Children have visible cues that show concentration.  It happens at school and at play; take a peek! Iris, age 2 Signs like a tongue out, rocking, stillness, even a quickly moving leg can tell us that the child is focusing.  It’s important to know what it looks like when your child or student is concentrating.  Through recognizing this, we  become aware of this vital learning skill for each individual.  Once we learn the ways in which each child finds concentration, it is the adult's job to aid and protect it. Here are some simple ways to aid concentration in children: Don’t interrupt.   A wise woman once told me; do not interrupt the focusing child unless you observe disrespect, danger, or destruction.  I always run over that checklist in my head before engaging concentrating child.  It can be a challenge for little ones to return to focus. Set the stage.   Clear the clutter and prepare the environment .  Children can h...

I read all the education journals and magazines, so I'm finding the 'latest trends' in education to truly be 'old trends' from a method developed over one hundred years ago.  An article written just this May, lists 12 Education Terms To Know in 2015 .   I read them, and I smile.  Then I think, oh yeah- we (Montessori Teachers) do that!  Here's to the "Progressive" schools, I thank you for thinking outside the norm, and I wish these things below for all children. Looping. The practice of one teacher keeping the class of students for more than one year.  In Montessori Schools, it's for three .  Imagine a child not having to readjust to new expectations, new classmates, new adults.  The month of September would be full of learning.  Imagine the adult, greeting students in the beginning of the year, knowing them inside and out- on a very individual level.  Teachers get to see the full transformation of the child.  It's beautiful. ...

I promise not to use food for anything else but consumption.  And r epurpose our water usage for nature.  Sounds like a funny promise?  Well, think hard, teachers..... For eleven years I have been using beans for my pouring work .  Quinoa for my spooning work.  Cereal for necklaces.  Flour & Salt in my special play dough.  It has to stop in my class and in my home.  This is food, and it's being wasted.  That's a shame, and I promise to stop.  Can you? When I rethink anything about the classroom, and it requires a change I always tell my students, "Teachers are always thinking" to avoid lengthy over-their-heads-teacher-talk.  This one, I will be sure  to explain my answer.  I will be sure to tell my little 3-6 year olds that not everyone has the food they need.  So, I'll have to think of something else.  Here's a small list (keep in mind, children who put things in their mouths should not be around ...

Teachers need renewal, just like any profession.  Montessori Teachers require a bit of a different 'up keep' of sorts, and sometimes it's an active choice to maintain our particular level of self-care.  Below is a small list that helps me in my teaching practice. Find an outlet.  For creativity.  For inspiration.  For decompressing.  Being a teacher (any type of teacher!) requires that you leave all of your outside-of-the-classroom baggage at the door.  Able to greet each child- each and every day- with a warm and open heart.   It takes an active plan within each of us to keep that magic going.  Try:   art music volunteering yoga & meditation reading writing dancing hiking cooking sewing/knitting building and tinkering Go to a Montessori Conference or Session.   American Montessori Society , Association Montessori Internationale , North American Montessori Teachers Association .  Or, go visit your tra...

The work found in Montessori Schools in the Practical Life Area aids inner construction, discipline, independence, self-esteem, and sense of order.  These traits and virtues are gained from concentration on a precise material.  It has been said that this type of adaptation to our work, the do-it-yourself capabilities we instill, is the very foundation for education. Everything in the Montessori environment is painstakingly prepared for the success of the child.  In particular, the teachers prepare activities for each type of practical life work. 1) Physical Skills:  Pouring, Scooping/Spooning, Squeezing, Twisting, and Bead Stringing/Lacing 2) Care of Self 3) Care of Environment 4) Grace and Courtesy 5) Food Preparation The area of Practical Life for today's post will be Physical Skills, all with the them of Fall .  Activities that involve pouring, spooning/scooping, squeezing, twisting, and lacing help train the child for writing, and r...

Many schools are opting for a greener, healthier lunch experience.  Is your child's school asking for Waste-Free or Trash-less Lunches? Why Waste-Free? Waste-Free Lunch for Preschool The average American discards 7.5 pounds of trash each day.   To reduce this number in your community, you can help reduce the waste at school. A waste-free lunch is likely to be a healthier lunch, containing fewer prepackaged or processed foods .   When unpacking after school, parents can see for themselves what their child consumed or didn't consume during lunchtime.   It is helpful in knowing what they prefer in their lunchboxes!   It’s fun and cool! What is a Waste-Free Lunch Like? Waste-Free Lunch for a 1st grader:  Yogurt/Berry/Kale smoothie, bagel with egg salad, babybel cheese, cocoa crackers, yogurt raisins, blueberries, and sliced carrots in a reusable bag.  Ice water to drink.    A Was...

In honor of Daughter's Week, I write this letter to my girls:  Madeline, Iris & Sarah regarding their education with love and with the humble honor of being part of it.  xoxox, Mom. Please know that I only wish for your perseverance, your dignity , and your caring . Please keep this with you as you go through your varied education levels:  You are an asset to this world and the following generations.  Don't let the world's placement of you get in your way.  I simply do not care about test scores, grades, your school's rewards and punishment programs, your GPA, your graduation standing, your weight, your wins and loses in sports, your trophies, or any way your worth is measured monetarily, by numbers, by silly traffic light codes, or by status.  I don't need these measurements to know you are amazing.     I mean it.      Hold me to this please, society is sitting on me.  I love you. Please keep this in your heart a...