Respecting the Child

One of the things that drew me to Montessori Education is that built within the philosophy there is a deep respect for children. By respect, I mean that the child is not seen merely as an empty vessel that the teacher is meant to fill up with knowledge. Rather, children are seen as the human beings they are. There is something humbling about intentionally maintaining the dignity towards someone who depends on others for support. But I have not merely described children in that statement; I am describing everyone. Adults may come under the guise of believing we are independent in a solitary way. Yet, we depend on children to further humanity. As a Montessori teacher (or a parent, or any adult really), we have the great privilege of being a bridge to the world we inhabit so that our children may take up their task of making that world better. So when I am giving a lesson on the binomial cube, or helping a child change into clean clothes after their "accident", I do so knowing that I am caring for someone immensely valuable...someone who is part of the future of our species.

But please make no mistake. Children, like all people, can be quite foolish at times. Children are honing their impulses, learning to care for others, and must mature in order to engage in critical thinking. They are building the capacity to make wise decisions, but they are not born doing this. To assume that children are capable of doing so without support is not respectful to the child. But to belittle them when they make mistakes, berating and shaming them, this is equally disrespectful.

Who is the adult you wish you knew when you were a child? I imagine they were nurturing, by which I mean they did what they could to make a space which facilitated your (emotional, intellectual, spiritual) growth. Perhaps you were privileged enough to have such a person. If not, what a wonderful opportunity to be such a person. That's what I desire and resolve to be each day. Happy New Year to you!

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When a square is more than a square

While we've spoken of the long bead chains before, I wanted to focus on a specific point of interest. Each colored bead represents a certain number and a certain set of that number. When placed in a long chain, children are able to count them, identifying important numbers within the set. So in the Long bead chain of 5 (light blue in color) it has number tags for each set of 5 (5, 10, 15, 20, etc). There are larger tags for each square of 5 (that is, each set of 25). When a square tag is placed on each squared number, a square bead is placed as well. To think that Maria Montessori thought about the concept of squared numbers and considered a means to make it as concrete as possible! To think there are children all over the world who are learning a mathematical concept that they can feel in their hands before ever knowing how to connect it to an algebraic equation. It's quite baffling. What beautiful things God makes, both concepts and man to understand them.

Something I want my students to know...

I've had the privilege of teaching young children for about ten years. From the first fearful step into the 3rd grade classroom of P.S. 154 as a City Year Corps member, to looking up at my ninth and tenth graders during my teacher fellow year at the Collegiate Institute of Math and Science, I've been humbled to be in the presence of these young people. And now, in a primary Montessori classroom, with children who will remember me as one of their first teachers--if not the first teacher they've ever had--the stakes feel higher, even as I have to bend lower to look at my students in their eyes. I sometimes wonder if the message I want to get across to each child comes through in the way I'm teaching. If not, here's what I'd want them to know: Everyday I think about how I can be a better guide to you, and everyday I feel more inadequate to do so. I want you to know that you have far greater ability than you think, particularly the ability to do good in the world....

The Love of Christ and the Long bead chains

Count Von Count would be so pleased (and God is amazing!) As much as we can think through and manipulate abstract ideas we are constantly reminded that there is a God who created those ideas long before we existed. Take numbers for example. In the Lower elementary Montessori classroom, there is a group of lessons called The Great Lessons. They map out how the world came to be as it presently is, but in a narrative form. One of the last Great Lessons is the arrival of numbers; the discovery that one can quantify objects and create symbols that represent that quantity has not always been with humanity. It's a wonderful thing, though in some ways imaginary (we're not going down that rabbit hole, friends). Yet the very idea of numbers, though "discovered" by man was created by God. Now, there is no verse in the Bible that says this. But there is Psalm 24:1 "The Earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof..." Yes, it does refer to God speaking the wor...

Grace and Courtesy

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