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Teacher Talk: Persistence

Teacher Talk: Persistence

When you first learned about Montessori, you may have been enchanted by the peaceful classrooms, by the idyllic language about the nature of children and the hope for the future they offer. You may have imagined yourself a beloved teacher and guide, children gathered at your feet as you offered them a wonder-filled glimpse at the petals of a daisy, bluebirds resting gently on your shoulders. Zippadeedoodah. Most days, as it turns out, aren't much like that. OK. None days are

Teacher Talk: Preparing for the New Year

Teacher Talk: Preparing for the New Year

Are your shelves cleaned? Have you reorganized your cupboards? Are they a safe distance apart? Decided whether the loft should be a reading nook or an observation perch? Is it a safe distance apart? Is the label maker out yet? Are your first-day checklists complete? Does your Assistant know where to stand? Are they a safe distance apart? Are the pictures up in the cubbies? Are they a safe distance apart?Have you written those notes to the children? Did you clean the baseboar

Teacher Talk: Breaking Bread

Teacher Talk: Breaking Bread

Montessori teaching is a calling that demands self-care. We are intellectually engaged long beyond after the children have gone home, analyzing our observations, preparing lessons, maintaining the environment, and active models whenever they are present, scientists, servants and saints. It's exhausting. And self-care matters. Finding time for yourself, for restoration and quiet, matter. So does finding time for community. We don't grow out of our need for other people. We don

Teacher Talk: Teacher Motivation

Teacher Talk: Teacher Motivation

For many of us, February days are some of the loveliest. The classroom is buzzing with a happy hum, parents understand the expectations and we are preparing for conferences or narratives that detail how far the children have grown this year. But it's not always unicorns and rainbows. Sometimes the classroom doesn't gel just right. Sometimes there are children who challenge our resolve and our optimism more than we want to admit. Sometimes we wonder whether this is the work fo

Teacher Talk: When Children Are Hurtful

Teacher Talk: When Children Are Hurtful

The child is capable of developing and giving us tangible proof of the possibility of a better humanity. He has shown us the true process of construction of the human being. We have seen children totally change as they acquire a love for things and as their sense of order, discipline, and self-control develops within them.... The child is both a hope and a promise for mankind. - Maria Montessori, Education and Peace We believe this. We really do. We describe children's peacef

Teacher Talk: Observing Writing

Teacher Talk: Observing Writing

We know that part of our work as Montessori teachers is to observe children. We observe to understand their development, that we may better prepare for that development in the materials and lessons we offer in the environment. Before we introduce writing as a lesson, we need to observe the child’s physical and intellectual development for signs of alignment. That is to say, each new lesson should be aligned to the observations we’ve made of the child to whom we’re offering it

Teacher Talk: Observers in the Classroom

Teacher Talk: Observers in the Classroom

Montessori classrooms enchant curious observers. How can so many young children engage so independently at once? How come everyone seems so peaceful? What’s so magical about the materials on the shelves? Montessori teachers are often inundated with requests from people who want to observe our classrooms. While the requests can seem like an endless distraction, creating a space within which guests can learn about Montessori and children can learn lessons in grace, courtesy and

Teacher Talk: Teaching in the Third Plane

Teacher Talk: Teaching in the Third Plane

Oh, you dear, patient, lovely people, you teachers of adolescents, you bold adventurers blazing a new path for an ever widening generation of Montessori learners! What a courageous path you've chosen. Unlike Early Childhood Montessori teachers, you lack the public awareness of your practice. Unlike Elementary Montessori teachers, you lack the specific materials to lean back on. The Montessori guide at the Third Plane of development needs to rely on her understanding of adoles

Teacher Talk: Making Time for Observation

Teacher Talk: Making Time for Observation

You may be getting ready to return to your classroom with a whole list of teacher resolutions in your mind. Maybe you're planning to take more time for yourself this year. Maybe you're hoping to take time to offer more advanced lessons. Maybe you're determined to take time to finish those materials you've been working on. Where to begin? Teaching is a demanding practice, and most teachers feel pulled in more directions than they can count at any given moment. There are so man

Teacher Talk: Hygge

Teacher Talk: Hygge

This Saturday, if you're like most teachers, you find yourself away from school, maybe resting, maybe preparing for the festivities of Christmas at your home, maybe traveling. It's a time to recoup, to cozy in and take stock of the year, to recognize the warmth of the community you've sought to support in your classroom and the one around you in your school. Except that, if you're like most teachers, taking this time for yourself can be tricky. You may feel more comfortable c

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