A Letter from your Students this Holiday Season

When you’re a teacher the holiday season can feel hectic and let’s be honest, down right challenging some days. When your students are melting down this December, boomeranging off the walls, singing Jingle Bells for the 900th time, and practicing selective listening skills - keep these things in mind. 

Dear Teacher,

When I am bouncing around, or running manically from one activity to the next please remember I’m trying to behave, but:

I’m hopped up on sugary treats and not feeling my best! (Perhaps you can relate!) 

I may be extra wiggly at nap - my schedule is wonky from visiting Santa or grandparents in town.

I’m not trying to drive you crazy. I’m over-stimulated from all the holiday excitement and need extra breaks.

I’m not trying to be defiant - I need soothing, consistent, caring adults to arrange calm spaces for me to regulate my body and model calm. 

I am SO excited and have only been on the planet for 3 or 4 years - I still need your help during busy times to express or control my emotions when there are so many distractions!

There are lights on the trees inside and outside. Special movies and books we only read together once a year. Extra time with family. Treats and special projects, even people dressed in costumes and pajamas. These are exciting days for me! 

Before you raise your voice or become frustrated - take a deep breath. Remember when you too felt the magic of the holiday season. Take time to pause and revel in it with me. 

Love,

Your PreSchool Student

The Path Less Chosen: Montessori Teaching and the Power of Connection

“The need for connection is primal, as fundamental as the need for air, water, food.” Dean Ornish

Red. Splotchy. Shaky voice. If you’ve ever seen me speak in front of a group of people - I want to apologize. I’ve been listening to podcasts about powerful women public speaking. They advise to take yourself out of it -make the room feel comfortable. I’m fairly confident I’ve never done this. A few weeks ago, however, I reluctantly swallowed my fears and taught a group of about 25 teachers the beginning of the Montessori Early Childhood Language course. During the months leading up to class while I was slowly marinating in a daily bath of agonizing anxiety, I also had more than a few moments of awe at how lucky I am. 

I took my first Montessori training almost 7 years earlier. At that time I didn’t even like to volunteer to be the pretend child in the lesson in front of everyone. We were a motley crew, from many different backgrounds, with varied educational and teaching experiences, socioeconomic status, age, language, etc. There were teachers who had been teaching for years before discovering Montessori and there was the girl who fell asleep every day in class by 3pm. When you spend that much time with one group of people, you share a bond by the end. You are survivors, and weary travelers on a quest that can, at times, feel lonely, and at others feel like you share the secret to saving humanity. 

In getting prepared to teach class some of the teachers at Suzuki sat with me and went through their whole Language binders. They brought materials from their classrooms, and patiently read through lessons with me as I practiced. Parents and teachers gave words of encouragement. They were more confident in me than I was in myself. 

One of the lessons I practiced for class was writing secret messages with a child. I wrote a “bucket-filler” message, which tied back to a book we read about grace and courtesy. The book talks about how everyone has a bucket inside and things we say or do can fill up another person’s bucket or take away and leave them feeling empty. I wrote her a message - something like “Sarah is working really hard!” and she wrote me one back. She wrote “Ms. Casey U mak my hart hape.”

One of the really special things about becoming a Montessori teacher, is the community you build along the way. You embark on this journey with a group of people, who hopefully become a source of steadfast support and camaraderie, or at the very least, a group you connect with and keep tabs on the amazing things they accomplish in their careers. You have the privilege of being surrounded by sources of infinite light and inspiration - constant reminders of why you do this work - the children. You have fellow teachers who have been through similar programs or are just beginning their journey and may need your support or find strength in your story along the way. And you have a group of parents (some easier to get along with than others) with whom you have the opportunity to share your practice with and perhaps influence their approach at home. 

There’s no denying there is something special about being a teacher, but I think we often overlook the crux of it. We forget to pause in wonder at all of the connections this “job” has afforded us the chance to have. And when we have the solid ground of a supportive foundation or community, we feel confident enough to try new things. To continue on our journey of discovery and learning. We feel confident enough to fly. 

“We shall walk together on this path of life, for all things are part of the universe and are connected with each other to form one whole unity.” Maria Montessori

Have Faith in the Child that Does Not Yet Exist: A Note to Teachers on How to Survive the Beginning of the Year

“The instructions of the teacher consist then merely in a hint, a touch—enough to give a start to the child. The rest develops of itself.” —Dr. Montessori’s Own Handbook

As an administrator at a large Montessori school, I spend a lot of time observing. And let me tell you, as a person who has spent a lot of time in the classroom, I get it. October is not always your friend. It begins with a fresh set of children and ends in a sugar high. 

Some days it can feel like herding cats. What I often see observing, whether it’s a young toddler class or an Early Childhood room, the children are busy, yes, but the teachers are the ones who seem most frazzled and discombobulated. 

I often hear teachers trying to reinforce grace and courtesy, reminding children not to walk around with materials, or to “choose work.” Teachers are desperate for normalization and worry “will they ever start concentrating?”

I get it. You’re clinging to some sort of routine and grasping for order amongst the chaos, but hear me out. 

If a child is walking around the room with materials, take him by the hand and engage him in something purposeful, take a minute to analyze and observe the behavior to address later, or leave him be. If a child is not using the materials the way you have shown him, either engage, observe, or leave him be. If the child is not harming another child or himself, engage or observe, or leave him be. 

“The teacher, when she begins work in our schools, must have a kind of faith that the child will reveal himself through work.” (Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind)

Maybe the previous paragraph made your blood pressure spike. 

You’re probably thinking, but there must be limits - freedom within limits! You’re right. Limits are important. But they’re not built in a day. When we loosen our vice grip on having complete control, and relax, we’re able to enjoy ourselves a bit more. And guess what gets a child most interested and engaged in work? A teacher who delights in being with him. 

“The fundamental help in development, especially with little children [...] is not to interfere. Interference stops activity and stops concentration.” (Maria Montessori, The Child, Society, and the World)

No experienced administrator or observer that comes into your room in October expects all of the children to be working as if the teacher did not exist. With careful preparation of the environment, exciting, developmentally appropriate materials for the child to explore, and weeks or months of consistent guidance, that will come. 

In the meantime, take some deep breaths. Prepare yourself. Engage, observe, and leave them be. Take a minute every day to delight in their raw, untethered curiosity. Light up as you watch them discover and let that light in your eyes gently guide their independent, unceasing exploration.  

“The first duty of an education is to stir up life, but leave it free to develop. (Maria Montessori)  

A Hope and a Promise for Mankind, Peace Education in the Classroom

“Peace is what every human being is craving, and it can be brought about by humanity through the child.” Maria Montessori

September 21st we celebrate International Peace Day. Children seem to have an innate ability to interpret complicated concepts in a simple way, so I thought it appropriate to ask them what it means to be peaceful. 

“Peace is when you respect other people’s bodies and be quiet so you can listen to what they say.” - Ellie, age 3

“Peace is when you say “You can come sit with me or you can come play with me.” - Satya, age 4

“Peace is when you are quiet, stop talking so you can listen, and don’t touch other people’s work.” - George, age 4

“Peace is when you’re sweet and ask someone how was their day.” - Nikolai, age 4

“Peace means being nice, giving people flowers, hugging them, and sharing kind love.” - Eliana, age 4 

As usual, I was surprised at their summations and curious where they got these ideas about what it means to be kind to one another. Unanimously they replied they learned from their teachers and their parents. 

We have some formal Montessori lessons where children learn about peace, grace, and courtesy, but I’d venture to guess they learned primarily by watching and absorbing their everyday interactions with the adults in their lives. Here are some ways as educators that we can bring peace into our environments and share that with our students:

• Model respect. A few times I have been in the classroom with teachers who lament about children being “disrespectful.”It’s easy to forget that children learn by watching us. They cannot be respectful, patient, and empathetic if we don’t consistently show them what that looks like. Be cognizant of the fact that children are watching and learning from your every move; your tone, words, and body language with them as well as other adults you encounter. 

• Model active listening. Make eye contact and commit to acknowledging when a child wants attention, even if your acknowledgement is “I am speaking with someone else right now, and will be ready to hear what you have to say in just a minute.” This is another way we demonstrate respect for others. 

• Model honesty. Try as we might, we will never be perfect. It’s important to show children that it’s okay to make mistakes and to show ourselves and others grace and the space to do so. Sometimes we may have had a bad morning - sat in traffic for hours, came in late and frazzled, and had a fight with our spouse at home. We may not always react to our students as our best selves. We should work hard to prepare ourselves to meet the needs of our little ones, but when we do react impulsively, it is just as valuable to come back and admit that we made a mistake and demonstrate an authentic apology. 

• Model acceptance. Accept and honor that each child moves at his/her own pace and is their own individual person. Some may take 2 minutes to put on their shoes, others may take 20. When we model acceptance and unconditional respect we teach a younger generation to do that for others. 

• Model Self Care. When we take time to fill up our own cup, we are better able to fill others’. We are better able to respond intentionally; respond, rather than react. 

While I learned a lot from asking Primary children what peace means, what was even more impressive was what I observed. I spent time in 3 different classrooms for only a few minutes each, and what I saw was not just amazing, but encouraging. In one classroom, I heard a little 3 year old girl quietly, politely saying “Excuse me,” while patiently waiting and trying to pass behind me. I saw one little girl showing another who was struggling to complete a Bow Tying Frame, step in and show her how to complete, then watch patiently while she gave her a turn to try. 

It’s not every day we see or hear stories of peace nowadays. We have to look a little harder, but they’re there. We have the power and opportunity to model peace in our interactions with the little ones in our care and help spread it one hug, one kind word, one child at a time. 

Why I Became a Montessori Teacher

          In the early years of high school I knew that I wanted to work in education. During my day to day I would tell anyone who'd listen how vital I believed the role of the educator was to the world. Literally influencing and sculpting the future of tomorrow, I couldn't envision working in a career more valuable. After college my first position in education was an assistant teacher in a regular education PreK program. I was excited to meet the kids and ready to get the semester going. I very quickly fell in love with the age range. They were highly inquisitive, fearless and full of excitement. Through personal research I found the two and a half to 5 year old age range was a huge period for their growth and development. My new goal became obtaining a teacher certification for PreK. I was definitely on the right track, but very soon I would be turning in a slightly different direction.

 At the beginning of our spring semester, my lead teacher  mentioned to me an advertisement for a Montessori school (The Suzuki School in Atlanta) looking for assistant teachers. I wondered "What does Montessori mean?" Having no knowledge of it prior to this, I did some research and immediately became interested in this approach to learning. I applied for the position and set up an informational tour of the facilities. I was in love: the environment, materials, the subjects and concepts they were being introduced to blew my mind. I was so compelled to learn and see more. Thankfully I was given that opportunity and offered the position.

Now with an even closer look at the kids in action inside of a Montessori room, I had no doubt in my mind what my goal would be: to become a Montessori guide. The way the children gravitated to the lessons, intrinsically created a love for learning, nature, and each other truly inspired me to gain my certification. I applied, was accepted into an MTEI Early Childhood training cohort, and the rest, as they say, is history. I can honestly say that I've learned so much from my Montessorian experiences and am continuing to learn everyday. I have grown, not just as a guide but as a human being. My journey continues to astonish me and those around me, and I am very excited to see where the path takes me next!