Parents and teachers are some of the most inspiring people at work in the world today.  We’ll break into song when the first robin appears, dance a jig when the sun breaks through the clouds, cry on the last day of school, and laugh when it snows in April. We begin each day hoping to impart knowledge.  At day’s end, we consider all we have learned.  Cliché, Pollyannaish, but true:  learning really is the best part of teaching.  The best part of parenting really is seeing the world through the eyes of a child once again. Our true stories sometimes become parables, inve ..read more

November 7, 2022 It takes time for children to differentiate between fact and wish. It takes time for them to realize that they cannot make something become so simply because they say it is so. After all, children hear adults say all manner of outlandish things, things that stun and amaze them. It must seem to children that those nearly unimaginable things are true simply because the adult has said so. It is natural for a child to attempt to work some magic himself. Perhaps if the child practices saying amazing things for a long enough time and insists hard enough that they are true, he can de ..read more

Order and Predictability in the Child’s Life Years ago when I took my Primary training, the assistant trainer presented us with a picture of the word ‘chaos’ being slowly re-formed into the word ‘order’. I would love to locate that diagram but alas, it is, paradoxically, lost in the chaos of old notes and articles and thoughts jotted on papers still too meaningful to toss. Yet it remains in my mind’s eye as a reflection of the young child’s journey from the chaos of a short life of acquisition of myriad images from an adult’s world to the beginnings of an ordered self-creation acquired through ..read more

On a recent morning, I had two sets of prospective parents scheduled to observe in the same primary class (mixed-age of 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds), a half-hour apart. One of the more satisfying parts of my job is to meet with prospective parents after their first observation in a Montessori school. I usually start the conversation by asking, “What did you see in the classroom? Did anything surprise you? What were your impressions?” On this particular morning I was struck by the complete contrast in the impressions of the two couples, for while the first said it was too structured, the second sai ..read more

November 6, 2022 One of the great pleasures of being a Montessori educator is the opportunity for reflection and renewal that is made possible by the work we do. Recently I had no less than a spiritual awakening when considering our craft. An elder Quaker friend of mine was speaking of the importance of discernment when attempting to move forward when challenged; that is, letting go of our own preoccupations so as to let the Divine inspire our actions. Through this process, one winnows the desires, thoughts, and personal attachments that might otherwise cloud guidance from Spirit. It struck me ..read more

November 6, 2022 She’s too young, I thought, and too new to the community. What’s she doing stepping into the rage between these two older boys? But there she was, Marcy, all wide-eyed and eager to practice the mediation skills the new children were learning and the older children took for granted. “You both seem red-hot,” she said to the two angry older boys, “so first let’s just sit down together and take a deep breath.” “Oh, no,” I thought, “they’re too angry to listen to her. What will they say? What will they do? It’s true, we do just sit down together at a time like this and take a deep ..read more

November 6, 2022 My husband, Zach, is a Montessori alumnus.  He attended Montessori starting at age 3 through 6th grade, then transitioned into the local public school system.  I’d like to use him as an anecdotal example in this post. Zach is a bit of an anomaly.  He is incredibly smart in many areas, but was a late bloomer, at least when it came to reading.  He didn’t read well until the 2nd or 3rd grade.  But, as Montessorians often know to expect, at some point in that year something “clicked on” and he began reading voraciously– his sensitive period for readi ..read more

For the older child, when we walk into a classroom we expect to see a wide array of work areas including tables, chairs, floor mats, pillows, quiet corners, etc. Yet, when thinking of children under one, we don’t typically understand that as much emphasis should be placed on preparing them a ‘work area.’ From birth, the infant is learning to adapt to his or her world through the senses. One of the most rapid acquisitions in the first year is the development of the movement. From being completely immobile at birth, the young infant goes from producing involuntary to voluntary movement. This hap ..read more

November 5, 2022 Years ago at a convention of educators, a lecturer showed a video of a young toddler trying to walk. With each new fall, the little boy got back up, unfazed, and continued. After a few minutes, and with a bunch of benevolent “Ooohhs” and “ahhhhs” from the audience, he was eventually walking. When the video stopped, the presenter left up on the screen an image of the boy, now proudly standing tall, and she said: “Isn’t he precious? and all those little falls of his – so cute!” The audience was beaming in agreement. But our mood immediately changed with her next words: “How ..read more

Elisha Hardy, Benefits Trust Manager from the Center for Nonprofit Advancement, joins us to provide an updated session regarding available Group Health Plans. Elisha provides support, excellent customer service, information and guidance to Center members while interacting with them to deliver professional and efficient service. Here is a link to the previous session recording for reference. Tyler Stewart, advisor with The Capital Group, joins us for an update on retirement plans. Multiple Employer Plans allow for decrease in costs as the number of ..read more