Small Business Spotlight
Angela of @angelamomtessori
Who are you?
"I’m Angela Chang! I grew up in Pittsburgh and ended up in upstate New York for college, where I met my now husband. I followed him to New Jersey after graduation, and ended up going to the Princeton Center for Teacher Education to receive my American Montessori Society Infant & Toddler Credential. I taught in Montessori schools in New Jersey and Pittsburgh for 6 years before deciding to stay home with my own two children. We did Montessori homeschool preschool together until they entered our public school system in Kindergarten. Now I teach parents who are interested in incorporating Montessori principles at home or are homeschooling their preschoolers, but I love that I still have plenty of time available to follow my own children in their lifelong learning journey."
Tell us about your connection to Montessori.
"I first learned about Montessori when I was thrown into a teaching position at a Montessori school in New Jersey! I had just graduated from college and knew that I wanted to teach, but wanted to try to find a job at a private school before continuing on to graduate school. The first place that hired me was a Montessori school that was opening a brand new toddler program. I’m not sure why they hired me, with zero experience with toddlers, no understanding of Montessori, and a Bachelor's degree in Art History… but I’m glad they did! After a year there, I fell in love with Montessori and decided to undertake Montessori training at PCTE. I continued teaching in Montessori infant and toddler programs after that, until my first daughter was 1 year old. At that point, I decided to stay home with her.
After encountering Montessori in the classroom, I knew that my own children had to be raised with Montessori principles in mind. I highlighted all the books and had my husband read them as we prepared for our first little one to be born, and we set up our home accordingly from the beginning. I feel lucky to have had that prior experience of seeing just what toddlers are truly capable of before embarking on our Montessori journey at home, and I can’t imagine our life any other way."
Tell us about your business.
"My business is Momtessori Life, headed by my blog (momtessorilife.com)of the same name. My blog is free and contains many articles written by me about Montessori parenting, homeschooling, and tips and tricks from a former teacher. I also teach parents through self-paced e-courses and webinars that can be purchased for anywhere from $7 to $199, with lifetime access. I occasionally consult with Montessori schools, and they can also hire me to present at their parent education nights. For a more personalized experience, I lead a small group coaching community of parents of children ages 0-6 for a monthly fee of $30. I also create many printable Montessori-inspired materials that can be purchased on Etsy or Teachers Pay Teachers."
Click on the links below to access Angela's blog, courses, coaching, and shops.
Instagram: @angelamomtessori
For school inquiries, e-mail: angela@momtessorilife.com
Tell us about your why.
"I started my blog in 2015 because friends had noticed that there was something different about my style of parenting, and they were asking questions. Over the years, it just kind of grew as more people found it and asked for more, and I’ve just followed the requests until it became what it is now! One of my main goals with this business has always been to have flexible hours so that I can still be available for my family and don’t need to stress over sick days or missing events. I love getting to interact with parents from around the world and being a part of the parenting journey for so many!"
Your best advice in parenting
"Educate yourself and then lower your expectations. When you’re wondering why your toddler isn’t doing something perfectly or exactly the way you like, remember just how young she is. Don’t put her in boxes of “normal” or “not normal, something must be wrong, oh no what do we do?!” See your child as an individual and follow her in all things."
Where do you see your business going from here?
"My main focus currently is my small group coaching clients and creating new printable materials. I would love to engage with more schools in the future so that I can reach more parents who are interested in applying the Montessori philosophy to their homes."
