We recently connected with Jeremy Broms and have shared our conversation below.
Jeremy , so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
Since I can remember I have been called to teach. I honed my craft in Chicago working with pre-k through 6th graders. I then moved to Austin and found myself in an early childhood Montessori classroom and continued, then followed that same path when we moved to Longmont in 2019. Once I was in the early childhood community for multiple years, I knew I wanted and needed to have my own school.
It was in Austin where I met my friend and business partner, Irene Kirschenbaum, who shared my vision. When my son Atlas was born, he became the drive that led to Gray Wolf Montessori.
The Gray wolf was taken from its rightful place in nature and that act impacted the world. We have seen and experienced such acts countless times in our existence. We think that eradicating the different, the unknown, the hard will bring us a more peaceful place to live but the opposite is true. Gray Wolf Montessori believes that everything has its place. Everything: the gray wolf, the different, the unknown, the hard, the unique, the challenged and challenging. This includes all that we fear in education, the physical, the loud, the emotional, the sensitive and the misunderstood.
Dr. Maria Montessori viewed education differently, she studied it, then revolutionized it. It started on the floor observing children working with crumbs, and now you can “Montessori” anything. To me, the world of Montessori education has embodied the materials, but lost the true essence of her teachings. Dr. Montessori took her scientific studies of education and created a system that still stands up to the science and research of today. Somewhere between observing children working with crumbs, to present day Montessori programs, I feel her truth was lost.
My journey out of the established Montessori world can be summed up by a line by Clifford Smith Jr., better known as Method Man, “since the game got pretty it don’t go with my apparel.”
There are these, what I like to call, “Montessori country clubs,” that are taking Gray Wolves out of their rightful places. I have seen many times how those Gray Wolves are not welcomed in a classroom, how they are spoken about and spoken too. These Gray Wolves are viewed to require too much and challenge us too greatly as educators. In truth, Gray Wolves teach us how to truly be in community. Those Gray Wolves help us understand empathy, embrace differences, and support equity. It is those Gray Wolves, in spite of their unknowns, that push the world forward.
My son is a Gray Wolf. He was born with a genetic condition (I don’t like that word “disorder” so I use “condition”) called Lowe Syndrome. Being an educator, then a father of a child with special needs, gave me a unique perspective when it came to education, and more specifically, a Montessori education. I have come to believe that Montessori is for every child, even mine (though it might not be right for every FAMILY).
When my son was born and we learned what his journey would be like, I was confident that the foundations of a Montessori education would set him up for future success. However, to my dismay, I learned there are not many Montessori programs that are prepared to accept a tiny human with fragile bones, low vision, global delays and who, at the time, was using a candy-apple red walker to move. The world of education that I have given myself wholeheartedly to was unwilling to accept my son. Though now he is too old to benefit from an early childhood Montessori classroom, I will not stand idly by and allow the next Gray Wolf to miss out on an opportunity to receive a Montessori education.
With the new-found experience and perspective of being a parent to my son, I now have a greater understanding of what it means to adapt, be solution-oriented, and overcome. This role that I take on so proudly has forced me to re-evaluate how I (and the world I am a part of) address access, inclusion, timelines, and differences. From my perspective, we all have a little Gray Wolf inside of us and we all deserve a place.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
We are excited that the GWM community is beginning to grow! Gray Wolf Montessori will be opening in August 2024. We are an in-home early childhood Montessori program and we are still accepting enrollment applications and conducting tours. Please reach out if you are interested for the fall or the future.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Improvise, adapt, and overcome. When it comes to working with young children, and to my understanding, most parts of life, even with all the trainings, albums and courses, you very rarely find yourself in a repeat situation. However, you will continue to find yourself in situations with obstacles that need to be overcome. You practice and practice and practice, yet the performance never arrives, the curtains never go up, because they are always up. You are always “on.”
I encourage those on any sort of a bumpy journey that you try to find the flow in the practice, peace in the chaos and be willing adapt.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
We are always looking to connect with anyone who aligns with the Gray Wolf Montessori values. We continue to welcome families, educators, therapists and passionate individuals into the GWM circle. If you would like to know more please reach out through www.graywolfmontessori.org.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.graywolfmontessori.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/graywolfmontessori/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/graywolfmontessori
Image Credits
Photography of school: Katie Topham,
Photography of family: Stephanie Fassler
Logo work: Gabrielle Scott
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
