Morah Brocha Margolese; Consultant

Brocha first learned about the Montessori educational model while studying and training for Special Education.  As part of her training, she shadowed a child who attended a Montessori after-school program.  “After school, children are often really tired and done with learning, but these children were amazing.  They’d come in after an entire day, but be energized and enthusiastic about their after-school learning.  If the children could be so successful in just 2 hours, imagine what they could do with a whole school day!”  Brocha attributed their enthusiasm and success to the teaching methods the program used, so she decided to pursue her Montessori Certification and complete a Montessori internship.
As part of her internship in 2003, Brocha was required to observe different Montessori classrooms.  Her instructor directed her to conduct an observation at Yeshivas Shaarei Simcha in Clifton, NJ, the first religious Montessori school.  “I was blown away by the mix of Torah and real-deal Montessori.”  After she completed the observation, the school’s Director made her a job offer on the spot.
Working in Yeshiva Shaarei Simcha, Brocha had the opportunity to begin the design process of the primary division’s integrated curriculum. Rabbi Jonathan Rietti, Advisory Board member for Darchei Noam Montessori, designed the elementary school curriculum there and this partnership led to fruitful future collaborations.
Brocha also started a number of Montessori programs; one in Lakewood, one at Talmudical Academy in Baltimore and finally in 2009, Darchei Noam Montessori, originally housed in Brocha’s basement.
In addition to her work with Darchei Noam Montessori, Brocha consults with schools throughout the US and Canada as well as with teachers in Beijing, Switzerland and France to move their Montessori schools to higher levels of functionality and academic growth.
Brocha was also part of the hosting team at the Jewish Montessori Annual Conference in Clifton, NJ and a presenter/lecturer at the conference.
In her “spare time,” Brocha enjoys relaxing and spending quality-time with her husband, Binny and her 6 children.