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Montessori Institute of America23807 98th Avenue S, Kent, WA, 98031
Phone: 253-859-2262Fax: 253-859-1737Email: [email protected]
Inside
“KOPINO” CHILDREN’S HOME TO OPEN IN THE PHILIPPINES........ 2
MIA CONFERENCE IN SEATTLE AUGUST 11 & 12, 2006 ............. 7
Visi nsMIAin a Changing World
Fall, 2005
Confessions of a Public School TeacherBy HeidiTessier
It has been eight years since I have witnessed the beauty inside the Montessori classroom. Life brought me to another place, one where I search every corner, every crevice for the beauty that used to naturally permeate my classroom of three to five year olds.
I teach ten year olds. I am no longer in the position of watch-ing the magic unfold as it does in the Montessori classroom. Now
I have to push and corner that magic and prove its existence. Oh, it can be done, but it is very unnatural, much like teaching Continued on page 3
Trainers’ Training, 2005, with Sharlet McClurkin
TRAINERS’ TRAINING HELD DURING SUMMER INTENSIVE COURSE
MTP of WA held a “trainers’ training” class during the 6-week summer intensive course. Esther Yanogo, Burkina Faso, Africa, Normi Son, the Philippines and Dee Ste-phens, Seattle, WA, participated in the course. Persons who are inter-ested in being trained as Montessori teacher trainers with the Montes-sori Institute of America may email Sharlet McClurkin to register for the summer of 2006 trainer course, [email protected].
an elephant to float along grace-fully flowing waters. For children who have been fed a steady diet of rewards and punishments, discovering the value of intrinsic motivation is a long and labori-ous journey. The students who come to me have been coaxed along by the certainty that a neon colored Skittle will be waiting on their desk if they are quiet, tidy, and forthcoming with eight thou-sand assignments, most of them formatted in those snazzy little worksheets with the one-size-fits-all answer for every blank. My five years in public school has proved to me that we not only stifle intrin-sic motivation and halt the writing
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“KOPINO” CHILDREN’S HOME TO OPEN IN THE PHILIPPINESBy “Cedric” Bum-Sik Son
In my forty years I have seen many people going down different paths of life. Sometimes they are at a cross-roads, faced with making difficult choices. Usually, however, they are not given a chance to choose their parents. Who wouldn’t like to be born into a prestigious family or country, and who would refuse to become a son or daughter of an influential man? It is my belief that each child, whether born in a family or country of poverty, or to a rich situation, is equally important to the other.
I, myself, did not choose to be born in Korea, nor did I choose my parents. I, of course, love my parents, my countrymen, and my country. I also love my wife, Normi Son, and the country that I chose thirteen years ago, the Philippines. It is geographi-cally close to Korea, but its cultural differences from the Philippines are much greater than the distance. For the most part I have overcome the differences of culture, language, reli-gions and the people, and the Philip-pines have become my second home. I am one of the blessed ones to have had the chance to choose a second home country and to have children to love and care for.
How I wish that there were a beau-tiful harmony between these two countries that I call home! There are heartbreaking stories, however, that I often hear from both Korean and Fili-pino people, and these tragedies in-volve children. It hurts so much, and I believe that there must be a way to mediate some of these problems.
Due to the fast-growing economy in Korea, many Koreans are visiting
the Philippines as tourists, students and businessmen. The number of marriages between people of the two countries has grown with the econ-omy. Some Korean men come to the Philippines to find a bride due to a shortage of females in their country. (The average Korean family prefers a son, rather than a daughter.) The main problem that occurs as a result of the marriage between a Korean man and a Filipino woman is that the man’s family usually will not accept his bride from a third-world country
NORMI SON’S DREAM FOR KOPINO CENTER
"I dream of Kopino Children’s House to be the premier site for MTP teachers and teachers around the world to see a Mon-tessori classroom in an orphan-age. Part of that dream is for MTP of the U.S. in the Philippines teachers to assist the children in the orphanage to reach their full potential in every way. I dream…that MTPUS will become the primary planner and mover for the development and guid-ance of children. I envision…a future Kopino Center within the compound of Montessori Teacher Preparation of the U.S.! May the Lord help us! " Normi Son
in Southeast Asia.Rather than considering the Fili-
pino wife as a life-partner, often the Korean man only thinks of her as a sexual partner. Filipino women who come from a poor background are prone to find foreigners affluent and attractive, and they go into a relation-ship without any strong foundation. The baby born to them, therefore, is often neglected. The Filipino woman is shocked and devastated when the Korean man leaves her, and the full responsibility of the child rests Continued on page 3
upon the mother. The child may never know his father and hates the half-homeland, the Phillipines. Due to poverty or the low economic status of the typical Filipino family, it is often very idfficult for the woman and her family to support the child, aban-donded by his father. Quite often the child leads a life of poverty.
Finding the fathers of these Korean/Filipino children is almost impossible. My wife and I have asked both governments for help many times, but no one seems to take the problem seriously. Someone has to be these children’s advocate, and I believe that it must be my wife and I, with God’s help. It is the mission that God has given us.
It is estimated that there are ap-proximately 1,000 children in the Philippines, abandoned by their Korean fathers. To her credit, the Filipino mother usually will not give up her child for adoption. We want to help and support these moth-ers. We will help them to meet their child’s basic needs and schooling, and we will care for the children whose mothers entrust them to us. We will gladly accept this job and love their children as much as we have learned to love our biological daughter and adopted son.
Normi and I believe that this small and humble vision for KOPINO (Korean-Filipino) children will benefit these children and will also bring great benefits to Korea and the Phil-ippines. Please pray with us to work for the glory of God.
Normi Son is the founder of MON-TESSORI TEACHER PREPARATION OF THE U.S. IN THE PHILIPPINES, founded in 2001. In only four years Mrs. Son has organized Montessori training for over 100 Filipinos, set up two Montessori schools, and the materials’ company PROUDLY MONTESSORI.
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process, but most unforgivably, we do their thinking for them. One word, one tiny arbitrary fact, plant-ed strategically in its corresponding blank, and you’ve got your grade, your star, your Skittle.
Montessori teachers know both the futility and the harm in re-warding and punishing children to perform tasks they were naturally wired to find meaningful, if given the proper learning environment. Some enlightened public schools are just beginning to understand that the behavior they see in the classroom—the acting out, throw-ing of desks, screaming obsceni-ties—are just a camouflage “to conceal the true soul of the child.” (Montessori 1966).
I am working on my master’s, but I have never kept quiet about the fact that my best education was my Montessori training. It gave me both enlightenment and armor for the trenches of public school. For my first evaluation, I sat behind the monstrous desk of my principal who told me, “You are not a first year teacher.” Years later when I was brave enough to con-fess that I had a clandestine opera-tion going on behind the door of my classroom, devoid of rewards and punishments, she said, “Don’t change a thing; whatever you’re do-ing, it works.”
Sadly, evidence of success in public school comes in high end-of-the-year test scores. Higher than average test scores have liberated me; I am free to teach a child’s soul rather than bound to a prescribed curriculum, full of useless facts that will fly into oblivion after the test. There is a hierarchy to learning.
Isolated skills are the foundation of higher level thinking, not the ulti-mate goal. Montessori provides op-portunities for students to acquire the skills they need for a greater purpose. Effective teachers under-stand that learning skills within a meaningful context, for a greater purpose, provides the impetus for life long learning. The greater pur-pose becomes the motivation.
For every text book I read for my master’s coursework, I am compelled to skim the index for the word “Montessori.” Most of them don’t include the treasured proper noun, but the best of cur-rent theories in education de-scribe her methods, ever so subtly, whether they’re quoting the old or the new: “Students should not play life, or study it merely, while the community supports them at this expensive game, but earnestly live it from beginning to end.” Henry David Thoreau… “Skills and knowledge should be integrated into students’ lives as citizens and human beings.” John Dewey…”We cannot help children to become generous, caring people, who see themselves as apart of a community—in the absence of choice.” Alfie Kohn. “Education should prepare children for jobs, and it also should prepare our children for life.” George Bush.
I am a life-long student, but I cannot be duped by finite ideals which cover and depress our class-rooms with darkness and tempo-rary gains. Current educational the-orists call meaningful instruction within a peaceful environment ef-fective instruction based on scien-tific brain research. Today, master teachers understand the need for community in a prepared environ-ment, where children experience freedom within limits, research
Confessions of a Public School Teacher (from p. 1)
KOPINO Childrens’s Home (from p.2)
This September the Sons moved their own family to a new, larger residence that they are now remodeling and building:
• Putting in three toilets• Repairing ceilings• Making tables, cabinets and bedsMr. and Mrs. Son will be applying
for permission to care for children from the Department of Social Wel-fare and Development.
Mrs. Son has been with the Stump Mission since 1988, and her husband since 1991, where they met in the Philippines. To send an income-tax deductible donation for the Kopino Children’s House, send your check to:
The Stump Overseas Mission, IncAttention: Kim Soon Ae, Director5016 Vintage CircleBanning, CA 92220
Or The Stump Mission, Inc.Attention: Cedric SonU.P.P.O .Box 153Quezon City, 1101Philippines
ABOUT KOPINO HOUSEGifts to Date: $1,000 Anonymous Donor$100 Anonymous Donor $300 James ImVolunteers Thus Far: Korean
teachers, Milk delivery, Office staffOther Volunteers Needed: Vol-
unteer social workers, Volunteer Montessori teachers to set up the rooms for small children
Other Needs: Extra funds to pur-chase furniture for children
Korean and English storybooksReading cards in Korean
The address of the present location is 91 Camerino Street, Brg. Marilag, Project 4, Quezon City, Philippines. Continued on page 10
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From my experience as a teacher the last four years, both in Montessori classrooms and ESL, I have found the following do’s and don’ts helpful:
1. Don’t: Praise or say, “good job!” Let the child follow his own inner motivation.
2. Don’t: Disturb the child while she is working. The child must be allowed to concentrate on his work without interruption.
3. Do: Ask, “May I help you?” if you see a child really struggling to learn. It is your responsibility to observe and intervene to help the child at the right moment.
4. Do: Sit on the child’s right side. He can turn his right side to you and watch more easily.
5. Do: Mix the age groups. This helps them socialize and learn from each other.
6. Do: Give demonstrations slowly, accurately and precisely. Children can see and understand the lesson more fully.
7. Do: Remember that the class-room belongs to the children. It is not for the parents!
8. Don’t: Touch or correct the child’s work. The work belongs to the child. Respect the child’s mistakes as well as successes.
9. Do: Bend down to the child’s level when speaking to her. Make the effort to respect the child by lowering yourself to her height.
10. Don’t: Reprimand the child in front of others. Take the child aside and speak to her privately.
11. Do: Speak in a whisper and/or softly in the classroom. The children will follow your quiet voice as a model.
12. Do: Give the children a great deal of freedom, but a few limits. Freedom brings responsibility and joy
in the work. Limits bring security.13. Do: Help the children to
respect and care for the materials. Caring for the materials assists children to love and respect all of their world!
14. Do: Help the children re-member to return their work to the shelves before they begin their next work. Returning materials to the shelf provides an “ending” to the process, and an organized brain.
15. Don’t: Use candies to bribe a child. The child’s soul is crushed when she is treated less than a human.
16. Do: Entice the child with your graceful lessons. Refrain from unnec-essary speaking.
Remember that the child is watching with his absorbent mind!
17. Don’t: Talk about the child when she is in the room. Protect her sensitive soul from harm.
18. Do: Allow the child to solve his own problems, if possible. Believe in him that he can find a solution for his own problems, for the most part.
19. Do: Let the children choose their own work. By making choices, the children become self-confident and responsible.
20. Do: Sit down and blend in so that you are “invisible.” Let the work be the child’s, not yours.
21. Do: Be a good example to the children at all times. Remember that you have the power to change this child’s life.
22. Do: Let the child teach him-self. Through his success, he is em-powered to become all that he can be!
Janet, with her husband, Michael, spent the last four years teaching Montessori and ESL in Korea. Janet is originally from South Africa.
SOME DO’S AND DON’TS FOR THE MONTESSORI TEACHERBy Janet Duffy, South Africa
OCTOPUSBy Suzanne Hubbard
Teachers are lovers of things wild and new,
Facilitators of life and observers of success.
They are caretakers of the soul: the ultimate nurturers.
Storytellers, poets, jugglers, mu-sicians, mothers, fathers, lovers;
They exist and breathe to com-municate love.
Weaving together growth like an octopus, swirling its arms in the sea.
Teachers are like rubberbands.
They are flexible, with simple gestures and significant looks,
They are always aware of the unexpected.
Spontaneous like fire, teachers are constantly in motion.
Emotion.
In their eyes, teachers share secrets of love.
A love that is as nourishing as the first rain after a dry spell.
Laughing, hugging, smiling; their presence is known.
Teachers are dedicated.
The effect of their life is unpar-alleled;
They play a beautiful song in the lives of many,
Weaving together the bodies and souls of all.
With them, life is simple.
Suzanne is from Bozeman, MT, and entered into the MTP of WA Birth to Three course in September, 2005.
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WHY ISN’T MY CHILD SPEAKING ENGLISH?(The Most Typical Complaint of Parents of Children With English as a Second Language)
By Janet Duffy
During my years of teaching English in Korea, I found that many parents ask me, “Why isn’t my child speaking English?” My answer is, “Your child selects to whom he will speak English. Usually he will only speak English to an English-speaking person. He will not speak English to you if you speak Korean to him!” It is not reasonable to expect a child to speak to you in English if you do not speak to him in that same language.
“MARIA MONTESSAURUS”By Kyla Saphir
“Hey, I discovered a new dinosaur-Maria Montessau-rus!” This is one of the many quirky quotes I hear from the students I’m working with during my internship. I feel so lucky to be in a classroom with these incredible young minds flourishing with the rich Montessori environment. Their creativity and love of learning inspires me on a daily basis. I can’t imagine doing any other work than teaching in a Montessori classroom.
Over the past few months, my class has been study-ing the sounds of the letters by choosing a new letter each week. The first day we demonstrate the sound of the letter with the sound bucket. The children love playing a group game of What’s Missing? Throughout the week we reinforce the sound with various works and the children begin to think about everything that starts with the sound. For the ‘Dd’ sound, I demonstrated a dinosaur dig, how to make dog puppets, and classified various dinosaurs with three part cards. By Friday when we do Show and Tell, the children bring in a variety of’Dd’ objects that they selected, including a dime, a doll, Dora the Explorer, dice, and one boy even brought a Diplodocus dinosaur!
Throughout the last few months I have grown as a teacher, thanks to help from my amazing lead teacher, as
The place where the child will speak English will be at school. It is natural and without pressure to speak English when others are also speaking it. It is not a good idea to force a child to speak English when they don’t want to. The younger the child, the more that they are absorbing the language and storing it up in their marvelous “absorbent mind” for the right time!
Sometimes a parent has asked, “Why isn’t my child speaking English? Other children in the class are.” An at-titude of comparison is very hard on a child. I remind parents that we are all unique individuals, with different gifts and talents. God made us spe-cial in our own ways, and every child develops differently at different rates. One child might excel in language
while another in math. Parents must remain patient, trusting in the child’s innate ability to learn during his for-mative years. If a child is pressured, it will affect him adversely.
Parents also ask me, “What can I do to help my child speak English?” and I tell them, “Relax, enjoy your children and let them have a childhood. Play with them. Allow them to develop physically, socially and emotionally as well as intellectually.” I remind the parents that they have already taken the right first step by enrolling their child in an English immersion classroom. No extra forced learning or homework is needed. If you force your child, she may lose her joy of learning, and inner motivation. Once this has happened, it is very difficult to return this joy to the child.
well as a person. Everyday I walk into a learning envi-ronment where I learn as much if not more than the young people I work with. I am disheartened that there are only three more months left of school. Luckily I’ll be teaching a short summer science program with my director and half of my current students. I don’t want it to end!
Kyla Saphir “Coffee Writing” with her students at Casa Maria Montessori School, Seattle”.
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NEWS Briefs
“Introduction to Montessori Education” Class at YONSEI UNIVERSITY IN SEOUL, KOREA,
One of the largest and most pres-tigious universities in South Korea, Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea, opened a new class, “Introduction to Montessori Education,” in September. It is also one of the oldest universities in Korea, with a 100-year history.
Under the direction of Chang Sook Moon, the 60 hour course is providing introductory Montessori philosophy and lessons to the stu-dents. Yonsei University will grant six credits for this course.
MIA INTERNSHIP SCHOOLS IN WASHINGTON STATE
Seventeen schools in the state of Washington have applied for and have been granted MIA internship school status:1. Absorbent Mind Montessori School,
Bellevue2. Bellevue Montessori School,
Bellevue3. Children’s Garden Montessori
School, Richland4. Compass Montessori School,
Federal Way5. Cougar Mountain Montessori
School, Bellevue6. Creative Montessori School,
Kenmore7. Discovery Learning Center, Seattle8. Eton School, Bellevue9. Joy Montessori School, Federal Way10. Montessori Plus School, Kent
Kennewick16. St. Patrick’s Montessori School,
Tacoma17. Wedgwood Montessori School,
SeattleThirty-nine MTP of WA students are
currently interning in these schools for the school year, 2005-06.
YWAM students summer class, 2005
MTP OF WA HOSTS 10 YWAM STUDENTS IN SUMMER CLASS
MTP OF WA’s 6-week intensive summer course, July 5 through August 12, 2005, hosted ten Youth With a Mission students, on a summer hiatus from the University of the Nations. The entire class of 26 students were from Pakistan, Brazil, China, Canada, Korea, Taiwan, and the U.S. The summer, 2006, class will be held from June 26 through August 9, for 61/2 weeks.
11. Oakridge Montessori School, Yakima
12. Pacific Montessori Learning Center, Edmonds
13. Pacific Preschool, Lynnwood14. Small World Montessori School,
Snohomish15. St. Joseph’s Montessori School,
“MTP of WA’s 2005-2006 class, with students from the Philippines (5), Rwanda (1), Sri Lanka (1), U.S. (5) and Korea (26).”
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MTP OF WA OPENS COURSE IN TRI-CITIESA one-year course opened August 26, 2005, in Kennewick, WA, at St.
Joseph’s Montessori School. Sharlet and Donald McClurkin, as well as other experienced teachers from the Seattle and Kennewick area provide training for eleven students every-other weekend, Friday nights and Saturdays. The course will conclude on August 12, 2006, with a final class and graduation in Seattle, prior to the 2006 MIA conference that weekend.
Other teachers assisting in the training are: Renee Konzek and Mary Crowe, Kennewick, Sharron Reece and Esther Yanogo, Kent, Maureen Sessa, Maple Valley, and Michael Duffy, Seattle. The students are interning in St. Joseph’s Montessori School, Kennewick, Children’s Garden, Richland, and Oakridge Montessori School, Yakima.
MTP OF SPOKANE DISCONTINUES COURSEBy Elizabeth White, Spokane, WA
After careful deliberation, the Board of Montessori Teacher Preparation of Spokane has decided to discontinue the course (21/
2 to 6 level) as of August,
2005. Both the course director and the instructors have undertaken other time-consuming commitments that prevent them from investing adequate time in the Montessori training course.
Although we are sad that the course has ended in Spokane, we are also very proud of our fine graduates, many of whom are now teaching in Spo-kane and nearby towns.
Our 2005 graduates are: Roxane Caprye, Jan Gilbert, Joy Twiggs, Charlotte Mahar, Maricela Lindsey, Christy Steinle and Sara Franich.
Despite our misgivings about the ending of the course, we are happy to think about the positive impact that these teachers will have in the future upon children in Spokane and around the world!
Excerpt from “A TEACHER ON THE MAGIC OF GOOD EXAMPLES” by Patricia R. Pickard, taken from Education Week. 9/14/2005
“This is how you do it. Watch.” Kids will do what we show them. Thirty-six years of rearing a big family and teaching elementary and college students have taught me that our children will learn anything that is modeled—good, bad, or indifferent.
At the end of her first week of nursery school, my daughter, Sarah came home, hoisted Curious George up to the side of her head, pages open as if to an invisible audience, and pretended to read. She chatted her way through the story, paused to ask questions, giggled, and, that book finished, picked up another. Holding the open book out to the side of her pigtail, she began again.
“What are you doing, Sarah?” her dad asked.
“I’m reading out of my ear,” she replied primly. “That’s the way we do it at school.”
So the challenge is to model wise-ly. . . Modeling is a keystone precept. The only thing worse than faulty modeling is a teacher who does not credit the power of modeling.
MIA CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN SEATTLE AUGUST 11 & 12
Save the following dates for a Montessori Institute of America conference on Friday evening, August 11, and Satur-day, August 12. Possible topic is Orff and Kodaly music
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No-Pencil Picture BoxStudent’s Name: Elianne Hudson, Banks, ORMaterials: 1. box slightly larger than a shoe box with “the no-pencil
picture box” printed on the lid the box contains:
• paper • small pieces and good size pieces ( example:
3” x 5” to 5” x 8”) – larger pieces will be used as background
• different colors, different designs, different weights
• scissors • glue stick
the box should be large enough that paper does not have to be folded to fit in the box
Presentation: 1. read the label on the box saying “the no-pencil picture
box”2. open the box; set out on the table the glue stick and
the scissors3. choose a large size paper from the box and set on the
table4. say “I am going to make a picture”5. choose some colors of paper from the box; some words
may be said about the idea of the picture and its parts (example: say “I will have some mountains and some trees in my picture” and choose different shades of brown and green paper)
6. cut paper and start to compose the picture by placing the cut paper on the background (example: cut the brown papers into peaks for the mountains)
7. talk, as the shapes are moved around, about the com-position of the picture (example: say “I want these
Water Color BookmarksStudent’s Name: Elianne Hudson, Banks, ORMaterials: 1. tray with:
watercolor paints, paint brush, and small bottlewatercolor paper cut to approximately (2” x 6”) (white construction paper works well also)small sponge
2. Ribbon, cut to approximately 8” length (yarn will also work)
3. hole punch4. laminate and laminator machine
Presentation: 1. set out paints; fill the bottle half-way with water2. set out one bookmark3. paint a design on the bookmark4. set the bookmark in a “drying place”5. close up the paints; empty and rinse out the bottle of
water6. wipe up any paint or water on tray or table; rinse
sponge and return to tray7. LATER, when the bookmark is dry and laminated, punch
a hole into “the top” of the bookmark leaving 1/8” be-tween hole and edge of laminate
8. fold the length of ribbon in half and feed 1”-2” of the “loop” end through the hole in the bookmark
9. pass the two loose ends of the ribbon through the “loop” and pull tight
Variations: design may be drawn on the paper and then painted with watercolor
Age: 5 yr. oldControl of Error: prior mastery of use of watercolor paint-
ingPoint of Interest: paintPurpose: painting, creativity, make a bookmark
Note: The making of bookmarks developed out of our classroom store (which makes money for field trips) and the need for “safe” bookmarks. Several of the children had been making their own decorated bookmarks with lead pencil and the lead was leaving marks on the books. Laminating allowed the bookmark to be decorated and still be “safe” for the book. Contact paper may do as well – I did not try it.
ORIGINAL WORK: Presentation sheets
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PALEONTOLOGIST GAME By Lei DinoSmart Starters MontessoriCity of San Jose del Monte, Philippines
Materials: a fossil cast, chisel, magnifying glass, gloves, brush, transparent container, label paper
Procedure:1. Place the fossil cast on a tray. Work on a table or on a
rug.2. With gloves, brush, chisel and magnifying glass, work to
find and free the fossil out of the cast.3. Clean the fossil carefully and place it on the transparent
container.
4. Draw the fossil on your notebook and try to identify it using fossil resource books.
5. Label.6. Put away work in a safe place.
Ages: 6-12 years oldControl of Error: fossil booksAim: to make the child be aware that some things existed
long before them.Variations/Extensions:1. Group reporting on the fossil found2. Drawing of fossils and identification3. Reading cards for the fossils4. Guessing game cards- identification cards5. Work with the Timeline of Life
Article: Smart Starters Montessorians at FossilsThe class was divided into twelve groups and each
group was given one fossil cast to work on and a trans-parent container. Carefully, the children worked on the fossils, taking them out one by one, from their casts. It took them a while, since they were very careful and obser-vant, noticing anything about the cast (a mild mixture of sand and cement). Then, they put them on the transpar-ent containers.
They drew the fossils on their notebooks and referred to some available fossil books in the library for identi-fication.
After all the fossils have been identified, we place them on a wooden box with cover and felt-covered compart-ments.
It was a sight to see children busily working on their fossil cast, their joy in the discovery that something is bur-ied among the rubble. After the activity, an identification game was conducted, each group worked together and 10 out of the 12 groups got it all correct! It was amazing to note that the children were so interested in the fossils found, that they were able to retain their names and asso-ciate them with the fossils. Two weeks have passed since our paleontologist game, but the fossils work remains popular in the classroom. They work with it, in groups, always with friend, playing the guessing game. This is a good introductory lesson before the BC/AD Timeline.
I have seen children become more appreciative of the things existing in the present time. I can see that this work awakened an interest in them to know more about the things that existed before them. I think this lesson is crucial .
mountains to be apart and make this area a valley.”)8. when some shapes are ready, glue them in place9. continue to next step OR at this point the picture may
be allowed to dry and work continued at another time10. repeat steps 5 – 8 cutting shapes, moving them about
on the paper until the desired placement is achieved, and gluing them down
11. put good size pieces of paper back into the box saying “someone can still use this piece for a picture”
12. throw away small bits of paper saying “these are too small for another picture”
13. put the glue and scissors back into the box; put the lid on the box
Variations: work may be done all at one sitting or work may be put away and continued at separate sitting;
shapes that have been pinned, or cut out, or origami can be used in this kind of picture
Age: 5 yr. oldControl of Error: prior mastery of use of scissors and glu-
ingPoint of Interest: scissors, paper, creativityPurpose: hand-eye coordination, creativity, concentration
Note: This worked well as a work on the shelf – a one person work. The child’s right to be uninterrupted and to work to completion should be respected although this work inspires many wonderful, inquisitive questions from other children. Be watchful, however, that the artwork doesn’t become play and silliness.
This work was inspired by the constant creativity of one of my students whose imagination manifested itself through scissors and ANY paper found in the classroom…
She did wonderful things with this work and now our classroom materials are safe once again.
ORIGINAL WORK: Presentation sheets
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Excerpt from “Beyond the Herd Mentality,” (The Minds That We Truly Need in the Future), by Howard Gardner,Taken from Education Week, 9/14/05
As an educational researcher and writer, I have had the opportunity to travel throughout the world. . . I have made an unsettling discovery. The new purpose of education is…to im-prove or maintain a country’s stand-ing in quantitative international com-parisons. To be sure, there is nothing wrong with having a high standing in some kind of international compari-son. . . The more I have thought about it, the more I have become convinced that the goal of topping the compari-sons is a foolish one, and the rush to raise one’s rank a fool’s errand. In the process of pursuing a higher rank, educational leaders are ignoring deeper and more important purposes of education.
Consider the tenuous relation between performance on such mea-sures and the success of the society on other metrics. . . In the early 1980’s, many Americans admired the Japa-nese example. In the next two de-cades, Japanese students continued to do perfectly well in examinations, and yet the economic and social performance of the country was unimpressive. Meanwhile, though there has hardly been a sea of change in American schools, our society has enjoyed enviable economic prosper-ity during the same period.
The decisive reason to avoid the “herd mentality” of education min-isters is that improving performance on a particular test is a terrible goal for an education system. . . We should begin by considering the kinds of minds that we want to cultivate in our education system. …We need to cultivate five kinds of minds if we
My experiences studying through the MTP of WA videotape course (at my own pace and around my own needs) have made it possible to become certified to teach. This learner-centered approach of becom-ing a “guide” has given me a sensorial experience of what Montessori truly is and has prepared me for a career as a Montessori teacher and direc-tress. MTP of WA has allowed me the opportunity to achieve my goals of becoming a Montessori teacher, as well as giving me the foundation, to truly make a difference in the world by continuing to do Maria Montes-sori’s work.
their own personal questions and write about their passions. Maria Montessori understood instinc-tively that “clear ideas, a contact with reality, freedom of spirit, and an active interest in what is good and noble provide the envi-ronment that can straighten out a child’s soul” (Montessori, 1966).
I might be in the trenches of public education, but my own teaching journey brings me full circle, back to the Montessori basic. I might have secrets, but not for long. Education is catching up with Maria Montessori.
want to be successful as a nation and, more important, as a world. Those minds include:
• A disciplined mind, that can think well and appropriately in the major disciplines;
• A synthesizing mind, that can sift through a large amount of infor-mation, decide what is important, and put it together in ways that make sense for oneself and for others;
• A creative mind, that can raise new questions, come up with novel solutions, think outside the box;
• A respectful mind, that honors the differences among individuals and groups, and tries to understand them and work productively with them; and
• An ethical mind, that thinks, be-yond selfish interests, about the kind of worker one aspires to be, and the kind of citizen that one should be.
Any country should begin edu-cational discussions with a serious consideration of the kinds of human beings we would like to have and to be in the future.
WHAT MONTESSORI TRAINING HAS MEANT TO MEBy Erin Isebrands Willison,Bellingham, WA
In September of 2001 I knew that I needed to make changes in my life. I felt ready to pursue a career that would “make a difference.” I wanted to help the world become a more peaceful place.
Upon researching different teacher certification programs and various educational approaches, I discovered a quote by Dr. Maria Mon-tessori: “Establishing lasting peace is the work of education.” I immediately knew that the Montessori philosophy was for me.
Confessions of a Public School Teacher (from p. 3)
QUOTES FROM SHARRON REECE’S CLASSROOM
“ I am a great reader!”
“I can do anything!”
“I’d like to pray about something!”
“My dad is sick. Can we pray for him?”
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MIABoard of Directors2005-06
New Certified MIA Schools & Teachers 2005
SPOKANE, WASarah FranichJan GilbertCharlotte MaharChristy SteinleJoy Twiggs
September 2005BOTHELL, WAAlisa Thebert
SHORELINE, WAYoung Rahn Han Kim
SPOKANE, WARoxane Caprye
October 2005PHILIPPINESMaria Regina Alvis
SPOKANEMaricela Lindsey
Birth-3 YEARS
May 2005TAIWANJane Suchen Wang
September 2005SHORELINE, WAYoung Rahn Han Kim
NEW MIA SCHOOLS
March 2005SPOKANE, WAMontessori Early Learning
Center
PHILIPPINESMaria Liza E. Jalandoni
BREMERTON, WAPatricia Kaller
OLYMPIA, WAHeather Ruggiero
SEATTLE, WAKyla Saphir
BRIER, WAAlicia Dewey
July 2005SAN ANTONIO, TXMelissa Zamora
MOUNTLAKE TERRACE, WAJung Rang Kang
KOREADa Hye ChoiJin Ah ChoiSun Ah ParkKeun Ok YuMi Ran Lee
August 2005PHILIPPINESLourdes BuenasedaSheila Ann Pepito-Contreras
SHORELINE, WAHua Zhang
Rhonda [email protected]
Dr. Maryann [email protected]
Meredith [email protected]
Sharlet [email protected]
Normi [email protected]
Heidi [email protected]
Korean General MemberChang Sook Moon
International TrainersJane Suchen Wang, [email protected]
Debbie Young Sook Lee, Korea
KOREABlue Bird Children HouseJak Eun Na Ra Children’s HouseParang KindergartenYeon Kok Kindergarten
June 2005LYNNWOOD, WAChi Learning Center (Pacific
Preschool)
August 2005KOREABethel Montessori SchoolChung-Shin MontessoriParang Kindergarten
September 2005FEDERAL WAY, WACompass Montessori School
TACOMA, WASt. Patrick’s School
October 2005BELLEVUE, WA Bellevue Montessori School
KOREACN SchoolPa Rang Sae Children House
RICHLAND, WAChildren’s Garden Montessori
School
SRI LANKASt. Anne’s Montessori School
CERTIFIED TEACHERS
21/-6 YEARS
February 2005HANNIBAL, MOSusan Williamson,
April 2005KOREAJi Yang PaekMi Jung SinHyo Kyoung LeeYoung Kyong ParkIn Sun LeeJung Im ShinJi Sun JungYoon Jae JoSoo Jin HeoSun Ah ParkJeong Im NamShin Hee ParkJin Ah ChoiDong Sook KimSoo Im KimEun Ju ParkTae Kyung KwanMi Jin Lee
PHILIPPINESSheila Ann Pepito-ContrerasMa. Isabelle M. Abad
May 2005CANYON COUNTRY, CANoreen Barlin
MAPLE VALLEY, WACourtney Hunter
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