tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76800368139636006952024-02-18T22:43:31.621-05:00MontessoriSeedsDictionary.com says seed(v)(used with an object)means to place, introduce, etc., especially in the hope of increase. May this blog serve that purpose! Matthew Simberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07477228092701929706noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680036813963600695.post-30275921163625979682019-07-15T16:18:00.000-04:002019-07-15T17:40:26.038-04:00Premise is Peace<div style="text-align: justify;">
I have almost completed going through practical applications of communications between adults in previous posts. We reviewed scenarios and the psychology of interactions. While all of that is important, it is nothing without understanding that we have an inherent drive towards peace. Moving forward and having long-lasting successful interactions, we have to keep in our minds that our premise is peace. </div>
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Keeping this in mind does not take away from the fact that we may not agree with someone’s communications or interactions. However, we can “agree to disagree,” more agreeably when we believe that our goal, and the other person’s goal, is peace. The route to peace may not look the same for you as it does for the other person. How you get there or think the other person should get there may not be the same, but the end result is equivalent; the goal is peace. When we accept this, believe this, and keep this in our minds, interactions become easier.</div>
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Step one towards peace for ourselves and our interactions is understanding. Over the past five years of starting my own school, and now moving to a new location, I have experienced an onslaught of emotions, tensions, and frustrations. When going through these types of processes, there is a lot that is out of our control. People are counted on to do their job correctly, and to do it on time or early. All too often, this very well may not happen. There are even people who become involved in a project, who may sabotage (or seem like they are sabotaging) the process to get to the goal. Anger and frustrations towards these people surface. All the while, it is so important to be resourceful, rather than give and find solutions. This is applicable to the interrelationships between guides, parents, and administrators too.</div>
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We have all heard people say things like, “life is hard.” This is true. There are going to be obstacles, challenges, and change in our lives. That is a given, right? What is one thing that separates successful and fulfilled people from those who are not? It is how we handle difficult experiences. Part of how we handle these experiences starts with a determination for peace. We can agree that everything and every living being is made up of energy. </div>
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You and I have a 24 hour a day internal experience filled with emotions and thoughts. Our perceptions, interpretations, and communications of those emotions and thoughts is what lays the groundwork for our further interactions with ourselves and others. While we will still experience anger or frustration towards ourselves and others, those emotions will become less strong when we remember that the goal is peace. Furthermore, our internal experience seems to be so intricate that I want to offer something for you to consider. When you think of everyone and everything as being energy, there are no boundaries that separate us and it is all connected. We are all connected. Herein lies what I want to try to offer to you as practically speaking as possible. </div>
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The conflict and/or frustration that you are having with someone else, whether it is over timelines not being met, commitments not being honored, etc. starts and ends with you. What is the internal conflict that you feel in yourself that is reflecting your external experience that “someone else is causing?” It is a tough pill to swallow and it is very easy to be dismissive of it, but I want to challenge you to swallow the pill and experiment. Here is a simple exercise that takes maybe five minutes, that you can do before having a communication that you are not looking forward to. You can even do it for something or someone you are looking forward to. This is also something you can do for five minutes a day leading up to a meeting or event.</div>
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<b>Before the meeting: Do the following in your mind, like a meditation.</b></div>
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<ol>
<li>Find a quiet space and sit in a comfortable position. </li>
<li>Take a few slow deep breaths and let go of any tension you are feeling physically or emotionally. </li>
<li>Self check what your predisposed judgments are, and if they are negative, breathe them out.</li>
<li>Self-talk positive affirmations to replace those judgments. </li>
<li>Now that your mind is clear and you are feeling more positive, imagine the experience the way that you hope for it to go. Imagine the room and experience being bright and cheery. </li>
<li>Take a few slow deep breaths and put your awareness at the front and center of your chest as you imagine warm and good feelings. </li>
<li>Thank yourself and the person (or people) for their participation in coming to a peaceful resolution. </li>
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What are some things that this simple exercise does?</div>
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It aligns you back to a positive space. Negative thoughts and emotions begin to, or completely, dissolve. </div>
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Why does this work? </div>
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You are reacknowledging the connection between you and all things. We have awareness and unawareness, and we want to utilize our awareness of connection. There is a belief in God that you have or the Universe or something of the sort. If everything is connected and connected to God and or the Universe, then we all fall under that connection. </div>
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<a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/nNu2_GSqwy_NfrEoyRqCeEfsttwrZPjOxEbk6QwfC9KSzb_BlWnYmX-chO-5y75QOxVKas64XTgxbQGTl1YXJnA1Dj5cPFCOpGxFua888fVqon76EkJh_yq3E2gbrL1TPRitDSOx"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/nNu2_GSqwy_NfrEoyRqCeEfsttwrZPjOxEbk6QwfC9KSzb_BlWnYmX-chO-5y75QOxVKas64XTgxbQGTl1YXJnA1Dj5cPFCOpGxFua888fVqon76EkJh_yq3E2gbrL1TPRitDSOx" width="320" /></a></div>
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Remember, the premise is peace. When we come from this mindset, things become easier to experience because of this perception, interpretation, and ability to allow ourselves to be open-minded enough to be resourceful. When we always intend to be peaceful with others, even in difficult situations, we can find ways to make peace possible.</div>
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Give this a try, and/or share your thoughts with me, and, in turn, your insights and shared experiences can be utilized by others. There is so much to be gained by all of us through sharing. This is why history can be so beneficial and is often enjoyed by so many. We teach our children history because we hope they benefit from the shared experiences of others. I believe that sharing about our experiences is a component in our daily personal and professional lives that is all too often overlooked. Let’s remember to be aware of our intentions and practice this perception of a premise for peace together.</div>
Matthew Simberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07477228092701929706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680036813963600695.post-79784620336262503282019-02-11T17:12:00.001-05:002019-02-11T17:12:46.384-05:00Work<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid36YITJiyz_byN0Uxb2WNWUPR4skOG2Imnpf-3F6PmHbteTqEa0BweQ1KgWbruiH0d8CkZxhZr65WR-QHOBMzO0gmKk5j1JSOceuc_V__fDOcfFMeOlwmt3MLb-dw-hVH5G3XeDqPPbQ/s1600/work+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid36YITJiyz_byN0Uxb2WNWUPR4skOG2Imnpf-3F6PmHbteTqEa0BweQ1KgWbruiH0d8CkZxhZr65WR-QHOBMzO0gmKk5j1JSOceuc_V__fDOcfFMeOlwmt3MLb-dw-hVH5G3XeDqPPbQ/s320/work+2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What do you think of when you think of work? What do your family members, colleagues, peers, employees, and children say or think?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you google, “define work,” you will come up with a definition that you will probably find surprising. Using the word work as a verb, it states, “</span><span style="color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">be engaged in physical or mental activity in order to achieve a purpose or result.” Look at how far away we have come in defining work for ourselves and our children. What message do you directly or indirectly send to your children about work? What message do you directly or indirectly send to them about their work? What aspects of your communication are potentially constructive or potentially destructive? No matter what you are communicating, when was the last time you asked yourself, “Is my communication based on a misperception about work?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So often, parents come home at the end of a day and complain about work or complain about having to go into work on Monday morning. There is exuberance in the air when Friday rolls around! How counterproductive is that for your child, especially if they are attending a Montessori School?! Maybe we aren’t modeling a desire to be at our chosen job or joy in our work. Often, parents either ignore their children as soon as they get in the car by being on their phone or they grill their child about their day, asking too many questions in what should be a moment of joyful reconnection. When a child says they do not know or they forget what they did during the day, it can cause friction between the child and their parent. This is a whole other blog post. The point here is to ask, what is the intention, the relationship, focus and understanding with work?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Think about this for a moment. Work is the engagement of the body and/or mind. The goal is to be in the moment during this engagement. Taking it another step forward, can you work on being engaged in something that you really do not feel like doing? The answer is yes! It may not be ideal, as ideal as knowing you are doing something you love. However, being able to find joy in that which just has to be done is an ability of humans. This is what I say to my students when they eventually have to do something in particular that they may not really feel enthusiastic about. I say, “Well it is a good thing you are not a deer or some other animal!” They usually look at me like a deer in headlights, pun intended. I say, “Well, for example, when a deer gets scared, it either freezes or runs away, or will, very rarely, fight. The difference between you and a deer is that you can choose any number of actions regardless of whether you want to do something or not. You might be scared and might want to run, but you can calm yourself down, or get a friend and ask for help. Just like, even though you do not want to do this work and have been avoiding it, now it is really important. So, I challenge you to figure out something about it that you can appreciate so you can learn and enjoy the process.” </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sometimes I also tell the children, “I really do not care if you get the work right or not. What is important to me is your brain and your learning experience. There are certain things that your brain will go through during this experience and you are going to feel and do better for it, regardless of the outcome of the work. I care about your learning, not just about the spelling in your final report or whether you’ve memorized all the times tables.”</span></span></div>
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<b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All work is noble; the only ignoble thing is to live without working. There is need to realize the value of work in all its forms whether manual or intellectual, to be called 'mate,' to have sympathetic understanding of all forms of activity. - </span><span style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maria Montessori</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I find that we do not all have the same understanding of what is considered “work.” As Montessori implied, you are working at home when you are playing basketball. When you choose to talk about a conflict with a friend, that is work as much as doing multiplication or a science experiment is work. In fact, social and emotional “work” is sometimes more important for children than what is usually considered school work. Academic work can almost always get done or reviewed if it is missed at a particular time. Developmental markers, including work of the emotions and mind, sometimes seem to have small windows of opportunity compared to the length of one’s life. You could be the greatest mind in the world (this may be an exaggeration), but if you are not emotionally and mentally healthy too, there is no enjoyment in the more academic gifts you have.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I want to urge you to carefully consider how you communicate about your perception of work in your workplace, school and home. Think about what you are communicating to yourself and to others, especially children. Try to act with the premise that work is the engagement of the hands and/or mind. See how this changes your world and the world around you. Share your comments and see if you believe what others are already thinking and not saying or maybe you’ll gain a new perspective from what others have to say, which is helpful, too.</span></span></div>
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Matthew Simberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07477228092701929706noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680036813963600695.post-8632907727570620712018-04-07T14:55:00.000-04:002018-04-07T14:55:20.331-04:00Prelude to an Understanding of the Collaboration and Communication Between Administrator and Parent <br />
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Before an understanding of the
collaboration and communication between administrator and parent(s) can truly
take place, the following is important to keep in mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The administration consists of roles that
include the Head of School, Business Administrator, Director of Development,
and Director of Admissions. Depending on the business model or the size of the
school, one or more persons may be performing the duties of two or more of
these roles. Upon reviewing any of the job descriptions of these roles at
various schools, I have found something missing. It is something that seems to
be fundamental for the success of organizations, yet not a focus or a
responsibility for the Administrations of Montessori Schools and probably not
other private or public schools. Yet, I find that it is so fundamentally
important. This is not the only thing missing in the job descriptions and
required for successful positive interactions, but it is the only thing I will
touch on for this introduction for the collaboration and communication between
administrator and parent. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
administration is the bridge builder between the families and the school. It
all starts with the mission statement, just like forging relationships between
the administration and the staff. If you google, “importance of a mission
statement,” there will be 5,680,000 results. The administration is the
introduction to the culture of the school, its purpose (mission) and vision.
From there, the classroom that the parent’s child(ren) is in, and the
relationship they forge with the Guide, and assistant is the proof that is in
the pudding. There is such an important interplay here that is often
overlooked. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
communication of, understanding of, and practice of the school’s mission and
vision first comes from the administration and must come on a regular basis. It
can’t be communicated in the same way repeatedly to be effective. The
administration will always have to deliver it differently over the course of
different times. They will also have to find ways (that are not embarrassing)
to have the staff show they know it, believe in it and are practicing it. There
is at least one more important but different thought to keep in mind. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We may
have experience being an elementary child, or a parent, or a teacher, or an
administrator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, we can only be
heard or accepted into these groups to the extent that they feel they can
relate to us, we can relate to them, and what the connection is at the heart
level. It starts with the mission statement, it continues with our actions, and
ends with our reputation. So, when talking about an understanding of the
collaboration and communication between administrator and parent, the
relationship between them is like the relationship between guide and parent(s)
and guide and classroom. It starts with connecting at the heart, by sharing
your school’s purpose and how you accomplish it, and the school’s vision. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
administrator will never be in the culture, or be a peer, of the parent
community, staff community or classroom community, just like the guide will
never be a peer of the children in the classroom they are responsible for
guiding. The administrator is the guide of the school culture. And so, he or
she must act as such. He or she must literally create or implement a framework
which guides other people to journey with them along the same path of the
mission. The administrator creates a mental and emotional prepared environment
for the parent, staff, child and school community as a whole. The foundation of
this prepared environment is the mission of the school. On a side note to learn
more about frameworks and leadership, I highly recommend contacting Kathy
Minardi about her Whole School Leadership Course!<o:p></o:p></div>
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The components that the school
creates (mission, vision, types of connections) are like the shelves with the
materials. The actions that are performed based on these components and
guidelines is the work that is done by the community just like the work that is
done by the children in the classrooms. A reputation is built, and a culture is
based on this action. Not truly or clearly having this is the cornerstone of
conflict in conversations had between the parent and administration. Let’s say
a conversation is needed between a parent and the administration. There is some
semblance of conflict or confusion needing to be cleared up on the part of the
administration to the parent. In the following example, the parent could be the
cause of conflict or confusion. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When a
conversation is going to need to happen between parent(s) and administration,
the mission of the school should be at the forefront of the beginning of that
conversation. Assuming that the mission is good and sound, the conversation
starts with the mission. Let’s use Montessori Seeds of Education’s mission for
this example. The conversation starts with the administration and proceeds
similar to the following: <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
administrator says, “In understanding that our school’s mission is to create a
mindful, collaborative, and authentic Montessori experience for families, some
of our staff and myself have noticed that you are often on the phone when you
are picking up your child from school. Based on my experience, I have found
that during this time when you are reconnecting at the end of the day it is so
important to give undivided attention to children. Your child has been away
from you for eights hours or more. They need to feel like they were missed and
that they are your priority, the most important person to you each day. Do you
see how not giving them this initial attention could be upsetting to them even
if they do not seem to care? Collaborating with us in this way is part of
giving your child the whole education that you expect us to provide and that we
both hope to impart to your child.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There
are so many variables within this example and the conversation could go so many
different ways. The purpose of this example is to show how the mission of the
school will initially be implemented into the conversation and will guide its
content. It is also important to ask reflective questions. This is good to
activate certain centers of the brain and limit defensiveness. Finally, closing
your part of the dialogue by reiterating at least part of the mission statement
and connecting its relationship to the greater whole of educating their child
as a team effort emphasizes collaboration. Mindfulness and collaboration does
not have to be part of any school’s mission statement for this to work.
However, including the practice of these timeless principles is inclusive and
will only help solidify your school’s mission and the success of your
conversations.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
conclusion, adults need to think about the role of the administration and the
way it interacts with parents a little more inclusively, collaboratively, and
consciously (mindfully). The mission statement is the foundation of the
school’s mental and emotional prepared environment, similar to the classrooms’
shelves and materials. Bringing the concept of the mission statement to the
community on a regular basis is of the utmost importance for the success of the
community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you have a sound mission
statement, with a mission driven community, everyone experiences the success
and fulfillment of that mission.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Matthew Simberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07477228092701929706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680036813963600695.post-25282202643393576262017-12-31T15:06:00.000-05:002017-12-31T15:11:05.838-05:00An Understanding of the Collaboration and Communication Between Administrator and Parent<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyp7ulF1Ed7wDhCquXy2lzzwVdgKEBBs7sWFb5cOzEfTnQoP5CaTPV9TVpOkqJyIp8PWCcZBEFuBlh00GU1p3WGwmVM_GDD07kx_SMelMgQNMk8PRsSILFc6GqeVF4-d2JmWHOWguhQvk/s1600/administration+acute+equiliateral+triangle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyp7ulF1Ed7wDhCquXy2lzzwVdgKEBBs7sWFb5cOzEfTnQoP5CaTPV9TVpOkqJyIp8PWCcZBEFuBlh00GU1p3WGwmVM_GDD07kx_SMelMgQNMk8PRsSILFc6GqeVF4-d2JmWHOWguhQvk/s320/administration+acute+equiliateral+triangle.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The administration consists of roles that include at least the Head of School, Business Administrator, Director of Development, and Director of Admission. Depending on the business model or the size of the school, one or more persons may be performing the duties of two or more of these roles. Upon reviewing any of the job descriptions of these roles at various schools, I have found something missing. It is something that seems to be fundamental for the success of organizations, yet not a focus or a responsibility for the Administrations of Montessori Schools and other private or public schools. Yet, I find that it is so fundamentally important. This is not the only thing missing in the job descriptions, but it is the only thing I will touch on for this introduction for the collaboration and communication between administrator and parent. If you google, “importance of a mission statement,” there are approximately 5,680,000 results. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The administration is the bridge builder between the families and the school. It all starts with the mission statement, just like it does with the staff. The administration is the introduction to the culture of the school, its purpose (mission) and vision. The tone of the classroom and the relationship administrators forge with the Guide, assistant, and present parents is the proof that is in the pudding. There is such an important interplay here that is often overlooked. This introduction begins before the family even enrolls in the school. The Director of Admission should always highlight the mission of the school when sharing with a prospective family.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The communication of, understanding of, practice of the school’s mission and vision first comes from the administration and must be interwoven into daily operations on a regular basis. It can’t be communicated in the same way repeatedly to be effective. The administration should manifest the mission in various forms over the course of time. This will probably include activities that may be counter-intuitive for administrators and actually require the administration to serve the community. The administration also must find ways </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">to encourage the staff to demonstrate they know the mission</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">believe in it and are practicing it, in a way that is encouraging and </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">not embarrassing or putting them on the spot. There is at least one more important thought to keep in mind. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We may have experience being an elementary child, or a parent, or a teacher or an administrator. However, we can only be heard or accepted into these groups to the extent that they feel they can relate to us, we can relate to them and what the connection is at the heart level. It starts with the mission statement; it continues with our reputation and ends with our actions. So, when talking about an understanding of the collaboration and communication between administrator and parent, the relationship between them is like the relationship between guide and classroom. It starts with connecting at the heart, sharing your school’s purpose, how you accomplish it and the school’s vision. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The administrator will never be in the culture of the parent community, staff community or classroom community, just like the guide will never be a peer of the classroom they are responsible for guiding. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">T</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">he administrator is the guide of the school culture. And, so he or she must act as such. The administrator creates a mental and emotional prepared environment for the parent, staff, child and school community as a whole. The foundation of this prepared environment is the mission of the school.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The philosophy that the school follows is like the shelves with the materials. The actions that are performed based on these components and guidelines is the work that is done by the community just like the work that is done by the children in the classrooms. A reputation and culture is built, based on this philosophy. This is the cornerstone of conflict and conversations had between the parent and administration. Let’s say a conversation is needed between a parent and the administration and there is some semblance of conflict or confusion needing to be cleared up between the administration and the parent. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">When a conversation needs to happen between parent(s) and the administration, the mission of the school should be the forefront of that conversation. Assuming that the mission is good and sound, the conversation starts with the mission. Let’s use Montessori Seeds of Education’s mission for this example. The conversation starts with the administration similar to the following. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The administrator says, “In understanding that our school’s mission is to create a mindful, collaborative, and authentic Montessori experience for families, some of our staff and myself have noticed that you are often on the phone when you are picking up your child from school. Aside from any safety issues, and based on my experience, I have found that this time is so important to give undivided attention to children. Your child has been away from you for eights hours or more. They need to feel like they were missed and that they are the most important to you each day. Do you see how not giving them this initial attention could be upsetting to them even if they do not seem to care? Collaborating with us in this way is part of giving your child the whole education that you and I hope to impart to your child.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are so many variables within this example and the conversation could go so many different ways. The purpose of this example is to show how the mission of the school will initially be implemented into the conversation. Then it is important to ask reflective questions. This is good to activate certain centers of the brain and limit defensiveness. Finally, closing your part of the dialogue reiterating at least part of the mission statement and implementing its relationship to the greater whole of educating their child as a team effort</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">emphasizes collaboration. Mindfulness and collaboration does not have to be part of any school’s mission statement for this to work. However, including the practice of collaboration and mindfulness (reflection) is inclusive and will only help solidify your school’s mission and the success of the conversation.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In conclusion, adults need to think about the role of the administration and the way it interacts with parents a little more inclusively, collaboratively, and consciously (mindfully). The mission statement is the foundation of the school’s mental and emotional prepared environment, similar to the classrooms’ shelves and materials. Bringing the concept of the mission statement to the community on a regular basis is of the utmost importance for the success of the community. When you have a sound mission statement with a mission driven community, everyone experiences the success and fulfillment of that mission.</span></div>
Matthew Simberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07477228092701929706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680036813963600695.post-7613574440203270202017-11-17T17:32:00.000-05:002017-11-17T17:32:07.347-05:00Part 2: An Understanding of the Communication and Collaboration Between Parent and Teacher<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A lot of what was discussed in the previous blog post, </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://montessoriseeds.blogspot.com/2017/07/an-understanding-of-communication-and.html">An Understanding of the Communication and Collaboration between Parent and Teacher</a>, </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is applicable from the perspective of the parent to the teacher/Guide as well. In fact, it is really applicable for most interactions. However, when I think of what can be added or helpful here when the roles are reversed, I think about my previous experience and others' experiences that have been shared with me. I ask myself, what can I share that might be helpful for parents themselves or in their communications with G</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">uides and/or administrators of Montessori schools in conjunction with this format and image?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoACXPP_Kd9UveThr4s_gU44BXfbz32vEhucg-9bCUqDjaOZETf_g-__I255fEc_Mpi96m95FfDIrK3WIn_zxch_QXBPjon7tqEadfoyMvo6rpmocqQARRDWJ-P4sMhTVjcaZWvtVQ8cM/s1600/parent-teacher+acute+equiliateral+triangle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoACXPP_Kd9UveThr4s_gU44BXfbz32vEhucg-9bCUqDjaOZETf_g-__I255fEc_Mpi96m95FfDIrK3WIn_zxch_QXBPjon7tqEadfoyMvo6rpmocqQARRDWJ-P4sMhTVjcaZWvtVQ8cM/s320/parent-teacher+acute+equiliateral+triangle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For better or worse and for what it is worth, this is what I have come up with and I hope you find it useful. Ultimately, parents think to themselves, “I want what is best for my child.” One step further is that they know their child has to get an education, one way or another: home school, public, private, charter or alternative. So, obviously we are continuing this communication as the parent who has chosen a path for their child to receive a Montessori education.</span></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-6a8e4a73-c582-a47b-9a5e-3eda6a93a4d4" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(From the perspective of a parent) “As a parent there are so many things I want to know, even if it is not conscious. There are things I do not even know I want to know. There are things that I think should be obvious for my child’s teacher to communicate with me as well as the school administration. I am also too busy to sometimes care, remember, or ask. So, I want my child’s teacher and the school to intuit these things and communicate them. After all, I am paying them a lot of money. I do not want to have to accept to trust even if I say that I can or will. My child and their future is in your hands and I want to know. With all this training and experience, I want you to provide me with easy to access and straightforward information because I am too busy to get anything long winded, whether I am a stay at home parent or a full time working parent. I may not make it to every event or respond to every communication, but I still want to come. Sometimes, I even want you to figure out a convenient time for me to read your communication or attend a school event.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is both true for the parent that is more laid back and the “helicopter” or “lawnmower” parent. Why? As adults, we still have an innate desire to evolve and do better. We are former children with needs, desires, characteristics and tendencies that are both tapped and untapped, realized and unrealized. As parents, we need to be inspired just like our children. As a parent this is what we are communicating intentionally and unintentionally. This is what a parent wants to say to their child’s teacher, whether they know it or not; this is just what the Guide should be hearing. “I know you think you were only trained for my child’s education, but you were actually trained to educate us both. The principle of following and inspiring the child also applies to us. My child won’t get the full benefit of a Montessori education without me being on board. This is the paradigm I need you and the school to break through. I am going to place demands on you, spoken and unspoken. Sometimes I’ll say something and mean something completely different."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now that we got through that, how do we work through it with this model?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Parents need to be given an awareness not only of the goals for their child, which include </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the general outline for the year and for three years, but also an awareness of the importance of a willingness to collaborate. I</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">f</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> a parent is already aware, then they need to communicate with the Guide. A parent should request, or a Guide should make sure they have a meeting with parents to find out what each other’s goals are for their child. Montessori teachers are used to just accepting children and having families trust the process. Parents are used to just sending their child to school. This is essentially what goes on and there is no problem, until there is and there is always a problem. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, I am writing from the parent’s vertex on the triangle to say, have a meeting with your Guide before school starts or at the very beginning. Go over goals, expectations, and get concrete, at least simplified information about the program you are signing your child up for. The paradigm of an isolated school/home experience must be broken. The unspoken misunderstandings and assumptions between home and school in a Montessori environment need to end. The only way to do that is through active communication and listening, follow through, and follow-up. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">t is the Guide’s and school's responsibility to find a way to inspire the adult to such communication. Having a more active, conscious and collaborative ongoing communication provides protection for possible future conflicts. Our role is to inspire and figure out how to best role model how we interact with the children, providing congruency for the adult.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In conclusion, for now, let’s recap. Review the previous blog post, because the information there is applicable here for the dialogue and understanding from parent to Guide as well. Adults are people, who have already experienced being a child, who still want to and need to be followed and inspired also, whether conscious of it or not. Parents and Guides should have an understanding that Guides were not just trained to educate the child and that parents don’t want to be “educated,” because that makes them feel inferior, even if they are communicating otherwise. Human beings do not like to be preached to; that is another reason why lessons tend to be so successful in a Montessori environment. Guides do not preach to children, nor do they come across that way. Do something different and meet with parents at the beginning of the year to establish a clearer understanding. This seems like a lot that the parent is asking, but the parent is not asking. This is what the parent and Guide signed up for when the parent became aware that a Montessori education was best for their child and the Guide decided that they wanted to devote their career choice to serving the child.</span></div>
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Matthew Simberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07477228092701929706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680036813963600695.post-40723431159043047882017-07-31T22:38:00.001-04:002017-07-31T22:38:19.012-04:00An Understanding of the Communication and Collaboration Between Parent and Teacher <div style="text-align: justify;">
There is so much that can be said regarding this relationship. Keeping the idea of the triangle in mind and who or what makes up the sides and angles, it’s an ever evolving and sometimes devolving exchange. However, I like to look at it like a dancing of particles, similar to an explanation given in an elementary lesson called “God Who Has No Hands.” We have to understand the particles involved, and how they interact with each other, knowing their roles and the internal and external influences upon them in order to keep the balance as close to an acute equilateral triangle as possible. To have a simple image and a goal in mind is important when communicating something like this. </div>
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What I am going to touch upon will eventually be so much more comprehensively covered than these blog posts can do justice to what I ultimately want to and will convey. However, please consider this as an introduction to look at what you know, or may not know, in a different way to aide in communication and collaboration with each other. I find that these strategies, attitudes, and perceptions help me be an effective communicator, so I want to share them with you. Based on my successes, failures, and feedback that I have received, I have been working on creating and communicating what I feel will be different, more intuitive, practical, and easier to grasp and follow in areas where we may be lacking and to give us a control of error to fall back on when we may have a blind spot or just may not be sure about something.</div>
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Before moving forward, have in mind this image of the triangle, but only the part that relates to the parent/teacher relationship. One vertex of the triangle is the Teacher/Guide and another vertex is the parent(s). We will be aware that “administration” is on the other vertex, “environment” is on the bottom, “assistants” are a side of the triangle, and the other side of the triangle consists of “other adults” who interact with the child. The child is the center of the triangle. Our focus is between Parent, guide/teacher and child.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8zlruXzeogCAoadSb5eJK3eAlmuQHhFLH_pFTN_8YcocD0_Oi8gxw0FmimjzM9dOkvqQ-tOvaf80cwsne3QI6VxcLSvqJkQJrxKNdcDKFWs9Hj_BO_elrYFwtR-o33rCRZivfoewwJE/s1600/parent-teacher+acute+equiliateral+triangle.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8zlruXzeogCAoadSb5eJK3eAlmuQHhFLH_pFTN_8YcocD0_Oi8gxw0FmimjzM9dOkvqQ-tOvaf80cwsne3QI6VxcLSvqJkQJrxKNdcDKFWs9Hj_BO_elrYFwtR-o33rCRZivfoewwJE/s320/parent-teacher+acute+equiliateral+triangle.jpg" /></a></div>
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Now, for a framework. The parent, teacher, and child would not be interacting in each other’s lives if one was missing. They are all connected, which is so important to keep in mind. There is an interdependency; yet, so often, there is an air of entitlement with at least one. Expectations are not even communicated, just expected to be known. All too often, collaboration does not happen. One expects the other to do their job, report back and be done with it. How can this model be successful when there is such an intricate interdependency that is truly and constantly at work? </div>
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Practically speaking, there should be an open forum discussion between each adult. So often, schools ignore or forget the constant notions that have been drilled into parents’ heads about how things should be, and it is usually a very traditional and unfortunately all too common way of thinking. Parents don’t care or do not even realize that, for the most part, teachers are faced with this day in and day out. Teachers are usually in a constant struggle between the dynamics of their student’s home life, parent expectations that don’t match a timeless philosophy, school dynamics, the education from their training, and the experience that they are offering to the students. </div>
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Children are in the middle of everyone’s expectations and eventually, as they get older, a realization of their own expectations becomes convoluted based on the adult’s impression of them and their experiences in different environments. With all of that said, there is one thing that needs to be crystal clear. A Montessori education is for ALL children. Montessori may not be for all parents, generally because they have a different perspective on human development and expectations or understanding of children. Lastly, the piece that I find is too often left out is that a child may not be a good fit for a certain Montessori classroom, but it does not mean no Montessori classroom is a good fit. </div>
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Just like in the classroom with children, we can only meet parents where they are, not where we want them to be. In our communications with them we have to remember not to take anything personally. Which is also good advice in our everyday interactions in life. Have you ever been yelled at by a parent? Maybe you have been told that their child absolutely does not lie. Have you experienced a time when a parent was upset with you because you did not meet their expectations of how you should handle a situation, but you handled it in a way that falls in line with Montessori’s philosophy? I have definitely experienced these situations. You are either going to successfully turn these situations around or you are not. Simple and obvious, right? Well, it is true and we have to accept that. Once we do what we do, the rest is out of our control. We have to find peace in that idea before moving forward. </div>
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Step one in any of these situations is to breathe. People do not need a reaction right away, so don’t give them one. Just breathe, and ask a reflective question or reiterate what you hear them saying. In any one of these situations this works to begin to diffuse the situation either for both parties, or at least yourself. Explain that before you go any further, you would like to agree on what the hope for the outcome is for this situation. When you know what the desired outcome is for both parties, you know there is a place to navigate to, a goal. You may think you know what your desired outcome is and what the parent’s is, but the idea that they are identical is an assumption that is practiced all too often. I have been so successful in diffusing situations and saved time by making this initial clarification my “go to” during a meeting with parents. You might go through a whole rigmarole with parents only to find out they have had every intention of pulling their child out of the school. I am not suggesting to ask if they are planning on pulling their child, although in some cases that may be a good idea. Just make an opportunity to clearly agree on the goal of the meeting. I find that parents are usually surprised by that, and usually end up appreciating it. Once the hopeful outcome is established, it is something you can go back to if the response isn’t, “well, I am pulling my child anyway.” </div>
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So, let's say a parent is yelling at you and/or upset with you for whatever reason. Breathe, reiterate the situation if applicable and say, “So, what is your goal for the end of this meeting?” If it is a reasonable answer I would say something like, “I like to think we are on the same team. We both want what’s best for your child, although that may look a little different for each of us. Since we both want the same thing, I think we can work together to A) handle a situation like this differently and here is my suggestion about how this can look. What is yours? B) I want to support you in what you are trying to accomplish with your child and I would like to feel supported by you in how I am trying to nurture your child’s natural characteristics and tendencies so they can be the best person they can be.” Then a more hostile-free dialogue can stem from there. </div>
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What I want to communicate is that we have decided to take on a career where we have to accept the fact that we must continuously play the role of diffuser and rebuilder. If we do not have this mindset then we are setup to fail. When we accept this role, we get less frustrated and take things less personally. It is silly for a garbageman to get mad at the people who throw away the trash that is set out for pickup in the morning. They chose a role and must accept it. Part of our description as guides, which was never told to us, is to be a diffuser and bridge builder. Parents are people, they are what they are, and we can’t get mad at them if we are meeting them where they are. If we are not coming from an emotional perspective, but a higher, more mental perspective, it is what it is. We have to use our emotions to bridge the gap and our mind to rise above a frustrating emotional perspective where we are “taking it personally.” When we work collaboratively together, interactions are optimized for growth, and both sides are benefiting the child, end of story.</div>
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Matthew Simberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07477228092701929706noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680036813963600695.post-84103259191733202702017-06-30T16:08:00.000-04:002017-07-11T16:40:06.946-04:00An Introduction to the Framework for Collaboration and Cooperation<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinaL9rtx11SmI7aeylyqP04p9PiS6RPBG6YtW4iThjbVPXgYYx_InmaHC_QhAN5RMPuu_3kLYBlbebOn73gUrAY8pU1ptImXWwYyxJNOHnCxaKuz0iN84FuiYdYjYXCFl3pG6f0RQq1Gk/s1600/acute+equiliateral+triangle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1600" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinaL9rtx11SmI7aeylyqP04p9PiS6RPBG6YtW4iThjbVPXgYYx_InmaHC_QhAN5RMPuu_3kLYBlbebOn73gUrAY8pU1ptImXWwYyxJNOHnCxaKuz0iN84FuiYdYjYXCFl3pG6f0RQq1Gk/s400/acute+equiliateral+triangle.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When one practices transparency it is under the pretenses that he or she is constantly working on open-communication and holds themselves accountable. Professionalism is a skill and practice of good judgement and polite behavior, no matter the situation. Character deals with the integrity of a person always striving to utilize and practice sound mental, moral, and emotional qualities. To be successful in continuing to develop these qualities, two parts are needed. One needs to tap into their will-power to make the decision to act in these ways. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The driving force to remind yourself when situations are difficult, should be that you are answering to the child.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In communicating to parents, administrators and other co-workers, you’re not really answering their questions, but rather answering on behalf of the child. It is a mindset that you must constantly hold in both your mind and your heart, to help navigate through challenging conversations. When your thoughts and your communications are focused on serving the child, it is easier to not let comments affect your communication personally. There may be a feeling of advocacy for the child, which might cause you to communicate as if you are taking something personally, but it has to be with the mindset that you are holding the service for the child in the highest regard. When you do this, you can’t or won’t take it personally. Your conversation will be directed into a positive flow with a successful outcome. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, in your interactions, this mindset will more readily enable you to have a reflective conversation when the other person seems to be attacking either you, what you’re doing or what is happening at your school. The bottom line is that the parents, teachers and the administration all want what is best for the child and the trained teacher needs to direct or redirect any given conversation into a compromise and a collaboration of the end goal: what’s best for the child? </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While this is a subjective question, the parents have their personal experience, maybe whatever they have read and their own intuition to fall back on, but the trained Montessori teacher has their education and experience to support the end goal of guiding, not only the child but the directives given to the child to nurture their timeless characteristics and tendencies. When the adult can fall back on timeless characteristics and tendencies, there is little room for arguing or interpretation. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A starting point in any conversation can be with the end goal of having the following statement in mind: The “child” is not just the small person in front of you, but includes all the children who are not in front of you, humanities’ future. When we focus on something greater than ourselves, we become humble, which is also an important quality to harness. The work before us becomes not about us. The desire to serve the child feeds our will-power to help us accomplish those tasks that otherwise might seem impossible. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In conclusion, as illustrated in the graphic above, there’s a paradigm and framework that I would like to communicate to incorporate as many dynamics as possible to best support the education of the child. The first part will be an understanding of the communication and collaboration between the parent and teacher; the second part will be the teacher and administrator’s perspective; and the third part will be administrator/parent communication and collaboration, to create the angles of the triangle. The final piece will be the role of adults, assistants and the environment, all with the focus of the child in the center, giving us an acute equilateral triangle. This triangle is always the goal, but it will always morph into any of the other 6 types of triangles based on the give and take relationship and interactions among people and the environment. The goal is to have as close to an acute equilateral triangle as possible based on collaboration, cooperation and communication.</span></div>
Matthew Simberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07477228092701929706noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680036813963600695.post-69620604004766835152017-04-19T21:54:00.000-04:002017-04-19T21:54:18.616-04:00Cooperation VS Collaboration<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOy8mMb4WYlMzlmH_Zw1U8i3r_bsz-OjPDKKFjppqxVkZYpojzHGSWa3UNYcK-U7aOpbn9XfrY94P3S4o2tU_sBKy1eG7ek7HKohRt8fr-Nt_OD5HPq4KW6aNq4DXmDrWLzvLToYDDbt8/s1600/collaboration.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOy8mMb4WYlMzlmH_Zw1U8i3r_bsz-OjPDKKFjppqxVkZYpojzHGSWa3UNYcK-U7aOpbn9XfrY94P3S4o2tU_sBKy1eG7ek7HKohRt8fr-Nt_OD5HPq4KW6aNq4DXmDrWLzvLToYDDbt8/s320/collaboration.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">https://www.pinterest.com/rmetka/montessori-lower-elementary-6-9/</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The terms cooperation and collaboration are not often or
easily distinguishable, but doing so and understanding the difference can be
very beneficial in the classroom and among co-workers. One important
distinction is “active” and “inactive” participation. Someone can be inactive or silent and still be cooperating. When collaborating, everyone has an active role. If
someone is simply being compliant, they can be considered to be cooperating. That is not the case with collaboration. There is shared action with collaboration. With cooperation, someone can simply
give someone help to achieve something. When cooperating a person is making or
helping someone to be able to do or achieve something</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">. Collaboration offers the help along side someone
or some people to achieve something together.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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A Montessori Classroom offers the opportunities for both
throughout every single day. Here is an example of collaboration from my
classroom. One boy had the idea to create a timeline of the history of the
Titanic. Several other boys joined in on the idea. They helped each other do
research, draw, write and color on the timeline. As the guide, I had very
little to no part in it, and my assistance was not necessary. One boy got the
idea from a book to contact someone from the book. He asked an adult for help
in contacting him to get some more or unique information. He emailed a
historian who helped with the movie “Titanic.” The man responded and they were
able to exchange and get new information for their work. This great work had
many other benefits besides completing a project together. Everyone had a
shared work to do to accomplish a goal, and they all played active roles, while
there was no dictating. This is what a Montessori classroom makes room for.
Below is an interesting diagram of cooperative and collaborative learning. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi83dexCZPwfU1r65A6VquW5MPGkYaFtmHOze9fUIeQH7IVZeMbzxiXnRU_3dEoAGgzL_qqAdnY0PXuMJ9OY1VADX2PPCYd9xATl_7wlequba-MV3KN2ImuU_VH8SGzKlpdxpDiIiKdg28/s1600/circular-chart-jpeg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi83dexCZPwfU1r65A6VquW5MPGkYaFtmHOze9fUIeQH7IVZeMbzxiXnRU_3dEoAGgzL_qqAdnY0PXuMJ9OY1VADX2PPCYd9xATl_7wlequba-MV3KN2ImuU_VH8SGzKlpdxpDiIiKdg28/s320/circular-chart-jpeg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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(<a href="http://www.teacherswithapps.com/the-differences-in-cooperative-learning-collaborative-learning/">http://www.teacherswithapps.com/the-differences-in-cooperative-learning-collaborative-learning/</a>)<br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Public and traditional schools mostly offer cooperative
learning opportunities and very rarely if at all offer collaborative learning.
When a Montessori guide gives a lesson, there is cooperative learning between
him/her and the student(s) to understand new information. A follow-up lesson
gives way to more cooperation to reach the goal of understanding, remembering
and/or applying. Yet, if students get an idea to do something different
together, which leads them to learn something new (a different goal), those
students are collaborating. Now, both cooperative and collaborative learning
styles are happening in the classroom.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
What about looking at the school as a unit? A school has a
mission that is usually developed by one person, the founder. Cooperation is
where the parents agree to follow the policies, pay tuition, get their children
to school in hopes that the guides and other students will cooperate to help
their children learn and be better than when they are dropped off. Some parents
do not even think that much about it, they do not even play much of an active
role, other than getting their children to school. However, here is a different
outlook on collaboration for the school as a unit.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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A Montessori school wants to play an active role in
children’s education. Families want to play an active role in their children’s
education. The basics of cooperation are met. Payment is made, children’s needs
are cared for, and parents drop students off on time and come to conferences.
Before the children are accepted or start, there is an agreement of goals that
are to be attained for their children through a collaborative conversation
between head of school, guide and parents. The school provides information that
the parents can do at home to facilitate their child’s growth and development.
There is also a monthly night of engagement between school and parents to
nurture the parents’ understanding of happenings in the classroom and to share
information or ask questions about experiences that are happening at home. Then
the school takes an active role in creating solutions if necessary. Sometimes,
even just the act of sharing helps others with what they are going through, or
may go through, in the future. There is not so much lecturing as there is the
sharing of information to come to new knowledge, expressing it and being able
to apply it for another’s benefit. It is a group work and not a facilitator
structured work. By default, it can be argued that there is a facilitator or
leader, but beyond that there is a group agreement for group work based on a
common goal where everyone plays an active role. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In conclusion, there are many similarities, even with the
etymology. Yet, collaboration requires active and group oriented work. By work,
I mean the actual meaning of the word, a sustained physical and mental effort
to achieve goal(s) or overcome obstacles. While there can be cooperation
(working together) during collaboration there cannot be true collaboration
during cooperation. When the facilitation to achieve a goal is led by someone, and there is at least one person taking an inactive role, by simply complying,
the work is cooperative. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
With that said, our goals should include to understand
collaboration and cooperation. Have or create more opportunities to allow for
collaboration. Get parents involved to collaborate and not just cooperate. Heads
of schools and schools would benefit by collaborating with each other to help
make the school and school policies better. This is assuming that the head of
school is creating a space with staff who want the same thing as the head of
school and are willing to work together to get there. This takes humility and
good communication skills on the part of at least the head of school. If
schools, or even guides, can start with this understanding and applying it at
least to their classroom and parents, it would be amazing to see what the
reported difference would be before having this awareness.</div>
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Please share your thoughts comments and experiences so
others can benefit from your insights!<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Sources:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lynn-power/collaboration-vs-cooperat_b_10324418.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lynn-power/collaboration-vs-cooperat_b_10324418.html</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/28752/whats-the-difference-between-collaborate-and-cooperate">https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/28752/whats-the-difference-between-collaborate-and-cooperate</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Matthew Simberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07477228092701929706noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680036813963600695.post-21986226373364233572017-01-02T19:34:00.000-05:002017-01-02T19:34:40.865-05:00Resourcefulness: Leading as a Parent, Teacher, or Administrator<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Dictionary.com states that being resourceful is being able to deal skillfully and promptly with new situations, difficulties, etc. Anthony Robbins states that “it’s not the lack of resources, it’s the lack of resourcefulness that stops you.” A lack of resources should not be a sign to give up and quit, but a sign to show us that it is time to be resourceful. I have been consciously studying resourcefulness for a few months now. Because of all I have written about this year, and because a new calendar year is beginning, I thought wrapping up the year and starting the new one talking about resourcefulness would be a good idea.</div>
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One’s ability to be a great leader in the situation they are in is dependent upon how resourceful they can and/or choose to be. If you let a conflict with your child, student or co-worker stop you from flowing, then you are not being resourceful. Maybe you are too tired, someone else wants your attention, you have something better to do than to deal with it, or something else needs to get done. Eventually, a cycle, a pattern is created and you develop a bad habit in your interactions with that person or avoidance of your interactions with that person. Here, I am applying the idea of resourcefulness to your interactions with people and not a lack of physical resources. We do not lack resources to resolve something frustrating. What we lack is the awareness to step out of the cycle or situation and to look at it from the perspective of a hawk. Sometimes we have to be the observer, see the picture from a different angle, and imagine the different points of view of those involved. Yet, that is only part of it. Being resourceful is more than that.</div>
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At this point, if you google the word resourceful, 16,400,000 results pop up. People are studying and doing research on its importance and role. The University of Oxford Department of Education published a study entitled, “Resourceful Leadership: How Directors of Children’s Services Improve Outcomes for Children.” On page 13 it identifies 8 core behaviors that resourceful directors of children’s services displayed.</div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Openness to possibilities</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The ability to collaborate</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Demonstrating a belief in their team and people</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Personal resilience and tenacity</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The ability to create and sustain commitment across a system</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Displaying a focus on results and outcomes</span></li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The ability to simplify</span></li>
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They found that the most effective leaders who were being resourceful were differentiated in two clear ways: </div>
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They were able to select the right set of behaviors for a given challenge and most importantly know why the behaviors would be most effective. </div>
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They were able to draw on a broader and deeper set of relevant knowledge, skills and attributes, to help make those behaviors as effective as possible in their contexts. </div>
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Wow, now that is a lot to take in, I know. How do we apply it to our everyday lives? I’m just trying to not feel so frustrated with my student, child or co-worker, or I can’t seem to get my child to go to bed. My child won’t eat. My husband/wife seriously gave this crazy consequence to our child. I have felt like there has been tension between these two teachers, I have not addressed it or no matter what I do it keeps getting worse. Some of these are examples of what I think we are looking for to be able to apply this awareness of being resourceful. </div>
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Whether we are in the midst of the conflict or mediating the conflict, any or all of these 8 core behaviors are applicable. Even they are not enough. We have to also be humble. If we are mediating or directly involved, people need to sense genuine humility or they will not respect what we have to say. That humility also should accompany a sense of confidence. Being willing to ask someone "smarter" for help is incorporating humility and utilizing a sense of resourcefulness. Sometimes we do not know the answers and we have to ask someone else. One purpose of life is to evolve. There are always smarter people. We should utilize them as a resource. At times it is not a matter of smarter people, but people who have more experience. We need to humble ourselves to look to those people and/or their experiences. In turn we become that person for someone else who looks to glean from us.</div>
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Let’s look at a practical example of how to apply resourcefulness. I’d like to give a wide example in hopes that it reaches many people so that they can apply something from the example. I'm going to break down a general example into the 8 core behaviors.</div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />1. Openness to possibilities</span></h3>
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So, just imagine that I started my own Montessori School and that I also am still teaching elementary aged children between 9 and 12 years old. Now, let’s just say that when I started this endeavor I learned the importance of waking up each day with the awareness that the possibilities were endless and that I would be open to possibilities. I did not have to wait until this experience to start doing this, but having this experience is what triggered it. So, no matter what we do, we have to start and maintain our day with that concept and act as if possibilities are endless. Before long, we see the benefits of being open to possibilities and maintaining an awareness that possibilities are endless. </div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />2. The ability to collaborate</span></h3>
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As a Montessori teacher, years ago, I realized that the ability to collaborate is essential. We cannot maintain a successful classroom or successful anything without collaboration, so I decided to make this applicable to the mission of the school I started and to be more conscious of applying it to all aspects of my life. I soon had the opportunity to be aware of something special. </div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />3. Demonstrating a belief in their team and people</span></h3>
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I naturally believe in my students, and more times than not, I get great results. Unfortunately, sometimes, belief is not enough. However, it is important. The people around you, or who work for you need to know intrinsically that you believe in them. Sometimes, they give you reason not to. Regardless, of what they show you, people always give you something to work with, so believe in that. People come and go in our life. So, believe in them or that part of them until they go or you go. Who knows what kind of positive impact that will have on them or because of your belief what positive impact that will have on the next person they interact with. Conversely, why should we be negative about a person or situation and handle it poorly? Ultimately, it leads to more stress and frustration than handling it well.</div>
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Continuing on in a hypothetical example. I get to school and I know I have a child who is going to be disruptive, probably not going to do much “work,” but this child has potential and this child shows me that he/she can realize this potential. This is where resourcefulness comes in. I have to believe in the child, focus on that, and he/she has to believe me. So, I have to connect with this child. That is the most important thing... connecting. I have to, not only collaborate with the child and parents, but also with the children. They all have to know that I believe in all of them to make this work, to help this child make the change for themselves that they need to make. The child’s heart, myself, and the people around this child are my greatest resources. </div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />4. Personal resilience and tenacity</span></h3>
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Next, I have to have a personal resilience and tenacity. My stance must be unwavering and everyone must feel it. It is not always perceived as a firm restrictive stance. Sometimes it is a smile and positive attitude focusing on the good and not the frustrating. What you feed will get bigger. It’s a natural law. </div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />5. The ability to create and sustain commitment across a system</span></h3>
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Everyone has to know that I have a commitment to create and sustain this system and method for this person and really now this group. We now have a common unwavering goal, which is reiterated on a regular basis. Being trained in Montessori gives us an advantage to be better at being resourceful.</div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />7. The ability to simplify</span></h3>
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Now goals are simplified at different levels for the people who need them, but the leader knows the goal, mini goals and who needs to focus on what, so we are simplifying and distributing goals to be achieved. Collaboration is happening now. The leader (parent, teacher, administrator) must continuously learn. People are always changing, taking two steps back or evolving. </div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />8. The ability to learn continuously</span></h3>
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We have to continuously learn. There is always something new to learn, adapt to or try differently. If all of these things are happening and used as tools then many different things happen. A few things that happen in this example are that the disruptive child finds peace, acquires life skills, and makes a more positive impact on him/herself and those around them. The children around him/her learn change is possible, patience, resilience, conflict resolution, the importance of collaboration, life skills and several other things. The parents obviously experience the joy and outcome of being collaborative loving parents in a Montessori school. Of course, I also feel fulfilled in my purpose among other things.</div>
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In conclusion, I know things do not always go as planned and we do not always feel successful. Sometimes it turns out that, on the surface, we are not successful. However, if we stay the course and do things like this or similar, then we are successful! We cannot control people, but we can control ourselves. There are times when success is not what we thought it was going to be. Sometimes it is about our own personal success in what we learned, how we handled a situation and how that changes us in a positive way for the future. So much is here, and these 8 core behaviors are applicable to smaller situations too, whether it is getting a child to bed, talking back, a disgruntled employee, or potty training. Not to come across as cliché, but life is a school and there are infinite resources available. We just need to be humble enough and dedicated enough to exercise the muscle of resourcefulness, just as we would our bodies at the gym.</div>
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Matthew Simberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07477228092701929706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680036813963600695.post-17359028806291487662016-11-12T18:47:00.000-05:002016-12-13T10:21:38.785-05:00Unity and Montessori<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Dear Fellow Colleagues and Parents,</div>
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In light of negative reactions that have been occurring around the country with regards to the election, what families are going through, what our schools are going through and communications that have been occurring in different online Montessori groups, I feel compelled to share something on this topic. My hope is to help with bringing about more of a sense of unity, regardless of disagreements and personal opinions. Also, I would like to stress the duty that we have to our children and peers.</div>
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On the Montessori Teachers Facebook group, Andy Lulka posted:</div>
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<i>Many of our members in and out of the USA are fearful today, in a state of shock and grief. Many others are feeling joy - or at least relief. I see in my feed so much pain, so much division. We cannot bring that in here.</i></div>
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<i>I ask only this: Pause. Pause before responding, pause before hitting enter. Make sure your words are healing today.</i></div>
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<i>We have remained a sanctuary from the divisive partisan dialogue out there this far, we will continue to remain so.</i></div>
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<i>Montessori asked us to rise above politics. This is a great time for us to practice that. This seems like a good time to remember Dr. Montessori's words, published just a few years after the second world war: </i></div>
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<i>Not in the service of any political or social creed should the teacher work, but in the service of the complete human being, able to exercise in freedom a self-disciplined will and judgment, unperverted by prejudice and undistorted by fear.</i></div>
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<i>- Maria Montessori (To Educate The Human Potential),</i><i> 1948</i></div>
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Please take the time to reflect on these words and make a mindful decision before sharing a certain opinion and what the possible ramifications of that decision may be. We have rights as Americans, we have free-will as human beings, but we also have the ability to use our minds to create unity and choose unity over divisiveness, which does not always reflect our immediate opinions. Even if we cannot create macrocosmic change immediately, we can create change microcosmically immediately. You may be wondering where am I going with all of this. Well, I want to share with you what I think my duty is as an educator, elementary Montessori teacher, head of school and founder. </div>
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Every fall around an election time, children come in with “their opinions” about candidates. Usually it is an echo of what they are hearing or what is being supported at home. Disagreements break out and frustration levels rise between students. I have been around long enough now where I know this is going to happen and it is a mediation, political, and inclusive educational time. In the roles that I have, I feel it is my duty to teach the children about the government, politics, and structure from an objective perspective. So, I am not going to talk about the past couple of months but the present and what we can do now in light of reactions our children are probably seeing and hearing about. </div>
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Whether we agree with it or not, whether he was being honest in his communication or not, President Obama made a choice to communicate unity with President Elect Trump to the public. This seems like what we need to be willing to communicate to our children, staff and co-workers. Unity is the key to rise above social or political creed. Our personal opinion about sides does not have to match our expression of what is universally right. It is a fact that a universal truth or fact is something everyone can agree on and it is inclusive, never divisive. </div>
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An elected politician can make our lives more difficult, and if it affects enough people, can obviously force change amongst a larger power or group. However, while this is a point that can be communicated, this is also not the purpose of this communication. We (educators and parents) have to teach our children to come together for what is right from a place of peace and not fear or anger. </div>
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Those of us who have been around long enough know that things always have a way of working themselves out. Let’s teach our children about facts and truths at an age appropriate level. Heads of schools and Guides should unite in not expressing their opinion even to each other, but communicating truths and unity. It might be best to share our personal opinions with our friends, families, and/or spouses. Being a part of the Montessori Philosophy and education puts us in a place of power. That power should be used to reflect. </div>
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Here at a wonderful NAMTA conference in San Jose California, a fellow “Montessorian” expressed her passion for being an adolescent guide. She read us a beautiful quote and one that drives her. I want to leave you with this thought. </div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>The educator has the power to give your child(ren) the world and they have the power consciously and unconsciously to make the world, or the place in which they try to find where they fit in the world, to be non-existent. </i></div>
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What a magnanimous responsibility we have as educators and parents!</div>
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</style>Matthew Simberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07477228092701929706noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680036813963600695.post-21332791733286444972016-10-31T18:33:00.000-04:002016-10-31T18:33:21.737-04:00Tying it all together: Leadership, Connecting, Mindfulness, and Thinking<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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Over the course of this academic calendar year I have
written about several different topics. I had mentioned that eventually I would
come full circle and tie some of those topics together. Effectively connecting
with students at the heart level, connecting to the heart through awareness, and intuitive, critical and analytical thinking are all important components of a
happy, successful, and fulfilled Montessori school. In fact, I would say for
just about any organization, but we are fortunate enough to be talking about
Montessori and this environment gives us the freedom and responsibility to be
able to do this. I will go so far as to say it is the duty of the head of school to establish this momentum for the staff so that they can overflow to
the children and facilitate a symbiotic relationship with the parents. The head of school must be mindful,
connect at the heart level and instill an awareness of these things, as well as of the impact that Maria Montessori’s education has on developing intuitive,
critical and analytical thinking for the students.</div>
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In August, the head of school can and should start doing
exercises and communicating with the staff about the importance of mindfulness,
awareness, connecting at the heart level and open communication. The head of school should study leadership regularly and be a model for these qualities and practices. The question is, how
can the head of school and guides do this? Well, it starts with the leader of
the staff, parents and children. A mission statement is the first line of
communication to indicate any of these things. Families want to know more than that the guide cares and is effective, but that the school as a whole does as well. In my eyes,
a head of school should be firm, but open-minded, compassionate and
understanding, and people should be made to feel this. Ice breakers should
happen at the beginning of the year. Not just silly ones, but ones that help everyone to get to know each other on a deeper level. If the guides are excited
to be there, that will trickle down to the children and parents.</div>
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Heads of
schools already have an advantage because Montessori guides already want to be
there; they just also want to feel connected, welcomed, appreciated and
engaged. Just like the children and parents want to feel. Plus, it is a special
person who decides to go through the rigorous training of being a guide. Guides
should be checked in with regularly, naturally joke with them a little bit and
speak to them more about school when possible. These special people want
to make a difference and we are honored to be in a position to encourage and
support them to do so. Do something
special for their birthdays, help to celebrate their life and your appreciation
for them being in yours. Talk about awareness, and if you do not know about it, learn. Ask them engaging questions to think about their classroom differently
and always bring conflict and misunderstandings to the fundamentals, hopefully
your school’s mission. If guides are not mindful and aware, then the children
can’t be. Remind them to breathe and take a step back, compliment them. Ask
them if they are teaching and having the children do that as well. Sometimes we
get so caught up in pedagogy and curriculum that we lose sight of the heart and
the person.</div>
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Guides should have opportunities to teach the children to
de-stress. Have them teach diaphragmatic breathing. Maybe yoga classes can be given on Friday afternoons. Show the children how to slow
down a few minutes each day with some deep breaths. The guides should be remembering
to smile and laugh with the children as well as be good managers of their
classrooms. How am I encouraging any of the three types of thinking today? What
materials encourage any of the given three types of thinking? Why is this
important? We want our students to be super thinkers, to the best of their
ability. What if they were able to better access and use both their right and
left hemispheres more effectively? It does not have to be, oh I am more left
brained or more right brained. Give them the opportunity to explore and develop
both. This is what I mean by a super thinker. One who can access both hemispheres and practice mindfulness and being aware. These are fantastic life skills, not
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What do the parents want? If you do not know, and do not
assume, then ask them? Give them a survey or ask personally. Ultimately, most
parents want their children to thrive, be happy and they want to know what is
going on. Montessori is foreign to them, even if parents think they know. In
fact, most guides are still learning about their understanding and concept of
Montessori’s teachings, even years after being involved in it. Being human often
gets in the way of our learning. Being a Montessori head of school, guide,
parent and child is a lot like authenticity in that it is a journey and not a
destination. Let me also clarify that we are ever so much more than a Montessori
school, head of school, guide, child or parent. We are all human beings, some
would say spiritual beings having the human experience of manifesting what a
woman concluded from her observations and work. However, yes, it is easier to
say Montessori school, head of school, guide, child, and parent. Yet, I feel it
is so much nicer to have this understanding when we say that.</div>
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In essence, we have to constantly work on knowing ourselves
and giving those around us the opportunity to know themselves too. Education is
nothing without that. Connecting at the heart level is the key to communication
and education. Awareness is the opportunity to see it. Mindfulness is the
process we use to get there through the tool of Montessori’s approach.
Communicate, be open, take a step back, breathe, and connect. It’s a very
fulfilling process and an honor to be part of such a journey.</div>
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Matthew Simberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07477228092701929706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680036813963600695.post-68484227691774747672016-09-11T21:29:00.000-04:002016-09-11T21:29:27.865-04:00Intuitive, Critical and Analytical Thinking in the Elementary Classroom - Part 2<div style="text-align: justify;">
My last post was about critical thinking. After doing much research on intuitive, critical and analytical thinking I decided that it makes sense to combine intuitive and analytical thinking for this post. A person can do one without the other, but to be as proficient and successful as possible we need to utilize both. There has even been a term that has been coined to combine both, which is "design thinking." In an article called, “The Design of Business,” the author states that “design thinkers observe the world, imagine alternatives, and bring them into being.” Critical and analytical thinking actually complement each other. </div>
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Analytical thinking is used to break down a complex idea into a series of steps. This is done to create an overall conclusion. For example, a person would ask why something is the way it is and then come to a so called scientific conclusion. Whereas intuitive thinking is not based on time, it’s dynamic, looks at the big picture, and is subjective. A metaphor for understanding what intuitive thinking is would be like when you see with your eyes and observe the whole environment at once. If you think about it, you might notice a brief moment before you start judging and identifying people and things.</div>
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In that moment is where you are “seeing the big picture.” Whereas, utilizing analytical thinking would be where you begin to focus in on something specific. Or, you might ask why something is the way it is and then take steps to figure it out. Being in a Montessori Environment definitely nurtures and supports the development of these ways of thinking. A book entitled, “Thinking in English: A New Perspective on Teaching ESL,” in part, talks about the success of the Montessori Method and that many other types of teachers, parents and children testify to Montessori’s Methods. It states that, “We give recognition to the innate intelligence of the student and acknowledge that students can and do teach themselves many things that are necessary for survival through intuitive learning.” </div>
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This is in reference to the freedom given in this environment for the child to explore with material. When we give the children the freedom to explore with their hands, their minds are satisfied by the action of movement. They are given the space to think about what they are working with and adapt when a road block or question arises to do as Montessori said the child wants, “help to do it by myself.” This is also a key to fostering independence and practical life skills. </div>
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These are all important components of a Montessori Education, when really, these should be common place components of education in general. Furthermore, my understanding is that she did not want her findings to be coined as a method. Since our traditional education methods are continuing to go in the opposite way, meaning away from supporting a human’s natural tendencies, you can see the effect it is having on our present college level generation. It is terrifying to think what statistics will look like when our present elementary aged children are in college.</div>
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In a Montessori classroom setting the child is free to explore. They are free to make mistakes and learn from them to understand why. Concentration and socialization is encouraged, not interrupted or stifled. Guides and heads of Montessori schools should think of ways they already foster different types of thinking, so it is a more conscious effort. In fact, I have a request for any guide, parent or head of school. Would you comment on examples of how any of these types of thinking are or can be fostered in a Montessori classroom? I would like to compile a list and share it with other online groups that could possibly benefit.</div>
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Additionally, we should be thinking of how to more directly encourage activities, such as team-building exercises. They are great ways to foster several wonderful qualities and types of thinking. While a Montessori school experience can naturally foster team building through its group work, I think in this day and age we need more diverse experiences. There is more than one way to learn how to divide or multiply in the classroom among other academic activities. Our schools should come up with a couple of outdoor or indoor team-building activities. For instance, especially at the beginning of the year, I find it helpful to take the Upper elementary on a camping trip designed for team building or a day trip centered around team-building and communication at a local camp.</div>
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As always, I look forward to your comments and your insight into examples of how any of these types of thinking are or can be fostered in a Montessori classroom. I really think bringing more educators the awareness of consciously fostering different types of thinking could be of great value for all. Understanding what faculties we are using helps us to become more aware of ourselves. As it is believed Socrates said, “Know Thyself.” Some would argue that is one of the most important things we can do and pass on for our children to take the journey to do themselves.</div>
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Matthew Simberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07477228092701929706noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680036813963600695.post-43902309426828042402016-06-28T10:40:00.000-04:002016-06-28T10:40:13.453-04:00Intuitive, Critical and Analytical Thinking in Elementary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The A.M.I. Journal 2014 – 2015, Theme Issue: The Montessori Foundations for The Creative Personality, has an article in it called "Intuitive and Analytical Thinking" by Jerome Bruner. It was first published in The Process of Education, 1960. After reading it, I thought about the elementary children and three different types of thinking: intuitive, critical and analytical. Analyzing these three different types of thinking is a critical issue that may not often be spoken about together and may even be more intuitively practiced by some without even realizing it with respect to the elementary classroom. My reflections and research on this topic will not be comprehensively covered in this blog post. Instead, my goal is to wet the whistle, inspire with a nugget and walk away just as we should in the classroom. I will touch on each type of thinking, at least one application in the elementary classroom, and a call to consciously implement opportunities for our students to practice and identify these types of thinking.</div>
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Dictionary.com defines critical thinking as disciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence. Research shows that the definition has changed over the decades, but one thing remains constant. That is a need to provide effective solutions to complex problems. The elementary classroom provides opportunities to foster this skill all day long. Let’s look at the characteristics of fairness and justice. Conflicts and questions are constantly arising in the classroom. What is fair and just to a 6 or 7 year old might not be enough or the same for an eleven or twelve year old. Group discussions are great to show different points of view and to let children experience what the different ages think about the same topic. However, here is an example of a one-on-one opportunity.</div>
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“Mr. Matt, how come the little kids never do any work, or help clean up, says one student?” My reply is that, “First of all, there are no little goats in our classroom (with a smile). Let me understand what you are saying here with your statement to me. You mean that you think that the lower elementary children never do any work or clean up. And by never are you saying that I’m not teaching them, they do not listen, and it is not fair?” Her reply was, “No, I know you teach them, and they do not never do work or clean.” So I asked, “Then what do you mean?” <br />
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“They can just be loud, and they move around more than us, and compared to us, the older children, they barely help clean.” I answered her by saying, “Those are all good observations. This is what I think about when I hear you say those things. When you were their age, you were the same exact way. You used to get frustrated with the older children for getting frustrated with you. So you clung more to the children that were your age and younger. In the same exact way that you are coming to me now, there were children who came to me who you remember. They said the same thing about you and your friends.<br />
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Anyway, remember how we have spoken about how humans have a lot of things about them that are the same? Well, at the age of all the children in this classroom, being fair and just is very important. So, what you are thinking that is unfair and unjust, some of the younger children might be thinking that what they are doing is fair and just.” “How can that be, she asked?” I inquired, “Well, let me ask you a question instead. What could you do to be solution-focused to make yourself feel better?”<br />
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After some thought, she concluded, “I could probably sit down and do work with them, I could like be their partner for part of the day and maybe during clean up. If other people feel the same way, then we could partner with the younger children.” “Another thing for you to keep in mind is, are you judging them based on your standard of getting work done and cleaning up and not what the ability of a seven year old might be?” With an amazed look on her face, she said to me, “I had never thought of it like that.”<br />
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“I appreciate you coming to me with a critical issue for you that always comes up in the elementary classroom. There might be more for you to think about on this topic. Who knows, you might help make the dynamics even better than they already are in the classroom." With that, this student was satisfied, and replied, "okay Mr. Matt," and went on to her work again.</div>
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Throughout the year I have really been contemplating different types of thinking and how they seem to be less and less evident in students over the past couple of years, at least less than I remember when I first started teaching. So, I started to make it a mission of mine to delve deeper into understanding different types of thinking and how to deliberately foster them more in the classroom. This is why I decided to write about intuitive, critical and analytical thinking.</div>
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Over the last couple of months I've posted "<a href="http://montessoriseeds.blogspot.com/2016/04/connecting-to-heart-through-awareness.html">Connecting to the Heart Through Awareness</a>" and "<a href="http://montessoriseeds.blogspot.com/2016/02/effectively-connecting-with-students-at.html">Effectively Connecting with Students at the Heart Level</a>," So, as mentioned in the previous posts, I will continue to talk more about perception, mindfulness and connecting at the heart as well as experiences with that and how it all came together. However, I wanted to do a little segue: a three part post on critical thinking, analytical thinking and intuitive thinking. Then I plan to tie everything together in time for the 2016 - 2017 school year.</div>
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As always I look forward to your comments!</div>
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Matthew Simberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07477228092701929706noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680036813963600695.post-27116127612956867092016-04-25T21:03:00.000-04:002016-04-25T21:03:58.258-04:00Connecting to the Heart Through Awareness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="s1">The common connotation of the term "self centered" is having a "preoccupation." In order to be "self centered" one has to be preoccupied with oneself and one's own affairs. It's during a person's childhood that a person tends to be stuck in preoccupation, and unless one is given the right tools and knowledge, they may be stuck in a rut of self centeredness for the rest of their lives. By giving children tools to understand what self centeredness should be, they can better understand the impact of being aware of oneself and their environment, rather than focusing on the self. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">A byproduct of focusing on the self, for example, may be focusing on singular aspects of the environment and making children aware that there is more to be aware about than the singular self. In considering how to help students connect with themselves at the heart and how to help the guide connect with students at the heart (a very important component to educating the child) the guide should also consider the importance of redefining "self centered" so that it's not just a negative connotation, but a natural human tendency in general to have a sense of self centeredness. It goes along with self preservation, but to truly develop and mature into being a successful, fulfilled member of society, one also has to be self aware and aware of their own environment. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">So, let's focus on two qualities or personality traits: self centeredness and awareness. Let's understand self centeredness and what it means to bring that understanding to the children, followed by what it means to be aware, coupling the benefits and impact this can potentially have, by giving a child this tool for their future and the future in general.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">When one is self centered one is preoccupied with oneself, and that, in and of itself, is a negative experience. Bad habits and addictions can come from self centeredness, whether they be drastic addictions such as drugs and alcohol to overeating to relational addictions like being involved in dramatic relationships or not being able to be social, because you are so self centered that you are not able to participate in relationships by reciprocating other feelings or being self sacrificing in enough of a way to maintain a healthy relationship or friendship. Once understanding that, let's redefine self centeredness for our purposes and associate it with self preservation. If self centeredness, in this way, is about self preservation, it's already equipping a child to have healthy relationships and a healthy life. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">With that said, it's important to have a conversation with the children about this idea of self centeredness and the distinction between self centeredness and self preservation. You can ask the elementary child to think about times that they may be self centered and self preserving in that they are caring about themselves or striving to be a better friend or brother or sister. You can revisit it in a few days, after introducing the concept, if they can't think of any examples immediately. An example of a child being self centered might be saying, "Im not going to do this work with you because I'm doing what I want to do. You need to go find your own thing to do." In some cases, you might just hear a child say, "Go away." When a guide hears this, it is the perfect opportunity to shed awareness of the child's ability to communicate differently and express kindness and understanding, which always dissipates one's self centeredness as being the preoccupation of oneself or one's activity. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">An example of self centeredness with our definition would be that an older child might be doing a creative great work, utilizing their imagination. A younger child then gets a work similar to theirs and sits near them and starts trying to copy what they are doing and becoming a distraction to the older child and their work. While we know, as a Montessori guide, that the self preservation of a child's concentration is of utmost importance, there have to be, either exceptions to the rule, or exceptions for the opportunity for greater possibilities. This is one of those times. So, when the older child comes to the guide and says, "this person is bothering me and distracting me and copying my work." It is a chance for the guide to say that they understand how they feel and it must feel frustrating, but ask the child to look at it from a different perspective, before asking the child to choose something else. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The guide can simply say, "think about you being that child once, for no other reason than you liked them and looked up to them or you wanted to participate in that, but were too scared to ask. </span>So instead, consider giving the opportunity of appreciating that that child is looking up to you as a role model rather than just trying to annoy you and see if you can be there and appreciate that that is what he or she is doing." </div>
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<span class="s1">In most cases, as has been my experience, when we communicate with a child in this way, they become more aware of this perception and they're no longer self centered in a preoccupied way, but as long as they can preserve their own work, they can understand their fellow student, because they are trying to do great work too. One might say that this is simply showing empathy, and while that's true, there is no empathy without awareness first. So empathy and other attributes that can be experienced are by-products of being aware first. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">What does it mean to be aware? Being aware or having awareness is the ability to perceive through multiple lenses. When we're on the ground we can see the street in front of us, the trees around us, houses, cars and people. If we climbed a ladder to the roof of a house, we could see the grooves of other homes, people, trees, the street and cars, from literally a different perspective. Additionally, if you got on a plane and you looked at the window as you started to take off, you would see even more from a different perspective. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Being aware is nothing more than seeing the environment and your experiences from a different perspective. Through our interactions with the children, we use their conflicts as tools to see different perspectives, which brings more awareness to themselves, the environment, their experiences and the people around them. The next step that comes from practicing awareness is deciding what story you want to hold onto and tell yourself. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Giving the children the opportunity and the choice of which story to hold onto is the key to practicing a fulfilling life. When giving them the experience to choose and letting them have the opportunity to see that choosing a negative story only leads to negative outcomes, you give them the gift of realizing that, holding onto the positive story, yields positive results. These positive results may not be right away, but they always outweigh holding onto a negative perspective. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">In conclusion, both the traditionally accepted definition of self centeredness as well as the new definition of self centeredness needs to be understood, which basically involves removing the sense of preoccupation. Self awareness can come from utilizing the tool of mindfulness, simple meditation, or being given the opportunities to be guided through experiences. Overall, one becomes better at being aware through the conscious daily experience of living and in the beginning, having someone being able to guide you through those experiences in a noninvasive way. In the end, being able to connect with your own heart and someone else, having a healthy sense of self centeredness, being self aware and aware of the environment and those around you can be attained by being given these opportunities by the adult or guide. </span></div>
Matthew Simberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07477228092701929706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680036813963600695.post-46928704954705592482016-02-26T23:28:00.000-05:002016-02-26T23:31:35.873-05:00Effectively Connecting with Students at the Heart Level<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-kBktidunNDo8Aq2W1XkBExTzeSYXu_X70Hy38PjUteMQ0kOSu7I8GrCxDdojujjYuFMguhlMPXqsWNDBLKREd1ZQ_woqMp9xhyauuboDqxADo5AWb1hJx2EGFQrim1rK3_fZR5dk_4/s1600/connecting+with+students+at+the+heart.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-kBktidunNDo8Aq2W1XkBExTzeSYXu_X70Hy38PjUteMQ0kOSu7I8GrCxDdojujjYuFMguhlMPXqsWNDBLKREd1ZQ_woqMp9xhyauuboDqxADo5AWb1hJx2EGFQrim1rK3_fZR5dk_4/s320/connecting+with+students+at+the+heart.jpg" /></a>Every somewhat - experienced Montessori guide knows that there are ebbs and flows throughout the year in the classroom. Of course, we see more down hills after a long break. This is because the process of normalization gets interrupted. There are even periods where, during consistent school days, it just seems like the children are too loud or are not cooperating. They are not engaged, are socializing too much, and you feel frustrated in general. Yes there is the rule of thumb: give more lessons, observe, have one on one meetings, etc... All of these things work or work to a certain extent. They are important and must be done. However, I would like to contend that there is something more foundational than all of that. We must connect with our students at the heart level. True education cannot happen without that. When we connect with our students, we give them a key to unlock the door to connect with themselves. Then the work, the joy, begins.</div>
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I was fortunate enough to learn this early on in my start. If I do not connect with the children, I will lose them. But, I didn’t even think of it like that. I have always had a passion to connect with all my students at the heart level and see them want to connect with me too. As a guide or head of school, you cannot ask for much more, other than connecting with the parents in the same way. So, what are some exercises or techniques to help make that happen? I have thought of several things that I realized I do. It is important to remember that it can’t be acted or forced, you have to own what you are doing. They see through you and respect your vulnerability. With that said, I’d like to share a story and hopefully it lights a little spark of inspiration.</div>
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Now, let me preface this with saying that I have a reputation for being fair but tough, funny but serious when necessary. So, I realize everyone has different expectations of their classrooms and ways of running it. Also, while this post is meant for primarily elementary and adolescents, I think connecting at the heart applies to all levels. However, I am intending my story and insight to be applicable to all types and styles of guides in the classroom. So, I would like to briefly rewind to the beginning of the year and share what I did with the children. What I chose to do is not uncommon in the elementary classroom. </div>
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Like so many other classrooms, we had started our school year with creating guidelines for the class. They came from the children. Everyone had to agree. Then everyone had to sign it. We hung it up on the wall. All of the children were excited then. </div>
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We returned to school in January of 2016, there was also excitement in the air and the room was buzzing. Everyone was legitimately happy to be back. There were a few students still literally on vacation. Things were good, for the most part. The transition back did go pretty smoothly. However, the couple of children returned about a week later. Then we received two new students who had experience in elementary. I was noticing that there was more than a buzz in the classroom. There were too many times where I repeated myself. The class was just feeling off and I was not satisfied. </div>
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Eventually, I noticed after redirecting and pointing out what was on the wall, it was lost and fell on deaf ears and blind eyes. I figured out, even though it originally came from the children, they were not connected to it from their heart. This led me to have a meeting with them in January. Also, I explained how something curious seems to happen with pictures and things that get hung up on the wall.</div>
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You see, after about 3 months, people just forget, they just do not notice anymore. It might as well not be there anymore. I said, “what I have noticed is that most of you are not following what you signed and agreed too.” Some children looked upset, like they disappointed me and knew it (my perception of course). I assured them that it was okay and that “when you sign something, it is like making a promise,” and they should know that for the future. In the meantime, I expressed my observations and what I found frustrating. Then I shared with them that it was on them to do better and be better. Either way, I was going to keep being me. Yet, I wanted to convey something to them and ask them some questions about one word. This is where one technique comes in.</div>
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“So, who can tell me what respect means?” Right away, hands went up and I got examples, not definitions. I knew that I had to find a word that could encapsulate what might be missing in the classroom during certain interactions. When I heard the children were not getting it, not listening, I asked someone to grab a dictionary. I had them read the definition of respect, respectful and respectfully. I tried to get them to connect to the word. Then I explained to them the power of words. I showed them what happens to the body when we think negatively with a muscle testing exercise. I turned it into a self-talk, self-respect and respect for others lessons. It was awesome! The 6-12 year olds really took to it, reminded each other and applied it for the whole week. It is now February and “respect” is still understood and utilized in the classroom more than the 10 or 15 other agreements. Now that it has been about a month, it will be time to introduce a new word. </div>
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As you know, January and February get broken up with conferences, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and President’s Day Weekend. Yet, reminding them about respect when they made certain choices, showing them that I cared and not judging them had really brought about a deeper level of, well respect, between all of us.</div>
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To recap, connecting at the heart is the goal. The sooner this is done the better, but it cannot be rushed or forced. Helping them to connect to certain words like respect is a key to this journey with the children. Next month I will share another exercise that I have been doing and will continue to do with the children. It has to do with connecting to their individual hearts. If we do not teach children to do this, then connecting with them can only go so far! If you give the above exercise a try please feel free to comment and share with others your experience.</div>
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Matthew Simberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07477228092701929706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680036813963600695.post-39958261997268205882015-11-19T21:19:00.001-05:002015-11-19T21:58:48.163-05:00Montessori Education Keeps Cursive Writing Alive<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy";"> During the middle of September, as
school was starting, a NJ radio station posed a question about writing in
cursive. The question was, “Is it a good
thing that cursive writing is no longer taught in our public schools and should
cursive writing continue to be a dying art?”
Of course I heard some unintelligent and unsubstantiated answers. Then I heard answers one might expect from both
sides of the argument. Some callers said
things like, “What is the point of cursive, writing is dying out, computers
will completely take over by the time our children are grown up, and the only
thing we need cursive anymore for is our signature.” On the other side of the argument callers
said, “Cursive is a beautiful art, I think it is sad that they don’t teach it
in school anymore, and cursive was the stepping stone for me to become an
artist and one other person said cursive started when our country started. Regardless, whether there is a right answer
or a wrong answer, I feel very fortunate to teach in a system where cursive is
revered. When will enough be
enough? When will families stop letting
people who are not trained in education decide what is best for their
children? There are clear benefits to
writing in cursive and we should not let it become a “dying art.” It is not an art form, but a beautiful form
of communication that has benefits to the brain. Learning cursive creates the opportunity in
the brain to subconsciously be able to make connections during interactions in
life. Furthermore, I strongly suggest
that this would not even be a topic of conversation if it was not for computers
and unlimited fonts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy";"> Like any Montessori teacher might do,
first, let’s start with a brief history of cursive. January 23rd is National Handwriting Day,
which is a time to acknowledge the history and penmanship that our nation was
founded on. Yet, non-educators are
trying to do away with it, to push more typing and screen time on us whether it
be directly or indirectly. Why is
penmanship, cursive, celebrated on this day?
According to <b><span style="color: #385623; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 128;">History.com, </span></b>it
is because it is John Hancock’s birthday.
This day is in remembrance of his iconic signature on the Declaration of
Independence. This information alone is
a lot of history to preserve, educate each other and our children. We shouldn’t let the fast paced age of
computers push our civilization’s history of writing out. Computers should be left to be used as a tool
for information and communication.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy";">Originally,
the Romans borrowed a form of cursive from the Etruscans and were the first to
develop lower case script, which, flowed into modern day cursive. By the late eighth century, Charlegmagne
assigned a monk to produce a standardized craft. From the influence of Roman characters,
Carolingian Miniscule was created to feature lowercase and uppercase letters for
maximum legibility. From there the
history continues to a form of cursive which became known as the Spencerian
Method and then Austin Norman Palmer replaced that method during the turn of
the century with a slightly different approach in American classrooms. This form of cursive evolved and changed from
there up until the present. So, for
centuries, cursive has been an integral part of our history’s way of
communication.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy";"> We
are on the brink of losing the ability to write in cursive and yet now we have
research to validate it to those who are becoming successful in taking it away
from our children and our future. So,
the benefits of cursive handwriting based on an article entitled <u>What’s Lost
as Handwriting Fades</u> by science writer Maria Konnikova. She states, “Children not only learn to read
more quickly when they first learn to write by hand, but they also remain
better able to generate ideas and retain information. In other words, it’s not just what we write
that matters – but how.” This has been proven by measured brain activity during
writing, tracing and typing activities. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">So,
writing in cursive creates more brain activity than typing and it generates
more words and ideas. It is a form of self-expression. Furthermore, the science of graphology or the
analysis of handwriting tells us that one’s personality traits are linked to
the way one writes. To eliminate cursive is to make everyone the same. Since the start of our Industrial Revolution
and standardized public education, the government and politics has done a great
job at pushing children through the system like factory workers. Yet, Montessori preserves the individual and
equips him/her to express themselves in their own unique way according to
his/her own talents, characteristics and tendencies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy";">If
you do further research you can find what our future generations will be
missing in other school settings and why it matters. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy";">And
so, I leave you with that. Hopefully,
your curiosity has been tapped and you look to do more, or say more or write
more and please let it be in cursive.
Give yourself the opportunity to hold on to what is quickly becoming our
past. Learn for yourself and see that
teaching and practicing cursive will help you and our children to better make
other connections in life just as we are meant to connect our letters with a
pencil or pen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy";"><b>References</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cynthia-dagnalmyron/john-boy-was-write-the-jo_b_5440013.html"><span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy";">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cynthia-dagnalmyron/john-boy-was-write-the-jo_b_5440013.html</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-family: "lucida calligraphy";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.history.com/news/a-brief-history-of-penmanship-on-national-handwriting-day"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "lucida calligraphy"; font-size: x-small;">http://www.history.com/news/a-brief-history-of-penmanship-on-national-handwriting-day</span></a></span></div>
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Matthew Simberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07477228092701929706noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680036813963600695.post-16105461746492556372015-05-03T12:52:00.000-04:002015-05-03T12:52:01.485-04:00Montessori Math not Memorizing Math<div class="MsoNormal">
I came across an article entitled, “Memorizing Math is Wrong
– This Study Shows Why,” which lead me to another article by USNews & World
Report called, “Should We Stop Making Kids Memorize Times Tables?” Both articles are interesting. Upon reading both, I was instantly
transported to my mom’s car in third grade when I was forced to continue to try
and memorize my times tables by repeating them.
I remember hating every minute of it.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Math was
one of my better subjects up until about sixth grade. I didn’t love it, I was just able to do it
and get good grades. From what I can
remember it was because I did the work and memorized as I was told. As I got older, math class became a great
struggle for me. It made no sense, I
could apply very little to what was assigned and I lost a great deal of
interest in it. This carried on all the
way through the well-respected all boys catholic high school that I went to and
Jesuit College. Not even tutors helped
me to do more than just barely get by, especially when it came to
geometry. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Once I
graduated college and became an assistant at a prominent Montessori School in
Houston, my relationship with math began to change. The vast materials were amazing, life changing,
and the variety in which a child could learn how to do an operation was
mind-opening. Then I took the elementary
training course that summer. It was then
that I knew my life and my way of understanding math would never be the
same. Scratch that, not even my way, but
now there was a way that I did understand and memorizing did not matter.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As an
elementary teacher, I have become known as being very good at math and teaching
it. Something that I never would have
thought others would think of me. But, I
think there is something more to it and it is not really about me aside from a
couple of things. Parents of our present
children have horrible memories when it comes to learning math. What we are able to teach our children now is
mind blowing, but it has been around for over a hundred years. Most parents today do not realize that so
when they see their fourth year child starting to understand what the algebraic
expression of the binomial cube is, they are blown away because they definitely
did not learn and understand that in elementary, let alone at around age
10. This is not an exception to the
rule, this is the norm in an authentic Montessori program.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A call
to action would be to look for or make sure your child is in an authentic
Montessori program. One that encourages
different ways of learning and teaching it in more than one way. Not just with math. However, it is a shame to think that
something as universal as math is so misunderstood because it is so dominantly
taught by way of rote memorization. If
your child does not understand it, if you do not understand it and cannot apply
it to the real world, than what is the point, really? There is a way for your
child to be happy, to be educated. That
way is an authentic Montessori program where they can thrive and understand
what they are doing and why they are doing it. Learning is not merely a means to an end, but rather a journey that is rewarding, practical and enjoyable. <span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Matthew Simberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07477228092701929706noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680036813963600695.post-53028195308807809362015-04-08T15:27:00.001-04:002015-04-08T15:27:17.391-04:00Being Brave<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> What
does it mean to be brave? Choosing to
be brave is not a destination, but a journey that is traveled every day. Being brave is a choice. It does not have to be a magnificent
act. Practicing or making the choice to
be brave can be about the choice to go through the process of overcoming a fear
or doing something even though you are scared.
As a Montessori educator, being brave is a duty of the guide for the
sake of both the children and families.
I have tremendous gratitude for Judith Cunningham, Michael Jacobson and
the Montessori Model United Nations. It
is because of them, and the forum that they have created, that I can
communicate and better understand bravery. The children and families also
inspire me to strive to be a good role model and to do myself what I ask of the
children to do. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> Last
year, I participated as a President on the Dais for one of the committees at
the Montessori Model United Nations Conference in New York City. I decided to open up the session by asking
the delegates (students) what being brave meant to them. Then I shared with them what being brave
meant to me. Next, I encouraged them to
utilize this safe forum to choose to do one thing that scared them or that they
were nervous about. It could be
something such as raising your placard, standing and announcing that you were
present and voting in front of over 60 strangers. Or, if you were scared to meet someone new,
go up to someone in the committee and introduce yourself. I had such an overwhelmingly positive
experience with that and such great feedback that I decided to do it again this
year when I was invited back to be President at the conference again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> I
was definitely tested at the conference to exercise what I thought I needed to
be brave about last year. However, this
year’s biggest test of bravery for me at the conference brought me the greatest
gift of awareness. So, I did my bravery
spiel again, and the search for a resolution on the topic of whaling between
approximately 30 countries and 60 delegates began. The room was buzzing; excitement was in the
air. Twenty to thirty parents were in
the room observing in the back at any given time. While everything was moving wonderfully,
something different was happening this year that I had not experienced
before. Parents were trying to involve
themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> They
were passing notes to the children, which I did not find out about until later
in the day, and it was not just in my room.
Some were actually trying to influence their children. Then, in the afternoon, a parent yelled
across the room after a vote and said, “I don’t think the children understand.” I was shocked; this is not supposed to
happen in a Montessori environment, let alone a Montessori Model United Nations
environment. I had a flash of being at a baseball game and seeing a parent
obnoxiously yelling to the children.
This was not okay. However, it
was the end of the session and the parent privately apologized. Unfortunately, for me, this was not over. Something
needed to be done, but what?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> For
much of the night I thought about how to handle this situation. How could I change the dynamics that were
being created in this forum? I could
not allow any other parent to think it was okay to interject or continue to
take away the possibility for self-directed learning from any of these
children. In my mind, that was my
responsibility, the children. Something had to be done, and when I realized a
solution that was a possibility, I knew it would not be a popular one. It was going to be difficult, and many
things could go wrong. Yet, I was a
President of a committee, I spoke to the delegates about being brave, education
is my life, and in my heart I knew what I needed to do, despite fears of
possible undesirable outcomes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> It
was not until the session began that I made the final decision. I briefed the Dais about my concern and
unhappiness with regards to how some parents conducted themselves the day
before. Then, I told them that, because
of that, I was going to probably ask the parents to leave the room so that I
could speak privately with the delegates.
I explained to them that I did not recommend this, but based on the
circumstances, I felt it was the right decision to make, for the sake of the
delegates. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> And
so, the session began with roll call.
After that, I addressed the parents and let them know that it was not
okay to give negative reactions in the back of the room, pass notes to the
delegates or speak across the forum to express an opinion. With that, I asked them to leave the room
and the Dais would invite them back in approximately ten minutes after the
delegates were addressed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> As
President, I explained to the delegates that voting on draft resolutions was
their decision alone, being on the speaker’s list was their choice, and while
it might be hard, they should not let their parents or chaperone persuade them
during the session. I explained to them
that a parent calling out across the room as one did the previous day was not
okay and just as they are expected to conduct themselves in a certain way, so
are the adults in the back of the room.
Along with that, we reopened the floor to vote on whether the delegates
would like to vote on the current draft resolution without the parents present. The delegates voted in favor of voting on
the draft resolution, and once we did, it passed unanimously. The Dais then invited the parents back into
the room.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> At
the end of the conference, parents still shook my hand, complimented me, asked
to have me take a picture with their child, and I also received at least one
apology. This experience taught me
several things. Good things can happen
when you follow your heart. This
experience was about the children and that gave me the courage to follow my
heart, which in turn, led to my experience of making sure I modeled what I
spoke about, being brave. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> It
is my hope that, in sharing this story, guides, administrators, and parents can
take away something positive from it. My
purpose was to show a personal story that might help someone else decide to be
brave no matter how big or small the situation. Often times, our imaginations make things
look more scary than they actually are.
I would like to encourage you to share your story or thoughts about being
brave.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Matthew Simberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07477228092701929706noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680036813963600695.post-23459322449382788062015-03-06T15:41:00.000-05:002015-03-06T15:41:02.654-05:00The Montessori Environment and Optimism<div class="MsoNormal">
It can be agreed upon that there is both a business and
practical side to running a Montessori School.
Michael Thompson stated at the 2015 AMI Refresher Course that 95% of
parents have good will, a good heart, and benefit from regular feedback. That leaves only 5% of parents who are
difficult to work with. Those are
really encouraging statistics for both staff and administrators to remember and
that optimism is really the duty of the school and staff. Thompson also says that two kinds of parents,
who fall under that 5%, are either threatening, intimidating and assaulting or
anxious. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With the first group, the administration needs to stand by
their teacher, who should never be left alone with that parent. Documenting conversations is important too, so
those interactions can be referred to in the future. This reduces the amount of discrepancies
when having future conversations. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When working with the anxious parent, wording things
correctly and positively are so important.
When communicating with anxious parents, they need reassurance about
their child. For example, share the
observations made about the student, but also identify the potential. Ask if
the parent has any suggestions about what can be done together to support the
child so that he/she can reach their ultimate potential. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The teacher or administrator must do his/her best to be
encouraging and patient. However, gently
drawing boundaries to protect your time is important as well. When expressing concern, it is also important
to state what is being observed objectively without adding negative
emotion. The guide and administrator
must be succinct in communicating observations and optimism. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The expression of optimism between administrators, to staff
and with families is paramount. We
should also leave room for parents to have a bad day or week and not take
things personally. As humans, we have
to deal with our own issues. We have
our own external and internal judgments and perceptions that can often be
misjudgments and misperceptions.
Sometimes, teachers and administrators have bad days, which can affect
their interaction with the children and or parents. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, Michael Thompson also shares the importance of what
it means to be a leader. Both the
administration and staff must be examples for the school. The administrator must be an icon. The history and mission of the school should
be easily describable. With everything
that goes on in one’s life, at the very least, the administrator should act both
professionally and charismatically, the same way the administrator needs the
staff to act composed and with an approachable posture for the sake of the
children, despite what is going on personally or professionally. Michael Thompson is adamant in expressing
that the administrator must thrust and trust themselves out there. Additionally, it is important to inspire the
staff to do the same. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Throughout
my time in the Montessori classroom, I have received a lot of advice from many
people working in the Montessori environment, as well as from parents. Some advice, which was mentioned at the
refresher course was, “you can’t care more than the person who owns the
problem.” While part of me has looked
at the rationale of this advice as a way to not get emotionally attached to a
situation, it still was always bothersome to me. Another thing that was said, similar to the
old adage, is that “no good deed goes unpunished.” Either way, those are pessimistic excuses to
not have to deal with a situation professionally, head on, and with love. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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This led me to think about Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr., Mother Theresa and others. They
didn't own the problem, but they were involved in it. As educators and owners of schools, a
problem involving families is ours to help manage or solve to the extent that
the family allows us to participate. By
being in this profession, we decided to be contributing members to humanity and
its future. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Through
a correspondence with Maren Schmidt via the Elementary Alumni Association Yahoo
group, she reminded me (us) that love is a verb. She stated that love is not a feeling or
state of being. Then she mentioned the
same thing that I was thinking, “we have a choice between love and fear.” Maren went on to share a version of The
Paradoxical Commandments written by Keith M. Kent, which reads as follows:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>People are often
unreasonable, irrational and self-centered;<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Forgive them anyway.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>If you are kind,
people may accuse you of selfish and ulterior motives;<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Be kind anyway.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>If you are successful,
you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies;<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Succeed anyway.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>If you are honest and
sincere, people may deceive you;<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Be honest and sincere
anyway.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>What you spend years
creating, others could destroy overnight;<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Create anyway.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>If you find serenity
and happiness, some may be jealous.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Be happy anyway.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>The good you do today
will often be forgotten:<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Do good anyway.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Give the best you
have, and it may never be enough;<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Give your best anyway.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>In the final analysis,
it is between you and God;<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>It was never between
you and them anyway. </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
What I took from the refresher
course was both validating and exactly what I needed. Be compassionate to everyone. When we have trouble, there are tools and
resources in the Montessori community to help us find our center again. Inclusion, as much as possible, is the key
to success and fulfillment, whether as an administrator, guide, or parent. We have a role to fulfill and therefore a
duty to, at the very least, act as such. <o:p></o:p></div>
Matthew Simberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07477228092701929706noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680036813963600695.post-45496817870379315772015-01-30T15:59:00.001-05:002015-01-30T15:59:40.220-05:00Communicating Montessori: Food For Thought<div class="MsoNormal">
As educators of the Montessori pedagogy we sometimes make
assumptions about parents. We assume
that they think what we are saying is important to them. Often times we communicate Montessori jargon
because it makes so much sense to those of us that have been trained. It has become second nature to communicate
in a “Montessori way.” What is really
important to parents? For one, we have
to ask them, we have to listen, and we have to connect with them at the heart
level. They want to trust us as much if
not more than we want to trust them.
Parents are hoping to entrust us with their most precious seed(s). Ultimately, they want to know and see their
seed(s) be in a nurturing environment where they will grow and flourish to
their fullest potential. What do we say
and how do we show parents that a Montessori experience gives their seed(s) the
best chance with the best conditions for them to grow to their fullest
potential? That is really a loaded
question and each guide and administrator probably needs to figure that out for
themselves while taking this journey.
However, I came across leaflet No. 1 from “A Parent’s Guide to the
Montessori Classroom” by Aline D. Wolf.
This led me to want to share a few insights and practical information
from this leaflet and my own experience.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the first part of Aline’s leaflet entitled <b>No. 1 The Purpose of Montessori Education</b>,
she states that “early childhood education should not be to fill the child with
facts from a pre-selected curriculum, but rather to cultivate her own natural
desire to learn.” So we communicate to
the parents and especially the unfamiliar parent that our classrooms are
designed to cultivate your child’s innate natural desire to learn. Just as a seed grows into what it is
supposed to grow into when under the right conditions, your child too will grow
into what he or she is supposed to grow into.
A true Montessori classroom and a nurturing, well executing guide will
foster the innate <b>characteristics and
tendencies</b> (can you link this to my article) of your child. How?
First, this is done by giving the child the experience of “controlled”
exploration to experience the excitement of learning. The guide helps the child to master the
tools being used to learn the given activities. The materials are the physical expression
utilized to fulfill both an immediate and long range purpose. There can be many and it varies for each
material. However, for example think
about how the knob cylinders are used both for their immediate purpose, but
also to encourage a correct pencil grip.
That leads us to the section in the leaflet of <b>How the Children Learn.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It states that “Dr. Montessori always emphasized that <b>the hand is the chief educator of the child</b>. We now have research to prove that not only
is that true for children, but also it is simply true for humans. More can be learned about this from Dr. Steve
Hughes, a board-certified pediatric neuropsychologist <a href="http://www.goodatdoingthings.com/">www.goodatdoingthings.com</a>. What better experience to give our children
then to be in an environment that incorporates hands on learning for every
subject area? What parent doesn't want
to see their child become more independent at an earlier age? We can talk to them about a couple of
practical life experiences that can help bridge the gap between the home and
school experience. What about the
parent that sincerely asks, “Why is this so important for my 3-6 year old, they
are not even six?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, this leads us to what we are all familiar with, the <b>Sensitive Periods</b>. Parents may have noticed their child is
beginning to have an intense fascination with things. They may be simple, like putting parts of
toys in order or doing an activity over and over again. Aline states, “The Montessori classroom
takes advantage of this fact by allowing the child freedom to select individual
activities which correspond to her own periods of interest.” In the classroom, they can put things in
order all that they need too, they can learn other skills to practice such as
pouring, slicing apples, washing a table.
All of these things foster a sense of order through their steps and meet
the need of organizing through the experience of the whole activity. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The last section of the leaflet is, <b>At What Ages?</b> Essentially,
Montessori pedagogy is crucial for all ages of the child. It is not just for 3-6 year old
children. And it is certainly not
another day care. It is a true
preparation for life. Not to be
confused with a preparation for life through a drudging and rote learning
process. Yet, it is a self-rewarding,
self-fulfilling, interdependent and enthusiastic process. This is not just true for the child, but
parents would also like to know that the same is true for the guide. That is a communication that is often left
out. It is something that many public
and traditional private school teachers are not getting to experience with the
children they are teaching. Communicate
when possible that Montessori education also happen before primary and after
primary in an elementary program. I am
shocked by how many parents didn't even know that elementary even existed. This reminds me to always keep an open mind,
listen, ask questions and assume nothing.
The servant’s heart is necessary not only in working with the child, but
also the adult. Sometimes we forget
that.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
My hope is that this served as some food for thought. Please share your thoughts, comments and
food. Thank you for taking the time to
read. <o:p></o:p></div>
Matthew Simberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07477228092701929706noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680036813963600695.post-32694325801141155352015-01-01T16:39:00.000-05:002015-01-04T16:52:57.937-05:00From Dream to Reality<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 27.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 3.75pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Never give up on what you really want to do.
The person with big dreams is more powerful than the one with all the facts.</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> ~<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">H. Jackson Brown, Jr.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 27.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 3.75pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">
The date is now January 1, 2015. I came across this quote, and credit for
it was given to Albert Einstein. Since I tend to be one to check my
sources, I found that it may actually have been written by H. Jackson Brown,
Jr., who wrote a best-selling book in the early 90’s called “Life’s Little
Instruction Book.” Another source that I found said that the author was unknown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whoever wrote it, how fitting it seems to me
that this is the title, because what I have to share compliments this quote and
vice versa. With that said, I would like to share a personal story that is
and will always be on-going, transforming and growing. The story started
several years ago. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 27.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 3.75pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">When the story began,
I thought I saw the ending. However, I was very wrong! The story was not
ending, but simply changing and evolving. I am so grateful that I found this
quote, because it brought me to a realization that goes along with my
story. And so my story begins as follows:</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 27.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 3.75pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">
Several years ago, I thought my life was planning itself out before my very
eyes. Everything was falling into place. I knew I would become the head of
a certain Montessori school, everything was pointing in that direction. Big
ideas and simple ideas were coming to me to help make improvements and I was
completely supported. It felt GREAT! The calling and passion that I had longed
to realize was beginning to unfold. I loved being a Montessori teacher,
but even before I started this job that I was at, I knew that I wanted to lead
a high quality, enjoyable, nurturing Montessori environment. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 27.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 3.75pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">
To what I thought was my dismay, except for the last half of 2014, the last three
years were probably the worst three consecutive years of my life. By the spring
of 2014 I felt this plan, this dream, slowly ripped from my fingertips as if I
was holding on to the ledge of a rock for dear life. Then in June of 2014, I
could no longer hold on. Falling far and fast, something happened along the way
down. While fear and uncertainty were certainly present, a sense of peace,
fortitude and faith came into my being like light shining its way into
darkness. What I thought was my goal, my ambition, my reason for waking up
in the morning changed. Going above and beyond, without a care for recognition, was being replaced with resentment, frustration, and uncertainty. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 27.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 3.75pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">
Then, within a day, that resentment, frustration and uncertainty of a cocoon
that I felt I was in, was actually a cocoon that I broke free from to be
transformed forever. I was encouraged to start my own school. Starting my own
school in eight weeks seemed like an impossibility. Yet, there was nothing left
for me to do, but to do just that. With the help and support of colleagues and
parents, that is exactly what happened. Over the summer of 2014 there were
many ups and downs that occurred almost on a daily basis. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 27.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 3.75pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">
The story of that summer could be a book in and of itself. The very short
version of that book is that Montessori Seeds of Education opened its doors in
a newly renovated school attached to a church on September 2, 2014. People said
that it was impossible, and it seems like it is, but there is one thing I know
for sure. <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Never give up
on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than
the one with all the facts.</i> ~<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="mso-field-code: " HYPERLINK \0022http\:\/\/www\.brainyquote\.com\/quotes\/authors\/h\/h_jackson_brown_jr\.html\0022 \\t \0022_blank\0022 ";"><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">H. Jackson Brown, Jr.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 27.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 3.75pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Adding to that quote, “The people behind and
who walk with the person with big dreams help that dream to never be given up
on and together they are even more powerful than the one or those with all the
facts.” There is more to this story and more to this quote, but I will share
that in the next post.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 27.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 3.75pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> In the meantime, I would like to ask and
encourage you to share your own story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did you achieve something that was against all odds?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is there something you want to achieve, but
are afraid to go after? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe you can
share something that may not seem grandiose, yet it might make all the
difference for someone else who reads what you have to share.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Matthew Simberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07477228092701929706noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680036813963600695.post-43154804398077265372014-11-09T21:57:00.002-05:002014-11-09T22:35:13.153-05:00Voices<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Growing up, we go on about our lives as children with up to three main voices in our minds: our own, our mom's, our dad's, or that of whomever is responsible for us. These voices or conversations that are taking place in our minds can be judged as positive or negative. I can imagine as a toddler, I might go to touch something and my mom or dad says, “don’t touch that!” Then, when I come across a similar experience, I hear their voice in my mind, “don’t touch that.” At some point in the near future I come across an experience where I have to make a decision to touch something or not. I might hear one of their voices and choose to ignore it. Then a judged, either negative or positive reaction occurs, and that experience either gets reinforced or it does not by how I judge the reaction. I begin having multiple experiences where, even though I may not be aware of it at the time, my own voice speaks to me, and then, at the very least, the voices of those who are closest to me. I probably think nothing of it because I am not capable yet and my life continues on, just as all of ours does.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then we go to school, and the voices in our minds increase to include our teachers' and our peers’. Each of the people who are in our lives for a significant period of time now have an impact on our self-talk and decisions we make throughout the day. Should I do my homework or shouldn’t I? What will happen if I do or don’t do it? We imagine a response or hear a voice of what one of our guardians would say or our teacher. We might think about whether our friend is doing it or not and based on what we know about them, we hear what he or she might say. The cycle continues without giving it much of a second thought, if at all. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we get a little older, we let certain people into our lives and have more intimate relationships that may or may not last. However, the voices of those people usually stick with us, especially during certain situations. For instance, let’s say you have a best friend that you spend a lot of time with. Your best friend notices a quirk that you might have. It could be that you bite your lip a certain way when you are concentrating. He or she says that it is weird that you bite your lip that way when you are concentrating on something. Since he/she is your best friend you feel comfortable doing it anyway and it is never really spoken of, but now you are aware of this “quirk” and you can hear him/her telling you that. Now, let’s say your friend tells you one day that his/her family is moving far away. So, you say your good-byes and it’s time to make a new best friend. Before you know it, you start hanging out with someone new. Within the first couple of times you are hanging out with this person your old best friend’s voice pops in your head, “it’s weird that you bite your lip when you are concentrating.” “Where did that come from?”, you think to yourself. Then, you start to feel self-conscious. This is when you must make a decision about whether to let your friend’s judgment negatively or positively affect you. Or to even just realize that he/she thought that, not everyone will think that and it really does not matter. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When we are young, we may not be aware of our own voice or that we are even able to observe the conversations that are happening in our minds and that we actually have a choice. We have a choice to listen or not listen, to give the voices weight or not. While this is applicable to everyone, I would like to continue our focus moving forward to our Montessori training. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At some point we made a decision to go and receive our Montessori training at some level. We met our passionate and steadfast trainers and they became a significant part of our lives as did our peers in training. Assuming now, all we want is to do a great job for the children. Our minds are open to learn, our hearts are ready to receive and eventually we are deemed ready to be in the classroom or to be an administrator. Once we start our work, we realize that we have the voices of our Montessori peers and our trainer(s) in our minds. We are not alone, even though it might feel like it at first. We have experiences, and the voices of these wonderful people are speaking to us as we are going through the day. It is not good or bad, it is just something to be aware of. Eventually, with enough experience under our belts, we make our own judgments about these voices. Additionally, we have the voices of the parents’ expectations, the voices of the children and if we are not in charge, we also have the voices of those above us in our minds. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All of these voices swirling around in our minds at different times can be quite loud and feel like they are always around as we begin our journey in the classroom. The volume of voices is at a whole new level and the mind chatter is exponential and even more repetitive. This doesn’t have to be viewed as a bad thing; in fact, it can be a good thing, if perceived in a positive way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As Montessori guides, administrators, or whatever our roles are, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves, if we are doing what we love. We might ask ourselves some questions. How could I have done that differently? What might my trainer have done? Was today a failure? Am I good enough? Are the parents going to be satisfied? The voices in our minds are giving us answers to these questions and more throughout the day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We need to be more aware of the replaying in our minds of these experiences, fears, worries, and expectations every day. We run about with our minds racing, wondering if we are adequate enough, trying to measure our day based on other people's reactions and assumed or literal expectations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was taking a walk the other night and thinking about a lot of different things with regards to Montessori, school, the pedagogy and my own life. The other thing I was thinking about was what should I do next, what should I focus on and who should I listen to about what? I distinctly remember thinking about the voices, the conversations in my mind, and a fox came darting across the street, in front of me and then into the woods. With my heart racing, a few moments later a rabbit came darting out in front of me the other way with no fox behind it. The rabbit stopped just across the street from me, sat and waited for a few moments. Then I started thinking about symbology.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I thought about a symbology lesson I gave to my students last year. That led me to thinking about Native Americans and animal symbols. So, I looked up the meaning of a fox and then I looked up the meaning of a rabbit and I came up with this poem.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Scurry, scurry, worry, worry,</i></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Like the hare I run about,</i></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Busy, busy, in a tizzy,</i></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>I only hear the voice without.</i></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Quiet, hare. Do not despair.</i></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>The voice within is strong and sure.</i></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>If you just listen, you'll learn your mission,</i></b></span><br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Be confident and self-assured. </i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #660000;"><i>~ Anonymous </i></span></b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, I have a new sense of peace.</span><br />
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Matthew Simberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07477228092701929706noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680036813963600695.post-72815830652289490202014-08-23T16:49:00.000-04:002014-08-23T16:49:03.391-04:00Faith and FortitudeIt has been a while since I have posted on my blog and a lot has happened since then. I would like to be consistent with writing again. A theme that comes to mind especially with the start of a new school year is faith and fortitude.<br />
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I used to think about faith in a certain way. However, especially over the past few months, faith has taken on a whole new meaning for me. Kiran Shaikh says, "Never let go of hope. One day you will see that it all has finally come together. What you have always wished for has finally come to be. Maybe not the way you had wanted it. But even better than you could ever have imagined." We all have bridges to cross. Sometimes we cannot see what is on the other side. Eventually, we all have to cross a bridge. Faith is a driving force that can help us to get to the other side. It gives us the tool of hope to move forward and to know there is something better on the other side of that bridge. To me, hope coincides with fortitude.<br />
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Fortitude is an emotional and mental strength that enables people to face difficulties and push through them. It is like a muscle that gets stronger through difficult experiences. The more a person uses their growing faith to reach the vision that they can not physically see, that faith becomes a flashlight to know the steps to take in order to get there. Having the fortitude to push forward is experienced during the process of reaching that given destination. Even when that destination is reached, we become fortunate enough to realize a lot of things. One of those things is to hopefully realize that the destination we thought we were striving to reach is actually only a point in which we can take a break before moving on to the next bridge.<br />
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So, as the school year starts, whether you are a teacher, a parent, and/or an administrator, remember what faith and fortitude means to you. Remember what your goals are for the day, weeks, or months. Keep in mind what your goals are for the children and or your staff. Realize that they may also have goals too. Talk to them about goals, and if appropriate, faith and fortitude. I hope you have a great start to your year and may the concepts of faith and fortitude be something empowering for you to reflect on with joy.<br />
<br />Matthew Simberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07477228092701929706noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680036813963600695.post-16399445718068380412013-03-25T21:28:00.002-04:002013-03-25T21:28:33.646-04:00Maria Montessori and Spirituality<br />
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When I
was being trained in the Montessori Method it seemed to me that many people
were unwilling to discuss the spiritual impact that her method has on both the
child and the adult. People also seemed
unwilling or unable to have a conversation about its depth and
implications. By spirituality I mean to
be aware. To be spiritual is to utilize
those inherent qualities that are within all of us. My perception is that Montessori saw this and
wanted to foster it. I even read that
Montessori referred to the child as the little messiah. The child could teach us so much about
ourselves and we as guides would never be the same. Montessori obviously had a strong faith and
relationship with Catholicism. However,
she seemed to use that faith and her relationship with Catholicism to find
inherent universal qualities in all of us which could remind us of or make our
relationship to God stronger. </div>
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I was
always interested in the possibility of some relationship that she may have had
with Theosophy. This inquiry always
seemed to be perceived by people as a taboo conspiracy. Yet, I have delved a little further and came
to what I think is an interesting conclusion.
Theosophy is about the spiritual hierarchy helping humanity to evolve to
a greater so called perfection. I
interpret perfection as a greater union with God or one’s higher self (soul or
spirit, tomato, tomatoe) so to speak. Theosophy
says that each religion has a portion of the truth. It is interesting to me that Montessori was “forced”
to stay with prominent members of the Theosophical Society towards the end of
her life. While it is pretty obvious
that her work was not necessarily influenced by Theosophy directly, I am left
with an interesting thought. How perfect
is it that Montessori ended up there of all places? Montessori was a religious and Universalist
woman with a different “religious” but Universalist group. </div>
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I would love to read your comments and thoughts about
this!!!</div>
Matthew Simberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07477228092701929706noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680036813963600695.post-81417850806466946142013-03-11T22:01:00.000-04:002013-03-11T22:01:47.807-04:00Perceptions of Education<br />
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<b>Disclaimer:</b> Please know that the following post is meant to be simple, yet accurate, and in no way does it do justice to the detail needed to truly understand the whys, what’s, how’s and when’s of the American Public School Educational System.<br />
Is any idea really new? My purpose here is to hopefully provide some food for thought with a little light-hearted dessert at the end. Nonetheless, maybe you will find some truth too.</div>
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How many people can say they have a good understanding of the history of the American Public School Educational System? Who knew that there was a culmination of people that were influencing it in the very beginning? There were even people, both men and women that had similar ideas as Dr. Maria Montessori. Now, these people did not come up with the how or the depth that she did. However, there was talk of education being about practical life, parenting classes, experiencing the classroom through the senses, being given the opportunity to explore themselves, nature and more. </div>
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Yet, when it came down to it, Horace Mann is considered to be the founding father of the U.S. public school system. He actually contributed a system that was already being implemented by the Prussians. Mann brought this concept to Massachusetts in 1852. In addition to Mann’s contributions, it was extremely influential business and political leaders that saw the importance of creating and supporting a system that we still have today. Creating factory workers was what was important to the newly industrialized cities. Think about how a factory is run, and now think about public education in America. In addition to their other successes, these men found something else to create that has lasted up until the present. I like to call it the Industrial Revolution Model of Education. </div>
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As people, we all have different perceptions and levels of understanding. Hopefully, some of what has been written can shift or lead you in a direction to shift your own perceptions and levels of understanding. And if not, then if nothing else, hopefully you will be able to appreciate the caption below. </div>
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<b>Bibliography<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/view/sanders-understanding-the-origins-of-the-us-public-school-system-horace-man">http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/view/sanders-understanding-the-origins-of-the-us-public-school-system-horace-man</a></div>
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<br />Matthew Simberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07477228092701929706noreply@blogger.com2