Meet Mikayla Pyatt, a teacher in the toddler community at Grace Montessori School. Mikayla has been teaching young children for the past 12 years and joined Grace Montessori School in June 2021.
The very first time that she visited Grace Montessori School, it felt like home. As she took in the calm atmosphere filled with nurturing energy, she knew she wanted to join the Grace Montessori team.
Mikayla values education and recognizes the unique and beneficial Montessori principles which tap into the natural exploration of each child, enticing them to expand their worlds and gain self-confidence. In the classroom, Mikayla invites students to practice natural exploration through reading and listening. In the toddler community, stories are read daily and sometimes multiple times. Repetition of a child’s favorite book can improve vocabulary, pronunciation, imagination, and memory. She believes it’s beneficial to instill these skills, especially in 12 to 36-month-old children.
Mikayla has always admired the intelligence and understanding of children. She is also fascinated by how children, specifically toddlers, explore and master new skills. A lesson she leaves with her students is to respect each other and themselves. In the toddler community, you often hear “This is my work”, or “That is ____’s work.” At Grace Montessori, students are encouraged to gain a sense of self and saying these phrases encourages students to respect each others’ work.
When Mikayla hears a student call her “Miss Mikayla” for the first time, she creates a new favorite memory. She takes pride in her students when they show respect, compassion, and empathy. Two Montessori principles – care of self and care of others – were reflected by her students while she recovered from knee surgery. Upon her return, her students were very helpful and often asked her if she was okay or if her “boo-boo” hurt.
She plans to enroll at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia to finish her Bachelor’s degree and Montessori certification. When Mikayla is not working in the classroom she likes to spend her free time in nature. It could be at a beach, on a hike in the woods, or at a pool – she simply enjoys being outside.
