As part of our microeconomics course, we partnered with Marc Seldin and Mark Tough to include a pilot of their college-level learning program called “Rising Innovators,“ for adolescents. Rising Innovators is an experiential course, providing students with an introductory blend of the hard and soft skills needed to begin their journey towards creating a new small business. The program included seven weeks of discussion, lecture, and the presentation of case studies, culminating in a team-based activity, focused on the creation of a business idea that was presented by teams at the final pitch competition, like “Shark Tank.” One of the judges on our panel coined it “Guppy Tank”.
The competition took place on Wednesday, February 23. There were six teams. The teams varied from a team of one to a team of five. The panel consisted of seven judges with a variety of experiences. Two of the judges were seniors in NewGate’s I.B. business program. One judge was a senior at the University of Tampa, and the other three judges had vast experiences owning and running successful small businesses.
The judges were handed a rubric to help score each team’s performance. Each team was evaluated on three components: a pitch deck (colored slides that discussed their big idea, target market, and market analysis); a one-sheet synopsis that captured their pitch deck’s main points (something they could leave behind for potential investors), and lastly, each team was evaluated on their overall presentation (style points, eye contact, and team coordination). After each pitch, the team was peppered with thoughtful (sometimes tough) questions by the judges. Team members had to quickly think on their feet, and some realized that they don’t have all the answers. They realized that when you don’t know the answer to something, sometimes the best response is, “That’s a great question; let me get back to you on that.” Most importantly, the question-and-answer session provided an amazing opportunity for the students to hear direct and honest feedback from the judges — valuable, honest feedback from adults who were not their teachers. As well, the judges were able to weave in bits of wisdom and common sense by providing constructive criticism for each team.
All six teams performed well. Their big ideas were truly innovative and varied. Some of the ideas were ways in which we could innovate the recycling of plastic grocery bags (building a hydro-powered generator that collects rainwater to power a home) and a shoe that grows with your feet. The students were well-poised and genuinely seemed excited to present their work. The winning team walked away with a cash prize and high-fives.
What lessons did the students receive from this course? By reading various case studies, the students realized that everyday folks, from young to old, were able to turn a big idea into a dream by taking initiative and working hard. They realized most ideas in our marketplace are not inventions, but rather, innovations. The idea that they can take something that is already out there and make it better, instead of trying to come up with something totally new was quite appealing to them. In this fashion, the task seemed more attainable. They began to understand that entrepreneurship requires a positive mental attitude, initiative, hard work, and followthrough — qualities we try to instill in our students at a young age. The students also realized that a fancy, well-designed pitch deck and one sheet are subordinate to their ability to tell a good story and maintain good eye contact with their audience. In fact, the most consistent feedback from the judges was whether or not the presenters made good eye contact. Students learned a valuable lesson — reading from a script does not earn you style points in public speaking. An important lesson for all. •
Gillett Cole is an AMI trained Montessori Guide who has been teaching for 13 years. He is currently teaching language arts, mathematics, and microeconomics to middle school students at the NewGate school in Sarasota, Florida. He and his family recently moved to Sarasota in August of 2021 from St. Paul, Minnesota. Gillett has two daughters, who both went to Montessori schools, and are now in college. Gillett loves the outdoors, swimming, sailing, and a good book.
Summer is a time of more daylight, warmer temperatures, and more time outdoors. We may think that, for children who are out of school in the summer, it is not a time of learning. Yet, it can be an incredible time of learning. Here are fifty ways to help your child learn and grow while not in school.
Explore
1. Let your child plan an activity for the day or some activities for the summer. They can use maps, stick to a budget, and do the research.
2. Go on a searching hike, in nature or an urban setting; look for objects in the shapes of the letters in your name, or in sets of your favorite number, or particular colors.
3. Learn about the plants and animals that are near you. What are those birds by your home? What are the names of the plants you see every day?
4. Walk at your child’s pace. Notice the smells of different plants, admire the bugs, follow your child’s lead.
5. Play board games.
6. Learn card or magic tricks.
7. Learn jokes and present a comedy show.
8. Play unplugged games, such as Hangman, your own version of Pictionary, I Spy, or other paper-and-pencil games.
9. Think of free or inexpensive ways you could help neighbors and act on them.
10. Create a scavenger hunt and follow the clues.
11. Try out new playgrounds nearby.
12. Go to a grocery store you do not usually go to, especially if it has a focus on an ethnicity different than your usual cooking.
13. Allow time for daydreaming.
14. Try outdoor science experiments.
15. Plan a dream vacation.
16. Find some art to admire, outside or in a museum. Discuss what each person likes about it.
17. Explore distances and make a map. How far are you from family members, favorite types of animals, friends, or any other thing that can be mapped?
Communicate
18. Make time for reading every day, or nearly every day.
19. Visit the library and allow your child to make choices of reading material on their own.
20. Encourage your child to tell a friend or a family member about a book they read; retelling helps develop understanding.
21. Write letters to friends and family.
22. Address the envelope for that letter. Writing the address correctly on an envelope takes practice.
23. Keep a summer journal or a travel journal. Write in it regularly and include printed photos, pressed flowers, or leaves, ticket stubs, maps, or any reasonably flat items that remind them of the events written about.
24. Have your child create lists for things to do, grocery lists, books read or books to read, movies to watch, anything that can be listed.
25. Write a letter to their future self and store it or use a site that will email you in a certain amount of time.
26. Create a kindness list; how many acts of kindness can be performed this summer?
27. Count cars, bikes, dogs, flowers, anything you see regularly in your travels.
28. Find letters of the alphabet or make up a silly sentence using letters or words on items in the grocery store. Only one word or letter per item!
Create
29. Build a design of your child’s own creation or follow the directions from a set, with Legos™, blocks, or other building materials.
30. Learn to build card houses.
31. Plan and build a birdhouse.
32. Make your own playdough and sculpt with it.
33. Water down paint, place paper outside, and use squirt guns filled with the watery paint for a creation.
34. Set up objects outside and trace their shadows onto paper.
35. Put on a show–write it, practice it, design costumes and props, and perform for others. Record the show to share it with family that cannot attend in person.
36. Use chalk to draw outside, then use water and a scrub brush to erase it.
37. Plan dinner for a night and help make it.
38. Make a salad. Make dressing to go with it for an extra skill-building opportunity.
39. Grow vegetables and harvest them for dinner.
40. Find a recipe and cook with a new-to-you food.
41. Shuck corn, peel potatoes, wash, and spin lettuce dry, participate in cooking preparation.
42. For older children, set a cooking challenge to use ingredients and make a meal.
43. Sketch or paint flowers at your home or a nearby location.
44. Draw self-portraits directly on the mirror using window markers.
45. Clean the mirror after drawing on it.
46. Wash windows (an adult may need to wash the top).
47. Water the garden or potted plants.
48. Organize an area of your home together, especially one that your child uses regularly.
49. Explore with cash, count coins, save for an item, buy something with cash and check the change received.
50. Make leaf or bark rubbings and label them with the type of tree or bush they came from. •
Cheryl Allen is the Associate Coordinator of the Montessori Family Alliance and is also a parenting educator and a Montessori consultant with the Montessori Foundation. Cheryl attended Montessori school as a child. After some time as a traditional Secondary teacher, she worked in Montessori classrooms, 3-6, 6-9, and 9-12, earning certifications from both AMS (3-6 and 6-9) and IMC (6-12). She is a teacher educator, workshop presenter, and member of IMC accreditation teams. Cheryl’s two children attended Montessori from age two through high school graduation.
“What the hand does, the mind remembers.” – Dr. Maria Montessori
If a child is able to use their hands to discover, their discoveries become more meaningful to them. The concepts they learn are much more rooted than any rote memorization could be, because in using their hands, they experience their learning. They are an active participant.
Active Education
If you picture a traditional classroom, you would likely see a teacher standing at the front of the room near a black- or whiteboard, speaking to children who are lined up in desks, memorizing facts, or attentively looking at and listening to their instructor.
In recent years, concepts such as “table groups” and “flexible seating,” where children can sit in small groups, or choose where they sit, have allowed for some redesign throughout the classroom.
In addition to the arrangement of the environment itself, many teachers and administrators have also looked to hands-on or non-traditional classroom experiences like “project-based learning,” “design thinking,” “the maker movement,” and “the flipped classroom,” for ways to engage children in their learning.
These shifts in education are a reminder that schooling isn’t one-size-fits-all. Individual needs can be addressed when we take the time to step back, assess what we are doing, and make the decision to move forward with purpose. Need some guidance for change? Read on!
Making Changes
If you are unsure where to start, let me give you one powerful idea.
Start with the child’s hands. Sure. Easy. The child’s hands. What? Let me explain.
If you can make a change in learning, begin with just one simple step. Try this: begin by watching hands. Hands are smart. Really smart. Just like our heads. Often, however, this seems to be forgotten.
If you ever have the opportunity to observe someone learning a new skill, I would challenge you to watch their hands. It is through touching and manipulating that information is taken in through the hands and delivered to the brain.
Use Your Hands!
Adults seem to think that it is okay for younger children to work with their hands when they are learning. Think about it: sandboxes, water tables, Play-doh™! But somewhere along the way, these manipulatives got a bad rap for being “childish.” Why?
If you’ve ever seen someone participate in an activity they love, you’ve very likely seen them using their hands! You’ve likely witnessed someone building with tools, fixing up a vehicle, or playing an instrument. How about someone turning the page of a book, digging in the dirt while gardening, or making food?
Why should learning through math, science, history, or languages be any different? Utilize an abacus for addition, measure velocity when launching a marshmallow with a spoon, tea-dye a map, or handle pairs of objects that rhyme. Whether formal or informal education, using your hands helps!
In the Montessori Classroom
Dr. Maria Montessori was a scientist who spent time observing children. In doing so, she realized that children wanted real-world, hands-on application for learning. Not only did they want it, but they also experienced joy in using their hands.
Through experimentation and careful calculation, Montessori developed materials for children to use. These lessons intentionally foster self-discovery and serve learning goals. Over one hundred years later, the observations she made then still hold true. Regardless of subject matter, children enjoy, and benefit from, using their hands to learn.
In a Montessori classroom you will see hands-on learning EVERYWHERE! A child washing a table is learning care of their environment, while also preparing their hand muscles for similar movements in writing. Placing cubes on top of one another for the Pink Tower allows children to learn precision of movement, while also allowing their body to experience, physically, the difference in 1 cubic centimeter ten times over! Not only this, but it is also teaching the basics of the mathematics base ten system. Rarely is a lesson in a Montessori classroom taught for one purpose only, and usually, with time, the hands-on learning leads to multiple objectives.
A Personalized Journey
Learning is not a race with a finish line. It’s a constant stroll through a variety of experiences that all necessitate different paths and use different materials.
Whether Montessori is your muse, you want to improve learning for your students, or you just personally like to get your hands dirty, don’t wait! The world is waiting for you. Explore! Dig in! •
Mary Ellen Maunz is the Founder and Program Director of Age of Montessori. She has more than 50 years of experience inMontessori education for both teachers and parents. She collaborated for two decades with Dr. Elisabeth Caspari, student and personal friend of Maria Montessori. She is an international authority on Early Childhood and Elementary education and has lectured and taught students in seven countries on five continents. Internationally-renowned author and lecturer, Maunz is on a lifelong mission to help parents understand the underlying needs of the developing child. Find our blogs, webinars, professional development and MACTE certified teacher education courses at: ageofmontessori.org
In this article, we will discuss the appropriateness of the long-standing tradition of using the term “friends” as an all-encompassing definition of peer relationships in the early childhood classroom environment. Through a personal anecdote that spurred self-reflection and a pivot in my own teaching practices, we will discover informed alternatives that ease the pressure created by expectations of universal friendship.
“But what is a social life if not the solving of social problems, behaving properly, and pursing aims acceptable to all?”
Ubiquitous in almost all preschool classrooms across the country, both Montessori and mainstream, is the idea that we’re all friends. But are we really?
Receiving lessons in, and creating an environment rich in, Grace and Courtesy is a hallmark of a good Montessori education. But is universal friendship an equally essential ideal? As guides in the Montessori toddler and primary environments and beyond, we want pleasant interactions among our students. We want cooperative work and play efforts. We want classrooms full of children who enjoy being there and being together. And we guide, teach, and prepare the environment, with those goals in mind.
But do we need to enforce the idea that we’re all friends?
It wasn’t until I became the parent of a primary-aged Montessori student that I came face-to-face with the pitfalls of this concept. All my previous years of experience in the world of early childhood education were full of songs and encouragements, championing the same basic message: we’re all friends.
But what if that’s not true?
Here’s what happened to jumpstart this shift in my thinking. My daughter, four years old at the time and a second-year primary student, was having trouble with a boy in her class. As the toddlers’ guide in the same school, I had the benefit of hearing the teachers discuss various students and how to handle the challenging situations that crop up in any given year. Plus, we share a playground and recess time. So, I was able to observe my daughter and her class daily. I knew that this boy, new to the school, was having a harder time than most acclimating to the classroom environment and was targeting a few specific children with some of the worst of his behaviors. My daughter was one of them.
As parents, my husband and I fielded her frustrations and complaints at home with the standard responses: Talk to him and tell him “No.” Your friends should make you feel good pretty much all the time; if they’re not, and if they’re not respecting your body, then you don’t have to be friends with them.
It was at that point that my daughter broke down into crocodile-sized tears and said, “But my teacher says we’re all friends.”
It felt like the air was knocked from my lungs. In that moment, it felt like the entirety of my teaching career flashed before my eyes. How many times had I said those same exact words to my students? We’ve sung those words and sentiments at our morning circle countless times. Full of the best intentions, I’ve said them over and over to children who were struggling to get along.
But what if that phrase, that sentiment, is doing more harm than good?
What if it’s giving young children, and their developing social skills and social understandings, a skewed idea of what friendship is and what it means to exist in a cooperative environment with our peers?
As adults, we live and work in a society with each other. We navigate relationships of all kinds in many ways. But no one ever expects us to be friends with everyone with whom we regularly interact. Why do we ask that of children?
Instead of saying we’re all friends, let’s try, “We are a community” instead. In communities, people are expected to act with grace and courtesy toward each other, but they are not expected to be friends with everyone. We can set healthy boundaries and still be kind. We can recognize how other people make us feel and choose who we honor with the title of ‘friend’.
In a community, we can all work towards the same goals; we can share experiences. We can learn and grow together. We can do all these classroom basics without the pressure of being friends with every single person.
After I caught my breath, I looked my daughter in her tear-rimmed eyes and said, “You do not have to be friends with anyone who makes you feel this badly. You are classmates and part of the same community. You need to be kind to each other, but you do not have to be friends.”
The relief that realization had on my daughter was immediate and profound. And its magnitude hit me in the same way. Children, even young children, can be classmates without the pressure or expectation of being friends.
As guides, and as parents, we know that some children’s personalities are like oil and water. It is so much more empowering to say to them honestly, “You don’t have to be friends, but you must be respectful, kind, and courteous to each other.”
Perhaps then, as these children grow, they’ll have a healthier view of friendship. We can hope that they will have a more robust emotional and social tool kit for existing cooperatively with people who they just don’t click with well.
And, what a poignant lesson this could be for us as an American community right now. We might not all be friends, we might disagree, but we must be respectful, kind, and courteous to each other.
“The social rights of children must be recognized so that a world suited to their needs may be constructed for them.” – Maria Montessori
REFERENCES:
Montessori, M. (1967) The Absorbent Mind, p225
Montessori, M. (1966) The Secret of Childhood, p225
Betsy Merena is an AMS certified toddler guide at The Montessori School of Westminster inWestminster, Maryland with over a decade of teaching experience in early childhood classrooms. Along with her husband and daughter, now in her first year of lower elementary at the same school,Betsy loves to explore the world through travel and cooking. She also volunteers asa Girl Scout troop leader for her daughter’s troop and enjoys spending time camping.
The undersigned Montessori organizations challenge the national, state, and local legislative policies and laws that serve to regulate, limit, and intentionally omit what is taught about an honest history of the United States of America, the roles that all citizens played in its development, and exploration and discussion of racism and bias and its impact in our society. Beyond this, schools are implementing book bans and librarians and administrators are removing books from libraries (Natanson, 2022). Far too often, instead of an honest historical account, many educators offer an “inaccurate account of American history… [where non-European] …. [p]eople of other races are either pushed outside of the historical narrative, completely left out of the accounts, or their contributions are minimized because they are deemed inferior or different” (Takaki and Stefoff, 2012).
Over the last year, our nation has been immersed in discussions and legislative actions surrounding Critical Race Theory (CRT) or as some call it, “antiracist training and divisive concepts” (Stout and Wilburn, 2022). CRT is an advanced graduate school legal academic framework based on the notion that racism is not simply about individual prejudice, but it is prejudice embedded in our country’s laws, institutions, and policies (Levin, 2022). As a Montessori collective, we recognize that our independent and public schools operate within different legal contexts. We implore school leaders, teachers, and caregivers to educate themselves on the issues, understand local dynamics, and dig deep to help children develop an honest historical perspective and a moral compass that supports good judgement for the cultivation of more harmonious relationships in our society.
This statement serves as an urgent call to action for all educators to, as Maria Montessori did, advocate for the rights of children in all communities. This includes employing effective teaching approaches that emphasize the contributions of diverse cultures which exist in classrooms, schools, and communities, staying vigilant about policies state legislatures and local boards of education are doing, and making our voices heard if anti-CRT policies are proposed. This action affirms guides who are courageous enough to “teach with historical integrity” (Acker, 2021). With the knowledge of multiple perspectives, children may be able to think critically, ask questions, “cultivate positive identity formation, confront racial and ethnic injustice, and be more prepared to live and work together in a diverse world” (Learning for Justice, 2021). “When this transformation occurs, …we then become witnesses to the development of the human soul; the emergence of the New [Human], who will no longer be the victim of events but, thanks to his clarity of vision, will become able to direct and to [mold] the future of [humankind]” (Montessori, 1949/2019).
Click Here to access additional background information and resources about CRT and legislative restrictions on the freedom to read, learn, and teach.
Co-Signers
American Montessori Society (AMS)
Munir Shivji, Executive Director
Association Montessori International/USA (AMI/USA)
Ayize Sabater, Ed.D, Executive Director
International Montessori Council (IMC)
Kathy Leitch, Executive Director
Tim Seldin, Chair
Montessori Educational Programs International (MEPI)
John Moncure, President
Montessori Foundation
Tim Seldin, President
Montessori for Social Justice (MSJ)
Lindsey Pollack, Ed.D, Board of Directors/Finance Officer
Montessori Public Policy Initiative (MPPI)
Wendy Shenk-Evans, Executive Director
National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector (NCMPS)
Sara Suchman, Executive Director
Citations
Acker, C. (2021, August 19). Critical Race Theory. Retrieved from WPFW Radio Archives (August 19, 2021).
Takaki, R. and Stefoff, R. (2012) A Different Mirror for Young People: A History of Multicultural America (For Young People Series). New York, NY: Seven Stories Press
Why Physical Play Must Be Part of the Formula When Kids Head Back to School
By Preston Blackburn
What began abruptly as a stay-at-home mandate two springs ago settled in for significantly longer than any of us expected. Fortunately, with vaccines, we are trending back toward normalcy. One of the brightest spots we are seeing is children returning to their classrooms in person.
As we get ready for a school year in the classroom rather than virtual, many educators are considering how to make up for suspected learning losses that may have occurred during a year of virtual school (Pearson, 2021). From an adult perspective, the first reaction might be to buckle down and power through as much curriculum content as possible to bridge any gaps in acquired knowledge. But is this the right answer? I would argue emphatically, no.
Play is the way kids wring out their brains. The brain is like a sponge. Once it is full, it cannot continue to absorb until it has been wrung out. As adults, we instinctively take breaks when we are working. We grab a coffee, head to the water cooler, or take a peek at social media. These breaks give the brain time to wring itself out.
Play is the way kids wring out their brains. Play is a time for resetting and relaxing their focus, so that their brains are more alert when it is time to go back to the desk. Students’ play was already being restricted before the pandemic. Reports found 44 percent of school administrators had already reduced recess and PE time to increase academics, despite studies proving that more time in recess leads to bigger gains in the classroom (Reilly, 2017). Coming back to school post-shutdown, we must remember to include play-based breaks. It is play that helps kids build strengths and motor patterns needed for classroom success, and it is play that helps kids develop social skills needed for lifetime success.
How Play Leads to Physical Skills and Strength, Leading to Classroom Success
Kids need strength in their arms, legs, necks, and core to sit at a desk, hold and move a pencil, or keep their bodies still so they can pay attention. Children build strength in play when they run, climb, and swing.
Kids need to know where their bodies end and begin, so they can transfer that information to the page as they learn to write. How much space does a letter, or a sentence take up? What direction are they moving their pencil when they write? Children learn these skills in play when they hide under the bed in a game of hide and seek or shimmy through a fence to explore what lies beyond.
Kids need to master rhythm so they can internalize patterns, which help them understand the rhythm of language, the sequence of writing, the patterns of math, the order of logic and reasoning. They develop rhythm in play while jumping, throwing, and skipping.
In addition, children’s aerobic activity releases chemicals in their brains that enhance cognition, behavior, and memory; thereby, having a direct impact on their learning trajectory. Kids get aerobic in big physical play.
These skills and strengths can only be built in movement. And children move best when they are engaged in big physical play. While some children were able to get outside and engage in big, body play during virtual schooling, many did not, spending more time on screens than ever before. As we look to bridge the academic development gap, we need to also bridge the physical development gap that grew for some of our most vulnerable students.
And we know that recess works. Consider Finland, a country known for scoring in the top levels of international academic exams. Finnish children get 15 minutes of outdoor recess in every hour of classroom time. Outdoor play allows them to explore with their bodies and gives their brains that crucial reset, helping them achieve academic success. Here in the U.S., Eagle Mountain Elementary School in Fort Worth, Texas decided to apply this theory by tripling their recess time to 60 minutes every day. Teachers worried that they would not be able to maintain their academic schedule, but by winter break, every single class was ahead of the academic schedule despite 40 fewer minutes of class time each day.
How Play Develops Social and Emotional Skills
There are the crucial social and emotional skills that can only be developed in play. When humans engage in self-directed, unstructured play, we learn how to socialize, collaborate, and read body language. We learn assertiveness, boundary setting, sharing, and restraint.
Imagine a playground filled with children engaged in play. The first thing you might notice is the sound. It is usually joyous and loud. Evolution and biology designed us to enjoy this kind of big, body, physical play. It builds key physical strengths and skills, like those listed above. It also helps children build lifetime social skills.
It might look like this: One child initiates a play idea, maybe a new idea or the continuation of a previous game. Another friend may join and suggest a modification, sending the play in a new direction. Over and over, new ideas and new alternatives surface as the play evolves. Inevitably, conflict will arise and possibly one player will become aggressive. When this happens, the other player may pull back, giving signs of displeasure with this sort of play. Or a player may have his idea dismissed and take exception, or there may not be enough equipment or material to continue the play as planned. Whatever the challenge, the players have a choice: Find a solution or the play will come to an end.
Play is the way kids wring out their brains.
How can this kind of play be woven into a child’s day?
These exchanges demonstrate the power of unstructured play. Children want the play to continue. They take ownership of the play. They are in charge of the game, they make the rules, and they have a vested interest in continuing the game. Out of this fundamental ownership grows a wealth of learning and development. And, for many children, this sort of interactive, conflict-resolving play was missing from their days during the pandemic shutdown. Many children missed out on a year of the give-and-take of listening to the ideas of peers, of sharing scarce materials, of finding a way to make the game work. The social and emotional learning that comes from this play is just as essential—maybe even more essential—as any academic skills missing from their repertoire.
How can this kind of play be woven into a child’s day? Through both structured and unstructured play. Structured play is adult-directed and designed, while children direct unstructured play. Children need both. Finding time for play in the school day is crucial for making a dent in any learning losses from the past year.
To start with, children should have unstructured play at recess every single day, for at least 30 minutes, but the more the better. There is really no excuse for eliminating this break in the day. Removing recess only makes the school day more challenging for everyone, putting stumbling blocks in front of learning.
Structured play is also crucial to children’s development. It takes place in PE but can move beyond the gym and into any learning environment with a little creativity and planning. Using play and movement in teaching helps kids secure neural connections in their brains, anchoring new knowledge. Whether it is adding physical movement to a memorization task or doing pushups to answer math problems, movement in learning helps children retain what they have learned. Believe it or not, something as simple as spelling practice can be active, sweaty, and fun. An example game can be seen above (Spelling Frenzy Relay).
Children can do these games at home, as well, with siblings or on their own.
There are many ways to add physical movement to academics. Do long division with sidewalk chalk and make it a dance. Use action words to practice rhyming. Hop down a giant number line. When students move, they learn.
All of us want children to be successful in all aspects of life. We want them to be strong students, with strong bodies, and strong friendships. These crucial skills suffered during virtual learning. We cannot further jeopardize students’ physical, social, and emotional development in the quest for checking off boxes on an academic curriculum. Play-based skills make us better people from the classroom to the boardroom. These are not skills that can be learned from an app, a computer, or flashcards. These skills are only developed in play—play that must be in every school day. •
Spelling Frenzy Relay
Work on spelling, practice teamwork, and get aerobic
Set-Up: Children are divided into teams of 2–4 children each. Each team has a set of three-letter words with one letter missing from each one (e.g., H _ T, _ I E, S E _). Scattered on the floor are cards with letters that could complete the words. The first team member finds a letter to complete one word, runs to the opposite side of the room around a cone or chair, comes back to complete the word, and tags the next teammate. Play continues until the team’s words are complete.
Pearson, C. 2021. 1/11/21. “Experts Predict What School Will Look Like Next Fall.” Huffington Post retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/expertspredict-what-school-will-look-like-nextfall_l_5ffc916cc5b66f3f79601ffe
Reilly, K. 10/23/17. “Is Recess Important for Kids or a Waste of Time? Here’s What Research Says.” Time. Retrieved from https://time.com/4982061/ recess-benefits-research-debate/
Wong, A. 11/15/16. “Why Kids Need Recess.” The Atlantic
Preston Blackburn created Pop, Hop& Rock™ in 2000, when her children were preschoolers. What started as an exercise program has evolved into one that focuses on creating opportunities for children to hone fundamental motor skills, which allows them to develop physical literacy and foundational strengths, proven to help them find success socially, emotionally, behaviorally,and cognitively in the classroom and beyond.www.pophopandrock.com
One of the most challenging parts of having children in school is making lunches. With some guidance, children can make their own lunch. It then becomes a win/win situation. You do not need to make lunch daily, your child gets to practice practical life skills, and your children are more likely to eat their lunches. As with all new skills, it may take more time initially, yet the work and time will benefit both of you for years to come.
How can a young child prepare their lunch each day? Preparation of the environment, the necessary tools, and a lesson will all be necessary.
Preparing the Environment:
• Make appropriate food for lunches available at child height. This may mean reserving space on a low cabinet and low shelf in the refrigerator for lunch materials. At our house, we used colored baskets in the cabinet and refrigerator to quickly designate which items were for lunches.
• If needed, divide the food into servings before lunches are made. Your child can help you do this after school or over the weekend. If five baby carrots are an appropriate serving for your child, make a few bags with five carrots in each.
• Make sure your child can open and close any containers used and manage their lunch box.
• Consider when lunch should be prepared. If your child has trouble getting out of the house in the morning, make lunch the night before and store it in the refrigerator if needed. If your child is usually ready early, the morning is a great time for this job.
The Necessary Tools:
• Have utensils your child can use to make lunch, such as: a knife for spreading and cutting; a cutting board; containers that your children can open and close; and lunch boxes that allow them to pack easily.
• A list of ideas in written or picture form may be helpful for your child.
• Decide what you expect for lunch. What constitutes a main meal? What is a snack? Do you have a guideline of how many fruits or vegetables need to be included?
A Lesson or a few lessons):
• Discuss the plan with your child.
• Show where the tools and materials for making lunch are.
• Talk about what should be included in lunch and why, i.e., you need energy for growth and your day; these foods are not allowed at school for allergy or other health reasons; these items do not transport well. Share the reason for the guidelines.
• Work with your child the first few times and discuss what you are doing and checking: e.g., “I don’t see any fruit in here. Would you like to add a fruit or another vegetable?”
• Show your child how to clean out their lunch box at home before just adding to it.
Follow Up:
• Peek inside the lunches that are going to school. Do they meet nutritional needs as you expect?
• Discuss options and ideas with your child before grocery shopping.
• If you have leftovers from dinner, ask if your child would like some for lunch and plan together how to make that work.
• Let your child’s teacher know that your family is making this change. Your child may be pleased and possibly even distracted by the lunch they made at first, so letting the teacher know means they can help with these changes.
Enjoy the small break this gives you and the independence it gives your child.
Cheryl Allen is the Associate Coordinator of the Montessori Family Alliance and is also a parenting educator and a Montessori consultant with the Montessori Foundation. Cheryl attended Montessori school as a child. After sometime as a traditional Secondary teacher, she worked in Montessori classrooms, 3-6, 6-9,and 9-12, earning certifications from both AMS (3-6 and 6-9) and IMC (6-12). She is a teacher educator, workshop presenter, and member of IMC accreditation teams. Cheryl’s two children attended Montessori from age two through high school graduation.
The NewGate School, Global Campus Students, Research Their Place on Earth and Weave a Story to Share
By Amy Kremer-Treibly and Elizabeth Hale
The NewGate School’s Global Campus is composed of students in seventh through twelfth grades who live in Canada, the US, the Caymans, and Tanzania. These students are the first cohort of the Global Campus, and they work together with a dedicated faculty for humanities, math, science, and Spanish academic courses, as well as working in their home communities on creativity, physical wellness, and service.
Adolescents seek answers to key questions: Who am I? Where am I? What’s happening?
In order to gain insights and impressions of where each student resides, they set out as investigators of their own backyard, town, city, and country, with special attention to who inhabited the land first, including animals, plants, and humans. Students have been sharing their stories as presentations to the community in Opening Meetings held each morning of the week. This project offers a rich opportunity for students to explore the question of where do I find myself living right now?
During this process, students access local historical societies and talk to family and neighbors about generational memories of the place. Some students highlight developments, such as industry and railroad access. Others brought names of indigenous tribes to our attention, as well as the plants and animals that have thrived in the past and either do or do not live now. Overwhelmingly, the students learn more about where they call home. In addition to acquiring knowledge of place, by pausing and giving attention to the land that supports our lives, the people who have come before, and the bounty that nourishes us, we all grow in our appreciation and gratitude for home.
It has been said that to love a place and show true care for it, one must spend time, look with earnestness for the hidden treasures to be revealed, and then we can fully celebrate our home. Indigenous wisdom embodies connection and relationship, and for that reason, we like to include the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Greeting, which we read aloud in turns during Council before Thanksgiving. •
Amy Kremer-Treibly, M.A. earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology at Loyola University where she also enjoyed studying Spanish during a study abroad term in Quito, Ecuador, and learning about world religions as her minor. She began her teaching career in a refugee resettlement program teaching ESL to adult students from around the world followed by teaching Spanish at the elementary level. While teaching at a Great Books Foundation high school in Arizona, she earned her Master’s Degree in Experiential Education at Prescott College with a focus on building schools and learning experiences to promote engagement, eco-literacy, and stewardship.
Elizabeth Hale teaches Humanities and other courses with NewGate School’s Global campus. She spent the last 13 years developing Heartmoor Farm Education Centre in central Virginia teaching Literature, Humanities, and Mindfulness to adolescents while nurturing her connection with the natural world specifically through contemplative practices, the stewardship of plants, and formal study of Western Herbalism. With 24 years of teaching experience, in classroom environments from Oregon and Ohio to Virginia, she has worked with families through all stages of their children’s development.
We, as parents, love to see our children become independent and self-sufficient as they grow and age. But sometimes, we may need help to get them to that point. We can do so by implementing the Montessori Method into their lives. Montessori emphasizes teaching children to be self-regulating and to be able to learn the concepts of independence. It is a great tool to help your children be more confident in their abilities. Indeed, independence is the best gift we can give to our children, as it enables them to be self-sufficient and know how to take care of themselves.
Today, we live in a time when there is a lot of pressure on children at home, school, or work. The idea behind the Montessori Method is to teach children that being themselves will give them the ability to succeed in life. Children need to feel confident, capable and become more independent so that they can defend their ideas, thoughts, and feelings against pressure from others. But the question now is how this Method helps children become independent. Well, that’s what you are going to learn in this article. But first, let’s understand what the Montessori Method is.
WHAT IS THE MONTESSORI METHOD?
It is an educational method that Maria Montessori developed. It has been implemented globally and has helped children develop learning skills for independence, self-regulating, and creativity. The Montessori Method uses a hands-on approach, where children learn through experiences to find their way of learning.
THE MONTESSORI METHOD WILL HAVE THE CHILDREN LEARN FROM THEIR MISTAKES AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO KEEP LEARNING, BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT PERFECT IN EVERYTHING.
How can the Montessori Method help your child to be independent?
The Montessori Method is designed to be flexible and adaptable to meet each child’s needs. It allows children to be exposed to different learning environments and solve problems by themselves. The Montessori Method emphasizes making lessons fun-filled and interesting to capture the child’s attention and develop their thinking skills.
Here are four ways that Montessori helps your child become independent:
ONE
The Montessori Method encourages children to become more independent, through a stress-free environment.
The Montessori Method is a great tool to help children become independent by giving them a stress-free environment. It helps children become less dependent, because they need not rely on parents or teachers for help. It teaches kids how to solve problems by themselves.
For example, when you are doing your work, it is certainly stressful to stop your work and ask for help from another person if you do not know how to do something. The Montessori Method teaches us that we must not stop what we are doing until we have finished it. It is an excellent tool to teach children how to do their work without disruptions, but to only stop if necessary. It teaches children that they only need to pause when they are stuck on something or need help.
TWO
The Montessori Method encourages children to learn how to solve problems.
Learning how to deal with problems is one of children’s most rewarding experiences. The Montessori Method gives children opportunities to learn on a broad scope of different topics to develop their problem-solving skills; they will not need to rely on others for help.
For instance, if a child is trying to understand how to use a slow cooker, he is expected to figure it out by himself. Even if you want to teach him how to use it, the child must remember what you taught him. The Montessori Method allows children to take an active role in their education and figure out most problems on their own. It seems easy at first, but doing this will develop their problem-solving skills and increase their independence.
THREE
The Montessori Method helps children become more respectful of their ability.
The Montessori Method positively impacts children’s self-confidence and self-esteem, because it helps them appreciate what they are accomplishing. It helps them become better learners by giving them more confidence in their learning ability. The Montessori Method is a great tool to encourage children to learn more about what they have and who they are.
For example, if a child is having trouble learning how to play the violin, it may affect her self-worth and self-esteem. Children may think that they cannot learn or do not have what it takes to become good violinists, so they give up. But the Montessori Method will have the children learn from their mistakes and encourage them to keep learning, because they are not perfect in everything. As a result, this will teach them how to accept their capability for learning new things.
FOUR
The Montessori Method helps children to be independent by reinforcing self-confidence.
The Montessori Method helps children become more confident by giving them opportunities to learn new things and feel proud about themselves when they accomplish something great. This Method gives children the opportunity to learn new things and achieve something great by themselves. Therefore, they are more confident in believing that they are independent, because they know how to solve their problems without depending on other people’s help.
For example, let’s imagine that your children decide to ride a unicycle for the first time.
They are not ready yet, but they still want to try. By doing this, they will understand that even though it is not easy, there is a way that they can overcome challenges with riding a unicycle and challenges in life. This develops self-confidence. As they learn how to approach new challenges, they will be able to do more and more for themselves.
HOW CAN PARENTS HELP ENCOURAGE CHILDREN’S INDEPENDENCE AT HOME?
We should encourage our children to be increasingly independent right from the start, but they need guidance and coaching. They need to learn the basics: proper hygiene and the daily habits of independent living when they are older. Help them learn to do things carefully with confidence.
Though more children today can be considered self-sufficient, learning through experiences and making mistakes will help them develop a sense of responsibility and become more self-reliant later in life. Even with care, mistakes happen. Let’s help them to learn from their mistakes with patience and calm.
If we allow our children to do tasks independently, we will witness steady growth in their capability.
For example, let children:
• Place foods on their plate: You can give them advice, but let children learn how to pick up and put things onto their plates.
• Wash their hands: You can talk with them about the importance of washing hands, but let them learn how to scrub, wash, and rinse themselves.
• Brush their teeth: This is another task you can do with your child but let them do it alone after you’ve given instructions on how to brush, what part of the mouth to use the toothbrush, and when to spit out afterward.
• Pick out clothes they want to wear: In case you don’t have enough time to lend a hand in picking, let your children select the clothes they wish to wear, once they have learned the basics of choosing outfits on their own, using simple instructions from you, such as, “Choose a shirt that has long sleeves.”
• Choose their toys: Let your children choose the toys they want to play with, but make sure you don’t allow them to play with dangerous items like knives or scissors.
These simple steps will help your child feel comfortable when they start to face challenges on their own and help them understand the importance of independent living.
Final Thoughts
Children develop their independence in different ways as they grow and learn about the world. The Montessori Method is an effective way for children to learn how to be independent with their own decisions and find new ways of solving their problems on their own. The Montessori Method is the best way for children to develop skills that will help them cope with anything they encounter. •
Andrea Gibbs was born, raised, and still lives in New York. She is a work-at-home mom with a background in business development, strategy, and social media marketing. She contributes to a blog at the Montessori Academy to motivate and educate other parents about how they can get their children ahead of the game in school. montessori-academy.com/why-the-montessori-method-works
Over the years, it’s quite common for parents to come to us to say that, since their child is so advanced academically, they worry that the class they are in now is not sufficiently challenging. It is not unusual for parents to ask the school to move them up a year early next term.
There’s no one response that schools offer, but I think there are a few things to consider.
Typically, parental fear of their child being disadvantaged by being the most advanced in a Montessori classroom is based on a misperception.
Unlike traditional schools, where the pace of education is based upon the norm of the class, the Montessori curriculum follows an international model rather than what is commonly taught in American schools. In general, Montessori programs are more sophisticated and individualized in many ways.
In the United States, in the first three grades (kindergarten through second grade), it is fairly common to teach children number recognition and simple mathematical operations with one or two-digit quantities. Math can be very abstract, and some children memorize answers but may or may not understand what they’re doing.
Likewise, with reading, many children are asked to read from simplistic texts or workbooks that have more to do with spelling and vocabulary than with really giving them a love of the written word, no less a desire to express themselves in writing.
While there is a real concern about math education in the United States, many students are not culturally literate in history, geography, economics, science, civics, and our cultural heritage found in the arts and literature.
Like most schools that follow European tradition, Montessori places a huge emphasis on what some people call the ‘cultural subjects.’ These topics include, science; technology; history; geography; international studies; the foundations of industry and trade; architecture; engineering; and so much more. Montessori’s breadth of curriculum tends to produce young people who have far more knowledge of their country’s history, government, and heritage than most Americans.
So, we have three basic issues. The first is that in Montessori, children don’t learn at a preestablished pace. They are not only able to choose the things that most interest them but to learn in ways that they find most appealing. Children are different. Some learn best by listening to someone else talk; others learn by observing, and many need to directly experience to understand and remember. There are so many variations in the way children learn, and it’s challenging to know what’s right for an individual child.
The second issue is that no teacher can work with each child every moment of the day. That’s the beauty of Montessori’s prepared learning environment. It allows children to find meaningful work without having to depend on a teacher telling them what to do throughout the day.
Another consideration is that most of us learn best not by simply receiving a lesson; repeated experiences along with the opportunity to help (or teach) other children solidifies the skill or concept. The best teacher of the typical student is usually not the adult with a master’s degree in education; rather, it is often other students who have a grasp of the material and are willing to share their understanding with a fellow student.
The third point is that a child who remains in a Montessori multi-age class is surrounded by other students (younger and older) who have their own gifts and talents to share. They stimulate each other. The beauty of the Montessori experience is that the class is a community, not simply a group of children who are focused on the lesson that the teacher happens to be giving. This ongoing set of relationships builds a sense of safety and security for most children, both with their peers and with the adults in their lives. As parents, we need to understand how incredibly valuable that is.
So, the trade-off to having a child move up a year early is not so much that the child will get lessons that they couldn’t get in the younger class, as much as that they would be moving up into a class, where the age range is going to be three or four years beyond their current level.
Every child is different and there are times when moving a child up early actually is worth considering. In my experience, I never followed a hard and fast rule. We always try to explore with the family why they feel this is a good idea? Here are some points parents and educators should consider:
• Is it accurate that the current class really can’t meet the child’s intellectual and academic needs?
• Do the parents feel a strong urge to push their child ahead more quickly? If so, why? What do they hope to gain? What are the pros and cons?
• Or is it fear that their child will miss opportunities that they would have at the next level?
These are all legitimate questions, but we must weigh them against the advantage of stable, continuing relationships. Having been one of those students, who was moved up a year early at one point along my journey, I found it difficult to be a year younger than the youngest child in the classroom. So, if you ever come to the conclusion that, perhaps, your child might do well to move up, try to really think it through with the school and weigh the pros and the cons.
Montessori is based on the idea that each child follows her own pace and that education is a journey, not a race.
Montessori classes are not only about academics. The focus is social and emotional, as well. While a five-year-old may be reading like a six-year-old, this same child may socially and emotionally be better suited to remaining in a class with familiar children. Being among the oldest and most advanced creates the possibility of becoming a leader. Don’t undervalue how wonderful that experience can be.
Montessori is based on the idea that each child follows her own pace and that education is a journey, not a race.
Other than saving a year’s tuition if your child attends a private Montessori school, there are few (if any) benefits for a child who finishes high school early. Beginning university younger than the other students in their class may again present same social, emotional, and academic challenges, depending on the student.
Appreciating Montessori’s ability to meet children at their intellectual level is one of the greatest gifts of Montessori education. I always recommend that parents follow their hearts, but I do advise every parent to be thoughtful and careful before leaping to a decision.
Try to find the best path for your child, and always remember that it’s important to ask them what they really want to do. Listen carefully to their reasoning. Sometimes the reasoning makes perfect sense; sometimes it doesn’t make any sense at all. Weigh your conclusions and follow your parental instincts. That’s all any of us can do. •
Editor’s Note: Families have been inspired by Montessori to home-school their children for years. The trend seems to be expanding. Something new grew out of the pandemic: online education at the adolescent level that is consciously based on Montessori guidelines. One of those schools is the Bridgemont International School. Another is a branch of the Montessori Foundation’s Lab School, The NewGate School’s Global Campus. We understand that others are being organized as well. While most students attend schools in person, we feel that these new models should be of interest to Montessori families anywhere in the world. If you have a student who is thriving in Montessori, but there is no adolescent program where you live, these online schools may be an option to consider.
In the fall of 2020, the leadership of the Center for Guided Montessori Studies asked the question, “What would an authentic Montessori middle school look like if it were online?” This question was especially pertinent at the time, because we were all adjusting to “forced” online learning resulting from the COVID pandemic. The question that we asked ourselves was, “Can we build an adolescent Montessori program and community online?”
That winter, we decided to plan for a soft launch of what became the Bridgemont International School. We began with just one class of seventh- and eighth-grade students, all living within the time zones of the continental United States, led by certified and experienced Montessori Adolescent Guides.
Our plan is to add one grade a year, extending through high school over the next four years. We also plan to open additional cohorts in North America and other parts of the world as interest grows. As we have from the start, our goal is not to grow quickly, but rather with slow, careful steps to ensure that we establish programs that are excellent and sustainable.
The first question that we reexamined was, “What makes a Montessori adolescent (middle and high school) program authentically Montessori?” Even though we have been involved with Montessori programs at this level for years, there is (at this point) no one model for adolescent programs. Dr. Montessori died before she was able to define the “model” of what a secondary program looks like. Rather, there are a series of lectures and discussions that other Montessori educators have interpreted, leading to vastly different models of Secondary education.
Many are familiar with the farm-school model of Montessori Adolescent Education (Erdkinder), while others may be familiar with the curricular outlines of other Montessori Secondary training programs. While there are many different models, there are key components of Montessori for the student in the third plane.
Curriculum: Students need to learn! They should be culturally literate and develop the academic skills they will need if they decide to pursue post-secondary education. Even within this component, there are different definitions of what that means. I would suggest that students need to know basic information. What makes Montessori distinct at this level is the balance between helping students through the challenges of adolescence, while covering an excellent course of study. For us, a particular focus is helping teens to discover that what they learn in school is real, relevant, and interesting. We want to encourage their interests, help them to see the big picture, and think critically about what they study and how it relates to their own lives.
The core of our academic program is the Montessori educational syllabus, which consists of ‘integrated academic components’ in three overarching areas: self-expression; emotional development; and preparation for adult life.
Within these areas, Bridgemont offers rigorous coursework in a variety of academic subjects, experiential learning, and in-the-field experiences; a range of seminars and collaborative learning projects; training in organization and personal responsibility.
Even though our curriculum is highly integrated, courses have titles that are familiar to colleges and other schools including math, language arts, sciences, humanities, Spanish, health, arts, and electives.
Here is an example of a simple 7th- and 8thgrade science experiment that we did recently.
Is “earth-friendly” laundry detergent actually safe for the environment?
For this experiment, we planted radish seeds in potting soil. In Dish #1, we watered the seeds with a mixture of water and regular detergent. In Dish #2, we watered the seeds with a mixture of water and earth-friendly detergent. In Dish #3, we simply used regular tap water.
After 10 days, only one dish had germinated seeds. Can you guess which one???
The dish that used regular tap water was able to grow radish seeds. The other two dishes? Nothing.
In Dish #1, the regular detergent solution left a heavy film over the soil and seeds.
In Dish #2, the earth-friendly detergent solution did not leave as heavy a film; however, no seeds germinated.
Conclusion: “Earth-friendly” may not be all it is advertised to be; however, it certainly is “friendlier” in appearance.
Valorization: This is such a wonderful term that Dr. Montessori gave us. It is the key challenge of adolescence: the formation of a clear sense of identity, a moral compass, and feeling validated and valued for their contribution as an individual. As children transition from childhood through the teenage years, and then into the adult world, they need to feel a sense of responsibility and worth that leads them to confidence and independence. This can be accomplished in many ways; however, it is probably the single most important component of Montessori at this level.
Community: Community is, directly and indirectly, related to curriculum and valorization. Part of the work of adolescents is to discover their own strengths, style, and role in the community. This is done through deliberate and unexpected avenues. A most basic statement is that adolescents desire to be part of a community.
So, back to the question at hand; how does one create this from an online platform?
How can we deliver a rich curriculum that is more than mere memorization, create opportunities for students to feel valued and value in their work, and create a sense of community, when most of them have never actually met in person?
The students at Bridgemont spend approximately four hours a day in real-time engagement in a variety of activities, including (but not limited to) direct instruction, Socratic dialogue, independent and small-group work with peers, presentations, guest lecturers, working out, doing art, and the occasional Harry-Potter-themed “butter beer” parties.
So, can Montessori at this level be done from an online platform? YES!
A prepared environment at the Secondary level is much more about experiences rather than the materials and physical environments of the Early Childhood and Elementary levels. Can the Montessori guides create opportunities for authentic interaction, sharing, and developing a real sense of caring about one another? Can this be done while also helping students become culturally literate and explore their open passions? Again, YES!
Online learning gives students the space to comfortably participate and voice their opinions, which can ultimately help build confidence and positively reinforce their self-esteem.
At the half-year point, the discussion among the students and Montessori guides turned to gratitude. To our delight, what the students were most grateful for was the sense of community, greater than they had felt in their brick-and-mortar schools. What was our greatest concern, had become our greatest strength.
Community, in the case of the Bridgemont students, guides, and administrators, means kind, empathetic, interested young adults that are not just saying that they care, but honestly care about each other and are interested in the world in which they exist. While doing so, they are also being held to a high level of academic expectations that support each student’s progress and independence.
SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Is Bridgemont accredited?
As Bridgemont International School is licensed in the state of Florida, it adheres to the graduation requirements of the State of Florida. (We teach the same courses; however, they are taught very differently.) The school plans to pursue accreditation by the International Montessori Council (IMC) and Cognia.
How does Bridgmeont address service learning, Erdkinder, etc.?
At Bridgemont, we recognize the importance of the “Montessori experience.” We intend to include each of these experiences; however, they will be different in that the students will have more responsibility in designing their experiences with the support of our Montessori guides. Rather than being provided with experiences, students will be actively involved in the design of the experiences that satisfy their requirements in their own communities.
Is it all online?
A goal for the near future is to have two live in-person experiences a year. The school year would start with a whole-school orientation, which would change from year to year and is meant to be a team-building and orientation program. The second experience is meant to be student-designed and will look different from year to year. This will be budgeted, designed, planned, and based on student feedback and student work. (COVID-19 has made this difficult, but it is a goal for the 2022-2023 school year, if possible).
How are time zones addressed?
Our courses and schedules are deliberately designed to meet the needs of students in the continental United States. With WIN (What I Need) hours scheduled on both sides of the “Core” curriculum, students from all parts of the United States can work together at times that are convenient and in line with best practices in adolescent psychology.
As the school grows, there will be timezone-specific cohorts. These will be times that are more specific to time zones and regions; however, there will be shared times with all available time zones to include students from other countries, continents, etc.
In summary, Bridgemont International School is an authentic Montessori School, where students from all over the United States and around the world have the opportunity to become what they are meant to be and have the fortitude, confidence, and support to go after it. •
Robin Howe, Ed.D. is a Montessori kid, a Montessori certified teacher (at all levels except infants), and a Senior Consultant for the Montessori Foundation.
Every year in January, one of us will write an article about the importance of children who are turning five completing the three-year cycle of the Montessori Early Childhood program. We do this because this is a decision that is truly important for any child who has grown up, thus far, in a Montessori program.
We understand how tempting it is, for parents who have their children enrolled in a non-public Montessori school, to make the switch at Kindergarten to avoid another year of tuition. However, having invested in Montessori thus far, the long-term benefits of staying, at least through the third year, if not beyond, cannot be stressed often enough.
The third-year is critical in the Early Childhood Montessori program. This is the year when children’s earlier experiences are normally internalized and reinforced and when children begin to take the first steps of moving from very concrete learning to learning that is more abstract. When children leave Montessori for traditional Kindergarten, much of what they have been learning fades away because they have not yet made the passage to abstract understanding.
The advantages of using the local schools often seem obvious, while those for staying in Montessori are often not at all clear. When you can use the local schools for free, why would anyone want to invest thousands of dollars in another year’s tuition?
It’s a fair question, and it deserves a careful answer. Obviously, there is no one right answer for every child. Often the decision depends on where each family places its priorities and how strongly parents sense that one school or another more closely fits in with their hopes and dreams for their children.
Naturally, to some degree, the answer is also often connected to the question of family income as well; although, we are amazed at how often families with very modest means, but who place a high enough priority on their children’s education, will scrape together the tuition needed to keep them in Montessori.
Most five-year-olds have been waiting for the longest time to be one of the ‘big kids.’ The experience of playing the leadership role does wonders to reinforce the five-year-olds’s sense of autonomy and self-confidence.
So here are a few answers to some of the questions parents often ask about Montessori for the Kindergarten-age child.
In a nut shell, what would be the most important short-term disadvantage of sending my five-year-old to the local schools?
When a child transfers from Montessori to a new Kindergarten, she spends the first few months adjusting to a new class, a new teacher, and a whole new system with different expectations. This, along with the fact that most Kindergartens have a much lower set of expectations for five-year-olds than most Montessori programs, severely cuts into the learning that could occur during this crucial year of their lives.
As children begin their third year in Montessori, their understanding of the decimal system, place value, mathematical operations, and similar information is usually very sound. With reinforcement, as they grow older, these concepts become internalized and a permanent part of who they are. When they leave Montessori before they have had the time to internalize these early concrete experiences, their early learning often evaporates because it is neither reinforced nor commonly understood.
What would be the most important advantages of keeping my five-year-old in Montessori?
Montessori is an approach to working with children that is carefully based on what we’ve learned about children’s cognitive, neurological, and emotional development from more than one hundred years of research. Although sometimes misunderstood, the Montessori approach has been acclaimed as one of the most developmentally appropriate models by America’s top experts on early childhood and elementary education.
One important difference between what Montessori offers the five-year-old and what is offered by many of today’s Kindergarten programs has to do with how it helps the young child learn how to learn.
Educational research has increasingly shown that students in many schools don’t really understand most of what they are being taught. As Howard Gardner, leading educational psychologist and advocate of school reform, wrote: “Many schools have fallen into a pattern of giving kids exercises and drills that result in getting answers on tests that look like they understand.
Most students, from as young as those in Kindergarten to students in some of the finest colleges in America, do not understand what they’ve studied, in the most basic sense of the term. They lack the capacity to take knowledge learned in one setting and apply it appropriately in a different setting.”
Montessori is focused on teaching for understanding.
In an Early Childhood Montessori classroom, three- and four-year-olds receive the benefit of two years of sensorial preparation for academic skills by working with the concrete Montessori learning materials. This concrete sensorial experience gradually allows the child to form a mental picture of concepts, such as: How big is a thousand? How many hundreds make up a thousand? and What is really going on when we borrow or carry numbers in mathematical operations?
The value of the sensorial experiences that the younger children have had in Montessori has often been underestimated by parents and educators. Research is very clear that young children learn by observing and manipulating their environment, not through textbooks and workbook exercises. The Montessori materials give the child concrete sensorial impressions of abstract concepts, such as long division, that become the foundation for a lifetime of understanding.
But won’t my five-year-old spend her Kindergarten year taking care of younger children instead of doing her own work?
No, not at all! When older children work with younger students, they tend to learn more from the experience than their ‘students.’
Experiences that facilitate development of a child’s independence are often very limited in traditional schools.
Five-year-olds are normally the leaders and role models in the Primary Montessori classroom. They help to set the tone and serve as an example of appropriate behavior for the class. They often help younger children with their work, actually teaching lessons or correcting errors.
Most five-year-olds have been waiting for the longest time to be one of the ‘big kids.’ The experience of playing the leadership role does wonders to reinforce the five-year-olds’s sense of autonomy and self-confidence.
Five-year-olds are beginning to reflect upon the world. They pay closer attention, notice more details, ask more questions, and begin to explain the world in their own terms. The Kindergarten year is a time when the child begins to integrate everything she learned in the first few years.
Academic progress is not our ultimate goal. Our real hope is that they will feel good about themselves and enjoy learning. Mastering basic skills is a side goal.
The key concept is readiness. If a child is developmentally not ready to go on, he or she is neither left behind nor made to feel like a failure. Our goal is not ensuring that children develop at a predetermined rate, but to ensure that whatever they do, they do well and feel good about themselves as learners. •
I think my life will be a roller-coaster of emotion and experiences. I will never forget the beginning of my amazing ride at Beach Park, the Montessori school that I attended from preschool through eighth grade.
When I look back on those days, all I can think is that these are the moments that shaped me. They created the groundwork for who I am as a person. They also left me with stories that make others ask, “Did that really happen?” and all I can say back is, “yes, it did.” Many of my moments at my Montessori school shaped me, but what has shaped me the most is what the school practiced: Montessori.
I know that Montessori has a well-defined definition. Still, the only accurate way to describe how it affected me is to offer my own explanation. I think that Montessori allows for kids to grow into themselves. When I was in preschool, I chose my own work throughout the day and genuinely loved the work I was doing. Montessori allows students to learn what they love and have the resources to pursue it even at a young age. Through those experiences, I have discovered my love of mathematics. Montessori also allows students to grow at their own pace.
I remember in Lower Elementary, being allowed to choose my own daily work but still have specific things to accomplish by the end of the week. This gave us our own time and ability to decide what to do and when. It let each of us learn how to take charge and manage our own time. I remember when my sister first started college. She told my mom that almost no one around her knew how to self-plan without their parents, but she could come up with her own schedule and prepare her workload for that week. I genuinely believe that that skill came from her years in Montessori.
I had a special connection to the school and the people in it. I left Beach Park with only three other students, which was that year’s graduating class. Those three other people probably know more about me than any other people I know to this day. But it wasn’t just the students to whom I grew close; it was also my teachers and faculty. The school faculty were indeed the people who have had the most significant impact on me. Whether it be my eighth-grade teacher, Ms. Summer, who pushed me to my limits while preparing me for high school, my Upper Elementary teacher Mr. Greg who taught me the beginning of Algebra, or my PE teacher Ms. April whose son was one of my best friends; all of them have shaped me in ways that I cannot even begin to describe.
That tiny little school shaped me. Although those memories on the playground of Beach Park School are long behind me, I still look back on them fondly. The years that I spent in that small school prepared me in so many ways to take the next step into college. And even after finishing this wild ride through high school, I can’t help but look back to where it started, at a small school called Beach Park Montessori.
