Spotlight on Jennifer Heness

SPOTLIGHT ON MONTESSORI EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER JENNIFER HENESS

How does a graphic designer become a Montessori early childhood teacher? For Jennifer Heness, the answer is motherhood. 

Jen, who is a second-year teacher at Holy Child Academy in Drexel Hill, has a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Temple University and worked as a graphic designer at the University of Pennsylvania for five years.

While at Penn she pursued a master’s degree at the Wharton School of Business. Jen completed the first year of the program, but did not continue because she was pregnant with son Aleks, who is now seven.

After her son was born, Jen became interested in how children learn and started taking courses in child development.  When Aleks was two years old, Jen began looking for a pre-school and discovered a local Montessori school. “I spent the day there, and I was completely wowed,” she said. “This looks so much fun -- this is not only where I want my son to be, but I also would like to do this.”

Montessori appealed to Jen because of the individualized approach to educating young children. “In an early childhood setting I just loved how every child is seen as an individual, a unique package,” she said. “That’s what I love about Montessori ‑- everyone is an individual and everyone learns differently. It’s totally OK to be different.”

The children are also empowered to follow their interests in the Montessori classroom. “I like how children are free to move around and choose their own work,” Jen said. “They’re like little sponges, and if you put them in the right environment and give them an array of materials, they really can’t go wrong. It just seems like a joyful approach to educating children.”

In addition to enrolling Aleks in the school, Jen eventually became an assistant teacher there. “I just got my feet wet in the classroom and absolutely loved it,” she said.

Jen decided to pursue a master’s degree in early childhood education, and the American Montessori Society awarded her a scholarship to attend Chestnut Hill College. The college offers a master’s degree in education, Montessori certification, and state certification. “It was a perfect fit for me because I was able to channel everything into one effort,” Jen said.

She recently completed her coursework and will graduate with a master of science degree in education in May. The 3.97 GPA she attained is impressive given her work and family schedule.

Jen especially enjoys seeing children gain confidence when they learn a new skill. “It’s really exciting when a child makes a work choice and they complete their work,” she said. “I like it when they use the materials and get the results they want.”

While Jen initially chose a career in graphic design, she feels being a Montessori early childhood teacher gives her more opportunities to be creative.

“It’s funny because I started out in the creative field, but I feel more creative teaching pre-school than I ever did doing design work for a company,” she said. “Every one of the kids is a different puzzle. It’s much more creative to figure out how do I get this child to learn, how do I get this child past (counting) from one to 10, and how can I get this child to read.”