Seattle Montessorian

Making Materials

2009-12-14T21:02:00.001-08:00

One of the reasons I have been blogging a lot less because I have been busy at work in the factory. Teaching is a lot of work no matter where or how you teach. Public school teachers spend countless hours grading assignments, we Montessori teachers spend countless hours making materials. And that’s just what I’ve been doing. Making materials.

Our classroom has quite a bit more to make because we are not yet well-established. We officially began transitioning our classroom towards Montessori just last year, so we have quite a ways to go. We began last school year with just some basic math materials and some random grammar materials. At the time I had just begun my Saturday trainings and so I was not aware of how to make materials, nor how to use most of them. We also had no math problem cards, no culture or science materials.

I am quite thankful to my instructors at Spring Valley Montessori, who whenever they introduced a new material always explained how it could be made, or showed how a near-substitute could be fashioned and used in place of the respective material. This is quite valuable for a teacher working with limited funding, and it’s also neat that most of the materials - be they Golden Beads, Fraction Insets, or the Stamp Game – can be made at home. While we all like nice, beautifully hand-crafted materials from Nienhuis (who doesn’t just love to gaze at their fabulous catalog?), it is nice to know that there is the option of making your own materials.

We have just started a new theme about Respiration and Circulation. I decided to make a definition book titled “How we Breathe”. A definition book has a very simple format so that it introduces new concepts to children in a simplified manner. The format is one picture on the page, with the part you are defining colored or outlined in red or another color. The definition of that part is provided below the drawing. For example, in my definition book, I colored each part of the respiratory system and then gave the definition. If you look below to the right, you will see the nasal cavity is colored in red, and below that the definition and description of the nasal cavity is given in writing.

Here are pictures of the definition book process: the synthesizing of complex information into a simple format.

I also made other materials related to respiration, such as three-part cards on (a simplified version of) the formula for cellular respiration. While pink is for anatomy, I chose red for cellular respiration because it applies to zoology as well, which is red.

I have finished making these materials, but have yet to take the photos of them, so I will be posting the final products later on.

Make Your Own Lung

2009-12-11T17:13:00.001-08:00

We have begun learning about the respiratory system, and to begin with, we made lungs! This activity demonstrates to the children how the diaphragm functions and helps you breathe. All you need is:

1 plastic bottle (a narrow 2-liter water bottle works best, we found)
1 regular-sized red balloon
1 larger balloon
1 straw
tape
scissors

Here is an picture of instructions already made up:

Here is the tray I had made to be available on the shelf:

Here are the balloons and the straw. My example lung is on the right.

When you pull down on the bottom balloon that represents the diaphragm, the inner balloon (or lung) expands and fills with air. As you push in your “diaphragm”, the “lung” contracts and the air is pushed out of the straw, or “trachea”.

The students did a far better job than I did:

Making Paint II

2009-12-07T17:29:00.001-08:00

	After learning how paint was made, I took a look on the internet to see if I could make paint with my students. So with a little gum arabic and turmeric, we made yellow, and with chili powder and gum arabic we made a red-orange. Then I also purchased synthetic pigments, one back and another blue, so we could have other colors to paint with.

First I mixed each pigment on a palette, and then gave each student a paper and some paint brushes.

They got creative and had a lot of fun.

Making paint I

2009-11-28T21:14:00.000-08:00

After learning about Mughal painters, I discussed with the children what materials were used to make paint. I prepared cards with descriptions (not quite 3-part cards) and presented each to the children. Five of the pigments are minerals or oxide. One comes from a bright insect called the lac insect, another pigment comes from the indigo plant, and the most interesting (and the strangest) is peori; which is a yellow that comes from the urine of cows fed a diet of only mango leaves.

Please go home!

2009-11-20T16:53:00.001-08:00

Today my coteacher and I witnessed an incredible phenomenon. It was five minutes to 3 this Friday afternoon, and we had forgotten to let our students know at ten to 3pm that it was time to clean up. I asked the students to please clean up. Three minutes later, the students were still working. I asked the students to clean up again, but half-heartedly, sort of amazed that they were not moving from their work. Then after 3pm, our students were still working – many of them engrossed in their work, not wanting to leave. I told them “Please, I know you don’t want to go home, but I do! I love you all, but please, go home!” At this point they all looked at me and laughed, and then I laughed.

As an adult, I envision people counting down the minutes until they get to go home on a Friday afternoon. It’s Friday! Thank God it’s Friday! But our students were happy to stay at school, and probably would have stayed longer had we not said anything and had their parents not been waiting downstairs in the hallway to take them home.

“What’s Funny When”

2009-11-01T16:47:00.000-08:00

I was in the doctor’s office and decided to pick up a parenting magazine (unfortunately I cannot remember the name), and stumbled across an article on what is funny to children at what age. I would like to share it what they presented.

4-6 Months:
    Bouncing, tickling, other physical stimulation

6-12 Months:
   Unusual behavior of familiar people
      (peek-a-boo)

12 Months - 5 Years:
Misuse of objects
     (“Let me answer my shoe phone”)

2 to 4 Years:
   Nonsense words, Misnamed Objects
    (Dr. Seuss comes to mind, here)

3 to 6 Years:
   Conceptual incongruity
     (“That bear seems to be enjoying his ice cream cone”)

7 + Years:
   Word play, puns
     (Knock, knock jokes)

Crochet!

2009-10-31T17:09:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures from our students’ crochet projects. Most of them are crocheting scarves, however some of them made mistakes and their scarf became more like a hat! So I guess we’ll be making scarves and hats. Some of the students have parents helping them at home, others are learning as they go in the classroom. They are doing a great job.

Art in the Montessori Classroom

2009-10-28T21:15:00.001-07:00

This past Saturday the Pacific Northwest Montessori Association (PNMA) organized a quite engaging workshop on art in the Montessori classroom. It was held in the same building Montessori Garden just moved to.

During registration, before the event began we took a tour of their beautiful classrooms. Here are some pictures from one particular classroom:

The classroom is quite spacious, I took a picture of the entire classroom, but there were many other Montessori teachers in the photo, and I did not want to post without their permission.

The workshop itself was amazing. Two very talented art teachers arranged 10 different work stations, each were numbered 1-10. We began the workshop at whatever number table was listed on our nametag.


I started at the Challenge Table.	Then moved to Picasso Faces.


Examples of art subject areas.	By far my favorite table.

I think the video posted on the PNMA website gives you an idea: http://pnma.org/.

This was the best workshop I have attended, and I can’t say last year’s workshops were dull. This one was just so phenomenal that it really can’t be beat. We all had a blast. And we got to take home lesson plans and samples. Hooray!

Little Second-Hand Treasures

2009-10-21T22:07:00.000-07:00

Like I mentioned in a previous post, I love going to Goodwill: you can find the neatest things there. And I happened to find a Kids’ Magnetic Poetry book for $2.99. I had a couple students in mind when I picked it up, and one of them went right to the book the first day it was on the shelf.

Penmanship: Cursive Practice

2009-10-18T21:52:00.000-07:00

I had a book on cursive that has “reproducibles” of the different groups of letters. I decided to “Montessorize” the book and use it in the classroom – as I know the students need to work on their cursive (an oft-forgotten skill these days, alas). I photocopied the first page, glued it to a bright yellow background (not sure if there is a particular color for penmanship or writing), and laminated it using a 5 millimeter laminating pocket. I placed it on a clipboard along with a small dry erase marker.

The students can practice tracing the letters, then writing them on the workboard shown in the photo above, and finally by the end of the week turn in their practice words on a separate piece of paper as an assignment.

Noun Booklet

2009-10-17T21:43:00.000-07:00

Some of the students have been studying about nouns, and I decided to have them make booklets including the different types of nouns for their own reference (and because it’s always fun to make a personalized booklets – in fact I had other students who were not working on nouns asking when they would get to make noun booklets). With the youngest students, I sat down and assembled the booklets step-by-step with them. For older students who were working on nouns, I placed all the necessary materials in a basket along with instructions and a finished booklet as a model.

This basket was placed on
the grammar shelf.

Instructions for students to read and follow.

Booklet I assembled and had
available as a model for students.

First section of My Noun Booklet.

Second section.

Third section.

As students learn about (or review) each type of noun, they will give a definition in the respective section in their noun booklet along with examples.

Geometry Presentation: Introduction to Lines

2009-10-16T20:34:00.001-07:00

Last week I prepared and presented a geometry lesson to many of my students as an introduction to lines. This is quite a fun one to present, and clarifies concepts that appear to children as abstract mysteries on paper (but don’t all Montessori lessons do just that?). I had to look back into my notes and photos from my training. I am still not sure I replicated the presentation exactly as my instructor did it, but am hoping I did justice.
I prepared a tray with a clear container filled half-way with water, a tongue depressor, scissors, a ball of yarn, a homemade plumb line (a pencil with thread tied to the top, and the thread is weighted down by something – in this case a binder clip), two paper arrows, and the following labels: line, ray, line segment, origin, vertical, horizontal.
I demonstrated each step of the presentation to the children, and then provided them with the steps so they could replicate the presentation and, hopefully by doing so, gain thorough understanding of the concepts.

The tray was available on the shelf for the students to recreate the presentation and complete the follow-up activities.

Here are the steps the students followed to do the presentation themselves.

Step 1: Unravel ball of yarn the length of your arms, and tell children that this goes on and on forever in both directions. Tell them, “This is a line” (I did not place the labels until the end.)

Step 2: Cut the yarn near the ball, and place the arrow on the other end to show it continues on forever in the other direction. Tell the children “When I cut the yarn, it still continues on forever in the other direction. But now that I cut it, it begins here, it has an origin – a beginning. This is called a ‘ray’.”

Step 3: Say to the children, “now if I cut the other end (cut the yarn at this point and continue holding both ends of the yarn), it does not continue on forever. It stops – it has two ends, or two points. This is called a ‘line segment’.”

Step 4: Now you can cut pieces and label each one. You can also cut another piece of yarn, make it curved and tell them that is a curved line.

Step 5: Place tongue depressor in the water and show the students. Then tilt the container and ask them what they observe about the tongue depressor and the water. Tell them this is “horizontal”. Ask them if they know what the horizon is and then describe it if they do not know. Ask them to find things in the room that are horizontal.

Step 6: Take the plumb line from the tray and ask them if they know what a plumb line is. Describe the idea of a plumb line and what it is used for (namely in construction and the like, to make sure things are straight up and down or vertical). Tell them to look at the thread, tell them this is “vertical".

Some possible follow-up activities.

This was my first time presenting this, and overall I think it went well – my gauge is whether or not the students learned the concepts. I don’t think I will forget one of the students laying down and asking “Am I horizontal?” and another one of the students walking around with the plumb line in hand, holding it up to objects, etc. to see if they were vertical.

Resources are a teacher’s Best Friend

2009-10-09T21:14:00.001-07:00

I wanted to share with my fellow Montessori teachers, as well as potential Montessori-at-home parents, where I get my books, and other interesting things for teaching, etc.
My absolute favorite and most-frequented bookstore is Goodwill. That’s right,Goodwill is a second-hand store with amazing books. Most of my reference books on the science, and also history books for students have come from Goodwill. I have found many children’s science books at Goodwill, as well – not to mention other children’s literature, such as Newberry winners. I also get National Geographic magazines for just 50 cents there and use the pictures for materials. Supporting images of bridges, or land and water forms, or various animals and plants, for example, can be found in National Geographic. And let’s not forget adult paperbacks for just 79 cents.
My second-favorite bookstore would have to be Half Price Books. I love their clearance section – I found a beautiful book on weather, quite detailed with great pictures for just $2. And while their National Geographics are slightly more expensive (by maybe $1), I have found 1930s and 1920s issues – issues I almost never see in Goodwill. These older issues give a special window into our recent world history, with beautiful illustrations and black and white photos of lands and peoples.
Another place I go for books is Amazon.com – and only used books! Although shipping ends up being about $4, books are usually less than half their original price, so it is still a bargain.
Another really cheap source of books is book sales at the local library. Unfortunately I just missed it this year, but am eagerly awaiting the next book sale of the Seattle Public Libraries.
As for items that can hold and display materials on the shelf, Daiso is a great source for baskets, boxes, trays, and other containers for materials. While Daiso is very cheap (I’ve heard it referred to as the “Japanese dollar store”), the quality is pretty decent. Goodwill is also a great source for baskets, trays, etc. for your classroom. Garage sales are really hit and miss.
Then, of course, the crafts stores are always a great help when making materials for lessons, presentations, and materials: Joann Fabric, Pacific Fabrics, and Michael’s. But be aware: never pay full price – at least not at Joaan’s and Michael’s, as they have weekly coupons and frequent sales.
It is also important to make use of educators’ discounts that are often available at bookstores and crafts stores. I will save that for another post, however.

Practical Life II

2009-10-08T21:48:00.000-07:00

In our classroom, we have “Classroom Jobs” where students names are posted next to a job, and we rotate the names weekly. Each student is responsible for one section or one task each day. For example, the student responsible for geometry, must make sure the materials are properly put away, the shelves are clean, and everything in that area is overall orderly.

The names are all laminated and I used velcro adhesives from some random craft store (I do not recall the store), so that they can be easily rotated. I made this poster last year and I am hoping it will hold up for another couple years.

An activity we had out on our practical life shelf at the beginning of the year was wire-working. We found very cheap needle-nose pliers and anodized aluminum wire at Daiso (a cheap Japanese store).

We put it out on a tray with pictures of wire creations. The first day they worked with it, many of the boys made glasses, and one tried to make the bicycle in the picture. Some of the girls made creative designs – mostly jewelry such as rings and bracelets.

One of our students made a crown:

We also have sewing and embroidery (cross-stitch) available on the shelf. It is interesting how the children will break down the gender stereotypes one might have – for example, I didn’t expect any of the boys would be interested in the embroidery or in crochet. However, they all were eager to do the embroidery the day it was on the shelf. And while I did have a couple boys reject crochet during their first lesson this year (although I had an idea it was because they were frustrated and could not do it correctly right away, and wanted to give up rather than keep working at it), once I began to bring my own crochet project into class and began to crochet in front of them, even the most obstinate said he wanted to crochet. And today he mastered making a chain, and crocheted for half an hour.

Practical Life

2009-10-07T21:17:00.001-07:00

In the Montessori method there are exercises that the children do which fall into a category called “Practical Life". These exercises are highly emphasized, especially in preschool, so as to not only teach the children life skills, but also help them with fine motor control, and also give children a sense of independence and accomplishment. Practical life activities often include, but are not limited to: table washing, pouring liquids, pouring solids (such as beans or rice from one small glass pitcher to another), polishing, folding, etc.
The first time I observed a Montessori preschool class in session, I was quite taken aback by the methodical nature of a particular child who was preparing to have snack. He had decided he wanted to eat his snack, so he put his work back on the shelf, put on an apron, went into the bathroom and washed his hands, went the practical life shelf and ever so carefully poured himself a glass of juice. He then put the juice on the snack table. He was just as careful with serving himself crackers. He placed the bowl on the snack table, pulled the chair out, sat down, and gingerly ate his snack. The child was 4 years old.
I reflected on the amount of independence this child must feel by preparing his own snack, rather than relying on an adult to serve him food and drink. Of course, behind the scenes there is much preparation by the classroom teachers to lead up to this point. First of all, the child was not new to the class, but had been there an entire year. Second, we must remember the teacher demonstrates how everything is done (basically giving a lesson on how to prepare snack), before the child tries it out on his own.
While one might think “practical life” is only utilized in preschool, older students can benefit from it as well. Here is a list of some of the benefits of practical life in the Montessori classroom listed by the North American Montessori Center (NAMC):

Expanded concentration

Following step-by-step instructions

Practicing sequencing

Developing logical thought patterns

Showing respect for self, classmates, teachers, and the environment

Developing self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-control

The link to the entire blog entry is here:
http://www.montessoritraining.blogspot.com/2008/06/importance-of-practical-life-activities_11.html
Practical life activities in elementary can include sewing, food preparation, fabric crafts, social graces, etc.
In our upper elementary/middle school classroom, we have a practical life shelf. Having students ages 9 to 13, we have to be a bit more creative so they do feel enticed by the activities. Last year in spring, I gave my students 3 or 4 crochet lessons, but we did not have a practical shelf. This year, we have a basket on the shelf, with yarn, crochet hooks, and books available to the students.

We also have knitting rings available, as our students will be making hats and scarves for a community service project they are participating in. The hats and scarves will go to the homeless (this project is part of Warm for Winter. Here is a
link that gives some info	about the program:

http://www.interfaithcouncil.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=161 (It is a local Washington State campaign.)

Gathering Creative Ideas

2009-09-30T22:04:00.000-07:00

Prior to my Montessori training last year, I was never that interested in crafts. I didn't feel I had the patience for handcrafts or art in general. However, with Saturdays upon Saturdays (I had Saturday classes) of exposure to creative teacher-made materials, I must say it began to rub off. The kicker was when we were taught hand-sewing, cross-stitching and crochet. I found myself doing sewing projects, buying fabric, and buying books on crochet.

I have to say that now I am constantly in search of fun crafts and art project ideas for kids. So when the fair came around this year, I made sure to visit the crafts building. In fact, I had the chance to visit two different fairs this past week: the Spokane County Fair and the Puyallup Fair. I decided to take pictures of the children art projects and 4-H to create a visual idea bank for future reference. I suppose as a newer teacher, I do not have a full "bag of tricks" yet, so I must search for and borrow ideas from others; however I can imagine this being a life-long process.

Painted brown paper Bug Collection!!

A ship made from toothpicks. Simple, yet beautiful.

This one below has fashion designs

made from colorful paper cut-outs.

Quite creative and fun.

Colorful eggshell art Origami animal display

The following are from the Puyallup Fair, and are from mostly high school students:

3-D painted paper octopus paper art

more 3-D painted paper scratchboard

This one would make a nice project:

It is sketched and labeled parts of a mountain bike

with a clay model laying below the sketch.

While some of these art projects are from skilled, experienced students, they provide more ideas to go back to. Here are some nice posterboard presentations that I saw as well:

Life of a prarie child Lee vs. Grant by a 12-yr-old

This particular presentation was awarded the grand prize. I only have the

top part of the poster, as well as the wooden ant model.

This was a beautiful presentation made
of the Bloomsday race, which is held
in Spokane, WA every year. Below
this was a 3-D model of the race
course. Amazing work.

While my intention was to gather new ideas, I wanted to also note that it is important to remember what children are really capable of.

Welcome to India

2009-09-29T22:44:00.001-07:00

This week we began our culture/history theme of the Mughals and India. My co-teacher happens to be from India, so she is - of course - quite knowledgable of the region and its history. She spent her weekend preparing the classroom, decorating much of the room with clothes and other interesting items from India.
On Monday we had the students gather in the other classroom while we got ready the materials for a special Indian welcoming ceremony. She had a tray with 2 small homemade oil lamps and rose water, and she handed me garlands she had made from streamers wrapped together. We had the students line up outside the classroom and enter one by one.

As they entered, my co-teacher first sprinkled the rose water on them, then swirled the candles around in front of them. After that I placed the garland around their necks. As the students entered they saw a classroom decorated with beautiful objects from India.
Once they had all entered and sat down on chairs that had been lined up near the computer to watch a short video, my co-teacher gave them an explanation of the greeting, and answered questions they had. The students watched a short video on India that showed different images with accompanying music. Following this short video clip, the students asked questions about India.

Later on throughout the day, the students were encouraged to explore the culture shelves which contained many beautiful objects from India.
One particular thing the students were encouraged to try was the "Indian mouth-freshener" - a combination of spices that leave a nice taste in your mouth, however it is an acquired taste.


Indian mouth-freshener

On the shelf, she also had common Indian spices on a tray, and in bottles - all with nice labels.

The wall next to the culture shelves is decorated with beautiful Indian clothes.

It takes a lot of work, but the children are so much more engaged when you take the time to "prepare the environment." I was quite impressed by all the effort my co-teacher put in, and wanted to share this lesson with all of you.

The Classroom

2009-09-17T23:04:00.000-07:00

My coteacher and I had two weeks before school began to thouroughly prepare our classrooms. Because the main classroom we are working from is a tight fit, meaning that not all the appropriate sections will fit in that classroom, we decided to utilize the classroom right across the hall. After getting feedback from an experienced coworker, we decided to have the geography, culture, history, science, and language sections in one classroom, and the geometry and math materials in the other classroom.

Last year was our first year as Montessori teachers, so our classroom dramatically changed from the previous year. Such was this case this year as well- furniture was moved around, materials added to the shelves, new ideas implemented. Our newly-acquired awareness of the importance of the prepared environment made us quite particular, but also at a loss at times because we are still fairly new to Montessori.

The following are photos of our main classroom. We give culture lessons here, and the students conduct their research, do their reading and writing here as well.

This is a photo of our classroom library, showing the comfy bean bags for students to feel comfortable.

This is our circle area, even though we have "big" kids (ages 9-12), we still have circle as it is a nice way to begin the class, and a more unified way of sitting rather than in desks or tables. I feel the circle is much more intimate, the children are all sitting next to each other and everyone is facing one another. Everyone is literally at the same level: seated on the floor, including the teachers. If you'll notice on the shelves, we have our culture and science sections. We were just studying a mini-theme of Ramadan, including the phases of the moon. Our next theme will be of the Mughal empire in India.

The photos from the language section did not turn out, so I will post those later.

The follow photos are taken from our other classroom:

This is the math section, with all math materials on surrounding shelves. You'll notice there are still empty shelves, we are still in the process of acquiring all materials.

Here is our geometry section. As you will notice, again our shelves are bare: materials are so expensive! But our generous parent teacher organization allocated $2000 for math and geometry materials. However, fellow Montessorians will all understand that that is not nearly enough, but it's a start!

This is student seating, and the teacher's desk in the back. The shelves along the wall are for art materials.

Welcome to our classrooms! Now, we have 17 students, and are thinking of changing it around, as 17 do not fit in our main classroom at the same time, so we are trying to figure out what to do.

Phases of the Moon Work Board

2009-09-12T22:57:00.000-07:00

Last week I decided to give a lesson on the Phases of the Moon, to introduce the lunar calendar to our students. My Montessori training program included masters for all the phases of the moon. I copied, cut out and colored lightly each phase and pasted it to a darker outline of the moon. Last spring I attempted to make this same material, but I failed to superimpose the moon phase onto the dark gray moon outline. My instructors corrected me, explaining how the gray outline is necessary in order to give a more realistic dipiction of the shape of the moon and how the shape of the moon remains constant, but the light relfected is what changes.

Here is the final product which I used to give my lesson last week. I also provided a work board, wherein the students match the name of the phase with the moon phase itself.

While we could have purchased a material like this, teacher-made materials are important to have in the classroom. First of all, if the teacher makes the material, he/she understands it entirely - including possible extension activites, as well as the limitations of the material. The teacher is also more attached to the matieral and the students know this and are more likely to respect the material. Also, when the students see the teacher making materials, they feel more confident that they, too, can make their own (Here, for example, students would feel more confident making their own phases of the moon chart).

Setting Limits in the Classroom, by Robert J. Mackenzie

2009-09-02T23:25:00.000-07:00

Although nothing can take the place of years under the belt, and observations of experienced teachers, I really really wish I had read the book Setting Limits in the Classroom: How to Move Beyond the Classroom Dance of Discipline before I dove head first into my first year of teaching. One particular section in the book is titled "Mistaken Beliefs About Structure", and I must say I possessed all of the following mistaken beliefs: (summarized excerpt from the above mentioned book)

1. Teaching rules is the parents' job.
        Reality: In the classroom, teaching rules in the teacher's job, but the parents can help.
What would you think if a parent called you at home one evening to complain? "I can't get Jason to clean up his room," says the frustrated parent. "He knows what he's supposed to do. Would you talk to him?"
   Would you think this was a little strange? Aren't parents supposed to be the primary authority figures in the home? ... The same principle applies to the classroom, in which teachers are the primary authority figures.

(As obvious as this may seem, it is quite easy to think of just calling a student's parents instead of getting them to behave yourself. As a lost, inexperienced teacher, calling the parents - or even threatening to contact parents can become an overused crutch and ultimately loses any of its initial effectiveness.)

2. Children should know what I expect.
    Reality: Students need time to learn your rules and expectations.

(Just because a student had attended school before and has been in a classroom setting - never assume he/she knows how to behave. Different teachers have different expectations of behavior. It is unrealistic and unfair to assume students know what you expect. Again, this seems obvious in theory; however it is all too easy to forget to communicate what you expect until misbehavior occurs.)

3. I can't afford to take precious time away from instruction.
   Reality: You can't afford not to. Pay up front and invest the necessary time in teaching your rules effectively, or do a sloppy job and pay as you go...Effective structure is one of the cheapest and least time-consuming forms of classroom management.

(This is much easier to remember if you realize that you should not just focus on the academic side of the child, but the child as a whole. This is one of the benefits of the Montessori curriculum, there is an emphasis on focusing on the child as a whole.)

4. If I cover my rules thoroughly in the beginning of the year, I shouldn't need to do it again.
   Reality: Rules need to be taught, practiced, reviewed, retaught, and practiced some more.
How many complicated lessons do you teach with full mastery in two weeks or less? Not reading, or math, or spelling, or science...Why should it be different with the complicated lesson of teaching classroom rules?

5. Explaining my rules to children should be enough.
   Reality: Rules need to be taught with words and actions, not words alone.

6. Children won't take me seriously unless I'm strict.
  Reality: Being strict without being respectful will not earn the willing cooperation of most students.
     Children respond best when rules are communicated with firmness and respect, but firmness down not mean harshness. Fear and intimidation provide no lasting basis for cooperation.

7. If children hear my rules often enough, the message will begin to sink in.
    Reality: Actions speak louder than words.
Imagine that you're a fifth-grade teacher. You've told your students repeatedly that it's not OK to arrive in class late from recess, but day after day the same group of kids shows up late, and nothing happens but the same old lecture. Why should they take you seriously? What would convince them that you are really serious about their prompt arrival?
   Now let's say you decide to take a different approach. The next time your students show up late, they see you standing at the door with a stopwatch. You click the watch as the last student enters and announce, "You guys owe me eight minutes - two minutes for every one that you arrived late. You'll be staying in class the first eight minutes of your next recess."
These guys really like recess. Do you think the message will get across? What convinced them - your words? or your effective action?

8. Students resent firm rules and teachers that make them.
   Reality: Students respect teachers who establish clear, firm classroom rules, particularly when those rules are communicated in a respectful manner.
   When rules are clear, firm, and carried out in a consistent and respectful manner, students know where they stand and what is expected. There is less need for testing.

(This has been my particular weakness. I have always lacked a firmness in my approach. My first year was the most difficult because I lacked the structure necessary to keep the students from controlling the class. Last year I learned more, and I'm hoping this year I can be even more firm. I think I'm starting out that way..it is only the second day of school.)

9. When my students sense that I care, they will cooperate.
   Reality: Caring is important, but caring alone is not enough to achieve consistent cooperation.
   Caring and firm limits work hand in hand, but caring without firm limits will not earn you the respect of many of your strong-willed students.

10. Male teachers make the best disciplinarians.
   Reality: In the classroom, power and authority belong to those who exercise them.

I hope this tid-bit of knowledge can be of benefit to someone; I highly recommend this book for teachers and for parents.

Preparing the Environment, Part 1: Lessons Learned

2009-08-26T22:57:00.000-07:00

It being the week before school starts, my co-teacher and I are scrambling to "prepare the environment" and get the two classrooms we will be using ready for the students when they arrive on Tuesday, September 1st exactly at 8:20am. We have both finished our Montessori classes and are full of enthusiasm, ideas, and newly-found wisdom that we did not possess before training.

When I first began my teaching, I was sort of thrown into an upper elementary classroom (mixed ages, grades 4-6) without much to go on. However, zeal can go a long way, even if there is limited knowledge to accompany it. I plastered the high classroom walls with commercially-designed posters about the 6 writing traits, along with color motivational posters encouraging students to "Respect Each Other" and to "Be Responsible." I made sure all the walls were properly decorated, including pictures for the first theme of the year: astronomy. I arranged the desks in neat rows, four by four, and got ready the worksheets I would need for the first week. I made sure there was a "Writing Center" and a "Reading Center." I reserved a small wall to the side of my white board for the rules the classroom rules the students would come up with themselves and then sign their names to. That was two years ago.

The Montessori classroom is quite different from the classic conventional classroom (in a good way). First of all, there is an emphasis on creating a calming, welcoming atmosphere that is child-centered, not teacher-centered. The environment should be beautified with things such as plants, cultural items, a nice lamp, decorative art, etc.

There should be minimal to no commercial posters, the walls should be left for the students' work or that small painting you bought at Cost Plus World Market (for example). Would we as adults want our office covered in multi-colored of bulletin boards bordered by rainbow butterflies, along with cheap commercial posters urging us to "Do your Best"? Especially for younger children, the colors are actually distracting and do not lead to a calm environment. I would say that the same goes for older students. Myself, as an adult, I find too much visual stimuli distracting. Sitting here in this coffee shop near my home, the wall across from me has more than 50 posters advertising various singers, shows, etc. I have not read or noticed a single poster. The other wall, however, has paintings sparsely displayed for sale. They are much easier to see, because they are not a sea of images, but just four or five. It is easy for my eyes to focus on the individual paintings.

Our current classrooms have no posters, and only one teacher-created bulletin board - the other bulletin boards are open for posting student work. We also have potted plants and decorative times, such as a small reading lamp that has a stained-glass shade, as well as cultural items for our shelves. Once it is clean and organized, I will be taking photos and posting them. It's a shame I have no photos from my first classroom to compare to this year. But, oh how I've learned.