by Alexandra Wldokowski | Adolescence, Book Reviews, Later Adolescence (15-18), MFA, Montessori Middle School, Montessori Secondary / High School
Kensuke’s Kingdom
Written by Michael Morpurgo
Illustrations by Michael Foreman
I got so immersed and blissfully lost in Michael’s tale of survival in Kensuke’s Kingdom, a wonderful book by Michael Morpurgo with amazing illustrations by Michael Foreman. After having read Warhorse by the same author, I was inspired to read another one of Michael Morpurgo’s great works. Morpurgo’s style is so engaging and descriptive that I did not want to put the book down. The story was full of adventure and shrouded in mystery. It was enjoyable and an amazing read.
The book was so heart wrenching and emotional that it touched me very deeply. The bond between Kensuke and Michael, the friendship, the respect between them was beautiful. After reading the book I learned that one must never give up hope, and one should never judge a person beforehand.
Kensuke was a man who came across as a stubborn and difficult person but Michael found out that he was a man true to his word, a kind and gentle soul who had a great sense of humour. The story is set in the year 1988 in Fareham, England where Michael and his family set sail on the ‘Peggy Sue’ on a trip around the world. One stormy night while Michael was steering the ship he noticed his dog, Stella, on the deck above. As he approached Stella and coaxed her to go to bed, a sudden wave swept them overboard. Michael and Stella found themselves stranded on an island in the middle of the Pacific with no food or water. They spent the night in a cave.
When Michael woke up he was surprised to see a plate of fruit and fish in front of him and a bowl of water to drink. Yes, there was another castaway on the island! Kensuke, a former World War II Japanese soldier, lived on the island safeguarding a cluster of Orangutans from the world of poachers. The man and the boy became friends, one having lost his family in the war and the other in search of his.
* This review was written by Alexandra Noreen Wiharja, a nine-year-old who attends Jakarta Montessori School
by Alexandra Wldokowski | Montessori Parenting, Montessori Teachers, School Leadership, The International Montessori Council
A few months ago, I was fortunate to have discovered Montessori Compass and take part in their free trial. I came across their site and was immediately drawn in when I read, “Don’t settle for being the best kept secret in town!” Yes! That’s it. For some time I have really felt as if so much wonderful learning happens in my classroom, yet parents are often unaware of all that occurs. Despite my efforts in sharing information via my school blog, there remains a portion of my targeted audience (parents of my students) that are missing some very key information.
I found myself in the midst of an ongoing quest to bridge this gap and then, I found Montessori Compass! Little did I know how fortuitous this would be not only for the parents of my students, but also for they way I guide my students in the Montessori classroom. Simply put, Montessori Compass is the most comprehensive, user-friendly, online record keeping system available. It is a valuable tool for teachers, administrators, and parents alike. Since I am very much a creature of habit and historically have never responded to well to change, I approached the free trial with a touch of apprehension. I was so used to the traditional system of my trusty pen, paper, and clipboard to keep track of my student’s progress and lessons. But I was compelled to move forward – while these copious notes were useful for me, they were of little use as far as information sharing with parents.
Montessori Compass promised to bridge the gap between school and home, and I wanted to experience exactly that! So, I began experimenting with the program by entering student information so that I could track their lessons. My trusty pen and clipboard sat nearby – just in case.
Then, one morning, you know the kind – when it seems as if things don’t go so well with wandering kids who appear not to make appropriate choices, squandered lessons, and general lack of motivation from the kids – I realized something. I had diligently entered my classroom observations, tracked the children’s lessons, and even uploaded the day’s photos into their individual albums and there it was, right in front of me – they had a great day and my record keeping on Montessori Compass proved it. I was hooked. And do you know what else I noticed? My clipboard. It had been sitting, untouched, for several weeks, and I didn’t miss it at all!
During this time, I also got to know how the lessons are organized and named within the system. One aspect which has been especially user-friendly is the capability to customize lesson names and curriculum headings to fit one’s desired order. Admittedly, I am somewhat of a stranger to the latest technological advances and definitely have never considered myself technologically savvy. Here, I must give credit to the reliable support staff which was incredibly helpful in answering my questions as they arose. Working with Montessori Compass has been simple, fun, and a little addicting! I love seeing the results of my hard work and my student’s progress in front of me each day. Even more importantly, the information can now available to share with parents.
I decided to take it a step further and designated a few parents to be ‘demo parents’ as I learned the system, specifically how the ‘Activity Reports’ would be reflected on their accounts. In order to maximize benefits for parents, I spent many hours inputting lesson descriptions and uploading photos of materials. Since this time, Montessori Compass has upgraded the system to include its own descriptions and photos of lessons and materials. While I value this added bonus, I appreciate the fact that account users can customize their descriptions and use their own pictures. Now, when parents view their Activity Report (which can be customized to send out daily or weekly), they not only have access to descriptions and purposes of lessons, but also can see a picture of it in our classroom.
Over the course of the last couple of months, there has been a positive change in the classroom as I navigate with Montessori Compass. Montessori teachers are constantly observing and making note of each child’s progress. We have most likely all said to ourselves, “Oh, (fill in a name) is ready for the Teen Board. I have to remember to give that lesson tomorrow,” only to forget the next day. This problem is completely eliminated with Montessori Compass. When a teacher knows a child is ready for a certain lesson, they can simply enter the lesson plan in the system for a specific date and ‘tag’ the student. As a result, the entered lesson appears on the ‘planned lessons’ page on the date designated by the teacher – when that date arrives, it’s right there in front of you! This makes it nearly impossible to forget a lesson and the best part is, the lesson can simply be rescheduled to another day if needed. Consequently, my students have been progressing more smoothly through the curriculum, at a rate which I have never experienced up until this point.
From a teacher’s point of view, Montessori Compass has proven to be a valuable tool both in the classroom and for communication with parents. Being the owner of my own school, however, also allows me to utilize the program for administrative purposes. I am constantly on the lookout for ways to improve my school and bring it new levels of excellence. Without a doubt, Montessori Compass will do exactly that. So, I’ve put away my record keeping clipboard for good and no longer have to “settle for being the best kept secret in town!”
Montessori Leadership / December 2012 / p 24
