Montessori Studio Guide — Spark Studio (Ages 4.5–7)
Acton Academy Columbus · Dublin, Ohio · Full-Time
Who We Are
Acton Academy Columbus is a learner-driven microschool of about 45 children — we call them Eagles — ages 4.5 to 15. We opened in 2021 with six learners and a conviction that every child who walks through our doors is a genius who will change the world. We blend the structure and prepared environments of Montessori, the wonder and project work of Reggio Emilia, and the learner-driven freedom and accountability of the Acton model into something we affectionately call Reggessori.
We don't have teachers. We have guides. We don't have classrooms. We have studios. And we don't have a curriculum that gets done to children — we have a community where young people learn to find their calling, take ownership of their own education, and treat one another with kindness and respect.
About the Role
The Spark Studio is where the journey begins. Our youngest Eagles are learning to read, to add, to tie their shoes, to resolve a conflict, and to take care of a shared space and the people in it. A Montessori Studio Guide in Spark is the steady, warm presence who makes all of that possible — not by standing at the front of the room and delivering lessons, but by preparing a beautiful environment, observing deeply, presenting materials at just the right moment, and asking the kind of questions that lead a child to discover the answer themselves.
This is a profound inversion of the traditional teaching role. If your instinct is to give the answer, this work will stretch you. If your instinct is to ask the next question and trust the child to rise to it, you'll feel right at home.
What You'll Actually Do
- Tend the prepared environment. You'll set up and care for a calm, ordered, beautiful Montessori space where materials invite independent work and every object has a purpose and a place. Studio maintenance isn't a chore here — it's character formation, and you'll model it.
- Present and observe. You'll give careful individual and small-group lessons in practical life, sensorial work, early math, and early literacy, then step back and watch. Your observation notes will tell you where each Eagle is and what comes next.
- Guide with questions, not answers. You'll run morning launches, Socratic discussions, and closings that spark curiosity and hand ownership back to the children. You'll hold Eagles lovingly accountable to the promises they make to themselves and the studio.
- Build grace and courtesy. You'll teach and model how to greet a friend, wait for a turn, ask for help, disagree kindly, and repair a relationship — the social fabric that makes a learner-driven studio possible at this age.
- Partner with families. You'll write warm, honest, character-focused updates and meet with parents to celebrate growth and navigate the hard, important moments of early childhood.
- Co-create with the team. You'll work alongside our Spark co-guides and the broader guide team to plan quests and projects, run our seasonal rhythms (Forest Fridays, exhibitions, the Children's Business Fair), and keep our culture strong.
Who You Are
- You love young children and genuinely believe they are capable of far more than the world usually expects of them.
- You hold Montessori training or certification (AMI, AMS, or equivalent) for the Early Childhood / Primary level — or you have strong Montessori experience and are eager to complete certification, which we'll support.
- You have experience working with children in the 4–7 range and understand their developmental world.
- You are an observer by nature — patient, calm, and able to hold a room with presence rather than volume.
- You can resist the urge to rescue a child from productive struggle, and you trust the process even when it's messy.
- You write and speak warmly and clearly, especially with parents.
- You're a builder and a collaborator who wants to help shape a young, growing school — not just fill a slot in an established one.
Nice to Have
- Familiarity with Reggio Emilia practice (emergent, project-based, documentation-rich work).
- Experience in a learner-driven, mixed-age, or microschool setting.
- A background or interest in the outdoors, the arts, or hands-on making — the kinds of things that bring a Spark Studio to life.
What We Offer
- A school year with a calendar built around meaningful breaks.
- Real ownership and a voice in how the studio and the school grow.
- A close, mission-driven team and ongoing investment in your development as a guide.
- The rare chance to do the most important work there is — helping children find their calling — inside a community that takes that mission seriously.
How to Apply
Tell us a little about yourself and why this work calls to you. We'd love to know what drew you to Montessori, what you believe about how children learn, and what you'd want to build with us.
Acton Academy Columbus · 5762 Wilcox Rd, Dublin, OH 43016
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $45,000.00 - $48,000.00 per year
Benefits:
Work Location: In person
