Monthly Archives: July 2016

The Genius of Montessori

28 Thursday Jul 2016

Posted by in Learning, Montessori Education

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Last weekend, as an evening of theater came to a close, an image proving the Pythagorean Theorem appeared. I was reminded immediately of the Montessori material used in upper elementary classrooms. Though this character in “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” was demonstrating his acute mathematical abilities, I again considered how much Dr. Montessori knew about how children learn. She developed a system to make concepts accessible to children and lay the foundation for the more complex mathematics they will encounter as they move on to middle and high school.

pythagoras-materialThese particular materials help children prove the Pythagorean Theorem, which states that given a right-angle triangle, the sum of the squares formed on the short legs equals the square formed on the hypotenuse.

Manipulating these materials demonstrates this and gives children visual and kinesthetic ways to see the theorem in action. They explore it much like we might explore a puzzle; they can see that the pieces “fit.” One side squared plus the other side squared equals the third side…the squares are right there; children can see them, count them and physically move them. They don’t need to be advanced mathematicians to do this work, nor do they need to be able to write the algebraic expression to prove it. Instead they have the opportunity to explore it, manipulate it and see for themselves how to make sense of this idea and store it away for future use. The wonder of Montessori!

Seeking Peace

21 Thursday Jul 2016

Posted by in making a difference, Montessori Education, Wilmington Montessori School

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“Establishing lasting peace is the work of education.” – Maria Montessori

Too many times over the past few weeks and months we awakened to hear of instability and injustice in our world. We are shaken to our very core with stories of violence from Orlando, Chicago, Dallas, Paris, Nice, Turkey, Baton Rouge and more. As adults, we try to make sense of these situations that make no sense to us at all; we yearn for peace and understanding. And we often ask how we can get there. What can we do?

This weekend, I had the pleasure of listening to Thich Nhat Hanh in this podcast. It is not a new episode, but one that seems particularly relevant. Thich Nhat Hanh is a Buddhist monk who works for peace throughout the world:

“Peace always begins with yourself as an individual, and as an individual you might help build a community of peace….And when the community of a few hundred people knows the practice of peace and brotherhood, and then you can become the refuge for many others who come to you and profit from the practice of peace and brotherhood. And they will join you, and the community gets larger all the time. And the practice of peace and brotherhood will be offered to many other people….”

Establishing peace is at the core of the Montessori philosophy. Cultural studies are central to each and every lesson in the Montessori curriculum. As we share stories of the universe, the coming of life and of humans to earth, and the development of language and mathematics, we are sharing the world with children. We are not only sharing the science and the history of how life began; we are also sharing our interconnectedness and recognizing what it is that binds us. We are establishing a community – a world community. For in a Montessori classroom, we quickly realize that we are more alike than different. We have the same fundamental human needs and depend on each other to survive and thrive.

As Thich Nhat Hahn states, “When you practice looking at people with the eyes of compassion, that kind of practice will become a good habit. And you are capable of looking at the people in such a way that you can see the suffering, the difficulties. And if you can see, then compassion will naturally flow from your heart.”

Teaching compassion and peace underlies all we do at Wilmington Montessori School.

Fact or Myth: Teachers Have Summers Off

14 Thursday Jul 2016

Posted by in Teachers, Wilmington Montessori School

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There is a myth that has been perpetuated over time that teachers – or actually all people who work in schools – are “so lucky because they have the summers off.” It is a commonly held belief and one that even teachers’ families sometimes believe to be true. It is time to debunk that myth. It’s true that school years end; students leave on the last day gleefully anticipating the long free days of summer. It’s also true that there are no more classes and things quiet down inside the very classrooms that were bustling with activity a few days before. And it is true that many teachers leave for the summer, looking forward to more time with their families and more freedom in their schedules.

However, what is missed in this picture is that teachers and learners are always teachers and learners. The very teacher who kicks her heels up when she is ending another school year is the same person who is traveling with her family and collecting things to share with her class the next year, reading the book about how to be a better teacher, watching the TED Talk or other video that will support her own professional development or attending a workshop that will inform her teaching in the coming year. Yes, she’s off. Yes, she’s also working because that’s what teachers do. They are passionate about their work. They are teachers because they love learning, working with children and bringing new ideas and experiences to the children in their care.

Yes, many teachers don’t go to their workplace for two months over the summer. Teaching is not a job for most teachers I have known and worked with; it is who they are. They are always teachers, always learning. So this summer when you envy that teacher you may know of who appears to be off while you are continuing to get up and go to work each day know that she is using this time to rejuvenate, reflect and prepare for the school year ahead. It is time well spent.

Where’s Monty?

07 Thursday Jul 2016

Posted by in Wilmington Montessori School

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blog monty photoThis summer we have challenged our staff and elementary students to share a bit of their summer with us. Monty the Meerkat, our school mascot, is traveling with us. So far he has been to professional development workshops at the Kennedy Center and a Washington Nationals baseball game. He has also been a part of the lobby construction and watched the workers as they installed our new gym floor. Monty has been spotted at Elmwood Park preparing to go on a zip line with a few of our students. Monty is on the move, and it’s only the beginning of July!

One of the beauties of Wilmington Montessori School is the fact that each person in our community has a voice. We can say what we think, play with ideas, accept or reject them and move on. The idea of Monty spending his summer with us in different locales was brought to us by a long-time member of our community. She thought it would be fun. The next thing you knew, Monty was being created, distributed and introduced to us, and off he went for some summer fun. The way a community grows and thrives is that it allows space for thinking, reflecting and sharing. It is open…to ideas, people, differences in thinking and more. We are better together than apart. And that is how Monty is going places this summer. Thanks to this culture and ability to adapt, he will have the best summer of all of us!

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to get updates about Monty’s whereabouts. Want your own Flat Monty to join you on your summer adventures? Email Noel Dietrich, our director of communications, at noel_dietrich@wmsde.org.