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| Spontaneous balancing practice at recess |
Below is a a typical scene on many days - several children working on building words or stories with the movable alphabet and writing them into their story journal (in cursive!), while others work on math and other curriculum areas
(More photos below!)
We're back for the 2024-25 school year! A few quick highlights:
- Both Montessori classrooms - Maple & Redbud - are in full swing, and FULL. We have so much interest in our program, our waitlist has more than enough children to fill a third classroom.
- We've been energized by how successful and productive most days feel - so much enthusiasm and engagement with learning, so much kindness and collaboration. Every day we witness dozens of moments where children are spontaneously encouraging and supporting one another. (photos below)
- We're looking for people to partner with us financially to help us make Montessori education be accessible to low-income families, and ALL gifts made before Dec. 31st will be matched (up to $13,000)
Mixed Ages in the Montessori classroom
One of my favorite aspects of the Montessori approach is the mixed ages - every day we are seeing how the children of all ages benefit, academically and socially.
Sometimes a kindergartner will step into the role of "teacher," showing a younger friend how to do something new or assisting them with a task they are struggling to do independently. They often show incredible sensitivity and skill in these leadership roles:
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| "/a/ /a/ astronaut!" Sorting pictures by beginning sound requires knowing the vocab of the pictures, hearing the beginning sound, and knowing which letter makes that sound |
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| An introduction to our classroom process for washing dishes |
I will also sometimes invite an older child who needs more practice with a skill to help me teach a younger classmate - motivating them to get much-needed repetition while protecting their confidence around an area of struggle.
Often younger children will spontaneously pause to observe an older friend and learn by watching their role models. (We do lots of practice at the beginning of the year on how to observe someone without disrupting their focus)
Sometimes we invite an older student to help a classmate (such as cleaning up a spill). Other times they notice on their own when someone could use assistance and offer help on their own initiative.
There is also lots of peer collaboration and support, along with independent focused work, taking place in our classrooms each day.
