Nelson Mandela 1918-2013

 In a world of ups and downs and much of what lies ahead unknown, I tend to relish in the moments that just seem to have some greater purpose to them. For the child who has so much to learn and so much unknown it always amazes me how intuitive they are. I guess its because its all they have to go on at times. This intuition kicked in pretty strong on Thursday in the environment, although I didn't realize it until that evening. All day the children were attracted to everything in the classroom that had to do with Africa. The map of Africa was done in the afternoon, every book we have on Africa was read (even one that was tucked way back on a shelf was found) and the geography folder of Africa was out and being explored by the children. We even used two of our books to learn some swahili words. I really didn't think much of this other than the fact that I needed to fuel the children's interest in this beautiful continent. When I got home I saw on the news that Nelson Mandela had passed away.  Hit with sad thoughts I couldn't help but think that the children had somehow known that the world had lost a wonderful man. I've never spoke of him to the children but were their little spirits being filled with this man's greatness? Did they know that not only was the whole continent of Africa grieving this loss, but the whole world was saddened by this? I like to think that the children were, in their own way, celebrating the wonderful changes Nelson Mandela made in the world. They were showing respect for his homeland as a thank-you for the respect he showed them. Some people may just see this as a coincidence, but for me its confirmation that there is a greatness to be found everywhere. We just have to be looking!

My Handwriting Journey

I love handwriting almost as much as I love Montessori! It's something that I believe to be an essential skill. But, if you happen to pay attention to any sort of media I'm sure you've heard the latest from the traditional education system. They are now arguing that cursive handwriting is no longer an essential skill due to the age of the computer and the digital world, therefore it should be removed from the school curriculum. Many experts in the field have come forward to say that this is a big mistake. The research done shows that handwriting speaks to different areas of the brain and children that can cursive write typically score better on tests and have better communication skills. Sadly many schools have decided to ignore the experts and school boards across North America have already removed cursive writing from the curriculum. I personally don't think we need experts to tell us that cursive handwriting in an important skill to learn but considering the career path I've chosen I say this about a lot of things. However, I never find myself shaking my head at Montessori and over a hundred years ago, Maria, could see that cursive handwriting was something that was a critical part of development in the child. She suggested that cursive be taught to children before printing based on countless hours observing children. She noticed that when colouring a young child formed circles first, rather than straight lines. Therefore cursive would be easier for a child to learn because it followed the child's natural development. Cursive is also much more efficient for writing. It is faster and allows for our thoughts to flow naturally. Print requires a stop and go motion and therefore can slow us down. Not good when writing a test. I also think that cursive gives us our own identity. If you came home from work and family member has left a note for you in the kitchen I bet that you can identify who wrote it based solely on their style of handwriting. Our handwriting becomes something that is so distinct we are able to use our signature to sign essential documents like a birth certificate, passport or marriage license. It belongs only to you and identifies who you are. I'm quite certain that if print is the only form of penmanship in our future this creative part of our identity would be lost. This is not to say that print doesn't have its place in language as well, it's just that cursive is beautiful. It speaks to the reader on a more personal level. Aside from all the benefits gained from learning how to write in cursive, I think that it is a beautiful art form that should not be lost. Thankfully there are Montessorians who happen to agree and will continue to fight the everlasting educational debate on handwriting and continue to support Maria Montessori and work to keep her genius philosophy alive. 

At Riverforest we've never even blinked an eye when the question of keeping cursive in the school system came into the forefront. For us it's a no brainer and that is why in September our whole school switched to using a handwriting program called "Handwriting Without Tears". This is a program that I had been familiar with for a few years but in an effort to enhance the Montessori materials I wanted to find out if it was something we could incorporate into our classrooms. I took my first Handwriting Without Tears workshop in March of this year. I made my way to Toronto and entered a big room filled with occupational therapists, teachers and a few parents who either home schooled or wanted to do this program at home because their own child was struggling with writing and the school system just wasn't providing proper instruction. I was immediately shocked to find out that 80% of occupational therapy requests from schools were for handwriting and that teaching the mechanics of handwriting was no longer taught in teachers college so therefore teachers were no longer teaching it to their students. I was the only Montessori Directress there and I had no intention of revealing myself until I got a feel for the crowd. The misconception of what Montessori is can sometimes leave others with a negative impression so my experience talking to other teachers hasn't always been positive. Unfortunate really because I like to think our main goal is the same; to do what is best for the child. So with my shoulders a little tense I sat anxiously awaiting to hear what the speaker had to say about child development and handwriting. I knew that this could be a place where I was either shaking my head and saying why are others so far behind Montessori and her philosophy or I could be seeing it as an excellent opportunity to increase my knowledge and skills. By the afternoon of the first day the latter happened. The OT that was presenting made it clear that Handwriting Without Tears followed state wide standards (it's an American program) so their program did start with print. And arguably they had some very valid reasons for teaching print to children first. Not enough to convince me that I should start teaching print first, but she did have my attention because I like hearing both sides of the coin. She went on to say that as OT's (the program is designed by an OT) they really believed that cursive was an essential skill and that it can be taught to young children. She said, "after all we didn't stop teaching math once the calculator was invented!". I wanted to slam my fist on the table right then and there and say "here! here!". I of course didn't but I continued to perk up and relax my shoulders when girl from the crowd mentioned that she was raised in Europe where cursive is taught first. Reason number two for an excited fist slam! Then someone else mentioned Montessori and how cursive is taught first. She asked why? Well the OT didn't happen to know so feeling confident I revealed myself and explained why Montessori did things the way she did. It was still a me against them situation but I hopefully got a few people thinking outside of the box! After two more workshops I am now one test away from holding the title of certified handwriting specialist. Just like I had never imagined in a million years that I would move to Owen Sound, I never thought this would be something I would put on my resume. But I am proud to and also proud to say that the staff at Riverforest also feel so passionate about keeping cursive writing a part of our school all of the teachers have taken a course through Handwriting Without Tears. It has a lot of similarities to Montessori so we've found it easy to incorporate into our classroom. The children love it and as we approach the end of the first semester we are seeing daily triumphs from the children who are so proud of their work and this really is what its all about. Having happy, confident kids who feel empowered because they have a found a way to express themselves.  Here are just a few examples of that!

Feel free to come and see me if you're wondering about the Handwriting Without Tears materials and how we've incorporated them into our classrooms. And please don't just take my word for it! Hear what others have to say on the topic: "How Handwriting Trains the Brain" is just one of the many articles circulating that support keeping cursive writing alive!

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748704631504575531932754922518

Miss Kate

P.S. My next post will focus on the HWT materials, Montessori materials, the development of the child's hand and what you can do to support your child at home.

Love and Thankfulness

October was a busy and fulfilling month both in and out of the classroom for me. I got to watch two of my closest friends celebrate love and family at their weddings and the celebrating travelled into a marvellous Thanksgiving holiday surrounded by family and friends.There was much to be thankful for at school as well. We had some spectacular Fall weather which allowed for lots of time outside enjoying the colourful leaves. The girls enjoyed hunting for pinecones and leaves one afternoon on a walk around our neighbourhood. After drying our goods out we turned our treasures into Thanksgiving turkeys!

We also had a blast celebrating Halloween and learning all about pumpkins. The girls are still talking about how 'spooky' the seniors haunted house was!

With November upon us we are ready for new adventures. Everyone is embracing the colder weather and finding fun in piles of leaves. The rakes are busy all lunch hour and the children are coming inside covered in leaves from head to toe. This was a great introduction to our fun recesses for our new student, Muhammad. He came into the class today beaming from ear to ear exclaiming, "I got to jump! I got to jump!" The girls have done an amazing job welcoming him into our classroom. Please do the same if you happen to see him or his mom at the school.

Miss Kate

P.S. I hope that everyone saw the newsletter. . . The observation sheet is hanging up just inside the exterior door of our classroom with pencils sitting just above. I've extended the observations for an extra week. . . the handwriting talk will take place this Friday morning in the daycare room from 8:45-9:15. If parents have time to stay afterwords I will show a short video from the 'Aid to Life' series.

Welcome October!

 With a whole month of school under our belt, it is easy see that we have slipped into a routine.  The children now know how to line up. They can enter the boot room and get themselves undressed and ready to start their day. Choosing work is happening with ease and friendships are being solidified. We are spending less time on group lessons and more time becoming independent or working in small groups. Establishing a classroom routine and a set of expectations is essential to the functioning of our class. Without the expectations and tone being set by me right from the beginning, I wouldn't be able to create my own routine when it comes to teaching and accomplishing the goals I have for the children and the classroom. Having set the tone for the room, I can avoid chaos, create an independent environment and get to a point that Maria Montessori calls normalization. Once this normalization is reached, I will be able to step back even more and let the children be children, stepping in only when guidance is needed. This doesn't mean that my presence isn't felt, that lessons stop happening or that the children don't need me. OUR CHILDREN ALWAYS NEED US! We just don't want them to be dependent on us. We need to help, rather that hinder. This is essentially why Maria Montessori called educators following her philosophy a directress and not a teacher. She wanted us to guide the child's interests and facilitate their individual personalities and needs. In my mind she was a genius with a lot of common sense! Enjoy this video by Trevor Eissler. He thought she was a genius too.

I'll also leave you with an article by Maren Schmidt about routines. 

Why Establish Routines?

Establishing routines with our children is an effective and powerful way to set boundaries. Setting limits helps our children feel safe, and allows them the freedom to focus on skill building and learning.   Our routines, though, may have unintended consequences. If we spend the morning reminding, organizing and coercing our children in order to get out the door for school, what has our routine really taught our children?   

Establishing good routines allows us to avoid power struggles and conflict within our family, replacing those issues with feelings of safely, trust and cooperation. Learning important life skills and self-confidence become part of the package as our children learn to be responsible for their own behavior and exhibit competence and independence in their day-to-day activities.   

 Once a routine is established is seems to have a life of its own. Routines can keep us from always asking for help. If we have a mealtime routine, the table gets set, food gets on the table, dishes get into the dishwasher, food gets put away, pots get washed, and the kitchen is tidied--without us saying a word.  

The first task in establishing a routine is visualizing what you want, when you want it, who is going to help you, and how you are going to feel when the routine gets established. I worked for many months to establish a snack time routine in my preschool classroom, implementing a new step in the process every week or so until the children did most everything without any adult interaction.  

The key was that I had to have a plan and implement it task by task. First I showed two of my five-year-old students how to put snack out on the serving table at 9:00 am. They were responsible for the time and getting snack on the table and ready to go. If they were late the other students gave them feedback. If children came to me wondering why snack was late, I directed them to snack patrol. I showed two other children how to make sure all the dishes were in the dishwasher and how to turn it on at 11:00 am. Each child was responsible for putting their own cup and plate in the dishwasher, and if a child forgot, he or she was reminded by the dishwasher brigade. Another two children were shown how to clean up the floor and put the tablecloth and serving dishes away. To an outside observer the process looked effortless, but it took planning and time to implement the plan, which included me not jumping in to fix a situation.  

Everything from house cleaning, meal preparation, bedtime and any other task-oriented event can benefit from an established routine. My two daughters and I used to clean our house together with a "power hour" going from room to room with each person knowing the routine of pick up, make up, suck up, and dust up--pick up the floor, make up the beds, vacuum and dust. Twenty years later all we have to say to each other is "power hour" and we're on our way.

Visualize your ideal scenario, plan each step, implement each step carefully with plenty of time for skills to be learned... and have fun, establishing routines that allow all your family to feel like each member belongs and contributes to the good of your family.   The benefits last a lifetime.

Fine Motor Fun!

We had a seriously fun week at school! The children worked really hard this week and classroom time was extremely productive. We decided to take advantage of the warm weather and spent much of Thursday outside. While the juniors and seniors played baseball, the casa's took a walk over to Kelso Beach to play on the climber. I love that this park is walking distance for us. The walk allows the children to learn how to walk in a group, to be safe along a road and to listen to instructions from adults.  Once at the park every little muscle in their growing body gets a workout. From climbing the monkey bars, sliding across the zip line, swinging on the swings and running on the grass. Needless to say, the walk home always takes a little longer than the one there!

We got lucky on Friday as well, with the rain holding off all day. There were only five children at school and they had a very busy day working as a group. I ended up calling it 'Fine Motor Friday' as their little hands got a workout all day. We started off by making delicious gluten free pancakes made with quinoa, teff, amaranth and brown rice flour. Then we made a special craft that will hang at our hooks in the boot room. After lunch we made play-doh, ate animal crackers and worked together with the straws and connectors. I think everyone went home tired after that big day!  *the children who missed the craft will get to do it next week.

The girls all noticed that everything we did started with 'P'- pancakes, painting, playing and pink play-doh! Here are a few pictures to highlight our fun week.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Miss Kate

Freedom Within Limits: Controlling the environment, NOT the child

I always take time to reflect on my week at school. I always ask myself what I thought went really well? What I thought needed improving? What special moments happened for the children? Was the learning environment the best it could be? What lessons are the children now ready for? Is anyone struggling and in need of more guidance? Essentially, WHAT COULD I DO TO IMPROVE? This past week many of my thoughts were about how the children cooperated and worked together with the straws and connectors. Conveniently this article popped into my email Sunday morning. It is by one of my favourite Montessorians, Maren Schmidt. She is spot on, as all of her articles are. She talks about 'freedom within limits'. This is something that is practiced everyday in the classroom and one that I think is essential for adults to master when caring for children.

As a Montessori directress, one of the first things we learn is that the prepared environment (or classroom) is a work of art that we must prepare with care and consideration and when the time comes, we must pass this special room over to the children and allow it to become a space in which they can call their own. Their own little community must form where they have the freedom to makes mistakes, to explore and to learn. But with this freedom, comes limits. A few examples from our classroom. . .

1) Children are FREE to work with any materials from the shelf. The LIMIT is that you must of had a lesson on them. 

2) Children are FREE to have a snack whenever they are hungry. The LIMIT is how much of each food they are allowed to have. 

3) Children who are in need of redirection or help choosing work are given a choice between two materials that they have had lessons, rather than a whole shelf to choose from. Young children, in particular, often need this sort of direction. 

The following is Maren's article and I think she does a great of job of bringing the freedom within limits into the home and how it connects to cooperation. She is also the author of several books. If anyone is interested in ordering any of the books we could arrange that a group order be done through the school.

Enjoy! 

Foster Cooperation by Giving Choices   Most of the conflicts we have with our preschool-age children involve getting them to do something they don't want to do in a reasonable amount of time. Eating, getting dressed, going to bed or taking a bath may be familiar conflict areas. In parenting class, I was introduced to the idea of giving choices to avoid conflict. When we give choices, or freedom within limits, we can help our children feel in control of themselves, foster cooperation and develop independence. How and when to present choices are critical to the success of implementing this concept. If we give too many choices, we may create an environment of frustration and again encounter lack of cooperation. Giving few choices, we risk being authoritarian and may create rebellion or subterfuge in our children. The art of implementation is looking at each child and situation with fresh and understanding eyes, while remaining kind and firm. Everyday was a struggle to brush my two-and-a-half-year-old's teeth. Hannah lacked the fine motor control to do the job alone and resisted mightily when I tried. I was totally frustrated, and bedtime was a disaster. At our dental check-up, I mentioned to Dr. Jim about our brushing conflict. "Hannah," Dr. Jim inquired. "Why are you fighting with your mom about brushing your teeth?" "The toothpaste burns my mouth." "Let's try some different flavors. I have cinnamon, bubblegum, peppermint and strawberry. Which one do you want to taste first?" Hannah cheerfully sampled each flavor and selected a tube. That was the end of our Battle of the Brush. I remain thankful to Dr. Jim for lowering my stress level twenty points with bubblegum flavored toothpaste. I hadn't considered giving Hannah a choice of toothpaste. I hadn't even thought to ask her why she was upset. Years later, I witnessed my friend, Martha, go overboard with choices. "Jimmy, would you like oatmeal or eggs for breakfast?" "Oatmeal." "Do you want blueberry, strawberry, cinnamon or maple flavor?" "Cinnamon." "Do you want brown sugar or honey?" "Honey." "Do you want butter or milk on it?" "Milk." "Do you want it in the white or the blue bowl? Do you want apple, grape or orange juice?" Poor Jimmy. This two-year-old was interrogated for breakfast. After the third question, I watched Jimmy's eyes glaze. When the blue bowl arrived, Jimmy gave his mother "a look" and dumped his oatmeal on the table. "Giving choices just isn't working," Martha lamented. I observed that giving too many choices doesn't work. Martha should have stopped at oatmeal! Question after question turned a picky eater into a rebel. When a child is defiant, he is asking us, "Who is the boss here? You act like it's me. If it's you, then show me." Don't be afraid of showing your child that defiant behavior is unacceptable. He is asking for limits to be set and enforced. Too many choices can cause a child to question his role in the parent/child relationship. Our children need for us to be the adults in charge, so they can feel safe and secure. We also need to be on guard for giving choices that aren't appropriate. Dawn thought that giving her four-year-old daughter, Sophie, a choice about what time to go to bed would make bedtime smoother. In reality, bedtime was not negotiable for Dawn, as Sophie thought her choice was no bedtime. Chaos and unhappiness ensued. Dawn realized she needed to set and enforce bedtime. The choices Dawn gave Sophie were decisions such as what color pajamas to wear, what books to read and what prayers to say. When Dawn set the limits regarding time and then gave Sophie freedom within those limits, bedtime became calmer. Sophie understood her limits and the freedom she had within those limits. Bedtime became a loving ritual instead of a power struggle. Allowing choices fosters self-control, cooperation and independence in our children. Be aware of giving too many or inappropriate choices. When your child gets to those bumpy teenage years, he or she will have many years of practicing how to make "good" choices. You'll be able to feel confident in your teenager's ability to continue to make "good" choices when dealing with tough decisions regarding friends, drugs and alcohol. About The Understanding Montessori Newsletter  Written by Kids Talk columnist Maren Schmidt, the Understanding Montessori Newsletter is part of the award winning Kids Talk weekly syndicated newspaper column.   Read previous newsletters here. About Maren Schmidt  Maren Schmidt founded a Montessori school and holds a Masters of Education from Loyola College in Maryland.  She has over 25 years experience working with children and holds teaching credentials from the Association Montessori Internationale.  Maren is author of  Building Cathedrals Not Walls: Essays for Parents and Teachers as well as Understanding Montessori: A Guide for Parents. Visit MarenSchmidt.com.

Crayons, Cookies and Cooperation start with 'C'

We had a wonderful week! The children became even more settled in and we were able to work together on Friday to make some delicious oatmeal, chocolate chip cookies and as the title of the this blog states, cookies start with 'c'. 'C' was our sound of the week. I've start a new thing this year where each week we will display a different sandpaper letter and find objects in our classroom that start with this sound. This weeks sound is 'd'. Today we found a dog, donut, deer and duck. I would also encourage that you play sound games with your child at home. Please remember that we never talk about the name of a letter but rather the phonetic sound it makes. After all, the name of the letter won't help your child when it comes to reading! Here is our display of 'c'. . .

Cube, Carrot, Crayon, Canada and Coin!

Cooperation was also a huge this week. I put a new activity out on the shelf and naturally the children were drawn to it. Soon almost the whole class was working together with the connectors and straws. The work started off peaceful as the children explored this new activity. As they became more comfortable fitting the straws and connectors together to make shapes, communication started happening as they had to start sharing ideas and materials. Only once did I need to step in and help with a dispute. This was truly a beautiful moment that I was able to capture with a few photos. My next post will share more about cooperation and how you can foster this essential skill at home.

We ended our week with a five minute video of the story "Harold and the Purple Crayon". We've been practicing proper pencil grip since the first day of school and the children all noticed that Harold didn't hold his crayon correctly. Here's a little song we sing in the classroom to help us remember. . .

"Pick up a crayon, pick up a crayon.

It is easy to do. 

Pick up crayon. I just tell my fingers what to do. 

My thumb is bent, pointer points to the tip, tall man uses his side. 

I tuck the last two fingers in and take them for a ride."

You could sing this at home too!

Miss Kate

A Leap of Faith!

Some could say that the first week back to school was met with mixed reviews. If you were to stand on the edge of the school yard and observe each of the children as they arrive, along with the parents and the teachers I suspect you would of seen many emotions being shared through body language, facial expressions and the tone of voice being used. Up until this year I, myself could say that the first day of school meant some anxiety and a few butterflies, but for some reason none of that was present this year. I think that this sense of security and confidence presented itself for a few reasons.

 Firstly, I had been in and out of the school all summer tutoring so I had seen many of the returning children while they were enjoying summer camp. Secondly, for the first time in my whole teaching career I was returning to a classroom that hadn't been tampered with over the summer (ie. it didn't get all packed up so the room could undergo renovations) and it was exactly as the children and I left it in June. Of course a few things have changed and been tweaked as the prepared environment always requires that the directress pay close attention to detail, but overall the layout of the room remains the same. It is familiar. It is comfortable. And thirdly, the school itself has a feel to it much like that of a family. The faces of the staff are friendly, the trickling water in the fish pond is soothing and the smell of baking from the kitchen make it feel more like a home than a school. This would make Maria Montessori proud as it is exactly what she wanted. Because you see Casa means home in Italian. You have chosen a "Casa dei Bambini" for your child. A Children's House.

I'm not sure how you came to make this decision but I'm sure there were many factors. I suspect that parenting is much like taking a leap and then feeling like you're suspended in the air waiting to see if you've made the right choices for your child. We take leaps of faith all the time. Some big. Some small.  A year ago I took a big leap of faith and uprooted my whole life and moved it to Owen Sound. Before moving here I lived and worked in my hometown of Kingston. Everyone there knows me as Montessori Kate. You see, there aren't many Montessori directresses in any given town so you get known amongst your community. Montessori Martha, who is now my good friend, knew of me and my reputation had preceded me so hiring me was easy. She had parent references who backed me up as a directress. She even sent someone to watch me in the classroom! Jennifer, on the other hand, had only what I could tell her. I showed her a few pictures of me teaching and I had a long interview with her but that was it. She trusted her gut and here we are today. In the same token you are having to trust what we are telling you about school and your child's development.

 As we get through this first month of school I hope your feet hit ground and you have a sense of happiness in the choice you made for your child. There are still a few tears in the morning but smiles have been seen at the end of the day and friendships are being formed. The new children are quickly becoming members of the group and our school family is being solidified. Here is a beautiful picture of us all working independently, yet together.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Miss Kate

Welcome!

I thought I would start this page as a way of giving you a glimpse into life inside our fabulous Casa. Your children are absolutely amazing beings and I'm honoured to spend each day with them. I get to see their struggles and triumphs as they learn new skills, I hear the funny conversations they have with their peers, I wipe their tears when they are upset and best of all, I get to be encompassed by their wonderful spirits all day long.

Our days together at school are full: full of laughs, full of fun, full of learning and full of little moments that I just don't always get to share with you. I'm hoping this blog can help to bridge that gap and fill in a few of the mysteries that I'm sure you have about your child's life at school and about Montessori in general. 

For those of you who are going onto your second year of having your child in my class, you already know that I'm passionate about Montessori education. I want this blog to also spread more information to you about the philosophy, the materials, your child's development and why we (as in Montessorians) do what we do, the way we do it. 

With week one under our belt I think it's time we get this year started! Shall we?

Miss Kate

"Of all things, love is most potent." Maria Montessori