to truly educate with true intention. Initially trained as a mainstream primary school teacher, Gavin re-trained as a Montessori teacher where he found the understanding and experience that has inspired him to build several schools and teacher training centres in the Himalayan regions of Nepal. Gavin has trained teachers, parents and educational leaders across the world. His passion for educational reform, with a strong emphasis on Montessori within the home, has driven him to attempt to put these thoughts into words. He believes that for a child to reach their full potential, the school and home environment must work in harmony.
In this video
Gavin McCormack shares stories from classrooms, from training teachers in Nepal to four 11-year-olds who filled backpacks for refugee children. The talk is for parents and teachers who care about kindness and life skills in school. It looks at how a school can bring in Montessori with few materials, and at mixed-age classes. There is also a quiz for parents about ranking children.
Chapters
- 0:00 How Gavin McCormack found Montessori and why he stayed
- 7:18 How any school can bring in Montessori without materials
- 12:13 Training teachers in Nepal: first they had to feel valued
- 21:36 Life skills over facts, and why a silent class isn't good
- 24:42 A diary to plan the day, and letting kids choose seats
- 28:38 Start with parents: a quiz that shows how ranking kids hurts
- 37:53 Letting go of control, then adding one shelf at a time
- 41:31 Montessori where materials are scarce: share and start small
- 48:02 It takes a child to raise a village, and mixed-age classes
- 53:27 The 40 life skills top companies hire for
- 55:23 How four 11-year-olds filled backpacks for refugee children
