I’m late in writing about this wonderful trip, but I have good reason. Last week exhausted me so much that I came down with a cold that simply sapped my energy.

A weekend of recuperation has done wonders. And I was also able to take time to read the journal entries written by the students after our return from the Middle School.

Learning was rampant during the trip. At the most basic level the children learned how to use several tools, from rakes to garden forks to hammers. The children also were able to see a ground drill and hand saw in use.

The students assisted in building a fence, preparing garden beds and planting fall crops. I was interested to read in the journals that some of the children learned about identifying grubs and spreading manure. A few even learned how to whistle with blades of grass.

One of the students wrote about learning responsibility and how important it is to listen to directions. Important lessons, for sure. Others wrote about learning how to plant carrots, or how to build a fence, that there are different kinds of beets, that deer eat gardens.

The children are eager to return to the Middle School. So am I. What a great way to learn.

Montessori was clear. Writing comes before reading. In the early childhood environment students move from the sandpaper letters (where they learn the sounds of the letters) into the movable alphabet. With the movable alphabet children are given the tools to compose words and even stories, before they have the physical ability to manage writing instruments. Montessori teachers know that focusing too much on reading before writing is established can undermine the optimal development of both.

In the elementary there are many opportunities to write. In addition to the many lessons that involve research and writing, we journal nearly every day. I shared with the children some of my recent blog posts. I also told them about some of my early experiences as a young writer. I gave them some tips on notation for maintaining the privacy of their writing and how to note the date for each entry.

I’m looking forward to seeing where the children go from here with their journals. With the time I have during Carl’s dialysis treatments, reading the journals will always fit into my schedule. I’m looking forward to enjoying many gems over the next few months.

I was able to attend two different community meetings this week. One was our general community on Tuesday evening and today we had our class community meeting. Both were impressive and enjoyable.

This was our first-ever general community meeting. I’m glad there were some children there who could explain the process. That took the heat off me and allowed me to fade more into the background. Interesting topics came up that evening, including how to handle relatives who did not respect family gift limitations and dealing with children who were more interested in socializing than eating.

Today in our class community meeting an issue was brought up that had been tabled during my absence from the meetings. This was particularly interesting because I did not want the dynamic to defer to “Let Aleta decide.” I need not have worried. The students had thoughtful positions concerning allowing two children to “play” a chess-like game together on one of the computer programs we have available. The class decided (almost unanimously) that it did not make sense to use the computer in that way. Included in their reasons were: we already have opportunities to play chess; it would devolve into just fooling around; the computer should be used for learning, not playing; it would be hard to decide who would play with the person on the computer without disturbing people who were working. All these reasons were student generated. I chimed in that I personally preferred that our classroom computer be used for learning instead of games and a student commented, “Unless it is a game that let’s you test how much you have learned, like on the Human Body program.” Good point there, too.

Montessori frequently stated that we should trust the children to make choices that will be of benefit to their development. Our culture often undermines that sentiment with unhealthy marketing aimed at our most precious resource. I’m thrilled to have continued affirmation that Montessori was right. We just need to provide the proper environment to empower children on their developmental journey.

Now that we are finished with home dialysis training, we have started a new schedule at school. This schedule allows Carl and me to leave at 2:00 for two weeks out of three. But it also means that some of the rest of the staff stay late. Since those who stay late don’t come in until 9:30, we are a little less covered in the early morning hours.

This morning I was in the classroom by myself during arrivals. I don’t consider that a problem at all. The class is so motivated this year that they come into the room and start to work almost immediately.

On Thursdays we also have our student-teacher conferences, but I always wait to do those until after students have done at least one lesson.

This morning the phone rang at 8:10, the height of the arrival process. It was a call that I really had to take. Last year I stepped down as secretary/treasurer of the International Association for Montessori Education, an organization for Montessori teacher trainers. I knew that with our family medial situation I might not be able to perform my duties. Well, the call was from my replacement. She needed passwords and information that should only be transferred by phone.

I hadn’t turned on my computer yet, so it took me a little while to accomplish the tasks she needed from me. While I was occupied nearly all of the class arrived. Just imagine a class full of students coming in first thing in the morning with little teacher supervision. In our experiences from our own schooling we might imagine a chaotic room filled with antics and noise.

But this is Montessori. A student was busy fixing snack for the two classrooms, several were working on vocabulary, some on math and I had a line of children waiting patiently to ask for help with whatever lesson they were preparing to do. Waiting quietly. Waiting respectfully. The person on the other end of the line could not have told that I was sitting in the middle of a vibrant classroom while I was handling the phone conversation. I love this class. And I told her so. We must be doing something right.

When I got back to school today (my extended absences are nearly over), I noticed a large stack of papers stapled into booklets. We have another wonderful virus affecting the students. They are infected with the story-writing virus. It is wonderful, exciting. I was overwhelmed with how prolific these young writers have been.

Not only have they been writing, writing, writing, but in their own way they are publishing their work so the rest of the class can be the audience. What an important lesson for them to learn.

This is one of the things I simply love about being in a Montessori environment. Learning spreads joyfully through the class and the adults simply act as facilitators. But that is another story.

Each year we tend to have a different culture develop in the classroom. Sometimes we call them learning viruses since they tend to spread throughout the class.

This year the culture seems to have taken up the Albanesi card virus. The Albanesi cards are command cards that lead the children to different lessons in the room. These are in some ways rather lock step in their progression, but in other ways very thorough. Some children find them comforting in their regularity. Others want to be more inventive in their approach to learning.

This year there seems to be an upsurge in the popularity of the cards. As I was doing conferences today, one student came to me with his learning log. He had done about 8 cards this morning. I commented on his abundance of work in that area. “I want to get into the brown level,” he told me. Interesting.

Another child confided while working on a card that in math he thinks division is his favorite “subject.”

I find new culture of using the Albanesi cards interesting. It bears close observation.

This morning while I was doing student conferences at the large table, there was a student working on fraction addition across from me. At one point he said, “Do I need to exchange 6/9?”

“You mean reduce?” I asked. Then I asked him what he thought. Did he need to reduce? He immediately got out the 2/3 pieces to make the reduction.

“But not 2/9, huh?” he said. He continued, “You know reducing used to be hard, but now it is easy.”

”You have practiced, haven’t you? When you practice you get better.” He agreed.

A little later he said, “Some things need lots of practice and some things don’t.” Words of wisdom from someone who knows how it works!

We have some volunteers on the playground. They aren’t the human variety. These are volunteers from our compost. There are two pumpkin vines and a tomato plant.

One of the pumpkin vines is sporting a very healthy pumpkin. It is still very green, but a lovely shape! The children have been eagerly watching its progress, as have I! Each afternoon I give that vine a healthy watering daily, so it has survived the drought conditions well.

The tomato plant has some little tomatoes developing, too. It looks like they are going to be cherry tomatoes.

It isn’t just healthy children we grow. Nurturing extends to our volunteers as well.