Emely Flores Lacayo

I attribute my success to my faith. When asked what I attribute my success to, I simply said 'I thumped' - meaning my faith and belief have carried me through all the challenges I've faced as an immigrant, a single mother, and someone fighting for representation in Montessori education.

The best career advice I have ever received is to not bring your emotions into the field. No matter how angry or sad you are, people in the field are not going to see your emotions as something they can relate to. I have learned to not bring my feelings, but to bring facts instead of emotions. This has helped me navigate difficult situations professionally and advocate more effectively for the children and families I serve.

I would say to be authentic. Be authentic and love the philosophy. Not just the philosophy you are saying directly, but learn deeply what Montessori really is, so you don't get into something that is not what it's called. Don't be afraid of showing children your own culture. Montessori can be taught everywhere. Montessori can be taught in a good way. Montessori can be any culture, if you know how to apply it. Bring your whole self and your cultural background into the classroom, because that diversity is what makes Montessori education richer and more accessible to all children.

I think there are a few major challenges in Montessori education right now. One of them is that even though Montessori is well known and such a good philosophy, not a lot of people of color do it. When I was taking my training, there were just two Black women, and both of us were immigrants - one from Africa and me from Honduras. This means there is not a lot of diverse representation and cultural exposure for children in Montessori environments. It's changing from how it was before, but we still have a long way to go. Another issue is that because anybody can call themselves Montessori, not every Montessori school is really providing the authentic Montessori philosophy. Some schools just use the name. For me personally, one of my biggest challenges was that there were no Black lead teachers around me in my Montessori journey. I had to fight to get my Montessori certificate. The doors only opened to me after the death of George Floyd, when the United States went through so much during that time period. I was questioning why I wasn't being sent to do my training even though I was already in the school and asking for it. I made a meeting with the principal and wanted her to answer me why it was not possible for me to get my Montessori training. I explained who I was and what my desire was, and I asked why there were no Black lead teachers in the school. I wanted to know why children couldn't see a Black woman as a lead. That was my biggest fighting challenge.

I have a lot of value in respecting everybody's differences. As I respect everybody's differences, I know that people's differences can make humanity see them with not good eyes and not understand child development or what people have been going through. I think one of my biggest strengths is that I have so much awareness of what people are going through, from my own experience, and I do value that. This means I advocate when I see people being mistreated, when I see children being mistreated or being misunderstood. I bring this value in order for people to feel that being unique is important, and they should not be afraid of saying something or advocating for what they value. Coming from my own experiences as an immigrant, a single mother, and someone with a disability, I understand what it means to be different and misunderstood, and I use that to help others feel seen and respected.