This week has been incredibly full, sumptuous, savory. Coming back after a break is always sweet. But this week has been even better.
Perhaps the bar was set Monday morning with our very first “Great Lesson.” I spent the better part of the break, as well as the last month or so, preparing for a full-class presentation on the story of the Universe. Although “Great Lessons” are a tradition in Montessori elementary classrooms, I had been suspect of some of the less than accurate accounts. So I pulled a hefty pile of books from the library (some that are rather overdue after too many renewals, I’m afraid), and did my best to grasp the scientific discoveries about how our Universe may have begun. It’s quite a lot to wrap one’s mind around, much less to then present to a group of 31 six- to twelve-year-olds!
But present, I did. After the morning story (with a few demonstrations here and there), a number of students dove into extensions: researching the life cycle of stars, studying the light elements, making calculations about numbers of stars in our galaxy. The room was bustling with activity.
Tuesday continued with the same energy and vigor. Students were just so into their work. At times it felt hard to keep up with them!
Then on Wednesday, despite huge amounts of snow and the rest of the county schools closing, we opened (totally my fault, or my gift, depending upon one’s perspective). Having half the class there was a lot of fun. My co-teachers and I started introducing a letter writing process and before lunch I had two business letters delivered to me, both containing proposals about how to alter our lunch set-up and afternoon procedure so as to build community among the group.
Today, we opted to start the day with a long-overdue Community Meeting. Typically we have Community Meeting on Wednesday mornings, toward the end of the morning work cycle. This week, however, we just had too much to tackle to wait until the end and possibly run out of time before lunch. So at 8:00 am, we sat together in a circle, shared appreciations, and then started working through the entries in the Joys & Concerns Book.
I had glanced at the entries and surmised that the first few were more like reminders and that the group would probably breeze through them. I was wrong. The entry, “Some people aren’t wearing slippers,” brought up discussion that left us feeling like we were trying to crawl through molasses. Believe it or not, there are some very strong feelings in our community about the choice of classroom footwear!
Despite the slow pace of discussing issues and sharing perspectives, the process was incredibly important. We hadn’t been able to tackle a really divisive community issue like this for quite some time. The fact that the issue was relatively simple (footwear choice) allowed students to explore implications. What if we had a fire drill or an emergency on a snowy day and someone was only wearing socks? How concerned should we be that someone in the community might cut their foot on something sharp if they weren’t wearing protective footwear? Shouldn’t individuals have the freedom to weigh the safety risks and wear what is comfortable? Why do we wear slippers in the classroom anyway?
Around and around we went. Even as discussion wound down and someone offered a proposal, more issues came popping forward. What about croc-style shoes on a rainy day? Wouldn’t people get wet feet during a fire drill if they wore croc-style shoes outside? Should everyone have extra socks? How do the sock-wearers of the community feel about all this?
About 30 minutes later, the community came to a consensus decision. Only two more pages of concerns to go!
Toward the end of Community Meeting (almost two hours after we began), I commended the class for their persistence and focus and introduced a new procedure for the classroom: a postal system. The postal system idea arose after talking with my mom, a veteran Montessori teacher and Montessori teacher trainer, about some of the problematic note-writing that had been permeating our class. So we instituted a formal postal system. Students wanting to write letters (to a classmate, a teacher a family member, a business, etc.) must have the letter approved by a postmaster (a.k.a. teacher). This gives teachers the opportunity to introduce formal letter writing, as well as work on mechanics, grammar, and spelling, as appropriate. After revising the letter, the student can then address an envelope and “stamp” the letter, before placing the letter in the post-office box. A mail carrier then delivers the mail during lunch jobs.
Well, I certainly wasn’t prepared for the frenzy of letter writing that ensued! The three “postmasters” were giving little writing conferences left and right. I could barely catch my breath before someone else would come up asking if I could read another letter. I was so excited, though, to be able to work with students on individual skills. One girl got a chance to think about how to organize paragraphs. Two boys worked on capitalization. Some of the younger students were able to focus on accurate spelling. The amount of writing was truly breathtaking (like I said, it was hard to catch my breath before starting another mini-writing conference!).
With all the amazing work of the week, I can barely believe that tomorrow is Friday. Whatever will the day have in store for our community?
This morning began with a sinking feeling when the phone rang at 6:30 am. Never a good sign. Then the double-whammy when the phone rang again. Two staff members out in one day. Ouch. And two conferences scheduled on top of that. I left for school trying to figure out how to insure that the day wouldn’t feel stressful, harried, and wearisome.
Well, there’s nothing like a class full of kids consuming learning like it’s the best meal ever laid in front of them. That definitely put a sweet spin on the day. Then, about half-way through the morning, a Children’s House student came into the elementary class and invited me to join her for “special snack.” In each Children’s House classroom the students have been practicing their manners by serving a “special snack” to a student or teacher. I was honored by the invitation, but also aware of the fact that we were down a teacher in the elementary. I glanced at Emmy to see what she thought and she gave me a nod. I looked around the classroom and realized that the elementary students were humming away and a five- or ten-minute absence on my part wouldn’t be detrimental.
I followed the child into her classroom and after we washed our hands, she invited me to have a seat at a lovely little table with a table cloth and vase of flowers. She carefully put a placemat in front of me, brought over a napkin, and proceeded to set her own place as well. When she went over to the counter to prepare the special snack, however, she realized that there was only enough bread, cream cheese, and jam available for one serving. After checking with the teacher, who confirmed that, indeed, that was all the food available for today, she did the most lovely thing. She prepared the snack for me, and as she served me she said graciously, “I’m not feeling very hungry.”
I was stunned. This particular child has been known to throw herself onto the floor to protest the fact that someone else has gotten to have snack before her. And here she was, offering the last of the special snack to me, her guest.
My ten-minutes in the Children’s House, enjoying that special snack, were perhaps the best part of my day. I was able to watch the many children in the room go about their morning activity – measuring, pouring, dusting, woodworking, calculating, drawing. It was inspiring, peaceful, remarkable, and joyful. And I was able to watch a child put my needs as her guest before her own. Within those few minutes of witnessing these small, but profound acts, my hope for the future swelled within my chest.
I’m always impressed by the students’ ability to find inspiration from among their classmates. My mom (also a Montessori teacher) calls it the spill-over effect. And what a spill-over we had this past week!
At the beginning of the week, I suggested that two friends try out one of the pages from the Research Masters binder. In the binder are a number of pages with guided research options ranging from investigations into particular kinds of animals, planets, continents, countries, and even to plane figures. When I presented the binder to these two young learners, they decided to research a reptile and spent a better part of the morning delving into the topic. The research questions sparked a multi-lesson approach to helping them grasp the classification system and the Phylum, Class, and Order of their chosen reptile.
The next day the two students tried a new paper – research of a bird – and their classmates, having witnessed their intense interest and engagement, were intrigued. By the third day, we had a number of individuals, pairs, and small groups of children trying out the Research Masters. Some children also began to study animals (focusing on mammals, amphibians, etc.), but others were interested in planets and plane figures.
The spill-over effect inspired some pretty cool work last week. I look forward to next week’s “spills!”
This weekend I received an email from an elementary student who wanted to talk to the class about working together to help people in Haiti. She had done a great deal of research into the relief situation in Haiti and appropriate forms of help, and presented some realistic options to the class during our Community Meeting. The class then decided to try to raise money for water purification kits available through UNICEF.
What strikes me in particular about this effort is that it purely student-driven. In Montessori we strive to be true to Dr. Maria Montessori’s statement, “Follow the child.” Rather than imposing our own adult agendas, we stay attuned to student interests, build upon those interests, and provide support as the children move in new directions.
And speaking of new directions, this child’s presentation to the class and subsequent community plan of action also inspired some lively discussion about tectonic plates. I imagine there will be some renewed interest in the geography materials tomorrow!
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