The Montessori Message

The Montessori Message

Monthly Archives: September 2019

Seasons

26 Thursday Sep 2019

Posted by Lisa Lalama in Learning, Montessori Education

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Maria Montessori, montessori, multi-age classrooms, Planes of development, seasons, three-year age group

Heather Siple-Fall fun-029.JPGAt the produce stand today, the change of seasons is apparent. The berries of summer are replaced by pumpkins and apples, freshly picked from a nearby orchard. The flowers that were prolific in June and July are no longer around, but mums are everywhere in varying colors and sizes. Though the temperatures remain warm, fall is here. You can’t stop some things from ending their fruit-bearing season or others from bursting into full bloom.

The same is true for children – in fact, for humans of any age. There is a time for everything, a time of dormancy and a time to blossom. Maria Montessori carefully observed children and determined their growth generally fell into what she labeled the planes of development. Those planes take place over spans of six years (from birth to age 6, 6-12, 12-18 and 18-24), not one growing season. There is great wisdom here. She acknowledges the typical growth of children over time, while allowing for the fact that each of us grows in different ways at our individual pace. One child may learn to walk at nine months, another at 12 months and yet another at 15 months. All are completely predictable trajectories of developing this skill. The same can be noted in the acquisition of language, social skills and regulation of emotions. When asked to do something they weren’t ready to do, it is typical to see toddlers screaming and being incredibly unreasonable – not so a 12-year-old.

All of this is easily understood when our children are at the front end of the typical development and not so easily accepted when they take longer to arrive. That is human nature. What Dr. Montessori knew, and what we need to continue to remind ourselves of, is that most children will develop the skills needed to become adults over time. We, as the adults who guide, nurture and love them, need to develop the patience needed to wait for their season of growth and flowering. Trusting children to well-informed educators, specialists in their field, gives children the opportunity to take the time necessary to develop the social, emotional and academic skills they need. It allows them to bloom in their time – some ahead of the typical time frame and others taking more time – and grow into themselves as the amazing humans they are meant to be.

The Meaning of Numbers

19 Thursday Sep 2019

Posted by Lisa Lalama in Uncategorized

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math, numbers, palindrome, palindrome week

nullToday officially ends the palindrome days of 2019. Nothing set my mind soaring like hearing that the dates from 9/10/19 through 9/19/19 are all palindromes – numbers that are the same when written backward and forward. I love this! As we finish out these days of the palindrome, I have more questions that answers. When will this occur again? How often does it happen? Google helped me learn some of the answers and left some for me to continue to ponder. One thing was clear – the format one uses for dates drives the answer to the question being asked.

For some reason, numbers fascinate, inspire and soothe me. They are interesting and cause me to think beyond whatever fact they are describing. Recently I worked on a big project that required lots of data crunching. As our team crunched away, we asked more and more questions. We were working hard to make sure the numbers were telling the story that they appeared to be telling. It’s easy to find a numerical answer to a problem. It’s more difficult to make sure that the number being put forth is truly describing the situation clearly and accurately.

As palindrome week comes to an end, consider the patterns that are present every day. What do you notice? How are numbers influencing your thinking? What story can they tell?

Are you at the top of your game?

13 Friday Sep 2019

Posted by Lisa Lalama in education systems, Learning, learning environment

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curriculum, exp, learning, standardization

Heather Siple-Basketball-011
Turtles Week 9 Maker (13)

Everyone wants to be on top of their game, no matter what the game is – soccer, math, work, relationships, etc. There is nothing like feeling you’re in control – you’ve got it. We tend to be more generous, offering to help others and imparting our wisdom when we feel we’re on top. Most of us have been on this earth long enough to know that we can’t be at the top of our game in every situation, though that doesn’t stop us from wanting to be. 

In schools, students are urged to be at the top of every single game. School is a child’s introduction to formalized education and, ironically, one of the most unrealistic places for that learning to occur. Is it reasonable to expect every child to meet or exceed each goal of a standardized curriculum? Is it reasonable or possible to expect every child to understand and learn everything in sync with everyone else who happens to be the same age? Is it possible that children learn differently and at their own pace? Is it possible that the quick math mind will have a struggle at some point in their school career? Is it possible that school does not allow our children to grow in confidence, understanding and broadening their knowledge? 

I spend all of my days in school. I watch children approach work gleefully, carefully and with slick avoidance tactics. School is so much more than the formalized lessons that make up most of a child’s school day. It is a place for children to grow into themselves… to learn, explore and experiment with all kinds of learning. Studies have shown that the things that are remembered from school are often related to extracurricular activities, not the hours of lessons, reading or homework that was done. Yes, students learn the basics, but the substance of their learning happens outside of those formal lessons. 

Does your school have enough of the “real” learning opportunities in place? Are students able to make choices, direct their own learning and try new things? Or are they confined by the constraints imposed upon them by what we “know best” in an effort to push them to be at the top of our game – and not theirs?

What happens when school starts?

10 Tuesday Sep 2019

Posted by Lisa Lalama in Wilmington Montessori School

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after school, back to school, recess, social curriculum, summer, time

Heather Siple-Frst Day010
The carefree days of summer are behind us. Were they as carefree as we romanticize them to be? Summer means time – time spent outdoors, long stretches of time with “nothing” to do, time spent with siblings, neighbors and other kids with minimal adult intervention. Maybe you have memories of playing baseball on summer afternoons, hitting, missing, and throwing down the bat and heading home in a huff. Or perhaps you spent hours at the pool with your friends. Or maybe you lived in a more rural location and were able to amble through the woods, fighting imaginary villains, climbing trees and building forts – all without adult help.

Things change. And one of the things that has changed is the amount of unstructured time available to children. They are enrolled in programs after school, on weekends and sometimes in the summer months. If a child really wants to excel in a sport or interest, participating in it as part of a school program may not be enough. And everyone is expected to excel.

As school is starting, there are more and more articles appearing such as this one, focusing on the increasing levels of anxiety in our children. The upshot of this and much of the research about this topic points to the same things: “Kids need recess. They need longer lunches. They need free play, family time, meal time. They need less homework, fewer tests, a greater emphasis on social-emotional learning.” And all of these things that are stated as “needs” are things less and less available in our culture today, for many reasons. We know what children need – what they’ve always needed: time to dream, imagine, play, and enjoy the company of their friends and families – just like they always have. 

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