by Karen Feldman | Empowerment, Kindergarten, Lower Elementary (6-9), Maria Montessori, Mixed Ages, Montessori Education, Montessori students, Montessori Teachers, Planes of Development, Prepared Environment, Sensitive Periods, Tomorrow's Child, Tomorrow's Child Online Issue
The Montessori method develops the child’s disposition and attitude, self-confidence, and self-esteem. Children’s learning is reflected in the level of motivation and interest they show in their work, and in their ability to concentrate and finish what they start. Children are scientists and have a tendency to explore their world. They learn about who they are, develop new relationships, discover what kind of learner they are, uncover their strengths, and basically practice new skills in every area of development. This is a way of preparing children to go into the world. As teachers, we need to learn about the development of the child in the early years and also attempt to know each child individually. The development of a child makes us understand that the child within a certain age develops their skills in a specific order. For example, when the child comes to class for the first time, the teacher is supposed to observe the child’s ability to sit down for a certain period of time, wait for their turn, and share with peers.
Dr. Montessori simply observed that competition is an ineffective tool to motivate children to learn and work hard in school. We use the term society cohesion; the children learning to collaborate with each other rather than mindlessly competing. In an atmosphere in which children learn at their own pace and compete against only themselves, they learn not to be afraid of making mistakes.
When children have the right environment and conditions, they are able to develop their character. Children need to do things on
their own in order to acquire as much independence as possible.
The children learn from their own experiences, not from lecturing or telling them what to learn. According to Montessori, “a man’s accomplishments do not depend upon his teachers, but upon what he himself has done” (Montessori, 1967, P. 178). In this society, children are also group oriented, with older and younger children placed together in classes to learn from each other. They will show respect and interest in each other. In this type of multi-age setting, the younger children get a chance to look ahead and see what is coming next by watching the older children. Older children have the opportunity to reinforce their knowledge by sharing it with younger children. For example, when Elohor was in kindergarten one, Ama helped her settle down (he was in kindergarten three). Ama took it upon himself to put Elohor through the materials and she felt comfortable working with Ama. Now Elohor is in kindergarten two and she is working with a new child, Adaeze, on kindergarten one. This action wasn’t imposed on her; she did it willingly because she received the same treatment from Ama.
“The tiny child’s absorbent mind finds all its nutriment in its surroundings. Here it has to locate itself and build itself up from what it takes in. Especially at the beginning of life must we, therefore, make the environment as interesting and attractive as we can? The child, as we have seen, passes through successive phases of development and in each of these his surroundings have an important—though different—part to play. In none have they more importance than immediately after birth.” (The Absorbent Mind)
The teacher, therefore, is careful to provide the child with a classroom where materials for work are appropriate to the developmental stages of the students, delightful to the sense, easily accessible, and displayed in an orderly, uncluttered fashion. Each material has its place and each child soon learns where that place is and eagerly returns the material to it when she is finished working. The teacher is careful to provide an environment conducive to concentration.
“There is in the child a special kind of sensitivity which leads him to absorb everything about him, and it is this work of observing and absorbing that alone enables him to adapt himself to life. He does it in virtue of an unconscious power that exists in childhood…The first period of the child’s life is one of adaptation.” (The Absorbent Mind)
The skilled Montessori teacher organizes regular opportunities for children to share what they know and to find out more about the features of the places in which they live and learn. Children learn about life cycles in flora and fauna, time—cycles of the seasons and some of the reasons for development, progression, and change as they observe for themselves what happens in real life. The children develop rich descriptive language as they work with the Montessori materials for botany, geography, and history. Time-lines and photographs are displayed in innovative ways of their own design, either individually, or in small groups.
These opportunities to share ideas, both in words and actions, within their familiar group give children the confidence they need to develop an attitude of experimentation and innovation as they try out new ideas for themselves. As children succeed with new skills and begin to apply their learning in different contexts, they develop self-confidence and a high level of self-esteem. The Montessori education encourages behavior; self-control; and the capacity to develop relationships. The children reach a high state of individual discipline; they master an awareness of themselves and can, as a consequence, control themselves when they must follow what Montessori described as a ‘rule of life.’
It is worthwhile explaining that social interactions are encouraged for all children during routines, such as circle time. These times offer children opportunities to observe and develop good listening, conversation, and relationship skills. Children learn how to modify their behavior to suit different contexts, to wait for their turn, and to share.
Children are encouraged to set out their ‘work’ on table trays and floor mats. This helps them to mark out their own workspace and to respect the work of others.
Below are some helpful hints for transforming the child into the world:
1. Your child is unique; do not compare your child with anyone.
2. Don’t criticize your child incorrectly.
3. Help your child to set goals that are realistic and achievable.
4. Encourage your child in any activity he likes.
5. Don’t be partial in dealing with your children, be fair.
6. Be friendly and gentle. Don’t scold him in front of his friends.
7. Develop a sense of belonging. Doing things together as a family can be a rewarding experience for the child.
Karen Elohor Feldman has worked on staff in Mona School since 2015 as a kindergarten teacher, Assistant Accounting Officer, and Personal Assistant to the Headmistress, C.E.O Mona School.
Mona School was established to provide a high standard of education for children between the ages of 2-12 in Sapele, Delta state Nigeria. The Montessori Method of education is used. The owner of the school is the Mona Foundation which has been registered in Nigeria as a non-governmental organization to assist in the realization of peace.
The Mona School believes that the key to achieving peace is the training of children to become peaceful adults.
Tomorrow’s Child / April 2019 / Pg 8
by Lorna McGrath | Child's Work, Communication, Discipline, Empowerment, Infant-Toddler (0 to 3), Language, MFA, Montessori Parenting, Sensitive Periods, Toddler (18 months-3 years), Webinars / MFA
What? Wonder-filled? Did you think, “What could be wonder-filled about the TERRIBLE TWO’S?” If you are struggling with your two-year old or you are about to celebrate your child’s second birthday, this session with Lorna will give you insights about two-year old behavior, how they are changing during the year from 2 to 3, success strategies, and how your parenting role is changing as well.
by Christine Lowry | Children with Exceptionalities, Communication, Empowerment, MFA, Mixed Ages, Montessori Education, Montessori students, Montessori Teachers, Planes of Development, School Leadership, Sensitive Periods, Sensorial, The International Montessori Council
From my first observation in a Montessori classroom, I recognized how consistent it was with much about my field of special education. Up to that point, I had worked in a variety of settings from a public-school program to an in-patient psychiatric unit and with children from four to seventeen years of age. It immediately struck me that a Montessori classroom would be the perfect environment for serving a range of diversity of learning and behaviors. My biggest revelation? This could be a system based on prevention rather than a response to an identified ‘disability,’ the predominant model of special education at that time.
I made it my mission to create a school that would include all kinds of children with the specific goal of preventing the heartache I had seen in so many students and their families when a ‘disorder’ was diagnosed and sometimes not until the teenage years. My hypothesis was that prevention vs. response could be a model to minimize difficulties and maximize each child’s strengths.
My year-long project during my Montessori training was “Starting a School.” With the support and advice of my program director and mentor, Ceres York, this goal was realized with the founding of my first school two months after earning my credential.
Turns out I was not unique in my thinking that an Inclusion Model based on Prevention vs. Response could be the very best way to benefit all students. Many in the field of special education were looking at ways to support students with challenges in behavior and learning. From the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) in 2004, specifically mandating the right to “inclusive education” to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015 mandating Multi-Tiered Systems of Support in every state, universities, research centers, and agencies of the federal and state governments have created a rich base of research guiding our understanding of this concept of inclusion using a Prevention vs. Response model.
As we in the Montessori community embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion, we must explore how we serve and support a growing population of children who perceive, learn, and behave with a wide range of neurodiversity.
These numbers, though just estimates are staggering. Regardless of our setting, be it public or independent, a large school or small, we cannot ignore the rates, or more importantly, the need.
Based on her observations and work with students who, today, might be classified as having ‘special needs,’ Dr. Montessori ‘discovered’ a system of education to benefit all students. Our roots are special education. Today’s child asks us to reframe our thinking—to innovate from our Montessori philosophical and pedagogical foundation to serve the child before us and “see the child not yet there.” (Montessori. The Absorbent Mind).
Creating an Inclusive Classroom?
It is tempting, especially when we feel less than confident on a topic, to identify labels as we seek to gain understanding. I imagine a ‘work’ something like three-part cards with a label for a disability, and its matching definition, but unlike three-part cards such as the parts of the bird, with its generic drawing, there is no such generic child. And there is not even agreement among special educators, psychologists, and other professionals about ‘labels’ and the characteristics of children who learn or behave in unique and
diverse ways.
A diagnostic category can give us a very broad, overall view of characteristics that might be common to a group but doesn’t really give us specific information to support that student who enters our school and our classroom every day. A label doesn’t account for whatever training, experience, and bias a professional might have in making a diagnosis. In a medical model, identifying the disease often leads to a clear treatment. But children are complex beings, and rarely does a child have one isolated ‘disorder’ that leads to a prescription, or ‘cure.’
So where do we begin to understand, to support, and to plan for that child? As Montessorians, we are familiar with the importance of self-reflection. Our first observation must be ourselves. We need to take a deep, maybe uncomfortable, look at our assumptions, our beliefs, our values, and our biases. Challenging students challenge us. Are we willing to do what it takes to best serve a diverse population in our Montessori classrooms?
Making a Commitment to a Prevention vs. Response
As school leaders, we have the crucial role of moving beyond our personal reflection to objectively look at our school system, our structure, our staff, and our culture. Are we willing to do what it takes to implement best practices for today’s’ children while staying true to our foundations as Montessorians? Are we ready to make a commitment to providing an inclusive education that supports the needs of the children before us and their families?
A successful Prevention vs. Response framework takes commitment, creative thinking, and effective system and classroom strategies based on the belief and vision that best practice for inclusion is really the best practice for all. This means moving beyond those ideas that “If I spend my time with this one, I’m ignoring the others,” and moving from a “putting-out-fires” mindset to a “We can do this and build on the strengths we already have at our school.” Like that ability to “see the child who is not yet there,” we must believe that this effort will have its rewards as we serve our students, their families, our teachers, and our school.
To begin…
“Visionary leadership is the most powerful predictor of teacher attitude toward inclusion.” (Villa & Thousand. 2003). As school leaders, we communicate our vision, listen to our staff for their input, their ideas, and their knowledge and experience, and collaborate to clarify just what this vision is going to look like, and what we need to get there. We know that change is going to be complex; it’s going to take patience and a willingness to learn, to develop skills, and to innovate where needed. But with a shared vision, we and our staff can begin to develop a plan.
We start where we are: maybe it’s the need for professional development and consultation; maybe it’s a ‘search’ for information on Inclusive Education or Multi-Tiered Systems of Support and the practices within each tier; maybe it’s building collaborative teams of staff and giving them time to work together to become the ‘problem-solvers,’ with each team, then sharing what they have learned with the others. Maybe a good start is to observe in each classroom to develop a sense of strengths and challenges each teaching team of adults (be it a lead and assistant, co-teaching team, or a team with support staff) has and share your observations and let the teams share theirs. Encourage peer observations. The point is to start small. Maybe its just a look at the physical environment, a practice in Tier One of a MTSS, and how it can be more responsive to all the students (with the numbers of children with over-reactive sensory systems this means paring down and minimizing visual and auditory ‘clutter’). Maybe its providing support for a whole school positive management strategy, a Tier Two practice in MTSS. Whatever it is, as leaders we are the models for learning, listening, and growing together. We are the guides for opening our minds to new possibilities and opportunities. With these new opportunities, we are opening our hearts to our children, our families, and to our lives as Montessorians. ′
ML / Feb 2019 / Pg 22
by Jonathan Wolff | Communication, Mixed Ages, Montessori Education, Montessori Parenting, Montessori Teachers, Sensitive Periods, The International Montessori Council, Webcasts / IMC
Wednesday’s Montessori Leadership Webcast Gun Violence in our Schools
With Kathy Leitch, Jonathan Wolff, Patricia De Leon
by Michael Dorer, EdD | Communication, Mixed Ages, Sensitive Periods, The International Montessori Council, Webcasts / IMC
Webcast with Kathy Leitch, Lorna Mcgrath, Michael Dorer, and Christine Lowry
by Jonathan Wolff | Communication, Empowerment, Mindfulness, Mixed Ages, Montessori Teachers, Peace Education, Sensitive Periods, The International Montessori Council, Webcasts / IMC
Webcast The Power of Individualized Leadership Practicing Personalized Acts with Kathy Leitch and Jonathan Wolff
by Anne Courts | Adolescence, Brain Development, Children with Exceptionalities, Communication, Discipline, Empowerment, Infant-Toddler (0 to 3), Language, Lower Elementary (6-9), Mindfulness, Mixed Ages, Montessori Education, Montessori Parenting, Parent Education, Practical Life, Primary (3-6), Psychology, Sensitive Periods, Sensorial, Tomorrow's Child, Tomorrow's Child Online Issue
Thanks to my toy I feel save
Between 15 and 36 months old, in addition to physically increasing in size, toddlers are also learning to develop cognitively, emotionally, and socially. The development of their large muscles allows them to walk, run, and jump, while their small-muscle development helps them gain fine-motor skills, such as eating with utensils or learning to dress themselves. Their language and vocabulary increase rapidly. As toddlers are learning what they are capable of, frustrations in limitations may occur, as well as strong emotions resulting in temper tantrums, especially if they do not have the language needed to express their emotions.
As a toddler learns that he is an individual, separate from his parents and others, he may begin to experiment with boundaries, testing the way things around him work. Because so much is going on in the world of a toddler, both physically and emotionally, it is often difficult to determine whether a child is merely asserting his or her independence, or whether he or she might be facing a more extreme emotional or behavioral disorder. Toddler Montessori classrooms are inclusive environments, designed to allow toddlers of all backgrounds and abilities, including those with emotional behavioral disorders, to function together socially with the goal of functional independence for each individual child.
The Kid’s Mental Health Information Portal website informs, “During a child’s developmental years, they are constantly growing and changing. It is imperative to note that one must keep this in mind when diagnosing and treating emotional and behavioral disorders in children.” (Kid’s Mental Health, 2018). While there are several characteristics that might be linked to a child with Emotional Behavioral Disorder, or EBD, it is important to note that many of these behaviors in toddlers are temporary. It is when the behaviors persist over a longer period of time that we can begin to consider whether a child may actually have a mental health condition.
The causes of EBD are difficult to identify, and there may be several contributing factors, including biological factors, the child’s family and home environment, as well as the child’s daycare or school. When talking about EBD, there are two ways behavior is classified: internalizing and externalizing. A toddler with internalizing EBD is harder to detect, but the child may demonstrate tremendous stress and separation anxiety when separating from a parent or guardian, cry very often and for long periods of time, have difficulties with transitions, be easily distracted, or be unable to focus on an activity. The child may also show excessive clinginess with adults or extreme anxiety when around new people or situations, and might have little or no interest in playing with peers. Social anxiety disorder is a condition in which a person feels so much anxiety about a social situation or the possibility of embarrassment or humiliation that the event becomes fearful and threatening. For a toddler, this social situation could be a school or daycare, or even unfamiliar people visiting the home.
A toddler with externalizing EBD might fail to follow rules or listen to directions, be argumentative with adults and peers, and may exhibit overly aggressive behaviors such as temper tantrums which may include hitting, biting, scratching others, pulling hair, and slamming or throwing objects. The child may have extreme bursts of energy, be hyperactive and impulsive. Oppositional defiance disorder is a condition where a person is very easily annoyed, angry or resentful, quarrelsome, loses his temper, blames others for mistakes, and refuses to abide by rules. A toddler may show these symptoms as he tests limits and boundaries, but a persistent display of these aggressive behaviors, with more than one person, could possibly be linked to EBD.
On a daily functioning basis, a toddler with either internalizing or externalizing EBD may have difficulties in learning to use the toilet or refuse to use the toilet. He may also refuse to eat or sleep, or have trouble sleeping, waking up several times throughout the night. All of these characteristics of EBD cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors, and can impact a toddler’s ability to learn and function in his daily activities.
Toddlers with Emotional Behavioral Disorder struggle with behavior challenges, social skills, and academics. Their behaviors often demand the full attention of their parents and teachers, interrupt classroom lessons, and impact their relationships with other children. They often struggle with self-control, are unable to work together with peers, and cannot effectively express their needs. A child with internalizing EBD might avoid peer interactions, while a child with externalizing EBD might act out his frustrations aggressively, using physical violence or by intimidating peers.
Although Emotional Behavioral Disorder can create barriers in the daily lives of children, there are strategies in which parents, families, teachers, and caregivers can use when assisting toddlers and helping them manage their extreme feelings of anxiety, depression, anger, as well as aggressive behavior. Rules and expectations should be simple and clear enough for the toddler to fully understand. Acceptable social skills and language should be consistently taught, demonstrated, and modeled to toddlers. For toddlers who enter into power struggles with adults, the adults can help the toddler feel empowered by providing choices where either choice is acceptable. This offers the child an opportunity to assert himself, and to have a sense of accomplishment. In schools, small-group-instruction might help a child with social anxiety feel less intimidation by others and might also give a child demonstrating aggressive behavior more opportunity for one-on-one individualized interaction from an adult and the adult can closely monitor that child, offering support and feedback. The adult should show compassion and be responsive to the child’s individual needs. The child should always have opportunities to respond. The child with EBD should also be able to take rest periods or breaks from tasks as needed.
Today, because toddlers are now spending more time together in early care and learning settings with other toddlers, it is important to have a focus on both the social and emotional learning of children, in addition to academics. In schools, PBIS, or Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, is a system of supports that provides functional assessments and individualized support for children based on evidence of child behaviors. If parents or teachers are unsure of whether their toddler is showing signs and symptoms of EBD, but behaviors have persisted for a considerable length of time, there are websites such as www.understood.org that offer questionnaires to help identify behaviors, as well as suggestions, resources, and other outside supports to help determine the child’s individual needs.
Montessori toddler classrooms are designed to meet the educational and developmental needs of the individual toddler. Because they are seeking independence, toddlers often want to do everything for themselves but have not mastered the skills or been provided with the proper tools to be fully successful. This can be very frustrating for them, and strong emotions often emerge. In the Montessori toddler environment, everything is at the child’s level and accessible, and all materials are toddler-sized. Once given a lesson, the child is free to choose the material he would like to work with. With freedom and self-discipline, the child feels a sense of accomplishment and an increase in self-confidence and self-esteem.
In a Montessori classroom, a toddler with Emotional Behavioral Disorder would be granted freedom of movement around the classroom, freedom to choose his own activity, and space in which to work. The child could choose whether or not to participate in social activities or to work by himself. Because the classroom guide works with the toddlers on an individual basis, the guide would have more opportunities to observe that child on a one-on-one basis, determining that child’s individual needs, as well as new materials to be brought into the classroom to best serve that particular child’s needs. Montessori toddler classrooms include areas of practical life, such as self-care and care of the environment; self-expression through drawing and painting; language in the form of objects and language cards; manipulatives used for fine-motor development; and food preparation. Language materials, manipulatives, and food preparation activities are rotated on a regular basis to keep the children’s interest as well as to introduce new concepts.
A Montessori toddler guide could work with a child with EBD in each area of the classroom to help that child feel heard and understood. The child can learn a language with cards and objects needed to express what he is feeling, use art materials to express himself, focus on taking care of himself and his environment and prepare his own food, which can increase his sense of accomplishment and confidence. These activities build strength in eye-hand coordination and fine-motor skills to help him complete tasks with his hands.
Montessori toddler guides consider what contributes to a toddler’s frustration (such as not being able to have access to materials, or materials being too big to use) and design their classrooms in order to best support him. With fewer daily frustrations, a child with EBD could feel more heard, understood, and supported.
Maria Montessori wrote:
“Let us always remember that inner discipline is something to come, and not something already present. Our task is to show the way to discipline. Discipline is born when the child concentrates his attention on some object that attracts him and which provides him not only with a useful exercise but with a control of error.”
(Montessori, 1949)
Inclusive Montessori toddler environments are intended to offer every child, including children with Emotional Behavioral Disorder, the individualized attention, opportunities for choice, self-expression, and support necessary to guide the child in creating his own self-discipline and to discover his own greatest potential.
Tomorrow’s Child / Nov 2018 / Pg 15
by Duna Strachan | Imagination, Lower Elementary (6-9), MFA, Planes of Development, Sensitive Periods, Upper Elementary (9-12), Webinars / MFA
Recently Margot Garfield-Anderson focused on how grandparents of elementary children can plant seeds of learning through projects and excursions. In this session Duna Strachan will focus on the the physical, social, and emotional development of children in this second plane. She will relate how these changes and sensitivities effect the activities and adventures that they love and how we can best interact and connect with our grandchildren during the elementary years.
by Kathy Leitch | Communication, Montessori Education, Montessori Parenting, Montessori Teachers, Parent Education, Parent-Teacher Communication, Sensitive Periods, The International Montessori Council, Webcasts / IMC
Montessori Family Life A Series of Weekly Talks For Parents
With Ann Epstein Ph.D. & Kathy Leitch
by Joyce St. Giermaine | Empowerment, Family Resources, Infant, Infant-Toddler (0 to 3), Mindfulness, Montessori Parenting, Practical Life, Sensitive Periods, Tomorrow's Child, Tomorrow's Child Online Issue
When it comes to postpartum depression, which (by the way) is a very real thing, our minds naturally go to the effect of this condition on moms, but a recent article in JAMA (the Journal of the American Medical Association) suggests that depression among new dads is almost as likely in new dads.
While postpartum depression may have different causes and symptoms for moms and dads, welcoming a new baby into the family can be a stressful and exhausting time for both parents.
Researchers conducted a study of 9,600 parents in the Indianapolis area who were present during their newborn pediatric visits to reach this conclusion.
While it is customary to screen moms for this condition during visits, dads normally do not receive the same consideration. This is, in part, due to the fact that dads are less likely to be present during pediatric visits; however, the most likely time to see dads in the pediatricians’ offices is during the newborn visits.
The study found that 4.4 percent of fathers and 5 percent of mothers screened positive for depression.
Because parental depression can have lasting physical and mental health effects on young children, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all parents (both mothers and fathers) get screened for depression during well-baby and well-child visits. Although it is not the responsibility of pediatricians to treat parental depression, by including both moms and dads in this screening process, pediatricians may be the best opportunity to help new parents find help and resources to help them through this first parenting transition process.
The Case for Parental Leave
Twenty-five years ago, President Bill Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act. The first and only federal leave legislation in the United States, guarantees nearly 60% of employees 12 weeks of job-protected unpaid leave to take care of a new baby, a sick relative or their own serious medical condition.
It leaves out lots of men and women (it doesn’t cover freelancers and those who work at companies with fewer than 50 employees, for example). It offers nothing in the way of income replacement, and the time period is too short, at least compared with more family-friendly countries such as France, the Netherlands and Spain, all of which offer 16 weeks at full wage replacement.
The United States still holds the unenviable title of being the only industrialized country that does not offer all of its citizens paid family leave.
The majority of women (and men) around the world live in countries that acknowledge the attendant challenges of this time and provide parents with some support. It’s about time Americans get to join them.
Retrieved from https://www.yahoo.com/news/dads-depression-screening-too-210730588.html
Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2JMuxfL JAMA Pediatrics, online July 23, 2018
Tomorrow’s Child/ September 2018/ Pg 33
by Joyce St. Giermaine | Communication, Mindfulness, Mixed Ages, Montessori Family Life, Montessori Parenting, Sensitive Periods, Tomorrow's Child, Tomorrow's Child Online Issue
” Crying with strangers could change the world”—bREné Brown
The Changing Times of Parenting
I just returned from a week with my Maryland family: my 95-year-old mother; my 37-year-old daughter and her husband; my five- and seven-year-old grandsons … and a six-month-old-completely-out-of-control bernadoodle.
Seven days of trying to move seamlessly between four generations left me exhausted, but clear on three points: parenting is hard work; parenting well is even harder; and mindsets matter.
My mother’s mindset of frugality was deeply influenced by growing up during the depression. I grew up with the mindset of determination in the chaos of the sixties with assassinations, protest marches, war, and the demand for equal rights. My children experienced greater gender and racial equality and the rapid growth of technology. My grandchildren are digital natives.
No matter where we self-identify on the timeline of history, our parenting challenges were not necessarily easier or harder; they were just different. My mother certainly could not have imagined the challenges of parenting in the age of social media. The epidemic of school shootings was never on my radar. My daughter cannot imagine being denied a career choice because of her gender but is clearly struggling with the you-can-do-it-all mindset facing millennials. By the time my grandchildren are parents, who know what challenges they will face.
There is no going back, and we don’t know the future, so how do we prepare our children? I truly believe that one way or the other, they will learn what they need (and want) to learn academically. If it is true that ‘hate’ is something that is taught, let’s make it our mission to teach empathy, tolerance, respect, a sense of humor, responsibility, and care for our environment and each other instead.
Whether it’s the best of time or the worst of times, we all have choices. Brené Brown wrote: “Crying together with strangers could save the world.” I think she’s probably right.
Next week, I’m going on a road trip with my grandchildren, and I will be reminded that some things remain the same. Instead of becoming frustrated, I will hold in the back of my mind the vision of a young child, tugging on his mother’s dress, while wind-whipped seas battered the Mayflower as it approached a new world and unknown challenges, persistently asking the age-old question: “Are we there yet?”
Joyce St. Giermaine, Editor
Tomorrow’s Child/ September 2018/ pg 5
by Tesha Miller | Communication, Peace Education, Sensitive Periods, The International Montessori Council
I wanted you to know that our students sent this email to Montessori elementary schools across the nation on the day that students nationwide did a ‘walk out.’ I asked them to think of something else that they could do rather than a walkout, and this is what they shared.
Dear Montessori Students,
“I will write peace on your wings and you will fly all over the world.” —Sadako Sasaki
We write to you hoping we can all come together and call out for peace. The students at the Child Unique Montessori Elementary School of Alameda have been impacted emotionally and spiritually with the violence happening all around us. In the spirit of Dr. Maria Montessori, who believed in peace, we call for a change.
One ancient Japanese legend states that if one folded one thousand cranes, a wish would come true. The crane is also a symbol of hope and healing.
We plan to fold over one thousand cranes as a symbol of peace. Our wish is for world peace.
We invite you to join in on our mission to create one thousand cranes to help make the world a better place. The cranes will be sent to Major Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida and to Washington DC as a way to stand in solidarity.
“We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced.” —Malala Yousafzai
Sincerely, MESA students
ML/September 2018/pg 15
by Christine Lowry | Empowerment, Mindfulness, Montessori students, Peace Education, Psychology, Sensitive Periods, The International Montessori Council
This was to be the last in a series of three articles on Advocacy. Instead, it is an article on the power of community and the passion and commitment that leads to action. This is true grassroots advocacy.
MARCH FOR OUR LIVES March 24, 2018, Washington, DC and 800 other cities around the world
Reflections: Watching and listening to these children (9 to 18 years of age), who have been forced to grow up too soon, experiencing trauma that no one should have to experience. This is their moment—their passion, their commitment, their deeply honest truth, spoken from the heart.
The crowd of young people, grown “children” with their parents, families, grandparents able to stand together in silence for 4 minutes and 20 seconds. A community with differences but coming together to shout “No More” “Enough is Enough” “Never Again.”
The striking inclusiveness of the organizers, the speakers, the events that brought them to this day and to this place. Speakers who suffered the loss of siblings, speakers who were themselves, victims, a 9-year-old girl (Yolanda Renee King) whose grandfather, 50 years before her, led those who suffered and suffer still. They each shared their voice, they each were heard, and the community came together.
All shared their strength, their courage, and their conviction.
“If the processions of children appeared among us we would have to welcome them reverently and bow down before them in admiration. The child would appear before us as the teacher of peace.” —Dr. Maria Montessori.
As I stood in amazement at the power and grace of these “children” sharing their pain, speaking so boldly, I reflected on our role as leaders and educators. We are raising the generation that will follow, the generation that will lead.
As Montessori educators, we attempt to follow in Dr. Montessori’s footsteps. We teach peace, we believe in the children who can be the force of peace to change the world. We believe in the values of compassion, empathy, and a strong community. As we stand in admiration, and maybe a bit of awe, of these “children” who captured the attention of the world, can we use this as an opportunity to remind ourselves of our values, can we reflect on how we as a community, and each of us individually, can contribute to peace?
How do we live, how do we teach, how do we strive to solve problems and respect the “messiness” of each of us reflecting, growing, and developing at our own pace? Do we really appreciate diversity—not just racial or economic or religious or gender identity- but of the ways we each offer the best we can in whatever way, and whatever time? Do we honor and respect and accept that we, like our students, are individuals who each bring our story, our experience, our education to this task of becoming a Montessori educator? And most of all, can we as adults, as educators and school leaders, share in the collective reflection that will guide us as we guide our students?
The most basic foundation of “advocacy” for Montessori education begins with each of us as educators, in our respect and acceptance of the value of each student in our classroom. As school leaders, we honor each student, regardless of need or life situation. We honor each family as giving the best that they can. We honor and support each educator in our school regardless of position, experience, or training. To follow in Dr. Montessori’s footsteps means to be willing to actively participate in this “transformation” of our personal biases, our values, our beliefs, and our behavior. We make mistakes, we stumble, but we are open to learning and listening because, truly, we share the common goal of supporting our children as they grow toward their role as “the teacher of peace.”
Grassroots advocacy and activism is local, it is “common, ordinary” people building community through inclusive and engaging collaborative effort.
At the classroom level, we prepare an environment that becomes a “social environment.” “It is perhaps a natural thing—something that allows easy communication between individuals—sympathy, cooperation, etc. I have called this society by cohesion.” (Dr. Montessori). At the school level, this cohesion becomes a social organization that “connects all the people together.” In our greater Montessori community, we have leaders who are moving beyond organizational goals to acknowledge our collective goals while accepting and respecting our diversity. This is our time to come together. It is for the children.
As we look at the children who spoke with such eloquence, such passion, and such grace as they marched for their lives, we can use this as our opportunity to reflect on how we serve the children we guide every day. Our students each have their stories, their struggles, their challenges, and their joys and achievements. We contribute to who they will become. Let’s give them our best.
“We see the child who stands before us with arms held open, beckoning humanity to follow.” (Dr. Montessori.) ′
Christine Lowry has served children and families as a special educator, Montessori teacher, and a school leader. She guides schools and Montessori communities as they support students with challenges. Her commitment to Montessori education has led to experiences in support of local, state, and national organizations as they engage in advocacy efforts. She can be reached at christine@montessori-now.com or christinehlowry@gmail.com.
ML/ September 2018/ pg16
by Christine Lowry | Imagination, Lower Elementary (6-9), MFA, Montessori Parenting, Planes of Development, Sensitive Periods, Upper Elementary (9-12), Video, Webinars / MFA
Webinar – Lorna McGrath and Christine Lowry collaborated to put together this informative webinar about sensitivities during the Elementary Years. Maria Montessori noticed that during each of the developmental stages children had particular interests, particular things that really motivated them, and particular inspirations. In this session the focus is 6-12 years olds and how parents can support their sensitivities.
by Jeff Allen | Adolescence, Communication, Early Adolescence (12-15), Later Adolescence (15-18), Montessori Middle School, Montessori Parenting, Montessori Secondary / High School, Planes of Development, Sensitive Periods, Webinars / MFA
Jeff Allen shares insights for parents about adolescents and their behavior. Whether your child has the opportunity to attend a Montessori Secondary Program or not this information will be very beneficial to you and your teenager. In fact it may be even more important for parents of children who cannot continue in Montessori. They will need more support from home during those critical years especially if their school environment is providing it.
by Robin Howe, EdD | Adolescence, Early Adolescence (12-15), Montessori Middle School, Montessori Parenting, Sensitive Periods, Start of School Year, Upper Elementary (9-12), Webinars / MFA
Join Dr. Robin Howe and Kathy Leitch for suggestions on how to support your elementary child as she moves into the Secondary level of Montessori school.
by Tim Seldin | Archived Issues / Tomorrow's Child, Children with Exceptionalities, Emotional Intelligence (EQ), Executive Functioning, Language & Reading, Mathematics, MFA, Montessori Curriculum, Montessori Education, Montessori students, Peace Education, Re-enrollment, Reading, Science, Sensitive Periods, Tomorrow's Child, Writing
To inspire academic excellence; nurture curiosity, creativity, and imagination; and awaken the human spirit
As children near the end of their kindergarten year in Montessori, many parents struggle with the question of whether or not to keep their children in Montessori for the elementary program.
On the one hand, the typical Montessori five-year-old’s self-confidence and love of learning lead many families to ask: Why tamper with something that is clearly working?
Other parents feel that, since their kindergarten graduate will be moving on to another class one way or the other, next year might be the logical time to make the transition from Montessori.
A major consideration for many families will be the opportunity to save the cost of private school tuition by taking advantage of the local public schools. Some will wonder if a more highly structured and competitive independent school will give their child a better preparation for college.
If you are facing this choice, I encourage you to take a good look at your school’s elementary program. Although you will, of course, want to gain an impression of the teachers, focus your attention on the students themselves. Elementary students are often the best spokespeople for the value of a Montessori education!
There are four aspects of the elementary program:
Academic Excellence
Universal Values
Global Understanding
Service
Inspiring Children To Work Hard and AchieveAcademic Excellence
Let’s begin by being very clear. Montessori is one of the most sophisticated pre-collegiate programs available anywhere in North America. It has been described as the ultimate gifted-and-talented program that is offered to a very wide range of students. However, this doesn’t tell the whole story. What makes Montessori special is its ability to nurture talent without needless competition and stress. In a nutshell, Montessori children never lose the joy of learning.
Montessori is, first and foremost, concerned with a child’s character and emotional development, rather than academics for grades and test scores alone. We inspire children toward academic excellence and nurture the curiosity, creativity, and imagination hidden within every human being.
Many Parents Worry That Montessori Will Not Prepare Their Children For The ‘Real World.’
Hearing that we do not give children letter grades (at least until high school), assign hours of nightly homework, give children weekly tests, or expect students to compete for the highest rank in the class, some parents wonder if we’ve lost our minds! After all, who wants to run the risk that Montessori, which was so charmingly right when they were young, doesn’t work in the elementary years or prepare children for the Real World?
Montessori Elementary Education Is Distinctly Different
First, let’s talk about highly selective programs for ‘gifted’ children.
Montessori demonstrated that intelligence is common among human beings. Most schools assume that giftedness is statistically rare and that, given half a chance, children will accomplish little without external structure, extrinsic rewards, and the fear of being embarrassed.
Many of us attended challenging elementary schools. Do you remember what happened in your highly disciplined classrooms when your teacher left the room? In many cases, it was disorder. What use is it to earn high grades, keep your notebook neat, pass every test, and hate your schoolwork? Many children in many good schools are bored, apathetic, or overwhelmed. They do only what must be done to get along. That is not a sound foundation for a real education. In truly wonderful schools, classrooms are filled with students who retain a sense of wonder, curiosity, and eagerness to learn. Those qualities are the almost universal description of elementary Montessori children.
I find the difference between the way many of us think about gifted children in this country and the attitudes we find abroad quite interesting. Americans unconsciously assume that intellectual ability and scholastic success is inborn, i.e. a child is born with special talents and abilities. Many parents in other countries assume that success is more the result of hard work, self-discipline, and high personal motivation.
In writing this, I don’t mean to suggest that truly gifted children (and adults) can’t be found. They are simply uncommon. What we focus on is the human potential hidden within young children.
Montessori demonstrated that intelligence has many forms and that children learn in different ways at different paces. Anyone who has worked with children knows this is true, but traditional schools normally follow a pre-established curriculum.
Montessori felt it was illogical to dismiss a child who finds it difficult to memorize facts without understanding or to remember what the teacher covers in a lecture. She also understood the powerful connection between a child’s inner emotional life, self-confidence, self-esteem, and the ability to learn.
A Montessori elementary program is based on warmth, kindness, and respect. There is a strong sense of community among the children. The classes are more like little villages, with powerful friendships and a clear sense of group identity. Teachers are normally seen as mentors and friends.
Building Character and Teaching Universal Values
There is an old saying that if you abandon a garden, the weeds will run wild. Abandon a child’s moral and spiritual education, and the weeds of confusion, materialism, self-centeredness, and spiritual emptiness will take hold.
Dr. Montessori observed that the elementary years are a sensitive period for moral reasoning. The elementary program integrates character development and family involvement throughout the curriculum.
The teaching of kindness and courtesy, self-discipline and self-respect, and fundamental values is crucial in a child’s moral development, sense of dignity, and academic success. With proper guidance from parents and educators, children can and will excel.
Montessori Schools Strive to Create Global Understanding
They tend to attract teachers from all over the world.
It is normal to find an international student body in a Montessori school anywhere in the world.
Montessori schools generally teach at least one foreign language and often offer programs in several.
World geography, international cultural studies, and world history are central to the elementary Montessori curriculum.
Elementary Montessori students begin to understand the global economy.
As more Montessori schools develop strong upper elementary and middle school programs, many are beginning to sponsor travel-study programs. Some participate in the Montessori Model United Nations and foreign exchange programs.
Service
Children must be inspired to contribute to the betterment of the world. They often begin with projects that care for the environment: planting trees and flowers; composting garbage; controlling erosion around the campus; recycling; and cleaning up litter and debris in the local community. It is quite common for elementary classes to adopt an acre of rainforest in Costa Rica or work to support an environmental organization, such as the Wildlife Federation.
They will normally progress to projects that provide direct help to the needy. Younger children commonly collect canned goods, clothing, and toys for the homeless or needy families. As they are ready, most Montessori schools will take children out into the community.
As they reach the upper elementary class, Montessori children become quite concerned about issues of social justice and human rights. The rights of the poor, homeless, and hungry are of real concern. Some children will begin to explore the possibilities of supporting causes that are meaningful to them.
Elementary Classes Are Multi-Age Group Communities
Elementary Montessori classes continue to bring children of different age levels together. Classes span three age/grade levels, with the common divisions being ages 6 to 9 (grades 1-3) and ages 9 to 12 (grades 4-6). Some schools may follow a somewhat different scheme of grouping their children.
Elementary Montessori Educators Serve As Mentors, Guides, and Friends
The best elementary Montessori teachers tend to be renaissance men and women; individuals who are equally interested in mathematics, the sciences, the arts, architecture, literature, poetry, psychology, economics, technology, and philosophy. Elementary Montessori teachers are generalists rather than a single subject-matter instructor. They provide a blend of structure to ensure that the ‘basics’ are mastered while encouraging and guiding children to explore topics and ideas that capture their imagination.
The elementary Montessori curriculum is very demanding, and requires teachers to have a broad and thorough education of their own. With lessons that range from the history of mathematics to the physics of flight, mineralogy, chemistry, algebra, geometry, linguistics, and literature, to name just a few, the average teacher would be lost.
But beyond this, elementary Montessori educators need patience, understanding, respect, enthusiasm, and a profound ability to inspire a sense of wonder and imagination. Such teachers are very rare but absolutely magical!
Becoming an elementary Montessori teacher requires almost two years of graduate study and student teaching, and many hours of hard work to gather or create the curriculum materials that constitute a fully authentic elementary Montessori environment.
The Montessori Materials And The Passage To Abstraction
At the elementary level, learning continues to be a hands-on experience, as students learn by trial, error, and discovery.
The advanced elementary Montessori materials move on to more complex and abstract concepts in mathematics, geometry, and pre-algebra. The goal is to lead students away from a dependency on concrete models that visually represent abstract concepts towards the ability to solve problems with pen and paper alone.
Part of this is made possible by the growing child’s brain’s ability to grasp abstractions, but it has been greatly enhanced over the years by countless hours of work with the concrete materials that made the abstract real, and helped him visualize the abstraction.
Similar hands-on Montessori materials help students understand grammar, sentence analysis, geographical facts, and concepts in science.
Three Elements Of The Elementary Montessori Curriculum
1. Mastery of Fundamental Skills and Basic Core Knowledge
Montessori’s international curriculum evolved out of a tradition of academic excellence and offers a rigorous course of study even in the elementary years. Elementary Montessori students explore the realm of mathematics; science and technology; the world of myth; great literature; history; world geography; civics; economics; anthropology; and the basic organization of human societies. Their studies also cover the basics found in the traditional curriculum: the memorization of math facts; spelling lessons; the study of vocabulary, grammar, sentence analysis, creative and expository writing; and research skills.
2. Montessori’s Great Lessons
The Great Lessons are five key areas of interconnected studies traditionally presented to all elementary Montessori students in the form of inspiring stories, related experiences, and research projects.
The Great Lessons include the story of how the world came to be: the development of life on Earth; the story of humankind; the development of language and writing; and the development of mathematics. They are intended to give children a ‘cosmic’ perspective of the Earth and humanity’s (and their own) place within the cosmos.
3. Individually Chosen Research
Elementary students are encouraged to explore topics that capture their imagination. Most former Montessori students look back on this aspect of the elementary program with particular fondness in later years.
Montessori curriculum guides students to become proficient at research and inquiry. Elementary Montessori students rarely use textbooks. The approach is largely based on library research, with children gathering information, assembling reports, teaching what they have learned to their fellows, and assembling portfolios and handmade books of their own. Students are taught how to use reference materials, libraries, and the Internet to gather information and uncover the facts. Their oral presentations and written research reports tend to grow in sophistication and complexity every year.
Is Montessori Opposed To Competition?
No. Dr. Montessori simply observed that competition is an ineffective tool to motivate children to learn and work hard in school.
Traditionally, schools challenge students to compete with each other for grades, class rankings, and special awards. In Montessori schools, students learn to collaborate rather than mindlessly compete. In an atmosphere in which children learn at their own pace and compete only against themselves, they learn to not be afraid of making mistakes. They quickly find that few things in life come easily, and they can try again without fear of embarrassment.
Dr. Montessori, herself an extraordinary student and a very high achiever, was never opposed to competition on principle. Her objection was to using competition to create an artificial motivation to get students to achieve.
Homework, Tests, And Grades
Many parents have heard that Montessori schools do not believe in homework, grades, and tests. This is a misunderstanding. Because Montessori believes in individually paced academic progress and encourages children to explore their interests, rather than simply complete work assigned by their teachers, we don’t assign grades or rank students within each class according to their achievement.
Whenever students voluntarily decide to learn something, they tend to engage in their work with a passion and attention that few students will ever invest in tasks that have been assigned.
Providing Structure: Setting High, But Individually Tailored, Expectations
Montessori children normally work with a written study plan for the day or week. It lists the basic tasks that they need to complete while allowing them to decide how long to spend on each and what order they would like to follow. Beyond these basic individually tailored assignments, children explore topics that capture their interest and imagination, and share them with their classmates.
Montessori children usually don’t think of our assessment techniques as tests so much as challenges. Most elementary teachers will give their students informal, individual oral exams or have the children demonstrate what they have learned by either teaching a lesson to another child or by giving a formal presentation.
Standardized Tests
Montessori educators frequently argue that standardized testing is inaccurate, misleading, and stressful for children. Many feel that standardized tests are unnecessary, since any good teacher who works with the same children for three years and carefully observes their work, knows far more about their progress than a typical paper and pencil test reveals.
However, in our culture, test-taking skills are just another practical life lesson that children need to master. Most Montessori schools regularly give students quizzes on the concepts and skills that they have been studying, and many schools use standardized tests of one sort or another, with students over first grade. Often these may be formative tests that measure each student’s progress over the course of each year, and these will be only part of a comprehensive system of monitoring and documenting learning within the school.
When tests (formal and informal) are used as a feedback loop, at times indicating that a student needs a new lesson and more practice, instead of a mark of shame and failure, then they can be quite useful. Children will face tests throughout their education, and they certainly need to develop good test-taking skills.
Homework
Homework in an elementary Montessori class rarely involves busywork assignments; instead, they are extensions and enrichment of the curriculum. Some classes will allow the children to freely pursue projects that interest them at home, while others prefer to give children a number of optional assignments or challenges. In either case, the Montessori version of homework will rarely be boring and will normally challenge students to think, explore, and pursue tangible projects that give them a sense of satisfaction.
An Integrated Curriculum
Literature, art, music, dance, drama, history, social issues, political science, economics, architecture, science, and the study of technology all complement one another in the elementary curriculum. This integrated approach is one of the elementary Montessori program’s great strengths.
An Exceptional Curriculum In Language Arts And The Humanities
The elementary Montessori language arts program places great stress on the development of strong skills in composition and creative writing. Students are asked to write continuously, emphasizing, at first, the development of an enjoyment of the writing process, rather than the strict use of correct grammar and spelling. However, formal grammar, spelling, and sentence analysis are systematically taught.
Elementary children are normally very interested in words and sentences. They like to parse and analyze; for, in this way, they are clarifying their understanding of the structure of language that they absorbed unconsciously in the primary class. Montessori takes advantage of children’s natural interest and gives them a rich assembly of learning material; for while they study the theory of grammar, spelling, and sentence analysis, they are also perfecting their knowledge of written language.
Creative writing continues to be equally important, and students are encouraged to write and share with others their stories, plays, poetry, and class newspapers.
Finally, and most importantly, the key to the elementary language arts curriculum is the quality of the material Montessori gives children to read. They are introduced, from an early age to first-rate children’s books and fascinating works on science, history, geography, and the arts. Many elementary classes follow the Junior Great Books program, with formal literary studies continuing every year through graduation. By introducing students to the very best literature available for young people, Montessori cultivates a deep love for the world of books.
Unified Mathematics
Montessori math is based on the European “Unified Math” model, which introduces elementary students to the study of the fundamentals of algebra, geometry, logic, and statistics, along with the principles of arithmetic.
Montessori students learn to recognize complex geometric shapes and figures. They learn to define, calculate, and draw all sorts of geometric relationships: angles; polygons; circumference; area; volume; squares and square root, cubes of polynomials, to name just a few. In Montessori, arithmetic, algebra, and geometry are interrelated.
Elementary Montessori students gain hands-on experience by applying math in a wide range of projects, activities, and challenges, such as graphing the daily temperature and computing the average for each month or adjusting the quantities called for in a recipe for a larger number of people. Because children love to work outdoors, we try to prepare tasks that use the school grounds whenever possible.
History And Culture Come Alive In The Elementary Class
One of Montessori’s key objectives is to develop a global perspective, and the study of history and world cultures forms the cornerstone of the curriculum.
Physical geography begins in the elementary program with the study of the formation of the Earth, the emergence of the oceans and atmosphere, and the evolution of life. Students learn about the world’s rivers, lakes, deserts, mountain ranges, and natural resources. Elementary students study the customs, housing, diet, government, industry, arts, history, and dress of countries around the world. They also study the emergence of the first civilizations and the universal needs of humankind. In the upper elementary class, the focus is usually placed on early man, ancient civilizations, and American history.
International studies continue throughout the elementary years, integrating art, music, dance, drama, cooking, geography, literature, and science. The children learn to prepare and enjoy dishes from all over the world. They learn the traditional folk songs and dances in music and explore traditional folk crafts in art. They read traditional folk tales, literature, and reference materials about the cultures under study and prepare reports about them. Units often culminate in marvelous international festivals.
Montessori’s Hands-On Approach to Science
The Montessori science curriculum is focused on the study of life, the laws and structure of the universe, and how humanity has struggled throughout history to put our understanding to practical use.
Much of Montessori science takes place out of doors. Classes grow flowers and vegetables in small gardens. They often raise class pets and sometimes even small farm animals.
Students are encouraged to learn to recognize and name local trees, flowers, birds, and animals.
Older children begin to keep journals of their observations of classroom animals and write poems and stories that attempt to capture the sense of wonder and beauty all around us. Back in the classroom, they pursue their investigations using a wide variety of charts and displays, research materials, and reference books.
More formal elements of biology are taught as well, particularly at the upper elementary levels. Dr. Montessori found that systematic knowledge allows one to discriminate details among species, literally to see on a whole new level; therefore, we introduce the student to the classification of the plant and animal kingdom. The study of the internal and external anatomy of plants and animals likewise gives children a new level of awareness and sensitivity in their observation and study of life. They compare different anatomical systems among species, such as the eyes, teeth, hooves, and claws of various animals.
Elementary students also learn a wide range of important basic concepts of physics and chemistry, such as: the structure of atoms and molecules; the difference between elements and compounds; the chemical composition of familiar compounds; the three states of matter; and chemical and physical change. Students also enjoy doing research about the elements and have a first exposure to the Table of Elements.
Elementary children love to work with scientific apparatus and delight in seeing mixtures change color, testing liquids with litmus paper, experimenting with small electrical circuits, or building models of atomic compounds. Students learn to observe and record what takes place during their experiment. The goal is to teach both the scientific method and techniques for safely working with science equipment.
Foreign Languages
As part of the international studies program, most Montessori schools offer a second language. The primary goal in a foreign language program is to develop conversational skills, vocabulary, the ability to understand basic written information in the second language, and an appreciation for the culture of the countries where the language is spoken.
The Arts Are Integrated Into Every Subject
In Montessori schools, the arts are normally integrated into the rest of the curriculum. They are modes of exploring and expanding lessons that have been introduced in science, history, geography, language arts, and mathematics. For example, students might make a replica of a Grecian vase; study calligraphy and decorative writing; sculpt dinosaurs for science; create dioramas for history; construct geometric designs and solids for math; and express their feelings about a musical composition through painting.
Students participate in singing, dancing, and creative movement with teachers and music specialists. Students’ dramatic productions make other times and cultures come alive.
The ideal elementary Montessori health and physical education program challenges students to develop a personal program of lifelong exercise, recreation, and health management.
The Montessori approach to health and fitness helps children to understand and appreciate how their bodies work and the care and feeding of a healthy human body.
Field trips are often an integral part of elementary Montessori programs. Students take all sorts of trips over the years to planetariums, art galleries, the zoo, museums, and many other destinations. They visit the centers of local government, colleges, hospitals, veterinary clinics, wildlife refuges, libraries, laboratories, factories, and businesses.
Social Skills, Character, And Community Service
The elementary classroom is not only a community of close friends, it is a source of countless life lessons in social skills, everyday courtesy, and ethics. Montessori noted that elementary children not only enjoy each other’s company, they naturally form little social groups of friends, each with its own internal hierarchy and rules of conduct.
The elementary classroom takes advantage of this tendency by operating as a small social community in which children learn to work together, resolve conflicts peacefully, encourage and acknowledge each other, and work as committees to complete complex tasks. Dr. Montessori also noted that the elementary years are a time when children are developing their sense of justice and moral reasoning.
Most classes go beyond simple lessons in grace and courtesy to begin a serious exploration of moral philosophy. It is common to find elementary Montessori students discussing questions, such as: Why are some things considered a sin? What happens to us when we die? Why is it important for the fortunate to lend a hand to the poor? If kindness is so important, what can I do when I am feeling angry?
During the elementary years, Montessori children begin to seriously address the question of aid to the elderly, handicapped, critically ill, and economically disadvantaged. They explore international issues from the perspective of building bridges toward world peace. They study ecology, wildlife preservation, and conservation of natural resources.
Through these and many other efforts, we begin to introduce Montessori children to moral questions in personal relationships to encourage the awakening of their social conscience. n
Tomorrow’s Child/ November 2017/ Pg 18
by Christine Lowry | Infant, Infant-Toddler (0 to 3), Kindergarten, Language, Language & Reading, MFA, Montessori Family Life, Montessori Parenting, Practical Life, Primary (3-6), Sensitive Periods, Webinars / MFA
Children experience “sensitive periods” when they are consumed with a natural desire to develop certain skills or grow in specific areas. This webinar will explore these periods and how you can support your child’s natural, spontaneous development in each domain.
The Montessori method develops the child’s disposition and attitude, self-confidence, and self-esteem. Children’s learning is reflected in the level of motivation and interest they show in their work, and in their ability to concentrate and finish what they start. Children are scientists and have a tendency to explore their world. They learn about who they are, develop new relationships, discover what kind of learner they are, uncover their strengths, and basically practice new skills in every area of development. This is a way of preparing children to go into the world. As teachers, we need to learn about the development of the child in the early years and also attempt to know each child individually. The development of a child makes us understand that the child within a certain age develops their skills in a specific order. For example, when the child comes to class for the first time, the teacher is supposed to observe the child’s ability to sit down for a certain period of time, wait for their turn, and share with peers.
