The Montessori Message

The Montessori Message

Monthly Archives: May 2016

Maria Montessori: Trendsetter

26 Thursday May 2016

Posted by Lisa Lalama in Learning, Montessori Education, Wilmington Montessori School

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21st-century, 21st-century skills, communication, critical thinking, education, fashion, hands-on learning, innovation, leadership, Maria Montessori, montessori, Montessori education, teachers, teamwork, tomorrow's leaders, Wilmington Montessori, Wilmington Montessori School

blog - maria Montessori
Blog - Montessori Fashion

What do fashion and a WMS education have in common? On the face nothing. Yes, we have some nice T-shirts in our school store and the design is changed once in awhile, but you may have noted that we are not in the fashion business. However, Montessori education is a bit like fashion in that we set trends. We also adapt and change, remaining relevant in an ever-changing world…just like fashion.

There are buzzwords in every field; education is no different. The interesting thing about the latest buzz in education is that it centers on words and ideas such as innovation, flexible thinking, social skills, leadership, collaboration, communication skills, critical thinking, teamwork, creativity, time management, organization and more. Most, if not all, of these words – and practices – have been a part of Montessori education for well over 100 years, reminding us of the adage, “What is old is new again.” Continue reading →

Authentic Montessori

19 Thursday May 2016

Posted by Lisa Lalama in Learning, Montessori Education, Teachers, Wilmington Montessori School

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authentic Montessori, classroom, education, environment, faux Montessori, Maria Montessori, montessori, Montessori education, montessori materials, pedagogy, Wilmington Montessori, Wilmington Montessori School

_DSC6093Dr.  Maria Montessori developed an educational pedagogy that has now entered mainstream education. More people have heard of Montessori education than ever before; many think they know what it means. It’s not that every school has adopted the Montessori philosophy or name. Instead, what many schools have done is take her lessons and adapted them to suit their environment – it’s kind of like selling a Calvin Kline instead of Calvin Klein. Education is an open system, meaning that what happens in schools is not top secret. We all know what schools are designed to do…educate children. What many people do not know is how to do it effectively. So, ideas are taken and incorporated into existing systems where they may or may not take flight. Continue reading →

“Heads Up!”

12 Thursday May 2016

Posted by Lisa Lalama in Wilmington Montessori School

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cheerleaders, cinco de mayo, connections, games, heads up, iphone, staff, teachers, Wilmington Montessori, Wilmington Montessori School

heads upLast week, our staff enjoyed a taco-fest on Cinco de Mayo. The WMS “cheerleaders” organized the meal, providing some of the fillings and asking the staff to contribute the fixings. In theory, no one knows who the cheerleaders are; we have our suspicions, but they work under a cloak of anonymity. Their sole purpose is to provide a few surprises of appreciation throughout the school year. In this case, you can’t imagine how much a taco lunch meant to the WMS staff.

One of the features of the lunch was a game of Heads Up. Many of us had never played the game before, but it was quickly downloaded onto a phone and every single person participated. It was several minutes of silliness. The purpose of this was not to play the game nor to eat the tacos, although those two things were certainly a benefit. The purpose was to interact and connect with each other as the people we are, not as our “roles” – teachers of young children or the person paying the bills or maintaining the facility – but who we are as individuals. It was a great deal of fun and I’m quite sure laughter was heard coming from the staff lounge as people walked down the hallway.

Just as children love to laugh, play and step outside of their daily routines, so do adults. Keeping that spirit alive is the role of the WMS cheerleaders. As they offer interludes of appreciation, we are all reminded that we are more than our jobs. We are people who have interests beyond what we do for a living. We long for connection just as our students do. Spending a short lunch break playing a silly game allowed us to connect and appreciate one another. It gave us the chance to refresh and return to our respective roles energized. Thanks to the our cheerleaders for helping us connect with one another and enjoy a delicious lunch.

Who are you?

05 Thursday May 2016

Posted by Lisa Lalama in Learning, Montessori Education, Research, Wilmington Montessori School

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Anita Foeman, culture, curiosity, DNA, family tree, genealogy, genes, genetics, genome, montessori, Montessori education, questions, science, TED Talk, TED Talks, Wilmington Montessori, Wilmington Montessori School, wonder

blog DNAYou might think of WMS as a small independent Montessori school. You might think that, because we end in sixth grade, our students don’t have access to the same breadth of knowledge of those schools that end in eighth or 12th grades. You might think we are only thinking of “little kid” concerns. You might be wrong. Continue reading →

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