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Getting Back on the Montessori Wagon
With the birth or our daughter, I found myself slacking off in the "Montessori parenting" department. Gone are the days when Zach and I could spend 30 minutes cooking together, and my patience and resolve are minimal these days due to sleep deprivation and meeting the needs of a tiny human 24/7.
When I started noticing that my 3-year old was acting a little like an entitled brat, I knew that the changes to his lifestyle were to blame; I realized I had to modify his environment, routine, and expe…
When I started noticing that my 3-year old was acting a little like an entitled brat, I knew that the changes to his lifestyle were to blame; I realized I had to modify his environment, routine, and expe…
Bursting the Montessori Bubble
"At what point do you burst the Montessori bubble?" a friend recently asked. She has two young children in Montessori, but is considering taking the traditional education route once they finish Primary. My first thought was, Why would you want to burst it?
Why leave Montessori if you don't have to?
But my friend is not alone in her concern: many parents feel that Montessori shelters children from tests, grades, and competition. Based on their own childhoods, parents often believe that only…
Cursive Cards
For the past few weeks, Zach has shown a strong interest in sounds and letters. He's constantly pointing out letters and asking what sound they make, and then thinking of words that start with that sound. However, he's not keen on tracing the sandpaper letters. I can't say I blame him; ours are pretty rough (because they're new) and his index and middle fingers are very sensitive because he sucks them!
It irritates me that he doesn't see cursive letters anywhere except in school (most signs th…
It irritates me that he doesn't see cursive letters anywhere except in school (most signs th…
Protecting the Natural Mind
It's one of the questions that divides Montessorians: What would Maria Montessori think about children and technology? Some tend to think that Dr. Montessori - as a forward thinker - would embrace technology and incorporate it into the classroom. Others take the opposite viewpoint, arguing that although technology has evolved at a rapid pace over the past 100 years, brain development has not. They feel that the classroom should only offer activities that support the way children's brains natural…
Choosing a Montessori School: Uninterrupted work period
Imagine you arrive at work at 8am, energized and ready to work on a fun but challenging project that will require several hours of your time. You know that to really get the project on solid footing and make sense of its complexity, you need several hours of uninterrupted focus. You sit down at your desk, fire up your computer, and start organizing your thoughts. Suddenly, a reminder pops up on your computer screen:
Mandatory staff meeting @ 8:45am.
Now, answer this question truthfully: Knowi…Some Light Summer Reading
I was recently asked to make a list of books that help parents understand Montessori, and I realized it would make a good resource on this blog. Check out the "Recommended Reading" page and feel free to suggest your favorites in the comments! Happy reading!
How To Observe in a Montessori Classroom
The wonderful guys and gals at Montessori Madmen have shared this insightful guide to observation (originally provided by Little Things Montessori). A Montessori classroom can seem as odd and confusing as an exotic foreign country, so consider this article your travel guide!
When I was a teacher, I was often frustrated by how parents behaved when they came to observe the classroom. They would talk to each other, walk around the room, talk on their cell phones (yes, I'm not kidding), engage the …
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