Grace and Courtesy

The Gauges of our Lives At the beginning of every month, I like to do an inventory of where I am in completing my goals. I made a vision board for the first time this year and it still matters to me (in spite of the unprecedented nature of this year's global events) to accomplish each of the ideas I established. I will finish my Montessori certification after a few years of striving. I will pay off three of my student loans (I've already done 1), and the list goes on.  But along with this inventory of goals, I also do an overall health check. I often use this model from Leaders Life and Work blog . I consider the month that has transpired and ask myself the question, "How am I actually doing? Am I taking care of myself?" The results lead to planning how to better steward my time talents and treasures in the coming month. As this is the beginning of July, I realize that we are now halfway done with 2020. While there is some excitement in this realization, it gives me y...

Holding Hands Have you had the privilege of holding a three-year-old's hand? It's amazing. It will probably be sticky, and I need you to not ask why...you don't want to know the answer. But it will also be small. Very small. And it may also squeeze your hand very tight. In that moment there is something you need to keep in mind: The child beside you firmly believes that you will take care of her. Let that sink in.   There is a level of seriousness to the work of a Montessorian. We are actively engaged in understanding children as they develop before our eyes, and look for cues that help us be a bridge to the didactic material that will grab their interest and speak to their need. It is both science and art.  It is quite difficult. And it is so much fun! Our Work (All of us) The work of the child is the work of becoming: mastering their bodies, their own senses, so that they can interact with the world all the more precisely and gracefully. They will discover the basic build...