SUSAN MAYCLIN STEPHENSON
Educator and Artist, Trinidad, California

Having traveled and sometimes taught in many countries for more than 40 years Susan continues to share insights and experiences as a parent, grandparent, teacher, school administrator, and as an artist.

Many of her experiences have been recorded
in the pages of the Michael Olaf Montessori overview/catalogs.

SUSAN AS EDUCATOR Since 1965 Susan has worked as an educator—writer, speaker, teacher training course oral examiner and as an independent speaker and school consultant.

SUSAN AS ARTIST Susan shares her love of children and impressions from work in various countries through her oil painting

Since my first trip in 1963, I have wanted to to something to help children in the Middle East. (painting to come) For more information from the 2011 trip see:
Montessori in the Middle East

While consulting the the Montessori School of Moscow I happened upon a Russian Orthodox baptism which inspired this painting. See more of this visit here: Russia

Even if you do not read Russian, your students/children will enjoy looking at the Russian script on this Montessori language chart: chart

In 2003, for my 60th birthday, I traveled through Tibet, ending at the school for the blind in Lhasa. The painting to the right is of an old woman waiting for someone to unlock the door to Milarepa's cave so she could turn the prayer wheel.

Read details and about the school for the blind in Lhasa, here: Tibet

For the last 28 years this work has been supported by Michael Olaf Montessori Company, customers and friends.

The painting to the left is Michael Olaf holding his nephew Tai. My focus in the last years has been the development of the human being in the most powerful and influential first three years of life 0-3 years

Read about the conference in Sikkim, Northern India, Science, Spirituality, and Education, a meeting of the Dalai Lama, scientists, philosophers, and educators including 5 of us Montessorians. Sikkim

This painting was made from photographs I took of the Dalai Lama in Sikkim, and others in books and magazines.

In 2002 and 2005 I studied Buddhism in Dharamsala, India, and gave talks to the Montessori teachers at the Tibetan Children's Village: TCV Children's Village page: TCV home page

In this painting to the right the young son of a friend, making monasteries of Russian dolls I brought him.

The painting: cremation ghats on the Bagmati River in Kathmandu. While helping a Montessori teacher I spent a week helping poor Bhotia children at the Sri Mangel Dvip boarding school. This year 2 of the SMD teachers will begin Montessori training! Pictures and links from the boarding school here SMD

In 2006 the first AMI Montessori 3-6 training began in Thailand and I was on the staff. This year there are 200 people being trained as teachers! This painting is from pictures taken while visiting a student's home at a Buddhist self-sustaining community. Here are some pictures from that first course, and a link to find out what is happening now: Thailand

Much of the Montessori information I share in this international work
can be found at these two sites:

www.michaelolaf.net
www.michaelolaf.com

(Picture) The Michael Olaf Company in the Oakland/Berkeley area of the San Francisco Bay Area, in 1983.

Susanonly@earthlink.net

This page was updated
on November 12, 2012