What is Montessori. Part 5.

Why five year olds thrive at Montessori

As parents and caregivers we all want the very best for our children. We want, and try, to do everything we can to make sure that our children are happy, confident, and successful. With so many choices and opinions it can be a real head swimming mission to know what is “right”. Many parent’s are now choosing to keep their children in a preschool environment until they are six, but how do you decide if this is right for your child?

The advantages of joining the local primary school often seem obvious, especially if you have an older child already attending and doing well. It’s also most likely the choice your family and friends have made, and there is a strong tradition in New Zealand to send children to school as soon as they turn 5. The advantages of staying that extra year from 5-6 at Montessori preschool are numerous, below is a portion of a fantastic article written by Aleksandra Zajac from the Capital Montessori School, who wrote this so eloquently I decided not to reinvent the wheel. Included are some things to think about that might help you make the best decision for your family and your child.

The Montessori 3-6 programme is based on a 3-year cycle.

The Montessori 3-6 programme is based on a 3-year cycle. Your child joins the class as a 2.5 - 3 year old and enjoys the guidance and mentor-ship of his or her older peers - usually the 5 year olds, who know the curriculum, know the class, do all the exciting work with reading slips and bead materials, and show the younger ones just how much there is to look forward to in this environment.

As your child grows, they progress through the Montessori curriculum. They learn to concentrate and make informed choices, and with time, they become that 5-year old leader who can reap the benefits of ‘knowing’ and ‘being there’. From 5-6 they not only develop their academic skills, but they also build and consolidate their sense of self, their self-esteem and resilience, to become self-assured young children ready to enter the second plane of development with confidence - whichever environment you choose for them next!

They will have learnt how to learn and how to find information. Their work with concrete materials to visualise such concepts as ‘thousand’, how many hundreds make a thousand, how to ‘put together’ to do addition, and ‘share equally’ to divide, will gradually allow them to form a mental picture that guides them towards abstract work. By helping the younger children with these kinds of concrete concepts, they consolidate their knowledge and then build on this foundation with our designated five-plus classroom materials such as grammar, the function of the words, analysing sentences in language and all operations in maths.

However, academic progress is not our only our ultimate goal. Our hope is that, by the end of this first cycle, your 6 year old will have an innate enthusiasm for learning and the curiosity to pursue it, and an enormous sense of self-confidence - to feel good about themselves and enjoy their learning journey at whichever school they join.

Montessori children, with all those amazing social benefits, normally easily adapt to all sorts of new situations. At 6, they will be excited and ready to join a new school environment and their mind will be at the stage where imagination, aided by their well-developed confidence and independence, will make them a delight for any future school to have.

It is always such a pleasure to observe the workings of the Bambini classroom and the five year old children we have attending Athenree Montessori. They are caring, respectful, kind, so capable and real leaders. I am consistently blown away by their social competencies, emergent maths and literacy. I believe this is linked directly to the Montessori way of teaching, with the child’s individuality in mind and the smaller adult to child ratios. The Ministry of Education have recognised the benefits of children starting school after five, and fund the 20 hours up to the age of six years old, giving parents a choice about the age for their child to start school to best suit the child. The time-honoured tradition of starting school on your fifth birthday is not always in the best interests of the child, university lecturer and neuro-science / brain development expert Nathan Mikaere-Wallis says.

"Research shows that the majority of children are disadvantaged by starting school at age 5 and the children's brains need them to be physically active as the neuro science shows that movement and learning go together."

It Takes A Village

There is this incredible and amazing joy that comes with being a parent. It is sometimes indescribable.
It’s my experience that amid the joy there is also this sense of guilt, and there is nothing quite like the guilt that inevitably comes with being a parent. Almost everyone you meet, every television advert, and every ‘specialist in the field’ (qualified or not) will have an opinion on exactly what you should be doing. An opinion on what is right and what is wrong when it comes to parenting.

I recently read this post by ‘Raising Ziggy’…

“PSA: I love my kids. I also spend every day, and every night in their company. All day. All night.
Looking forward to Ziggy starting kindy does not mean I love him any less. It does not mean I take him for granted. It does not mean I don’t enjoy spending time with him. It does not make me a bad mum…. A bit of space every now and again helps me love them better.”

When I returned to work and my babies (now 18 and 20) started preschool I cried more than they did. The guilt I felt was all consuming as I beat myself up for what I thought “should” have been. I mean that picture in your head where everything is all lovely and I’m like the mum from Stuart little. Followed by the disappointment of realising I am actually more Mr’s Weasley from Harry Potter, but without a magic wand.

Fast forward 16 years and I am a teacher, with two amazing, capable, incredible children that I couldn’t be more proud of, and who weren’t scarred for life from going to preschool. I see the tears in the eye’s of parents who are enrolling their children for the first time. Or speak in hushed tones about how excited they are to be getting some time to themselves, like it’s so very wrong! They speak of the guilt, and so much worry. I want to tell them. You are amazing, loving, incredible parents. I know this is hard but it’s so worth it.

I want to let you in on a secret, there’s no absolute 100% perfect way to parent. For some families some things work, and for other families those same things are a disastrous nightmare of epic proportions. Even the parents who look like they have this whole parenting thing totally sussed are winging it! We are all winging it!

The teaching team here at Athenree Montessori have all been there, we are parents and we get it! We also all feel passionately about providing a happy, respectful, nurturing, environment where children know that they are safe, have a place, and are cared for. And we walk our talk. You have to do what is right for your family, regardless of what the Woman’s Day says, or the neighbour. We are here to support you and your children, and we are passionate about doing that for every family.

Please remember the importance and necessity, as a person and a parent, of filling your cup. Because you cannot pour from and empty cup.

What is Montessori. Part 4

The Nido Room (0-3): It’s about respect

Dr. Maria Montessori had a simple approach to babies. She believed we should:

• respect all babies and individual human beings

• allow them as much freedom of movement as possible

• help them to become increasingly independent by creating a safe, nurturing, child friendly environment for them to explore.

The following are a few guidelines with ways that the Athenree Montessori teachers can show our respect for the children in our care: (with a huge shout out to our inspiration Toni Christie and her work on Respect).

We recognise that children need to develop a strong and reciprocal relationship with at least one teacher in the environment and we implement a primary caregiver system to cater for that primary need. We Inviting children to engage and waiting for their approval prior to interacting with them.

We believe strongly that all teacher/child interactions should begin with some form of invitation by the teacher. This can take the form of a verbal invitation accompanied by outstretched open hands with palms facing up. After this initial verbal and physical invitation, the caregiver needs to wait for a response. Hammond (2009) advises: When an adult speaks quietly about what is happening and waits for a response, the child does not need to be on alert that a change could be coming at any moment unannounced (p. 17)

“Interpreting children’s intentions by peacefully observing them and paying close attention to their body language, cues and gestures. Through subtle signs and gestures in the presence of sensitive, attuned observers, even the youngest child can express his or her opinion and therefore have his or her human rights upheld (United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, 2003)” (Christie, 2012).

Slowing down and recognising that children may prefer an unhurried approach to their individual care routines, learning and development. Being flexible about breaks and making them work according to the needs and rhythms of the children as opposed to working by the clock. In order to give infants unhurried time, teachers have to make a commitment to slow down and be emotionally present with infants (Kovach & Da Ros-Voseles, 2008). This provides the child valuable, uninterrupted, quality time and attention.

We believe strongly in offering the children choices about what is happening for them and waiting for a response to the choices offered. As above, this is often about slowing down.

Being available to the infant and supporting them in their learning, but resisting the urge to intervene unnecessarily in their problem-solving efforts and mastery of their own physical development. Christie (2012) explains “Infants are capable of solving their own problems and having opinions. As the responsible adult we can be tempted to rush in and ‘save’ the child when he or she looks challenged. These are the moments we need to really challenge our own understanding of what it means to be a teacher in early childhood. Being close by and supportive but allowing an infant the space and time to learn for herself will prove more valuable than ‘helping’ her by intervening in her learning. Support rather than intervention is a mark of respect for the child.”

What is Montessori? Part 3

Do Montessori children play?

I was recently introduced to a wonderful article on ‘The Five Characteristics of Play and of Montessori Work’. I this article Peter Grey explains that “when parents observe in a Montessori preschool class, they sometimes comment that the children seem so focused, so serious - with the implied concern that they aren’t exhibiting the wild, loud, impulsive actions one often witnesses when groups of young children are together. At a time when childhood is often equated with being hyper-active, emotional, out-of-control, parents worried that these focused Montessori children might be “missing out” on being children. Implied in this concern is an assumption that the children are unnaturally quiet, that they might be forced by the teachers into this state.

Nothing could be further from the truth! Montessori children are simply deeply engaged in their chosen activities. Their minds are “active and alert, but not stressed.” They are in a flow state. As Dr. Montessori so succinctly put it, “The first essential for the child’s development is concentration. The child who concentrates is immensely happy.” In Montessori, children are engaged for most of the day in activities that fit this very thoughtful definition of play. Montessori is playful learning!”

Parents occasionally observe that there is no “play kitchen” in a Montessori classroom. In Montessori there are no pretend kitchens and no pretend tools. Does this mean the absence of imaginative play? Far from it! Instead of pretending to prepare and serve food, Montessori children have the opportunity to do the real thing. This is why our kitchens are built at child height. Instead of using a plastic knife to to cut a wooden, fake banana, they use a real knife to cut up a real banana. The children who wish to be involved are an active part of, food preparation, laundry, dishes, etc, because they want to be. They are provided with an environment that is so optimised around their capabilities that, while in it, they can be strong, independent and confident. Sometimes that confidence is shown in their ability to ask for help or guidance when needed.

Our Sea Crossing

A learning Story by Janet Tye

Our Wild area became a precarious sea crossing between India and Samoa this afternoon as the wind unexpectedly blew up a severe storm.

With all hands on deck the crew rigged the ship, readied their sea legs and set sail leaving the land lubbers behind. The sea was calm for a start and some took up fishing along the way to pass the time and supplement supplies. The shipmates took up positions and were very innovative, albiet consultative when it came to changing roles but all worked well until the bad weather struck and one sailing master became several, and original self appointed  captain faced mutiny from his fellow ship mates when he persisted on rocking the boat. Further complications arose when alien bugs were found in the galley and water was noticed entering the hull." Heave ho" was called by one by throwing out the anchor but he was largely ignored and the anchor failed to hold as the boat rocked from side to side and dragged the anchor. In despair some decided to abandon ship while others were distracted by the alien bugs to the point of befriending them and few were left manning the ship. Chaos all round until a call of "Land Ahoy!" came from the one left manning the Crows nest. All eyes on the horizon and with Samoa in their sights the crew yoho hoed their way to land and disembarked. Some explored the Island while others enjoyed some well deserved R and R.