Freedom in the Montessori Classroom

Planning Next Year

At the end of each school year, I get so jazzed that I plan for about a month afterward. I'm fresh and fertile in my mind and make the best designed plans for units at that time. Luckily, I am ending one course and about the begin another. This should keep my mind spinning through the hot summer.

When do you finally calm down after the school year stops?

Calming the Crazy

It's the end of the year and a new brand of insanity has descended onto our little darlings. They really need to do this. . .
But instead, we want try to keep them in their seats and learning until the end. Getting control is a special challenge at this time.

Add to this. . .

• the new springtime phenomenon of thunder storms
  
• a few hormones (grade 5+)
• fear about the end of school
• anticipation
• special parties for summer birthdays and their infusion of sugar
• field trips galore
• distracted teachers who are also looking forward to the summer
• many more assorted distractions

and you've got a bit of a classroom mess on your hands. I'm also noticing something that I had only seen in the exorcist. Kids get so excited that they arch their backs, throw back their heads, roll their eyes, and just scream with energy. Calming them and getting them to focus requires consistency and brutal patience. (brutal on us)

The challenges of spring are brought on by many stimuli, including the following. . .

• increase in the amount of sunlight our bodies get
• joyful rebirth of flowers and grasses
• hayfever
  
• anxiety over summer plans
• anxiety about work (contract renewal, evaluation, testing, etc)

So many of these things can be tempered if we, the adults, are conscious of them and remember that they effect us too. When you are in your special screaming room at school (janitor's cupboard, gym ball closet, etc), take a few breaths and remember. . .

• how excited you used to get when you were a kid
• what calmed you down or focussed your mind
  
• that you love your students
• that it is natural to get excited at this time

Work out a situation with another teacher so that she can watch your kids and give you ten minutes and you can do the same. Have children make up summer reading lists and give good reasons why their peers should read a particular book. Make a Top-10 list of the best things to do on a hot day. Make a class plan about promoting peace, kindness, etc. this summer, and a way to be accountable for that. Sing.

Enjoy your last days of the year. I'm done on Friday of this week!

Down Syndrome

Yesterday I heard a rather unpleasant conversation. I was at the beauty parlor and the woman next to me, also 39, was discussing her reasons for not having another child. She sited the financial burdens of a child and another college fund, and then went on to genetic reasons.

"And the chances of it having Down's Syndrome are astronomical!" she said to her stylist.

I was shocked at the tone that this woman had about some of the sweetest people on this earth. One would think that such a child was the spawn of Satan or other terrible curse to the world.

Children and adults with Down's Syndrome are some of the sweetest souls I've ever met. Among their number, I have never encountered a rude, selfish, insensitive, bitter, cruel, or cantancorous person. Perhaps they will not have highly skilled employment, but they bring joy to all around them. I have had the pleasure of teaching many such people and I always remember them with a smile.

Any kind of disability is an opportunity for the rest of us to grasp the essence of humanity. Any Special Education teacher will tell you that. Before we dismiss embryos for their possible faults,let's imagine their contributions.

Visiting Others in their classrooms

I'm taking a class on the Harlem Renaissances, and this past weekend, we discussed the difference between European composers who actually heard jazz (Ravel) and European composers who had jazz explained to them (Debussy). The differences are quite striking. While Debussy is an amazing composer, his jazzy music doesn't bring the free, improvisatory essence of the art to listeners as Ravel's does.

The lesson?

If you want to incorporate something into your practice, you need to actually see it in action. Reading about it or having it explained doesn't cut it!

Teachers have many methods and philosophies to choose from. It seems that all of them need to be modeled in order for us to "get it". Have you ever been frustrated by an administration that doesn't treat their teachers with the same respect and positive motivation that they wanted for their students? Have you come across parents who wanted to learn to be more effective, but they only have "Supernanny" and "The Dog Whisperer" as examples? Here are some examples. . .

• "Students of adolescent age and older learn best in peer groups. Lecture format doesn't reach them." The administrator then proceeds to lecture the faculty on the topic.
  
• "Have you used time-outs with your child?" - well-meaning teacher. The parents nod and say that it doesn't work, but they don't understand the tone they need to use, length of time-out, purpose of self-regulation that the time-out provides, etc. They have also never witnessed a child being timed out properly.
  
• Administrator: "Your circle time needs to be calmer and more productive." Teacher: "I'm following Responsive Classroom." Administrator: "You need to try harder." Here, the teacher is using a theory and hasn't really seen this in actual practice. She can "try" until the cows come home, but it takes a visit to a great circle time to see the nuances that she's missing.
  

As our culture becomes more isolating, we are seeing a breakdown of parenting skills. This translates into a breakdown of classroom discipline. Small, nuclear families don't provide opportunities for children to learn how to raise children the way extended families do. Mothers who used to pool coupons, car rides, etc. are now acting independently and don't share tips and strategies.

As we enter this lovely "nesting" season, let's make closer ties to our colleagues and parents. Let's visit one another in our classrooms and get some fresh ideas. Let's encourage one another in our practice so that we can finish the year strong. Let's invite parents into the class to show them how we control a room with love and firmness. Let's be examples for one another.

We need to be gentle with one another

One of my first grade students recently lost his father after a long battle with cancer. This little boy (Abe), is struggling with the concepts of death. Abe has had many problems in school and is being treated by psychologists and is involved in his church among other coping/healing resources.

Yesterday Abe was talking to another boy (Paul) about his late father. Abe was shouting at Paul and I went over to see what was going on. Abe had told Paul that his dad had a copy of Godzilla with him. Paul said, "Your dad is being eaten by worms and disintegrating in the ground. He can't possibly read." Abe said, "No, no, he's in heaven and he can read."

I interjected, "Abe's father is in heaven and is a spirit. His spirit was separated from his body when he died. Now he can fit in between the pages of all the books in the library and read them whenever he wants to. He can also see Abe grow up and some day become a dad and later a grandpa."

Abe relaxed and looked smugly at Paul.

Paul was indignant and defended his position.

I added, "you boys need to do your work and this conversation isn't helping either of you." I had Paul relocate over to me. "Paul, do you have your parents?"

He nodded and said, "of course."

"They are both alive?"

He nodded and said, "of course."

"They are both living in the same house with you?"

He nodded and said, "of course. Why are you asking ridiculous questions?"

I said, "Paul, many children don't get to see their parents every day like you do. You have no idea how it feels to lose a parent. You need to be more gentle with Abe."

Paul's eyes began to well with tears. "I lost my grandpa last year, and I only got to see him once." His little shoulders shook and his eyes flowed.

"We need to be gentle with you too," I added, and touched his arm. "We need to be more gentle with each other." I did a little work and let him get his composure back. "Now, tell me about the monsters in the mountain from your story."

Remember to be gentle with the people in your world today.

Dementor Day Spa

The following is an article I uncovered. It has nothing to do with the usual nature of my blog, but I feel that this news is important to share.

Washington D.C.: Senior White House staff have confirmed the existence of a Dementor day-spa and salon on the lawn of the Washington Monument in the heart of our nation’s capitol. The spa’s signature service, “Tantric Kiss and Massage”, has been performed on senior White House staff, including the President himself.

Origins of the Spa: Few know that when Nixon went to China in 1972 he was presented with a mated pair of Demiguise, rare primates whose hair renders them invisible. Delighted, President Nixon presented his favorite Dementor to the Chinese Premiere, Mao Tse-tung. Little did the President know but the Premiere refused Nixon’s gift, hiding the Dementors in the Demiguise’ cage for shipment back to the United States.

Nixon, known for his reclusiveness, sought a retreat from the batterings of the American Press Corps. He harvested the Demiguise hair and sent it to The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. JPL incorporated the hair into a space-age paint. Nixon had a fort constructed which resembled the tree house in his Orange County, California home, and had it covered with the new paint. The result was the prototype for what would become the Dementor Day Spa.

A good place, turned bad: Republican Jesse Helms , Senator from North Carolina, was skeptical of the President’s good fortune in China and thirsted to see his ruin. Helms is a wizard, degreed from the Kalvinist Kolledge of Kontrol (KKK), and could see Dementors floating outside of the White House gates, kept at bay by the Vice President’s turkey patronus.

Helms had the CIA follow Nixon and soon discovered his fort. Bribing a Dementor with promises of new prey, he installed a Dementor in the fort. One evening, after the end of the Viet Nam War, Nixon fled to his shack for a much-needed nap. While asleep, the Dementor sucked out his soul and gave him a refreshing massage. Helms put imperiused Nixon who returned to the White House to discuss strategies with his campaign committee. Thus, Helms saw to what would become The Watergate scandal and the fall of the President.

Dementor Day Spa: Jesse Helms made additions to the shack, turning it into a luxurious, one-room spa. Setting unplotable and muggle-repelling charms on it, he covered it with Demiguise paint that he had made from some creatures given to him when he negotiated human rights deals with the Chinese. He became an avid breeder of Dementors and delighted in the entirety of the Carter administration.

The Most Exclusive Club in Washington: Today the Republican Party is enjoying the fruits of Jesse Helms’ establishment of the Dementor Day Spa. Scooter Libby and Vice President Cheney received treatments there during George W. Bush’s campaign. “It made him so positive and optimistic,” a top White House contact commented, “he believed in George and the cause of the Right 100%.”

The George W. Bush Administration: Cheney was so pleased with his refreshing treatment at the spa that he encouraged Helms to share “the gift” with the President on inauguration day. At 5am on January 20, 2001, George W. Bush awoke to the sounds of Veela singing. The lovely creatures massaged and caressed the soon-to-be-President who chuckled and whispered “it’s good to be the President.” The Dementor delivered his kiss soon afterward. “It was great,” commented the President in a private moment, “I took the oath, but I knew I had no intention of actually upholding the Constitution. For the first time in my life I felt no guilt for swearing a false oath!”

Since that fateful day, the Dementors’ kisses have shown their “love” in the dark and almost possessed activities of the administration. Mr. Libby and Vice-President Cheney have committed treason against The United States of America in leaking the names of undercover CIA operatives. These leaks have caused the deaths of several US spies and many more of their foreign contacts. Due to the power of the Dementor’s kiss however, these men have no guilt for their actions.

President Bush has ignored the Constitution he swore to uphold. He has instituted “signing statements” which usurp the power of the Legislative Branch of government. He has appointed (kissed) members to The Supreme Court who are dedicated to eradicating the Bill of Rights and the First Article to the Constitution. He has lied to begin a war which has lead to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and the destruction of the morale of two countries. He has pardoned those who gave retribution for the exposure of those lies. He has looked into the devil-eyes of Vladimir Putin and Mahmud Ahmadinejad, and called them good. He has supported treason. He has betrayed the country he once so dearly loved.

The Next Administration: Thus far, it appears that the souls of Senators Obama, and McCain are intact. I strongly recommend that they be given extra patronesses by the prayers of us all.