Fidarsi

Thank You Charles Best

2011-01-20T16:00:00.000-08:00

I was recently spoken to about a new book that treats the language used on standardized tests as a separate genre. That's right. You can now read realistic fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, biography, and testing.

I immediately responded by asking, "If testing language is its own genre, to be studied separately, then doesn't that mean there is something wrong with the test?"

Two days later I came across this little gem in Fast Company by Charles Best, the founder of DonorsChoose

"I can't believe that in all the furor over testing, people aren't debating the test itself, like whether the questions are any good. What if a standardized test were written not by a bureaucrat but by somebody who deeply loves the subject? If there were such a thing as a standardized test that wasn't crazy boring and dry, then we might actually have a test worth teaching to."

Well said.

Can you imagine having to answer questions on a test about a short story that was written by J.K. Rowling?

What about answering science questions that actually required you to do some science?

How about solving a math problem that was relevant to your daily life?

It's Kind of Like This...

2010-12-26T12:28:00.000-08:00

The DJ steps up to the turntable. With one flick of his right wrist, and a quick slide with his left thumb and forefinger, he sends the familiar scratch through the room, gaining the attention of the crowd. He has a feeling about what this crowd wants, what it needs. He has done this many times before. Like a scientist he has observed and taken notes. Like an artist, he has developed a feel, an instinct. He follows that feeling and the music begins to play. His instincts seem to have been correct. The crowd is moving, almost in sync with one another. They are losing themselves, finding themselves. The DJ is losing himself and finding himself right along with them. As he does this, he adapts to them. Flow. The playlist he had written out in advance is now pushed aside and he begins to pull songs from the playlist in his soul. It is as if the crowd is requesting the next song without ever saying anything. What seems like only minutes has really been hours. The faces on the dance floor change, but the rhythm of the moment remains the same, and everyone is caught up in it. The pace quickens, then it slows, and quickens again. The crowd, which at first seemed insecure and self aware, has grown confident and sure, filling the room with good vibes. As the lights flicker on an off, signaling the end has come, the DJ spins his last tune. The crowd begins to file out the door, filled with laughter, full of energy. The DJ smiles. He’s done it again. He walks around the now empty room putting some things away, and pulling some things out of cupboards for tomorrow. He jots down a few notes in his journal. He makes a quick phone call, and answers an email. He grabs his backpack, turns off the lights, and closes the classroom door. He must go rest, for tomorrow at 8am, he’ll be back to do it again.

To My Cohorties...

2010-07-30T15:58:00.000-07:00

How do I explain my Xavier experience to others? I am having a hard time putting it in words. There aren't words that I am able to find to really explain it, and when I try, they seem to do it a disservice, the words aren't big enough, aren't filled with enough depth or emotion. Trying to describe it somehow makes it smaller, less of a moment than it really was. It feels like every time I try to answer the question, "so how was Xavier?" I give a little piece of it away, it keeps getting smaller.

Xavier is this really huge moment that has left a gigantic impression on me and trying to sum it up makes it seem so small. I don't want it to be small. I want it to stay ginormous. I don't want the memories to stop washing over me, filling me with peace and joy. I could speak your names but that wouldn't let the asker know how amazing you are. I could share highlights but it wouldn't capture the fullness and beauty of the moment. I feel as if the answer to their question can't be given in a short conversation. I can only reply by saying...

Watch my life, I hope you will find your answer.

The Power of Presence

2010-07-13T14:10:00.000-07:00

"We think 50,000 thoughts a day and 99% of them we thought yesterday."
-Anonoymous

As Montessori teachers, we must practice the great discipline of being present in the moment, not thinking through yesterday, or contemplating tomorrow. The gift of our presence, or mindfulness to the children we teach, is one of the most powerful things we can give them. Being present with them allows us to see who they are, understand where it is they are going, and grasp what it is they need. The students are always communicating with us. How often are we present in the moment to receive the message?

I'm Going Back to the Start...

2010-07-12T16:57:00.000-07:00

I was just guessin' at numbers and figures,
Pulling the puzzles apart.
Questions of science, science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart.

Nobody said it was easy,
Oh it's such a shame for us to part.
Nobody said it was easy,
No one ever said it would be so hard.

I'm going back the start.

-The Scientist by Coldplay

I officially began my re-calibration process today with 6 other people in a Montessori Master's Program at Xavier University. I will spend the next two weeks taking a deeper look at the Montessori method and soak in the reminders of why this is such an amazing way to educate the future. I'd like to post daily, or every couple of days if I can, as a log of my experience, not only for myself, but for others who may read and want to consider this experience for themselves.

We started things off focusing on the transformation of the teacher. Whether we want to admit it or not, teachers teach who they are. If we are not healthy, or whole, or able to spiritually center ourselves, we will pass on our "stuff" to our students. Do we teach from a place of selfishness, exhaustion, co-dependency, irritation, frustration, insecurity? We pass these things on to our students. We teach who we are.

Maria Montessori said, "The first essential is that the teacher should go through an inner, spiritual preparation, cultivate certain aptitudes in the moral order. This is the most difficult part of training, but if it does not happen, all the rest is to no avail."

Montessori is not just a pedagogy. It is a way of being.

Data. A Cautionary Tale.

2010-06-05T04:40:00.000-07:00

"At the last second, the boy reached the water's surface. He desperately gasped for air. Every breath brought him further away from the brink of unconsciousness. A sharp pain surged through his head. He knew he had come dangerously close to going too far."

I made a commitment this school year to full heartedly participate in the urban public school data movement. The official buzz phrase is "Data Driven Instruction." I felt that it was important to understand this movement, to try it on, and see what it was all about. I promised not to complain, but to try and find a silver lining, to stay positive and get what I could from the experience. I wanted to embrace the possibilities and try to grow as a teacher. I kept my commitment, and I lived to tell the story, barely.

The state standardized test results have been in our building for one week. I have already been given the results in four different forms. I haven't been given the breakdown of each students' individual results. I can access them online if I would like to. I will also be given them sometime in the next few weeks. There were 3 tests. I have 23 students. That is 69 different pieces of data to look at.

This year, my students spent the equivalent of 7 weeks taking standardized tests. After it was all said and done, they took 48 different tests in the name of "measuring" what they were learning. It isn't enough just to take the year end standardized test anymore. The test publishers will now also sell you a package of quarterly tests that your students can take to make sure they are ready for the year end standardized test. The publishers of the test, who happen to also be the publishers of most of our text books, also provide you weekly "standardized test practice tests" to go along with your reading and social studies text books.

After sorting through all of the numbers, I came to a conclusion. Data isn't wrong. The wrong data is wrong.

I think we are collecting the wrong data, measuring the wrong stuff. I understand the year end standardized test isn't going anywhere. But the barrage of testing throughout the year really only tells me If the students have been exposed to the subject matter or not. This, is something I am already pretty well aware of.

What if instead, we figured out a way to measure how self directed a student is, how well they set and pursue goals, how well they delay gratification and how do they problem solve. What if we could measure how well a student is able to concentrate on the tasks at hand and is aware of their thinking. This would be very useful information. My students that did not pass our year end standardized test struggle to self-regulate. The ones who did pass, are very self-regulated. Is there a correlation? What if I could find a way to help the students be more aware of where they are in the process of becoming more self-regulated and then intentionally help them move forward in this growing process? Not only could they potentially pass the year end standardized test, but they would of course, become more complete as humans.

To Montessori or Not to Montessori...

2010-03-30T16:57:00.000-07:00

My friend Ariah and I have been dialoguing about the Montessori method. His children are almost "school" age and he is trying to get a better grasp on the merits of the Montessori charter school in his neighborhood.

He really enjoyed my latest response and said I should blog it. So here it is...

Ariah: Here's my biggest question for now: Are there examples of successful montessori schools in urban neighborhoods? Everyone I talk to seems to think it's nice in theory, but wouldn't really work with urban youth. Particularly black and latino males.
Any examples in your research of a montessori school that has been successful in an urban setting for the long haul?

Joshua: In America right now, public Montessori schools pretty much only exist in urban neighborhoods. Some have been around for 15 years or more. Others are pretty new. This is mostly because urban areas are the ones with failing schools, so they are the ones that get the grant money to turn a school into a Montessori school.

A brief history lesson - Maria Montessori's path down the trail that we now know as the Montessori method started in the San Lorenzo slums in Italy. She worked with kids that society had written off as worthless, or deemed unable to learn, because of their social status. They weren't sent to school, they were just left in a courtyard while their parents went to work. (Hmmm...this sounds eerily familiar.) After several years of research, the newly founded Montessori method, saw these students out perform their upper class counterparts on the yearly exams.

Fast forward. I realize we are in a different time, different context. I also realize Montessori in America has a reputation as an elitist form of education, or an anything goes hippy free for all. These environments may not be the best for African-American or Latino boys. But Montessori is so much more than this, and I find comments like the ones people have spoken to you, while I'm sure not meant to be, extremely offensive. I may be incorrectly reading into the comments, but what I hear is... "Black kids and Mexican kids can't learn unless the environment is very rigid and very structured where all choices are made for them.

So let's debunk a few myths.
1. Montessori is loosey goosey, anything goes.
Montessori is structured. It is structured in a way that trains and enables students to make appropriate, responsible, decisions that build self confidence and intrinsic motivation. With appropriate guidance, students are empowered to make their own decisions, not just in the classroom, but with lessons that are called "practical life lessons."

2. The Montessori curriculum is pretty weak.
Actually, the intentional design of the curriculum makes it extremely rigorous. (Rigor means depth). The curriculum at American schools tends to be a mile wide and an inch deep. The Montessori curriculum moves at a pace that allows the child to potentially gain a very deep understanding of the subject matter, a much deeper understanding than their "school as factory" counterparts.

3. Montessori is only for middle and upper class white kids.
As our history lesson pointed out, the Montessori method was started with social outcasts. It's no coincidence that Montessori is making a resurgence in America with our country's social outcasts. Every child has great potential. Because the Montessori method is focused on the development of the child, it can adapt to all children from all cultures and backgrounds.

Speaking only from my own classroom and school experience, I have seen this to be very true. But of course, we each must decide for ourselves.

Fast Company

2010-03-27T06:58:00.000-07:00

I am reading an article in the April issue of Fast Company magazine called "A is for App." The main idea is that mobile technology such as the iphone, small handheld computers, can revolutionize education and provide a possible fix to our current education problems.

The article is very interesting and gives strong evidence to support the claims. Students in Chicago schools are improving their reading and math scores. Students in Mexico are able to be exposed to learning that they never had a chance to be exposed to before. Of course their are huge question marks and potential pitfalls. The thing that stood out to me the most in this article was a common thread that ran through the whole thing.

"...it does present the tantalizing prospect of revolutionizing how children are educated by drawing on their innate hunger to seize learning with both hands and push all the right buttons."

"...we encourage teachers not to do any pretraining. Pass the devices out, turn them on, and let the kids figure them out."

"...in Baja, I watch children aged 6 to 12 pick the machine up and within a few minutes, with no direct instructions, they're working in groups of three, helping one another figure out the menus by trial and error."

"Why does education have need to be so structured? What are we afraid of?"

So, what are we afraid of? This thread of creating an environment and allowing students to engage it, mostly on their terms, is one of the core essentials in the Montessori method. Allowing students to concretely "get their hands" on their learning is the foundation of Montessori. The logic being used to support the use of these handhelds in the classroom is the same logic that started the Montessori method over 100 years ago.

"This idea imagines a new role for teachers...the main transformational change that needs to happen is for the teacher to transform from the purveyor of information to the coach."

Teachers, called directors or directresses have been doing this in Montessori classrooms around the world for a very long time.

Why do these ideas seem so new? Why don't more people know about the Montessori method and when will they?

One of the concluding points in the article may help provide an answer.

"A system built around tools that allow children to explore and figure things out for themselves would be radical for most developing-world schools, which emphasize learning by rote. In the United States, which is currently in love with the state curriculum benchmarks and standardized tests, it could be just as hard a sell."

It's time for that romance to end.

The 30 Minute Challenge

2010-03-02T13:12:00.000-08:00

As I continue to talk to people about the Montessori Method, I come across many who are unfamiliar with it. In trying to find a solution to this, I've come up with the 30 Minute Challenge. Find a Montessori school near you. Call ahead and make an appointment. Take 30 minutes from you day and spend it observing a Montessori classroom. Make some notes, jot down some observations. Then contact me and we can talk about what you saw and get your questions answered.

It is my belief that if more people knew about the Montessori Method they would demand their local schools follow it.

Have more questions? Click here.

A Peek Inside: Choice Part 2

2010-01-05T13:05:00.001-08:00

So why does choice make all the difference in a Montessori classroom?

One of the overall purposes of the Montessori method is to guide students to become confident and self motivated, giving them a chance to take ownership of their learning process.

That sounds really nice, but what the heck does it really mean.

Learning is one of the most amazing things we as humans get to do. Generally, we get more excited about things we want to learn, things we choose to learn, compared to something that someone is trying to force us to learn. As a matter of fact, I would argue, based on my experiences in my own life as a learner, and a teacher, when the subject matter is forced onto a student, the material usually doesn't get learned at all.

In the Montessori classroom, there are several layers of choice and it shows up in all kinds of ways. I've been thinking about choice lately and contemplating it's importance. The students helped me along today.

Another peek inside RM 146, shall we?

Several events in our school today led to students trickling back into the classroom after lunch at various times. We were all going to do a science lab together, but I wanted to wait until everyone was back in the classroom. The students who were already in the classroom continued working on things they had started before lunch and were really focused. It soon became apparent that it was going to take awhile before everyone returned. I was faced with a dilemma. If we didn't start the lab soon, we wouldn't get it finished before the end of the day. But there was such a great focus going on that I didn't want to interrupt. (That focus comes from students choosing work that they want to do, instead of me telling them what to do.)

I decided not to interrupt. All of the lab equipment was out on the science shelf. As students continued to return to the room, I told them they could keep working on something they started before lunch, or begin their science lab. They all made their choices and began working. Those who were already in the classroom figured out what was going on and as they finished what they were doing, they started their science labs too.

It was one of the best afternoons we have had in a long time. The noise of uninterested students was replaced by the buzz of focused learning. The students were more engaged in the science lab than they had been all year. They got to it on their terms, not mine. Some students never made it to the science lab because they were so focused on their other work. They are still responsible for completing the lab this week. But they didn't seem to mind because they were able to choose to finish an assignment they had already started.

Giving students the opportunity to choose is a very scary thing to do as a teacher. It requires you to relinquish some control and trust that they will take responsibility. Of course it never works flawlessly, but the beauty of the depth of learning that often happens is definitely worth the few times it doesn't quite work.

The Heckman Equation

2009-12-30T05:03:00.000-08:00

Check out this link to an economist named James Heckman. He looks to early childhood education as a huge fixer of American problems, and has done a great deal of research to back it up. The Economics of Human Potential...

It is quite interesting and continues to pave the way for Montessori to play a larger role in the educational scene.

A Peek Inside...

2009-12-08T12:57:00.000-08:00

Recently, a friend challenged me to use this blog as an opportunity to give those outside of the Montessori community, a peek inside a Montessori classroom. I've been mulling this challenge over for a bit and I think I'm ready to take it on. I like that it forces me to look with fresh eyes upon the Montessori classroom I get to spend my days in. I also find myself a little nervous at the opportunity to potentially glorify the truth in an attempt to stroke my ego. My goal is to present the Montessori Method through my experiences, not promote me through this blog. We'll see how it goes. So I present to you, installment one of a Peek Inside courtesy of RM 146.

I'd like to start with the idea of choice. One of the great misunderstandings of the Montessori Method, is the notion that students generally do whatever they want, whenever they want. Are you kidding me? Do you know what a classroom of 23 9-12 year olds given the freedom to do whatever they want would actually be like? I have an idea. Click here.

The classroom environment is prepared in a way that gives students boundaries and opportunities to make choices within those boundaries. Here's example from RM146 today:

After lunch we had a science workshop. Our theme in science this year is Biology. Currently we are focusing on the different Kingdoms of Life and the classification of living things. We have a shelf with various activities for the students to choose from that cover this topic. Here's what you would have seen today:

-Five students painting their homemade play-do model of a plant cell.
-One student using a microscope to observe and document a fungus she found in her back yard.
-Two students laying out a poster with pictures and descriptions of different fungi and plant life and matching it up with actual specimens in jars.
-Eight students reading short Biology articles and answering questions about the article.
-One student reading from a college level Biology text.
-One student figuring out how to use a compass for the first time.
-One student watching the other student figure out how to use a compass for the first time.
-One student floating from person to person, kind of checking in on what others were doing.

As you can see, not everyone is committed to Biology, and none of it looks quite as pretty as it sounds. But they have chosen to do these activities and that makes all the difference.

Why?

More on that next time.

Montessori and The Onion

2009-12-01T14:10:00.000-08:00

Recently, there have been several articles in the Onion focusing on the Montessori Method. While The Onion is a satirical rag, I consider it an honor for the Montessori Method to recieve the attention.

Here are the links to the articles. Enjoy!

"Something Weird Going On In That Montessori School, Neighbor Reports"

"Montessori School Of Dentistry Lets Students Discover Their Own Root Canal Procedures"

Who Is McGraw Hill?

2009-11-24T13:32:00.001-08:00

Every where I look around my school I see the name McGraw-Hill. This is the company that produces our annual standardized test called ISTEP. It is also the company that produces a majority of our text books. It is also the company that makes the test that we use every quarter to measure student progress to see if the students will be ready to take ISTEP. It is also the company that provides the resources to understand the data gathered from the tests.

It seems to make sense that a company could provide these similar resources and supplies for schools, and of course they are not the only ones that do this. But this is a huge company making a lot of money off of public schools and the demand that they meet certain state academic requirements. This company has offices all around the world and also provides financial services and information and media services.

So what is the point? My point is this: McGraw Hill controls what is taught in Fort Wayne Community schools, along with many other school districts around the world. Is this a good thing? What is their underlying motivation? Who's interests do they have in mind? How much are they able to lobby the government to keep policy that involves high stakes testing (McGraw Hill products) as a must for public schools?

Who are you McGraw-Hill?

Brain Research

2009-08-18T05:33:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things happening in education right now is the Harlem Children's Zone.

The brain research that is behind alot of what is happening at HCZ is the same as the core of the Montessori philosophy. It is beautiful. Here is a link to a podcast on "This American Life" about HCZ and brain research.

Common Threads

2009-06-30T18:45:00.000-07:00

I spent the first part of the summer doing alot of thinking and some reading, and came across these common threads.

The first one is this video: The Story of Stuff

The second one came from trying to understand the history of the American education system and philosophy.
The third thread, which I've linked to before, is from Riane Eisler's book, "The Real Wealth of Nations."

I'll let you make the connections. As a Montessorian, these threads cry out for us to continue moving forward with the Montessori philosophy. The future depends on it.

Montessori Movement

2009-06-23T12:46:00.000-07:00

Here is an interesting article about the Montessori Philosophy and Jewish schools. I love this thought from the article...

"Montessori schools offer not only a specific model of education, but also a vision of the type of people they want their graduates to become.

“I don’t want [my children] to be crushed into a mold,” Yoni Gershan said. “Where are the leaders going to come from? They’re not going to come from a place where the goal is conformity.”

Parkinsons and Montessori

2009-03-15T05:46:00.000-07:00

Here is another great article about one of the founders of Google. The more success these guys have, the more the Montessori story gets told.

Over 100 Years

2009-03-14T14:58:00.000-07:00

I had the honor of being a part of an Indiana Montessori Teacher's Conference today. I participated in several sessions, and helped facilitate a couple.

I found myself in the middle of a great conversation that went along with a thread that is being woven on this blog.

Maria Montessori, the founder of the philosophy was a scientist. The philosophy is based on years of observation research. The data has already been gathered. It is continually gathered every time each one of us as Montessori teachers makes an observation and differentiates instruction. Montessori is not a fad, or a new way of trying to band aid a problem. It is a century old philosphy and methodology of education.

The genius of the Montessori Philosophy isn't the math and language standards that are measured on standardized testing. (Although we can show the students being successful by those standards.) The genius is the standards that students measure up to that are not measured by the department of education: Standards of humanity and development as people, as thinkers, as self motivated, creative, teamworkers, as caring peacemakers. While the department of education may not see these as important, leaders in many other fields do.

Tell the stories!

2009-03-13T17:43:00.000-07:00

In response to my last post, regarding beating the legislators at their own game, and in light of the recent conversations with my peers regarding data, statistics, ISTEP scores, AYP, blah, blah, blah...

'Art addresses us in the fullness of our being....There are some truths about life that can be expressed only as stories or songs or images. Art awakens, enlarges, refines, and restores our humanity.'
-Dana Gioia

Tell the stories. The numbers only tell one fraction of a much greater story. We must tell the Montessori story. We must tell the stories of our students. We must put ourselves in a place where we are daily awed by what is happening in our midst and find ways to creatively communicate those occurences.

The ISTEP Coup

2009-03-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

ISTEP is Indiana's version of yearly high stakes standardized testing. Last week the students finished their first of two weeks of testing they will endure this spring. Schools around the state, urban, suburban, and rural, were in an uproar regarding the difficulty of the new test. Higher order thinking skills are being tested in a way they have not been previously, and many students were not prepared to deal with this, which leads me to the point of this post.

As a Montessorian, and someone who generally operates by common sense, I am passionately opposed to standardized testing and all the baggage that comes with them. My preferred course of action would be to fight for the elimination of them. Yet, this seems like an unbelievably steep uphill battle.

A ray of sunshine perhaps? The new move toward testing higher order thinking skills in theory, should favor Montessori schools, as that is what we see being fostered in our students as we follow the Montessori philosophy. If this leads to Montessori students scoring noticably higher, especially in urban areas, could it then lead to getting the attention of legislators and decision makers? Is the way to seeing more schools adopt the Montessori philosophy, to beat legislators at their own game?

The coup has begun.

Three Cups of Tea

2009-03-01T12:05:00.000-08:00

The first cup of tea, you are a stranger.
The second cup of tea, you are a friend.
The third cup of tea, you are family.

Greg Mortensen was today's speaker, the final speaker of the conference. I recently finished Mortensen's book, Three Cups of Tea, and was so interested in hearing him speak, that I missed my flight home. Fortunately, I was able to catch another flight on standby. In January, Mortensen was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. I don't know when I'll have another chance to personally meet and listen to a Nobel Peace Prize winner, so carpe diem.

Similar to Spike Lee, Mortensen isn't a public speaker. But he does have such an amazing story to tell. What started as a failed attempt to climb the second highest peak in the world, became a promise to build a school for the Pakistan village that nursed him back to health, and is now an organization that has built 78 schools throughout rural Pakistan. The Central Asia Institute now helps to educate thousands of children, giving them a future that was never an option for them before.

I won't attempt to re-tell his story here because that would diminish it's beauty. It is a story that greatly moved me. Mortensen didn't start with a goal to build 78 schools in rural Pakistan. He saw a need, one school in one village, and he was moved to meet it. Greatness is simple. Maybe that is why it is so hard for people to obtain.

Mortensen's work has drawn the attention of the Pentagon, as he is considered an expert in an area of the world that our government is generally pretty ignorant about. The schools he builds are also seen as an alternative to the extremist jihad schools that poor Pakistani children would potentially attend. Mortensen as acutally been referred to as a fighter of terrorism. He likes to think of himself as a promoter of peace. In an address of Pentagon officials, he noted that the striker missiles used to bomb Afghanistan cost $800,000 a piece. These missiles may or may not strike their target. At their most "effective" they destroy alqaeda strongholds. At their worst, the kill innocent women and children, or maybe make a new hole in the side of a mountain. $800,000 could build 30 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, educating thousands of children and keeping them from attending the extremist jihad schools. Which one is the most effective "fighter" of terrorism?

"Fighting terrorism" Mortensen says, "is based on fear. Fear is perpetuated by ignorance, which is the real enemy. Promoting peace is based in hope."

Do the Right Thing

2009-02-28T15:35:00.000-08:00

Today’s keynote speaker was Spike Lee. He was invited to speak because his last project was a documentary about post Katrina New Orleans called, "When the Levees Broke." My Spike Lee memories are of Mars Blackmon and MJ commercials, Reggie Miller dropping 8 points in 11 seconds on the Knicksand giving Mr. Lee the choke sign, and the lovable pizza delivery guy in Do the Right Thing.

It was immediately obvious that he is not a public speaker. He speaks through film. But he did give a few great sound bites:

In reference to President Obama, “…even if you didn’t vote for him, you gotta give the man respect. Give him some applause. You might as well get with the program it’s gonna be 8 years!”

“Our values system has been turned upside down. When I was a kid, (Spike Lee is now 52) we looked up to three types of people, athletes, the guys who could talk with the ladies, and the smart guys. Now, if you speak a whole sentence without cussing or using incorrect grammar, you are a sell out. If you are a drop out on the corner smoking a blunt, drinking a forty with your pants hanging down past your ass and your hand on your privates, you’ve made it. How the hell did that become what it means to be black?”

“1865 (the year slavery became illegal in the US) wasn’t that long ago. I’m only 4 generations removed from slavery. But the greater crime in our country’s history is all the land grabbing that went on from the Native Americans. You wanna see some messed up stuff, go to a Native American concentration camp. Yeah, I didn’t say reservation…”

“Reality shows have poisoned the mind of young people by perpetuating the lie of the overnight success. If you want to be successful you have to bust your ass.”

“Parents kill more dreams than anybody. In their supposed infinite wisdom, they think they know best.”

In reference to the digital revolution and Youtube – “I think its great, everyone has a voice now, but unfortunately not everybody has something to say.”

Caring Economics

2009-02-27T14:34:00.000-08:00

"The people we entrust with our pipes (plumbers) make $50 to $100 an hour. The people we entrust with our children (teachers) according to the US Department of Education make $10 an hour."
-Riane Eisler

I am currently soaking up the Big Easy at the National Montessori Conference. While I am attending various workshops and seminars, I thought I'd take the time to blog about the three keynote speakers.

Today's speaker was Riane Eisler. One word...Genius. Growing up in World War II era Austria, her and her family fled for their safety. Today, she is an economist and futurist, president of the Center for Partnership Studies and an author of several books - The Chalice and the Blade, Tomorrow's Children, and True Wealth of Nations. The focus of her work and her conversation today was something she refers to as caring economics.

In my own humble summary: (which is much less eloquent than her delivery, especially since she is Austrian and has this great accent which only adds emphasis to her already academic language) we as a society must experience a fundamental cultural transformation. We need to leave the old hierarchy of domination and fear and freedom for those on the top to do what they want and move toward a new hierarchy of mutual respect, mutual benefit and actualization. This new movement is a partnership in which leaders illuminate, provide, and empower life instead of trying to dominate it.

In our American culture, we only measure time by length and order. How long something lasted, did it happen before or after. We don't measure time's depth, the value or richness of a moment. Greek culture has a word for this called Kairos. A Kairos moment is a moment pregnant with great potential and lasting impact. According to Eisler, the current economic crisis is a Kairos moment. As we shift from industrial to post industrial, the opportunity is there to move to an economy of caring where value is given to life sustaining activities. The beauty of everything she was communicating, is that the Montessori philosophy fully promotes the ideals she speaks of, giving us as Montessorians a huge opportunity to play a role in creating the future.

Ten Tips for Creating a 21st Century Classroom Experience

2009-02-21T09:01:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to an article in Metropolis magazine. It highlights key elements of a 21st Century classroom that will allow education to move forward in a way that some think will best benefit the greater good. The list of 10 elements are all generally found in a Montessori classroom.

The Google Boys

2009-02-21T08:23:00.000-08:00

Sergey Brin and Larry Page, the founders of Google, give a presentation at a TED conference.

"We started Google because we wanted to make the world a better place. Both of us went to Montessori school, and this has been incorporated into Google." At Google, they have a concept called 20% time. Employees get to spend 20% (the equivalent of a whole work day) of their time, doing what they think is the best thing to do.

The solutions to today's problems will come from people who are able to dream new ideas. One of the beautiful aspects of the Montessori Philospophy is that it enables students to develop the type of question asking and creative thinking skills necessary to be the dreamers of solutions. It also helps them develop the desire and concern to care enough to follow their dreams for the greater good.

Water

2008-12-15T08:17:00.000-08:00

“We must be taught and we must be willing to accept guidance if we wish to become effective teachers.”
-Maria Montessori

Water is formed by the bond of two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. This simple bond is needed for survival by every living thing on Earth. The human body is 66% water. 75% of the Earth’s surface is water. 75% of the human brain is water. 75% of a living tree is water. Water regulates the Earth’s temperature. It also regulates the temperature of the human body, carries nutrients and oxygen to cells, cushions joints, protects organs and tissues, and removes wastes. A person can live about a month without food, but only about a week without water.
Just as the bond of water is key for our survival, so is the bond of our fellow Montessori teachers, and the parents of our students, key for our success as teachers.

“No school is perfect. No combination of imperfect humans muddling along their own uncharted routes will be without missteps. It is easier, sometimes, to focus on the faults of our colleagues than to pull the planks from our own eyes. We feel better about our mistakes by first acknowledging the seemingly larger ones around us. Who notices the chipped paint when the house is falling down?

How does it help though? We critique each other. We point fingers and pick each other apart. We complain to our administration or openly criticize each other. Do we find ourselves better heard for the hostility? Do we improve each other’s practice by first tearing it down? Hardly. We know better than to ridicule the children, yet we feel totally empowered to mock each other. How would you respond to a child who surprised you with this behavior? Would you jump first to conclusions, assume you understood his motivation or intent? Or would you ask gently, ”Tell me more about that?” Would you sit beside him, observe him, try to understand his behavior, which may seem so misguided to you, helps the child? Likewise, we can choose to gather together with our colleagues, to learn with and from them, and in turn to make them open to the support we might be able to offer.

When a single classroom is in crisis, so is the school. As members of a community, our obligation is not fulfilled when we have met the needs of the children within our own classrooms. Chaos spreads. When a cancer is in the body, the healthy organ cannot ignore the illness. But like the survivor who can value life because she has faced death, the learning community that brings itself through crisis so values the calm of collaboration and interreliance. It is when a classroom is in crisis that the support of the community is so dearly needed. We refortify by assuming that even those teachers with whom we disagree believe that they, too, are serving children well. We refortify by suspending disbelief, working with, instead of against the other adults in our communities. Ineffective teachers, even damaging ones, are loved by the children in their care. If for no other reason that the model it offers to the children who love us, we need first to seek the redeeming and redemptive qualities in each other. We chose between buildings bridges or throwing stones.”
(Pg. 35-36 “The Tao of Montessori”)

Earth

2008-12-01T08:05:00.000-08:00

“Education demands, then, only this: the utilization of the Inner powers of the child for his own Instruction."
-Maria Montessori

Earth. It Is home to 6 billion people, from different cultures, religions, and perspectives. Each of these 6 billion people make choices everyday that Impact others. Like ripples in a pond, our choices have consequences. What Is the moral compass that guides our students In the choices they make? What Is the moral compass that guides us as their teachers?

There is a scene In the movie, "Family Man" starring Nicolas Cage, where he Is In a convenience store. The cashier, played by Don Cheadle, Is a reoccurring figure whose role Is to test the character of others. The scene opens with a teenage girl giving the cashier $1 for a $.99 Diet Coke. The cashier pretends the dollar Is actually a $10 bill, and gives her $9.01 In change. There Is a pause as the girl Is contemplating what just happened. The cashier looks at her and says, "Is everything all right?" She hesitates again, weighing her options. It Is a moment that defines who she Is. You can see her wrestling with what Is right, and what she wants to do. She looks at the cashier, smiles, and replies, "Yep!" She then walks out of the store. The cashier turns to Nicolas Cage and says, "You see that? Character! And for what, for nine bucks? I mean, that's just so disappointing."

Character Is one of the only things that we have that no one can take away from us. It Is In the end, the final definition of who we are. The only way to lose It, to compromise It, Is to give It away ourselves. The girl from the movie scene sold her character for $9. What do we sell our character for as teachers? What do we watch our students sell their character for?

In the book “Good to Great” by Jim Collins, the best, most successful companies had employees who, “…their moral code requires building excellence for its own sake, and you’re no more likely to change that with a compensation package than you’re likely to affect whether they breathe. The good-to-great companies understood a simple truth: The right people will do the right things and deliver the best results they’re capable of, regardless of the incentive system.” (pg. 50).

There can be so many perceived purposes behind a life changing moment, various reasons, motivations fueling the direction you choose. Often, after that moment has passed, the reasons can be stripped down, or combined together and summarized by one word or phrase. I guess that is why they say hindsight is 20/20.

Character.

Although we lived in Nashville for three years, a city where everyone is an expert at least in their own minds, I never developed a music critic's ear. On key or off key, overly produced, or too simple. A song could have the cheesiest lyrics, or an overused formula, and it wouldn't matter to me, as long as it connected. My favorite songs, the ones I enjoy listening to over and over, somehow relate to my story, they connect with my soul. I might not always know exactly why or how, but they put words or a rhythm to something that maybe I didn't know how to communicate.

Viva la Vida from Coldplay's new album by the same name, has been spinning constantly this summer. I love it and I haven't exaclty been sure why. Until this morning.

There are moments when a book I am reading, a song I am listening to, a movie I am watching or a conversation with a friend, or something my daughters or wife will do or say, come together to reveal a truth or unlock a little mystery. Those moments are magical and I experienced one this morning. I have been reading "Uprising" by Erwin McManus. It is a book about what our personal character should be as Jesus followers. I've read it before and picked it up again this summer, as I've been interested in teaching the value of character to my students. Of course I could plan out a whole curriculum on good character, which would mean very little without it being modeled for them by their teacher. This morning's chapter was on humility. I came across this:

"Certainly a great deal of the conflict that exists in churches is a result of individuals being moved to prominence for reasons irrelevant to character. Instead of raising up leaders, churches hire by resume. We prostitute ourselves in the name of Christ. Isn't that exactly what we are doing when we receive payment for our skills regardless of our character?"

Now Viva La Vida...

I used to rule the world,
seas would rise when I gave the word.
Now in the morning I sleep alone.
Sweep the streets that I used to own.
One minute I held the key.
Next the walls were closed on me.
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand.

The seas never actually rose when I gave the word, but in my mind they did. The excerpt from Uprising was me, and Chris Martin is singing my story. Pride and humility. I was seeking promotion and power in the ministry, prostituting myself in the name of Christ. It didn't satisfy, and we left it all behind. My first job after moving to Nashville was washing dishes. I used to scrape half eaten breakfast burritos off of plates into a trashcan filled with other once edible remains. I used to wipe down tables and clean up other people's trash. And I made some amazing friends. No one liked me because of my prominence. I had none. And I wasn't stepping on others to climb a ladder. There was no ladder to climb. All pretensions were gone. It was just me, and my scraper, hot soapy water, and the amazing people who liked me anyway.

Erwin McManus goes on to say this:

"Humility's closest attribute is honesty. Humility doesn't require us to be self-deprecating. Humility is not about having a low self-image or poor self-esteem. Humility is about self awareness."

Wrinkly skin on my hands and salsa and coffee stains on my shirts left me with a new humility and started me on my way to becoming more self-aware, more able to be honest with myself about my motivations, my talents, my shortcomings, my character.

"For some reason I can't explain
I know Saint Peter will call my name.
Never an honest word
but that was when I ruled the world."

In “Her Life and Work” E.M. Standing refers to the multi-age groupings, especially in the 9-12 cluster, as extremely important to the development of this moral compass, a key element of this sensitive period of development. “This organization of youth should take the form then of a “moral unions of boys or girls who have consented to form part of a society which has a moral aim, and which requires its members to live up to a certain moral level,” (pg. 357).

The Montessori Philosophy helps develop the moral compass of the student through it’s unique perspective on obedience and discipline, respect for order, and something called “going out.”

In her book, “From Childhood to Adolescence”, Maria Montessori defines going out not as field trips, but as “the goal sought is not an immediate one, not the hike, but rather to make the spiritual being which is being educated capable of finding his way by himself,” (pg. 13). She goes on to say, “In teaching him the necessity of preparation, we oblige him to reflect. He understands that to go out consists of an activity that requires first the acquisition of information and materials, (pg. 12). “The outing whose aim is neither purely that of personal hygiene nor that of a practical order, but which makes an experience live, will make the child conscious of realities. It is up to the teacher to arrange that the moral teachings of life emerge from social experiences. Morals have at the same time a practical side, which governs social relations, and a spiritual side, which presides over the awakening of conscience in the individual,” (pg. 13).

Character isn’t just the moral choices we make as teachers, or the moral compass we are helping our students to develop. It is also the unique talents of the students, their strengths, their special abilities that we are able to observe being developed in them right before our eyes. It is as if, in our very midst, we have the humbling opportunity to guide tomorrow’s super heroes in the development of their superpowers, and help them understand how to use those superpowers for good instead of evil. This places even more emphasis on the character that we model for our students. The future of the world depends upon it.

Wood

2008-11-15T07:58:00.000-08:00

“The definition of school is a prepared environment in which the child, set free from undue adult intervention, can live its life according to the laws of its development.”
-Maria Montessori

Trees are able to grow in all kinds of environments. Pine trees on the sides of mountains, kapok trees in the dense rain forest, date palms in a sandy desert. Each environment provides exactly what each species of three needs to grow and develop.

In the book, “Good to Great,” by Jim Collins, one of the characteristics of extremely successful companies is their ability to find their “Hedgehog.” This is defined as a sharply, fine tuned focus on what you can be the best at combined with what you are passionate about. If Montessori schools, and in my case specifically, Towles Montessori Public School, were to pick their hedgehog, I believe it would be preparing the environment that best supports the development of the students.

If public schools were honest with themselves, their hedgehog would be “to get students to score higher on the standardized tests.” Teachers are encouraged to get through as much curriculum as they can, and do what is necessary to insure the students are prepared to score as high as possible. This is a very teacher and outcome centered approach to education. Montessori Public schools cannot operate with this as their hedgehog. Standardized tests are not going to go away for the time being. But that cannot be the focus. I believe that if we focus on what we are supposed to, as Montessorians, preparing the environment that best supports the development of the students, and determine a way to measure and observe how the student is developing, one of the results will be more success on the standardized tests. But this is not the focus, it is a bi-product of having the correct Montessori focus.

How many times this year did I or one of my peers say, yeah, but we are a public school. How many times did I use that as an excuse to not observe, to not make nomenclature, to not individualize a lesson, or keep track of what a student knows or hasn't quite learned yet.

Why is this used as an excuse, a crutch, to not have to follow through on who we are supposed to be. I was thinking today, because I do think from time to time, that I don't want to use that as a crutch anymore. We are a Montessori school. We are not a public school who happens to like some things about the Montessori philosophy. We are a Montessori school, that is public. There are also Montessori schools that are private, or charter. They are all Montessori, and that is how we need to see it if we are to trust the philosophy. It may seem like a silly little game of language semantics. But words are very powerful. Everytime I say that I serve at a public school, that means that somewhere in the back of my mind, I am acknowledging that I answer to the public school perspective first, then the Montessori comes later. When I begin to say that I serve at a Montessori School, it changes that perspective.

We may argue that those other Montessori schools just don't have the same problems we do. That is a correct argument. But it isn't one that we should continue to use as an excuse. Montessori Private schools have to worry about parents breathing down their necks all the time, trying to control what they do. They also have the issue of fundraising and making sure finances are available to pay the staff and supply the rooms. Many of our peers in Montessori Private schools don't have very good insurance plans, if any at all. Montessori Charter schools have the pressure to succeed immediately and are always under scrutiny, operating under the threat of losing their charter.

We are Montessori - with a public set of challenges. Let's help each other to not use that as an excuse that keeps us from fully embracing the Montessori Philosophy.

I've been contemplating structure for the last few days, not the architectural type, but the organizational kind. I've had a hard time with structure in the last few years. Whether it's the church or government or the school I teach at, I've continually felt that structure exists to control me, and that it is completely unflexible. A few years ago, my family spent three months in LA interning with a community called Mosaic. They had several core values (structure) that guided them. One of which was, structure must submit to spirit. My recent contemplating has been about this value and what it means. I've come to this conclusion:

My recent difficulties with structure have led me to be anti-structure. Which in turn has led to chaos. I've been teaching 4,5,6, graders for half a school year now and I've resisted structure as much as possible. You can only imagine what a classroom of twenty four 9-12 year olds is like without much structure. Yikes.

So back to structure must submit to spirit. In the great story of God, there is this whole period that we know as the Old Testament, in which there is structure galore. All of this structure which is meant to help people live the way God intended them to isn't working out so well, so instead of wiping humanity out, because they obviously are having a hard time following the rules, God sends grace and love in the form of Jesus, who not only shows us how to live and invites us to follow, giving us a choice, but then also steps in and takes the punishment for our inability to follow the rules. Love became more important than following the rules. Structure must submit to spirit. I realize that it's not structure that is bad, but it's the type of structure and the motivation behind it and how flexible it is. Good structure should exist to empower people to become all that they have been designed to be, not get them to conform and be controlled or manipulated into simply assisting in the pursuits of the organization for the benefits of it's leaders. It should also be able to adapt to moments when love is more important than following the rules.

Maria Montessori understood this when she spoke of the prepared environment. The prepared environment allows for independence and growth. It provides protection, beauty, and an opportunity for activity. It liberates the spirit and yet provides a sense of order. Everything we do in our Montessori class, in our Montessori school should have to answer, “Is this preparing the environment that best supports the development of the students?”

Wind

2008-11-01T07:45:00.000-07:00

“If help and salvation are to come, they can only come from the children,
for the children are the makers of men.”
-Maria Montessori

The Greek word for wind is “pneuma”, also spelled “nooma”, which is translated as spirit or breath. As the wind blows it speaks to us. Sometimes as the gentle reminder of a cool breeze on a warm day. Sometimes as the harsh rebuke of a fierce storm. It is always there, a spiritual force, reminding us of our greater purpose.

In “Science Behind the Genius,” by Angel Lillard, she compares the predominant school model to a factory of mass production. As the country industrialized, the factory mass production ideals of efficiency and standardization were used to shape our school systems. Administrators were urged to run schools as a business, viewing teachers as middle managers or assembly line workers and students as products, essentially dehumanizing the entire educational process. Even today, “children in traditional schools are still marched in lockstep through an educational system and even daily schedules and physical structures reflect the factory model…the factory model makes poor sense both from the standpoint of how children learn, and of what society seeks,” (Science Behind the Genius, pg. 9).

Woodrow Wilson once said, “We are not here merely to make a living. We are here to enrich the world. We impoverish ourselves if we forget the errand.” At the core of the Montessori Philosophy, is the understanding of the actual purpose of education. Maria Montessori once said herself, the aim is, “how to live, not merely how to make a living,” and, “there is a moral union of boys and girls pledging themselves to members in a group with a definite moral aim,” (Her Life and Work pg. 358-359). The author of “Her Life and Work”, E.M. Standing, summarizes, “From the bottom of our hearts, we adults of a different world wish you Godspeed, for you carry, literally you carry, in your frail barque, the hopes of humanity and the destinies of the human race,” (Her Life and Work pg. 105).

I've been reading a book called Affluenza by John DeGraff. I found this little nugget of Montessori goodness on pg. 115 in a chapter called "Disastisfaction Guarnteed". From psychologist Richard Ryan who has done studies and showing material wealth does not create happiness, one of which was done with adolescents..."The wealth seekers had a higher incidence of headaches, stomachaches and runny noses. Ryan believes that while people are born with intrinsic curiosity, self-motivation, and playfulness, too often these qualities are squelched by deadlines, regulations, threats, directives, pressured evaluations, and imposed goals that come from external sources of control rather than self motivated choices and goals."

Montessori embraced and understood that the children of today are the adults of tomorrow and the very future of humanity was dependent upon the healthy development of today’s children. The purpose of education was not to mass-produce but to guide each student, individually, through the process of development. Her observations led to discoveries that form the core of the philosophy that allow this important developmental process to take place.

Montessori Moments

2008-10-15T17:16:00.001-07:00

What does it look like? I asked myself this question today. I sometimes wonder with deep, sleep robbing, mind occupying anxiety. What does the Montessori Philosophy in action look like in my classroom? I've spoken about it. Been trained in it. Even waxed eloquently for others to hear. But I'm not exactly sure. I have an idea, an ideal even, locked away in the back of my mind, of what I think it should look like, what it is supposed to look like. But that ideal isn't based on anything I've actually seen. It is what my imagination has conjured up based on readings and dialogue with others who I trust have seen it before. I think maybe I have seen a few Montessori Moments, but I am not exactly sure. Do they exist in my public school test driven environment? I don't know. I want to see it. I want to feel it and sense it and breathe it. Like the kid who stays up really late to catch a glimpse of Santa Claus, only to fall asleep and wake up the next morning to see a plate of crumbs and a half empty glass of milk. There is evidence that he may have been there, but you aren't completely certain. This makes it seem like I can't make it happen. I have to let go and just believe that it will. Almost like faith. I'm not sure if I can do that or not. It is such an odd thing to be pursuing something that I am not even sure I have ever seen before.

Have you caught a glimpse? Do you have a Montessori Moment to share that could encourage me and others to press on?

Fire

2008-10-12T14:11:00.000-07:00

“If a child is to be treated differently than he is today a radical change, and one upon which everything else will depend, must first be made; and that change must be made in the adult.”
-Maria Montessori

The word ethos is defined as: “The fundamental character or spirit of a culture; the underlying sentiment that informs the beliefs, customs, or practices of a group or society; dominant assumptions of a people or period.”

As I began to study and process the Montessori Philosophy I realized that they could be easily organized into the elements, and used as core values of my classroom, and of a Montessori Public school community. Each element is used as a reminder of important concepts of the Montessori Philosophy. The purpose being to create a common language, to shape the spirit of the culture, to serve as a constant guide as individuals and school communities strive to embrace the Montessori Philosophy in the public school setting.

Fire, Wind, Wood, Earth, and Water are in some way a part of our everyday lives, and are essential to our survival as individuals and as a community. They are also at the core of the Montessori Curriculum: The Needs of Humans Chart, Functional Geography, The Timelines, and God With No Hands. Maria Montessori based her philosophy on the basic elements of child development, and the essentials needed to guide that development. As one engages the curriculum and daily life with the students, the elements will serve as a reminder of who you are striving to be as a director or directress in a Montessori Public school.

Fire is first because it burns. It purifies. It refines. You have to go through it in order to prepare yourself to understand, to grasp the other elements.

If you teach in a public school, you have a state teaching license. If you have a state teaching license you have at least a bachelor’s degree in education and at least a semester of student teaching. At the minimum, assuming you attended pubic schools growing up, or something similar, you have been a part of the standard American system of education for 13 years, plus 4 years learning how to be a facilitator of that system, plus the number of years you have been a teacher in a public school. The minimum number of years being indoctrinated into the “school as factory” process of education is 17. 17 years. The thought processes, the habits, the instincts that are developed during those years run deep. They become a part of who we are.

“Traditional teaching fits both a teacher’s memory and the culturally dominant view of what school is, and teachers who have less understanding of alternatives will naturally fall back on it.”

“Teachers have to work very hard to use unconventional methods in the face of all the structural support schools provide for the traditional method.”
-Science Behind the Genius, pg. 13

In order to embrace the Montessori Philosophy, we must go through the fire. A change must occur in us at a deep, spiritual level. While camping with my family this summer, I noticed several times that the wood on the campfire, the wood that creates the most heat, is burning from the inside out. It has become consumed by the fire, not in a way that it is gone, but in a way that from its core, it is radiating heat outward.

“It is my belief that the thing which we should cultivate in our teachers is more the spirit than the mechanical skill of the scientist: that is, the direction of the preparation should be toward the spirit rather than toward the mechanism.”
-Maria Montessori

Practicing the Montessori Philosophy must radiate from the core of who we are. Our beliefs about education and children, and possibly even the world have to be reexamined and possibly changed. It is hard. But it is necessary.

How To Find Your Way Through The Dilemma

2008-08-28T19:32:00.000-07:00

Here are the articles referenced in the Fidarsi Newsletter:

Anything But Standard!

How To Find Your Way.

The Secrets of Successfully Recording a Child's Work.

Can Montessori Work in Public Schools?

Good for us!

2008-06-06T05:25:00.000-07:00

As I had the luxury of spending a day in Indianapolis yesterday attending a joyous Curriculum Mapping conference, I noticed that much of what Dr. Heidi Hayes-Jacobs was saying needed to be done in the classroom to benefit our children the most, has been going on in our classrooms at Towles and in Montessori classrooms now for 100 years. Sometimes I may question what I am doing or how I am teaching, but never in my two years have I questioned the method. I think it is amazing how progressive and innovative the thinking was, and is, that Dr. Montessori brought to education across the world. Fidarsi is a great term Josh. Kudos brother.
Also I just wanted to say hi to all and hope the break is allowing for much needed relaxation.

Yeah but...

2008-05-30T08:15:00.003-07:00

How many times this year did I or one of my peers say, yeah, but we are a public school. How many times did I use that as an excuse to not observe, to not make nomenclature, to not individualize a lesson, or keep track of what a student knows or hasn't quite learned yet.

Why is this used as an excuse, a crutch, to not have to follow through on who we are supposed to be. I was thinking today, because I do think from time to time, that I don't want to use that as a crutch anymore. We are a Montessori school. We are not a public school who happens to like some things about the Montessori philosophy. We are a Montessori school, that is public. There are also Montessori schools that are private, or charter. They are all Montessori, and that is how we need to see it if we are to trust the philosophy. It may seem like a silly little game of language semantics. But words are very powerful. Everytime I say that I serve at a public school, that means that somewhere in the back of my mind, I am acknowledging that I answer to the public school perspective first, then the Montessori comes later. When I begin to say that I serve at a Montessori School, it changes that perspective.

We may argue that those other Montessori schools just don't have the same problems we do. That is a correct argument. But it isn't one that we should continue to use as an excuse. Private Montessori schools have to worry about parents breathing down their necks all the time, trying to control what they do. They also have the issue of fundraising and making sure finances are available to pay the staff and supply the rooms. Many of our peers in Montessori private schools don't have very good insurance plans, if any at all. Montessori charter schools have the pressure to succeed immediately and are always under scrutiny, operating under the threat of losing their charter.

We are Montessori - with a public set of problems. Let's help each other to not use that as an excuse that keeps us from fully embracing the Montessori Philosophy.

The Choice

2008-05-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

There comes a moment, when you have to decide for yourself, in your own heart, if you will trust the Montessori Philosophy. It might not happen at training, or even after your first year. But eventually, you have to remove yourself from your environment, tune out all the voices of your peers, look within yourself and ask, "Do I really believe this philosophy works? Am I willing to fully trust it?"

Initially making this decision is extremely difficult. There are theories and habits that you have learned about education that you want to hold on to. Trusting the Montessori philosophy will require you to rethink, or let go of them. Trusting the Montessori Philosophy will require you to let go of having complete control. At times, the simple thought of this seems unbearable. Initially, it will all seem so messy. But the difficult times will eventually pass. And on the other side of them wait the amazing rewards that the Montessori philosophy promises.

Choosing not to completely trust the Montessori Philosophy feels much easier...at first. You don't have to let go of some of those old habits or re-think. And the idea that you have all these great new materials to add to your teaching arsenal is so exciting. The first difficult year passes and you know that next year will be better, because everyone says the first year is tough. But as the second year lingers on, things aren't changing. Riding the fence is beginning to catch up to you. The students are doing the things that you were told they were going to be able to do. You begin to grow weary and doubtful that this Montessori way really works. You lean even more on your old teaching habits, that got you in this situation in the first place.

The choice. It's okay to decide that you do not want to trust the Montessori Philosophy. There are alot of amazing teachers in amazing classrooms at amazing schools that are not Montessori. But don't ride the fence. It's a miserable place to be for you and the students.

Trust, Enthusiasm, and Forward Movement

2008-04-30T17:40:00.000-07:00

I am so glad to be part of this blog, and a group of teachers who are so committed to the growth of young people. Although I am not yet trained in Montessori, I chose to enroll my child in Towles Montessori. I trust the community and style of learning offered to my child. Thank you for living the life of a Montessori teacher, allowing me to provide reading instruction to Montessori students, and accepting me as a peer in this learning community.

I am inspired by Joshua's posting about trust. I trust Towles is the appropriate environment for each student to reach his or her potential. Each teacher offers so much to our community and to the students. Your trust in Maria Montessori is what liberates each student to fulfill their destiny. Keep the trust alive!

I blindly opened The Tao of Montessori and was delighted to see this quote:

Either education contributes to a movement of universal liberation by showing the way to defend and raise humanity or it becomes like one of those organs which have shriveled up by not being used during the evolution of the organism. ~Maria Montessori

Here's to keeping FWCS and Towles alive and moving forward, for the best! I am excited about the discourse to follow!

Fidarsi

2008-04-30T17:27:00.000-07:00

According to wordreference.com "fidarsi" is Italian for trust. The exact translation is "believe", or "have confidence in". Anyone who speaks Italian, please feel free to correct us.

Most, if not all of us, were educated in traditional public schools. Most, if not all of us, were trained in college to be traditional public school teachers. Most, if not all of us, have some experience, or a lot of experience, teaching in a traditionally public classroom. It's a part of who we all are. It's our default mode. It's what we are comfortable with. Enter Fidarsi. We are a part of a Montessori Public school, learning to trust the Montessori Way. Fidarsi is the conversation we will continue to engage in as we learn to trust each other, while learning to trust the Montessori Way.

Welcome to the conversation.