H is for Happiness

Maria Montessori said something along the lines of the true test of success in the classroom is the happiness of the children. I think that is something that we as adults often forget. We get so wrapped up in trying to meet standards and parent demands and squeezing in certain educational units that we often forget to take a step back and observe how the children are functioning. And yes, I will even dare to say that we sometimes focus more on our own happiness and sometimes overzealous ideals of how the Montessori classroom should function.

One challenge that I have to give myself on a regular basis is to truly step back and take a look at the children. This is especially important on those days that I am feeling overwhelmed and like I have lost control. Often it is a misinterpretation on my part. *I* do not feel content about what the children are doing. I feel like they should be working on other activities. I feel like I should be giving more lessons. Do you see the repeated use of the word "I"?

I miss the loft that was in my old classroom. When I felt like the classroom was becoming all about me and my feelings, I would climb up there for a birds' eye view. That perch gave me an excellent view of the classroom where I could make numerous observations. In the new building I can go outside to the hallway and peer in through the large windows. I can step back into the kitchen area and watch from there.

I often encourage my coworkers to do the same. Many times they will comment at lunch or after school that they felt like their day was hectic. But when I walk past on my way to the restroom, their children look happy and engaged. So I tell them this. Whether or not they believe me is a different story.

I remember my late father visiting my classroom on a few occasions. His comments were always the same. He said that there was always a lot of activity in my classroom and at times it was loud. But when you really looked at the kids, they were busy doing something. Even movements were purposeful. And they were all happy in whatever it was we were doing.

One of the keys to teacher happiness in the Montessori classroom is to let go of your own expectations. Remember the fundamentals of Montessori philosophy. It is all about the children and not about us. Gauge their happiness and then make adjustments as necessary. You will find that the tweaking will happen with less frequency as you do this.

SmartBoard Technology in the Montessori Classroom

Ok, I am being naughty and typing directly on my phone during a SmartBoard presentation at my school. I will be honest that I just do not see the benefits of having such technology in the 3-6 classroom.

I have been told that it is okay because the SmartBoard is manipulative. Yes, it is manipulative. You can move it. But Montessori is more than just manipulation. Maria Montessori emphasized th e tactile part of learning. The child needs to feel the contours of the edges of a shape to understand what differentiates a square from a circle. Just pulling one from a menu and describing what it looks like is not enough. Those details come later in math education. If the,hand is the direct link to the mind, how does this work? Isn't this skipping over a very important step?

It is no secret that I am not a fan, particularly in the 3-6 classroom. Many of my colleagues feel the same way. My school has chosen to be a leader in the technological developments. So,have some others. And yet our presenter has also commented that other Montessori schools were less than pleasant about the opportunity.

I realize that I do not have much of a choice but learn how to use it. I am hoping that someone can possibly convince me of the benefits, because I just haven't yet seen them.

G is for Getting Ready

I haven't posted at all this summer. That last post about the Final Day of School was written the same day that my father died. I had called my classroom on my way up to meet him at Hospice. He died 11 hours later.

I did make it back to work long enough this summer to oversee the last two days of having my classroom packed. It felt good to then be able to take a break. I wrote a couple of Montessori articles this summer and started reading more of Discovery of the Child. I started the daily quotes up again on the Montessori Writer Facebook Page. That was a big part of my rejuvenation for the new school year.

The week before classes started we finally were able to start working on our classrooms in our brand new facility. I am not going to lie. This was the most frustrating set-up I have ever had to endure. Workers were still milling around, moving my furniture on a daily basis as they tweak one thing or another. The movers didn't quite sort out everything properly, so we spent a lot of time taking things to their proper classrooms. Two weeks into the school year there are still a lot of minor issues and a few workers.

I still don't know where some of my materials are hiding. Things went missing in the move. I don't know if they were discarded for me because I wasn't there, or if they went into that black hole of moving that resembles losing socks in a dryer. I also forgot to reorganize my personal materials that I tried to take home prior to the move, to avoid them getting lost.

This year we had a choice. We could either spend all of our time fretting over all of the new changes and new challenges being encountered in a brand new facility. We could worry about the missing materials and waste time looking for them. Or, we could deal with what we had in hand and go forward from there. We chose to do the latter.

Our classroom was rearranged several times as we got used to a new layout. New fire marshal guidelines meant we couldn't use the floorplan in the way we originally wanted. We also thought we were getting our loft from our previous classroom and had set up accordingly. When news came that the loft was not going to happen and that our understanding of the placement of our new SmartBoards was misinterpreted, we had to start from scratch on Thursday morning. Frustration took over and a new floor plan was immediately implemented so that we could get on our way.

People stopped by and often commented how far we looked from being finished. They commented that they would see us all Labor Day weekend long as we completed setting up. I have a different way of organizing and setting up. I have to have everything out and spread out so that I can see it all at once. Once we are doing setting up, everything is immediately put away and we are finished.

Thursday night I stayed until 9 p.m. By Friday night at 7 p.m. we were done. Everything was ready to go for the first day with the children. Sure, a lot of other things needed to be done. But there is always a ton to be done for the classroom. If you gave in to everything that could be done for the classroom, you would never leave.

I chose this year to take a step back and really look at the classroom from the point of view of the children. They had cubbies and name cards ready to go. There was enough work on the shelves to keep them challenged and engaged. All of that other little stuff can just wait and be done as we go on.

I don't mean to sound like I am doing the bare minimum to get by. That is not my intention. I think that too often we get wrapped up in our own expectations of the classroom and forget to look at what the children actually need. My assistant and I were the only class that didn't come in over the holiday weekend. Our children had exactly what they needed. They have settled into the new routine and are eager to help the new children get settled.

BFF - A New Blogging Group

Ahhhhh....I love to write and I love inspiration. I just came across a new blogging group tonight called BFF - Blogging for Fun. Stay tuned for more possible posts based on their topics each week, as well. :-D

F is for Final Day of School

How does your class celebrate the last day of school? Our kindergartners do a "dress rehearsal" of their Moving Up Ceremony in the gym, in front of the entire school. Then we retire to our classrooms, spend some time together, start cleaning materials, and say goodbye to each other. The following day, only the Ks return, but they only do their ceremony and go home after the reception.

This year, I have had to miss the kids' final day at school. My last day was a week before theirs. My father is dying. As I am typing this, we are sitting in Hospice. I don't know how much longer he will be with us. He is resting and we are listening to the BBC Jane Eyre. It is one of our favorite movies.

Because I had to miss my kids' final day of school, I decided to surprise them. I arranged to call my assistant's cell phone toward the end of the morning. She put me on speaker phone and I was able to chat with my students. They told me they missed me and loved me and I echoed the same sentiments. I also asked them to please send my father happy thoughts of flowers and rainbows and butterflies, which they all did. Many of them also took turns chatting with me on the phone. It was beautiful. I needed that closure, and so did they.

E is for Expectations

I have often been told that I have high expectations of my students. Yeah, I do. But what is wrong with that? My expectations are high, but I never ask them to do anything that they cannot do.

My expectations are that children will be respectful. Respectful of each other. Respectful of adults. Respectful of their environment. Because I demand that respect, I get it. I am embarrassed when my children do not demonstrate respect toward some of the other teachers and adults at our school. But then again, those people do not demand it of the children. They also do not respect the children as they should. They have their own agendas but do not understand the children for who they are. They do not embrace each child's independent nature and work with what they have in front of them. I expect my children to expect respect out of me, to hold me accountable to them. Maria Montessori said that we need to check undesirable behaviors in children as we also embrace who they are as individuals.

I especially expect them to respect each other. I have a zero tolerance policy for bullying in my classroom. I regularly use the Peace Table and make sure children learn how to use it appropriately. I do not allow children to be mean to each other. If they think that someone is wrong because they think differently, I explain that other child's point of view. As I often say, if I could teach two boys with Asperger's to appropriately use the Peace Table at the age of 5, then all children are capable of using it.

I expect my children to push themselves. I will nudge them along their way, showing them what they are capable of doing. Again, I will never ask them to do something they cannot do. And I tell them this on a regular basis. I will review a lesson with them time and time again and point out their successes if they haven't yet noticed them. I love their expressions when they realize they are capable of doing more than they had thought.

I am a Montessori kid. I learned how to push myself to my outer limits. If I could do it, and can still do it in adulthood, they can do it, too.

I expect my parents to be supportive. We will not always see eye-to-eye on everything, but I expect them to at least listen to what I have to say. If they can respect me, then I will be respectful and listen to their point-o-view. When we work together, we can do more beneficial things for the child.

I also expect my fellow staff members to behave accordingly. Adults require freedom within boundaries. They need to respect me so that I can respect them. They need to model their expectations to their students. Walk the walk, don't just talk the talk. Children, even as young as three, can pick up on fake behavior. And I don't do well with false beings.

So again, my expectations are high. But I am not going to ask anyone to do something they cannot do. And that is how I can make Montessori work.

GBE 2 Challenge

I let my Montessori blog go when my father got sick. It was hard enough to focus on school for those few weeks, let alone writing about the philosophy. For me, the school year is over so that I can focus on my father. But now I also feel more free to get back to work on the blog and posting of articles and quotes.

This blogging challenge is the GBE2.

The Group Blogging Experience 2 is the second version, via Facebook, of a challenge that had been started on MySpace. There is a weekly prompt on Sundays and you write on it by Saturday. It is not a requirement to post weekly. You don't have to post on all of your blogs, either. But I know that on occasion a topic will be appropriate.

I still plan to finish the April challenge, as well as the May challenge, even if it takes me until July. Thanks for reading!