Montessori Consulting

It has been a blast to have a chance to teach some of that higher level math again this year. Last year I thoroughly enjoyed being “just” an early childhood teacher, but I did not realize at the time that I missed the elementary math.

Now that I’m sharing time in both classrooms I get to do those really fun things like teaching squares and square roots. And a bit later this year, I’ll get to do some trigonometry. I can hardly wait.

The elementary was pretty busy today. But I caught several folks for quick lessons with some of the math materials. This afternoon one student asked if he could do as many of the problem solving exercises as he wanted. That’s the kind of question I love to hear!

I also gave a presentation the other day on water color techniques. When I passed by the drying table yesterday I noticed several paintings. Today two students took them back up to add to them. Water color can be tricky, but I urged the students to keep experimenting. That is exactly what they are doing. Already I’ve observed some interesting effects. I am eager to see what else they will try!

An interesting thing happened in the early childhood class today. We typically teach lessons at tables unless they are too large to fit. If they are, we roll out a rug and teach the lesson on the floor. The rug defines the space for the lesson so other children will not inadvertently step on lessons. Children are taught how to unroll and roll the rugs as lessons, too.

Carl and I looked up and saw a younger student unrolling a rug for a lesson on the floor. We both knew that the only floor lesson this student had been invited to do was also one that had been misused, so there was a subsequent univitation, so to speak. We watched in order to redirect the student if the lesson in question was approached. But no. The student walked right on past that lesson and went to get a practical life lesson for spooning.

Carl and I looked at each other and shrugged. About that time Britton saw the lesson being done on the floor and started to approach the student, but then stopped when he realized that there really was nothing wrong with this. It just looked odd to us.

Well, lesson after lesson was chosen and taken to that rug on the floor. There must have been six or seven different activities that the student did with good concentration at that rug. It was thrilling to see this kind of work, even if it had us floored at first!

A treat arrived at school today during dismissals. A family delivered a bundle of “wishes” from the school Web site. What a treasure trove. There were all kinds of snack foods, crayons, papers and pencils.

This delivery made me stop for a moment to think about all the things about the school for which I am grateful. A clean load of laundry arrived this morning. The mom was still sorting after dropping off her child. Each week bags of apples, or bunches of bananas or a watermelon or crackers arrive. The children bearing these gifts are so proud to be contributing. That sense of being an important part of the school is wonderful to see, but we are truly thankful for all the help that comes our way.

I am thrilled to hear from parents that their children are sharing things at home. I love to open my e-mail box and find the latest news (and even video). I consider that contact a gift, too.

But more than any of that is the trust that parents place in us. Each day parents bring us their most precious legacies and leave them in our care. The fact that parents have chosen us to be a part of their lives and the lives of their children fills me with awe. It is a solemn trust that we must honor. I am more than grateful for that trust. I am deeply indebted.

Each day we return the precious cargo to their families. Each day I hope the children are more enriched when they go home. I know that many of them are tired. For most of them it is a good tired. The kind of tired that reflects the effort of mental engagement.

I am thankful that we are a part of the future, because we have a hand in helping children grown into the kind adults with whom we would like to associate.

Today in the elementary class meeting I mentioned to the students that they are going to experience something this year that they will never see again - the 100th anniversary of the opening of the first Montessori School. We talked about things that they might want to do to celebrate this milestone. Some of the suggestions included decorating the classroom for holidays, having an open house and getting the newspaper to write an article. It was also decided that we need a clipboard with a place for students to write additional suggestions.

The first Montessori School opened in Rome on January 7, 1907. I think the idea of an open house is really good. Perhaps we can have that actual day be a time when we open the doors of the school during regular class time and allow folks to visit to see what the children are doing. Hmmm. The other ideas have merit, too.

All the Montessori Schools in the East Tennessee area are collaborating in a covered dish picnic at the end of September to celebrate the 100th anniversary. Hopefully by then we will have school T-shirts ready so our families will be easily identified.

This is truly an exciting year.

What a busy week this has been for me. the days in the classroom have just flown by and I have been in meetings every evening this week. That is why I have not had a chance to post all week!

I share my time between the early childhood class and the elementary class so I get to taste two very different environments. This makes for some funny moments.

Tuesday when I was in the elementary one of the early childhood students came to the door of the boy’s bathroom and saw me across the room. In a very loud, but exuberant voice, he shouted across the room, “Hello, Miss Aleta.” He was so delighted to see me, I guess. ;-)

That brings up some interesting thoughts, though. I really prefer for the children to simply call me by my first name, without the “Miss” title. but here in the South, it is hard for some parents to be comfortable with that. So some children call me Aleta and some call me Miss Aleta. It would hard on the little ones to have to say Mrs. Ledendecker. Oh, what a chuckle!

I really struggled with the philosophical question of which days I should be in which classrooms. I want to be with all the children all the time, but that isn’t humanly possible! I am not sure whether it would be better to spread the days out between the classes or group them together. Right now I have them spread out. I hope that is the better choice. I think so, because then I get to see all the students frequently throughout the week.

I’ll be glad when all the evening meetings settle down though. Next week I have ONLY two! Whew!

Today was the first day of this year that I started the morning off in the early childhood class without doing arrivals. What a treat. As the children come into the room it is such a pleasure to greet them and invite them to lessons.

It is often easy to get the day started off right and then it all falls into place very nicely. Today was no exception. By 8:20 almost all the children were in the room and already working. I was even able to give a new sensorial lesson to one of the first year children by then.

One student was a bit teary this morning, but it was soon evident that those tears were a choice. When I offered to help the settling down process with a drink or a new lesson, the firm reply was, “No, I want to cry”!!! Hmmm.

Although not many of the other children were showing much interest in the tears, there was enough attention given to them that I thought it best to find a way to reduce the focus on the child who was choosing to cry. I gently explained that walking around the classroom crying was not really fair to the other boys and girls who were happy and busy so it would be best to sit as long a crying was the choice.

Sitting without children coming to give comfort wasn’t very satisfying, so it was not long before the child was up again and started fussing near the lesson of another child. I gave another gentle reminder to sit where the crying would not disturb the children who were enjoying their lessons. That was all it took. Being happy and busy at interesting things really trumps “wanting to cry” any day.

That is one of the beautiful things about the Montessori environment. It calls to children because it is designed for them. Maybe tomorrow there will be no tears at all.

I continue to be awed by how the year is unfolding. Today I was officially working in the elementary. It was exciting to be able to present lots of new lessons even before arrivals were over. In fact, the classroom was so busy and occupied that one child who arrived toward the end of arrivals was somewhat frustrated that there were no friends with whom to talk. They were all doing work (and one simply does not disturb the work of others!).

I did drift back and forth between the two classrooms when the need arose. There was lots of hugging going on in the early childhood classroom since we had reviewed that it was important to check with the recipient of the hug that hugging was okay!

One fellow came up to me while I was helping out in the EC room and told me that he was going to be very kind and gentle today. Then he asked if he could hug me. That certainly was a good start!

Two children were hugging each other so enthusiastically that they fell over. (smile) We had a little talk about how hugging should be gentle and that we want to make sure that others can walk safely through the classroom.

Children really listen to what we say. I talked about hugging yesterday during group since some children were feeling that their personal space was being invaded when others touched them. In talking about that, I used hugging as an example. Can there be an avalanche of hugging?

The elementary students were excited this afternoon about two things we covered. We are working on a character building series used in many Montessori Schools. It is a series of wonderful little books written by Jonathan Wolff. We started with the one on Kindness. It has a sweet metaphorical story about how Mother Earth wanted Father Sun, Sister Rain and Brother Wind to be kind and give their gifts to all her plant and animal and human children, no matter what they were like, how they looked or how they behaved. The story is so well written that the children remain spellbound. Today, they acted it out and drew pictures about it.

The second thing that the older children enjoyed was further introduction to using K’Nex building materials to study levers. They will be working together to build all manner of simple machines this year.

Week two is barely underway and already it is busy, busy.

Here are snippets of things that I have heard or read in e-mails today.

When changing a pull-up: Oh, my bottom burped.

During an elementary class meeting from a student who lost nearly everything in the hurricanes last year: I move that we have a fund-raiser to help the school.

From a kindergartener who observed a younger child fretting: I think she needs a hug.

From a child who was choosing a lesson that had not yet been presented: But this is my very favorite!

From a mom: [My child] pretended to be you and taught a class of toy animals how to push their chairs in and pick up a lesson, put it away, etc.

From a second grade transfer student upon getting in the car to go home: I did all these animal research papers this week but I kept two for my portfolio.

From an elementary mom: Looking at [the] lesson log and going over [the] work in the folder is the highlight of the day for us.

Late afternoon from a student who had been “challenging” in the morning: I love you.

Teaching is the most rewarding job there is.

Today was one of the most exciting days of the school year for many children. All of our early childhood students who attended last year returned to school today. The energy level was very high due to the excitement, but even so, much work was accomplished during the morning work cycle. In fact, we even saw traces of false fatigue and the ensuing period of higher levels of work afterward.

Most children jumped right back in with the lessons that they already knew while others were being given new presentations. And there were all those new friends to meet. Our new students were excited by having even more children to share the classroom with.

This was my first day in the early childhood classroom this year, too. I was totally engaged all morning. There were so many wonderful things going on that I really wanted to write notes home to all the parents to fill them in on the progress that their children were already making. My energies were directed to the children, though. This is one of the hard things about teaching. It is so important to share with parents, but the needs of the children take precedence. Sigh.

That’s why this blog is so important to me. I want to provide a small way for parents to get a glimpse of the wonder of the classroom, even if they can’t see it.

We really are rolling right along. Hand washing, pushing in chairs, walking around lessons, using quiet voices. I continue to be amazed at how quickly children normalize to the climate of the Montessori environment. It is a testament to how much they appreciate the calmness and beauty of “their” school.

If yesterday was a whirlwind of new students, today it was already getting settled down. As expected there were tears this morning, but they were very short lived! It is interesting to observe a group of three years old children when someone is crying. First they cover their ears as though they have never heard a noise such as that!

It is obvious that crying worries the children (and the adults are not too enthused, either. We want to assure that the children are happy). Sometimes there is sympathetic crying. But today, after a brief spell first thing, the entire class took huge steps toward normalizing.

There were a couple of clingers, those children who latch on to a favorite adult, but even they started becoming more adventuresome and doing lessons with other adults.

A couple parents called today to make sure their children were doing all right (which is certainly understandable after those tearful farewells!). I gladly walked the telephone through the classroom with the receiver pointing toward the room so the parents could hear for themselves the busy hum of the room.

Isn’t it amazing that this can happen on the second day of school? Even I am impressed.

What a whirlwind! But a truly wonderful one!

First days of school are hard for teachers because we want things to go well for everybody. I had so many things I wanted to do with so many children that I certainly couldn’t do them all!

I was in the elementary today and one of the little girls in the early childhood class asked where “that other girl” was. I wanted to be in there, too. Sigh.

The hardest 5 minutes of the whole day was during arrivals. Everybody seemed to come at once and I couldn’t be with every single child to help them transition into the classrooms. Some of my seasoned elementary children slipped into the class with hardly a hello. I suppose I should be glad of that, but I did so want a chance to connect with them after the long months of summer away from them. And I also wanted to smooth the way for every new child who was coming to school for the first time today. I wish I could be super Montessorian! Ho, ho!

It looks like we are going to have a wonderful, wonderful year. Such a vibrant group of children we have. The first day. A whirlwind! Now let’s breeze through the year.

This year I will be in the elementary part time and in the early childhood part time, too. I’m excited about that because I will be able to blog about both classrooms equally. Last year my posts were mainly about the early childhood classroom.

The other elementary teacher and I were talking about trying to redefine the way the children approach “homework.” We realized that part of the difficulty is that parents have their own anxieties about what they recall of homework. We redefined it as “learning at home.” As part of the effort to help children (and parents) recognize that the learning that happens at home should be pleasurable, we removed the word “homework” from the school record lag that the children keep.

In fact, we changed the whole name of that booklet from “Planner” to “Log.” Over time it had slowly morphed into a way for adults to give assignments more than a place for students to record what they had chosen. That runs counter to Montessori philosophy that allows for a high degree of student choice rather than a high degree of teacher directive.

At any rate, in keeping with the idea of having opportunities to “learn at home” instead of “homework” I made an important addition to the school Web site. I added a page of activities that children can do for learning at home. They are all fun, but even if students don’t chose things from the activity page, we really would like the students to simply spend time reading with their parents. That would be a wonderful way to learn at home.

The important thing is that learning at home (homework or home learning or whatever) should be a joyful pastime. I hope our efforts at redefining homework are successful in helping parents and students realize that.