Funny Bunny

Well, I caved in to the pressure.  The children wanted a new pet so badly after Robby (old as the hills guinea pig--see earlier entries) died prior to Thanksgiving.  I wasn't quite ready, especially for another guinea pig.  My children wanted the dog named Chip that had visited the room a few times (see earlier posts) but a school dog didn't seem a particularly good idea (that comment is my dry humor at work).  So, I started investigating rabbits.  There are several societies dedicated exclusively to the "house bunny" and I was able to find loads of information.  My family and I started by touring the local Humane Societies and "test driving" the bunnies.  After several weeks, we found Marley.  He is a Mini-Rex and all of 3 pounds, although the vet says he is overweight (evidently, carrots are like bunny candy--who knew)?  Marley is litter-box trained and loves to hop around our room.  He hates tile, so we have a natural invisible fence in the environment.  He loves to be pet, and goes into a submissive petting position when he is lonely.  He nibbled at my assistant, so he may need to be neutered, although he is three and a half.  I think he wanted to make her clothing his bed.  Other than that, he is the best bunny and soft as down.  There is a lot of bunny love going around Casa II!

Respect for Self

We started a dressing table activity this year.  Each child's bag has his or her name on a label inside and includes items like brushes, combs, toothpaste, toothbrush, hair accessories and so on.  The bags are in a basket on the bottom shelf of our scavenged table, along with a stool my Grandma gave to me, and a mirror from Target.  We also keep a small spray bottle of water on the table.  The children love to take care of their "crazy hat hair" in the morning, and brush their teeth after lunch.  They also love to brush one another's hair, as the photo above shows.  My fabulous assistant made all the dressing bags from leftover quilting scraps (note to all guides--hire someone who sews).  I expected this activity to be a mess when we first started but the children take extreme care with their items.  As Montessori noted when she started the Casa dei Bambini, the children wanted to take care of themselves, but needed to be shown how to in a respectful manner. I'm glad I overcame my initial hesitation.  As they usually do, the children exceeded my expectations.

Beware of Logical Consequences

 

We had a great book club last Thursday.  We were fairly low-key, but even low-key is pretty good for January!  We discussed Chapters Five and Six, "Beware of Logical Consequences" and "Focusing on Solutions."  I think we've gotten so caught up in "what is the logical consequence" for this situation that we often punish under the auspice of a consequence.  Punishment works for awhile, but doesn't help children in the long run.  It doesn't make them want to do better next time but only increases feelings of rebellion or worthlessness.  Punishment also robs the child of the chance to grow in problem-solving skills, and robs us of the chance to strengthen our relationship with our children.  Natural consequences are great, as long as we keep our comments to ourselves.  In other words, when the glass of milk is too close to the edge of the table after we've told the child many times to move it to the center and it spills, we don't need to add, "See, I told you it would spill if you didn't move it."  What we need to focus on now is the solution:  "What do we do when we spill?"  Exploring solutions means asking a lot of questions.  "What were you trying to accomplish," and "what ideas do you have for a solution?" are good questions to ask when there is misbehavior, after an appropriate cooling-off period.  The idea is for discipline to create the opportunity for growth in problem-solving, a chance to develop respect for all, and a way to foster feelings of capability.  The goal is to end power struggles and focus on solutions that are empowering for all involved.

Three More Years!

It is nothing less than marvelous that our students spend three (or four) years with us.  I have one student who enjoyed school, yet had a difficult time with adults and other children whom she did not know well.  My first year was spent getting her to trust me.  She never felt comfortable greeting me for the entire year, and only socialized with a few children.  In our second year she reluctantly accepted presentations, but said "no" more often than not and perfected the "rapid walk away" when she saw me coming.  She still didn't accept my morning greeting and still had difficulty socializing with more than a handful of children.  This year, she not only says "good morning" to me but also shakes my hand! Yesterday, this reluctant, recalcitrant child brought a book to school and said she wanted to read it to the group during our collective.  She sat in my chair, opened the book and sang the whole book to the group.  The book is a spoof on "The Twelve Days of Christmas."  She showed the group every page, and held their rapt attention for the entire song.  Amazing.  She is blossoming before my eyes.  I have another student who did not leave my side the first year--literally.  The second year she branched out a bit, but was extremely quiet.  This year she emerged as a leader in the room and a great friend to many.  At our school's monthly trip to an assisted-living facility, she sat and chatted with the elders as we painted and colored.  She also read books to our elderly friends.  Think of all we would miss if Montessori had not observed the importance of continuity to the stages of development.  The photos are not of these specific children but rather of some nice moments in the environment and with the elders.

Saving Kindergarten

In these difficult economic times Kindergarten, or the Montessori third year, is facing competition from non-Montessori public kindergartens.  My heart just breaks every time we lose a child for his or her last year.  The beautiful foundational work the children have been doing is left unfinished without the outlet and materials for the child to flourish and move forward in his work.  The children don't get to experience being the oldest, where they feel so competent and responsible because they can teach and help, thus reinforcing their own skills.  They go from a child-centric situation to a teacher-centric situation, and lose the opportunity to self-govern.  Their natural curiosity and creativity is contained by the need to teach to all, instead of each child progressing at his or her own pace.  The give and take of their Montessori community, where they solve issues, negotiate problems, and choose activities is replaced by an environment where decisions are already made, and the natural movement of the children is restrained.  The five to six year old is developing into a social learner and in a public kindergarten is negotiating this complex developmental change in an environment where he or she is the youngest, has a new set of friends, and a new teacher, instead of one year later, when it is developmentally appropriate to move on.  I believe sometimes parents think we just want their children to stay because of the  money.  The money is not the point, the well-being of the child is the point.  If money was the goal, we could run schools much differently. taking children at any time and for any amount of time, thus sacrificing the integrity of their community ties.  We could make less of a commitment to our staff and reduce hours based on numbers of children who are sick or on vacation.  There are plenty of ways to make more money.  There is no way to regain the lost year of Kindergarten.

Writing and Art

Do any of you Montessorians out there use this technique to inspire writing?  I love to see what images in the pictures inspire the child.  In this particular example, the child not only wrote a thoughtful sentence ("I like the design") but extended the picture with her own drawing, putting herself in the composition.

Wasp Nests and the Universe

Can you believe this wasp nest?  My assistant found it in her backyard in her crabapple tree and brought it to school, where the children examined it in-depth (all the wasps were gone, of course).  All summer long the lush leaves covered the amazing handiwork of the wasps and the nest was only finally revealed in the winds of fall.  The intricacy of what nature produces makes me realize that the universe has  revealed to us only a tiny bit of what is possible.  If wasps can get together and create something so practical yet beautiful, what are we capable of if we use our collective intellect?  My son has been talking about an "elevator" tethered from earth to a distant space outpost that would serve as a launching pad to deep space.  One of the books I'm reading posits 11 dimensions.  There is so much to learn!

Fund Early Childhood Education

Researchers consistently call out the first six years of a child's life as the most important in terms of brain function and personality development.  Yet, early childhood education lacks federal, state and local funding of the kind elementary and secondary education receive.  If we truly want to make a difference in the life of a child, the place to start is at least age three and ideally, from infancy on.  There is funding for the most disadvantaged, and of course, the high income families can afford to pay for quality education.  But what of those in between?  Three day a week preschools do not offer the quality care and education that children, families and communities need to thrive.  If we hope to change our world; less crime, less poverty, peaceful co-existence, we need to start where and when we have the most chance of success:  the child prior to age six.  FDR said, "The school is the last expenditure upon which America should be willing to economize."  It is time to examine our methods.  We fund schools that are based on an agricultural calendar and an outmoded factory model.  The times have changed and so have families.  Let's fund for the future.  Let's fund where we find the greatest payback, for the child and for all of our lives.  Contact Senator Al Franken at franken.senate.gov/contact/, Senator Amy Klobuchar at klobuchar.senate.gov/emailamy.cfm and Governor Tim Pawlenty at tim.pawlenty@state.mn.us   (just in case).  Just a few words will do.  Ghandi said, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world."  Maria Montessori said, "Establishing lasting peace is the work of education;  all politics can do is keep us out of war."  We can all make a difference, one person at a time.

Sensorial Simplicity

This little guy is marching around his brown or broad stair creation.  Every morning he comes in, and makes some new creation with the brown stair or the pink tower and then moves on to other things.  We all have our routines.  He knows geography better than most adults, can read and do basic equations yet is drawn to the sensorial materials.  I am amazed at how basic these materials are, yet they have such intricacy just below the surface.  I'm sure that is why so many children are drawn to them, to some unconscious complexity in the world that finds order in these materials.  I know that the materials make geometry easier when it is later introduced in the more conventional way.  My own son asked me, "Have I taken geometry before, because it seems like I understand it before it is explained?"  The simplicity of the genius of Dr. Montessori.  

Legislation and early childhood

I've been writing letters to my legislators to advocate for early childhood funding from age three. All the research points to the tremendous benefit of preschool for all children, not just those who can afford it. There is research that shows the huge cost savings that preschool funding would bring down the line for taxpayers. Art Rolnick of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve has done research and spends time speaking on behalf of funding preschool programs from an economic point of view. Visit: www.earlychildhoodrc.org/partners.cfm to learn more.

The benefits of early childhood education are also substantiated in brain research. Visit www.goodatdoingthings.com from Dr. Steven Hughes, a pediatric neuropsychologist at the University of Minnesota Medical School. He is a huge advocate of Montessori education and an engaging speaker.