First of all, my apologies for not posting very much this year. It has been a very strenuous for me.

But something happened this morning that could not go without sharing. I ran into a former parent at the grocery store. It has been a long time since his three children attended New Horizon Montessori, and I asked how they were doing.

He said that they were getting very good grades - always good to hear. And then he got a little choked up in telling me the next part.

His oldest, who attends high school at Webb, recently gave a speech in chapel. His topic was the effect of his early schooling on who he has become. This young man credited New Horizon with setting the foundation for his successes so far.

There is no greater gift for a teacher. I remember the children fondly. I remember the day that this young man, as a third grade student made one of those mental leaps that indicates a truly creative mind. I remember his sister figuring out how to divide quadratic equations abstractly. I remember the verve of the youngest of the three.

I am so glad I saw this dad today. He will probably never realize what a lift his feedback gave me.

With the flakey weather lately we were really, really concerned about the possibility of having tonight’s picnic rained out. But with everything going on in the next few weeks it did not look promising to postpone, either. So we decided to go for it rain or shine.

And the weather was simply perfect. What a wonderful gathering of folks. Great food (although much was cleaned out by the time I got through the line). I did have some yummy hummus, tantalizing taco salad, and bodacious broccoli salad. Plus, someone brought some homemade chocolate chip cookies (I had two!). Besides the food, though, there were the ever-popular games and kids and grown-ups having a good time.

I was tired when we finished cleaning up. It was a mellow tired, though – a deep satisfaction that comes from knowing that we really do have something special here.

Thank you New Horizon families for making this community what it is – perfect for a picnic.

We have a new member of the elementary community. He is hearing impaired and could not hear human speech until he was eight. He has not been in a regular class with other students until now, either. Already, since Monday, we are seeing great progress.
Something truly lovely happened today, though.

Our new student exhibits uncontrolled laughter at times. Part of that stems from understandable nervousness. We are helping him learn to recognize that emotion and express it. Today when he started laughing I asked if he were nervous. “No, I’m laughing at her,” he said, pointing to a biracial student. I looked at her and said, “I don’t think he has ever seen beautiful brown skin like yours.”

She beamed with pleasure when he affirmed, “No, and I want beautiful brown skin,” as he placed his arm lovingly next to hers for comparison.

Yes, beautiful.

Last week an interesting e-mail arrived in my inbox. Someone who had read this blog contacted me about a book he had written for Montessori parents. Would I be interested in a copy to review? Sure. Why not?

A bubble-wrapped package containing the book arrived at school this week.

Oh my! I have not been able to put this book down. And now I’m trying to figure out how to get it into the hands of any parents who might be considering where to send their children to school. Montessori Madness! A Parent to Parent Argument for Montessori Education is a gem. I am going to put this book front and center for prospective parents. It is readable, informative and impassioned about the benefits of Montessori education.

If you are interested, go to MontessoriMadness.com. Mention New Horizon Montessori when you order the book. I want Trevor to know that his gift will keep on giving! At $20 it is one of the best bargains in education. Enjoy.

Someone sent this interesting video to me. It shows a baby communicating with her dad. Enjoy it. You will have to copy and paste the URL into your browser.

http://www.snotr.com/video/2630