To Thy Own Self Be True

I think just about anyone who is a parent laments those moments in our parenting relationship when we open our mouths and hear our mother or father come out at times when we had hoped to live into our relationship differently. We were sure and certain when we were children that we would ‘not do that’ or ‘be that way’ when we grew up.  And yet, it is hard to escape the sphere of influence encompassed in what and how we live with others.  It is I sense an intricate aspect of what makes it hard to identify our true selves and harder still to identify our life’s calling. We find our calling through our own authentic selves, by being who we are, by being present in the world as who we are rather than as someone others want us to be. It is answering these essential question; “Who am I? What is my nature?” that leads us to our true selves.

Everything has a nature, which informs and provides limits as well as potentials.  Nature is part of the medium we must work with to achieve our potential.  Being in relationship with the self helps us have insight into what we can and cannot do— when we disconnect from that and do not take it into account, we often struggle.  If we live life without understanding the gifts of the self we are working with in and of ourselves we live in danger of establishing an inauthentic life.  When we chose to live separately from our true or real self in the service of pleasing others, or for economic gain we squelch the authentic self which leads to a sense of imbalance in life. 

Whatever the state of our relationship to our inner self, our children measure it through our actions as much as any words we use.  It is good in the quest for living an authentic life to ensure that who we are connects to our daily work.  What follows is a wonderful reflection of how we inadvertently teach our children how to identify their authentic self by sharing ours.

When You Thought I Wasn't Looking     author unknown

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you hang my first painting on
the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you feed a stray cat, and I
learned that it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make my favorite cake for
me, and I learned that the little things can be the special things in
life.

When you thought I wasn't looking I heard you say a prayer, and I knew
that there is a Higher Power I could always talk to, and I learned to trust in
that.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make a meal and take it to
a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care
of each other.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you give of your time and
money to help people who had nothing, and I learned that those who have
something should give to those who don't.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you take care of our house and
everyone in it, and I learned we have to take care of what we are
given.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw how you handled your
responsibilities, even when you didn't feel good, and I learned that I
would have to be responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw tears come from your eyes, and
I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw that you cared, and I wanted to
be everything that I could be

When you thought I wasn't looking I learned most of life's lessons that
I need to know to be a good and productive person when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking I looked at you and wanted to say,
Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking.

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.

The Magic of Those Who Care

Our goal is not so much the imparting of knowledge as the unveiling and developing of spiritual energy.  Montessori   

Not for the first time as a school head I find occasion to appreciate and savor the profound levels of care and nurturing that unfold all around me through teachers in their excellent and I think, loving work with students.  It is a gift to value and, as many of my peers reflect, a unique and genuine aspect of a good teacher – rooted in character and personal integrity.  Not I sense, something that can be imparted in a teacher training process and more perhaps, the palpable surfacing of a vocation for teaching. I am aware of the striking joy, impressive certainty, unremitting faith and high standards for the self and compassion toward others that is lovingly practiced on a daily basis.  Most beautiful to me is the sense that teachers are inspired by a sense of gratitude for the opportunity to fulfill their own human and spiritual potential.

As I listen to teachers speaking about students, as I watch teachers in action with learners, I notice a true spirit of respect and companionship in the learning process that gently holds and furthers the promise of each child.  The potency of seeing the world in a child and the value of contributing to our world through our most precious resource – our children – once again emerges and moves to the forefront of our collective consciousness.  Of course, we endeavor to imbue all we do with a profound respect born of this awareness of the difference each of us makes in this world.

Authentic teaching wants to open us to truth - whatever it is, however we find it, wherever it may take us. Teaching in this way does not mandate where the learner must go, but rather encourages a student to welcome diversity, to accept conflict, to tolerate ambiguity, and to embrace paradox.  It is about examining and clarifying the inner sources of teaching and learning, opening our hearts and minds – teacher and student- as we find ourselves in and with each other. It originates in knowledge as compassion and as love. Talented faculty and staff live into a commitment to care for learners by teaching minds, touching hearts and transforming lives, encouraging authentic and spontaneous relations with the world.

Under the tutelage of those who care school becomes a magical learning community.  I am filled with a sense of wonder in the face of this prevailing sense of good all around me as we recognize something new in ourselves and each other - human simplicity, human love and the humility to be ourselves.

Give Hope Always

I frequently enjoy reflecting on school leadership with friends who serve as school leaders.  Recently, I had occasion to speak with a friend who is a Montessori school head about the demands of our roles as leaders, the balance of classroom life, teachers-students-parents, governance, vision and managing the school’s many constituents. We spoke just prior to Thanksgiving to postpone once again getting together owing to the hectic pace of work.  Somewhere in the midst of venting about job stress our focus shifted in our mutual desire to buoy each other and we began affirming and re-affirming the underlying importance and value of the work we do in the lives of children.  And so it is that hope for the possibilities of our daily work once more usurped our contemplation of the many obstacles we confront.   I left the conversation feeling better, more energized and ready to carry on – hopeful.

When hope leaches out of education, it is important to remind ourselves that education is premised on hope and that educators need to work hard to reveal opportunities to promote hope, no matter what the obstacles may be.  Hope, after all, safeguards us against falling into indifference in the face of tough going, which is why teachers cannot responsibly abandon it in their work in schools. They not only need to take hope seriously and seek to personify it in their actions, they must also find ways of nurturing it among students and colleagues - especially now given that our worlds, privately, nationally and globally, are complicated by persistent uncertainty.  To teach how to live with uncertainty, and yet without being thwarted by indecision, is one of the things a good education offers. It recognizes popular knowledge and cultural content as points of departure for the knowledge that learners and hopeful ideas create of the world. Hope is a vital spiritual energy and a remedy for lassitude and apathy.  Education encourages hope, encourages feeling competent - able to act, able to change things, or even to create them.  It is powerful to learn that today you can begin to do something you could not do yesterday. 

Being hopeful also involves the notion that something good, which does not presently apply to our world, is still conceivable.  Therefore, hope has a creative role in the development of imaginative solutions to ostensibly insurmountable difficulties. In this regard, hope is about success rather than failure.  It envisions potentials and opportunities not yet present; and, more than this, it anticipates and shapes the terrain for something new.

I love that my friends and colleagues are willing to offer me hope always – hope that I can make a difference; hope that there is value in all we do; hope that we can achieve the impossible if we are willing to attempt the absurd – together.

“Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without words, and never stops at all.”  Emily Dickinson

Seeing With the Eyes of a Child

It is my great good fortune that many mornings a charming young lady named Maggie  bestows upon me -with her unique energy and enthusiasm- a warm and welcome, spontaneous hug. This exchange for me is a sacramental moment - a milestone moment in which you catch a glimpse of the almost unbearable preciousness and mystery of life -chock full of meaning about openness, connection and hope which children uniquely provide.

I began my teaching career as a substitute teacher in the public school in Maine.  One fall day, I was called to substitute for a fourth grade teacher in a small mid coast town.  Among the twenty four students was a special needs child named Chris.  I was instructed to not worry overly about his engagement or performance and just focus on the lessons left to me with the whole class.  I did my best to include Chris but to also not bring any pressure to bear.  Just prior to recess at lunch time it was time for me to read aloud.  So, I sat in a chair and began reading aloud to the class.  Suddenly, Chris stood up and walked up to me, climbed in my lap and put his head on my chest.  I could tell from the faces of the children that this was unusual and endeavored to convey a keep calm attitude to all as I continued reading aloud.  Inwardly, I was of course confused and most uncertain how to proceed.  As I concluded the story, I asked the children to line up for recess and asked the line leader to seek an adult.  Eventually, the school nurse arrived and with some effort cajoled Chris away from me and on to his lunch.  He later went home.

At the end of the day, the school social worker came to speak with me and offered explanations of the experience most of which did not resonate with me.  As I drove home from my day, I finally had a chance to explore from my perspective both what had happened and how I felt about it.

Even now as I recall this, I am filled with energy and emotion.  I remain in awe of what Chris taught me in that sacramental moment that we shared.  He gave me the gift of awareness, an understanding of connection and the many levels on which it unfolds for teachers and their students, and he helped me know that my students would endlessly offer me so much more than I offer them.  These sacramental moments are the true experience and understanding of education as love and of the vitality that flows out of simply being present to one another.

Now, I am a mom to two children – a son and a daughter – and they look at me seeing me with the eyes of a child and through some sacramental grace of life love me. 

In the winter season we are invited once again to be as open and transparent as children in practicing and embracing the utter simplicity of love – giving and receiving it in our lives. At heart, our spirit and spirituality perpetuates the truth that every child is a unique light and well nurtured will self-actualize and share his or her many gifts.  This belief elevates the process of education from a simple intellectual pursuit to the shaping of individuals who will lead lives of consequence. Children grow not just in knowledge but in wisdom, not just in critical thought but in compassion. We want each child to realize his or her richest potential for learning and become an independent, self-motivated and contributing member of the world community and to engage in service to others. “The aim of such an education indicates the desire to contribute to the good of all, to share in this cosmic goodness.” Maria Montessori

Embracing Our Imperfection

“Nothing that lives is, or can be, rigidly perfect; part of it is decaying, part nascent. All admit irregularity as they imply change; and to banish imperfection is to destroy expression, to check exertion, to paralyze vitality.”  John Ruskin

I aim in my life and work toward a humble acceptance and personal embrace of ‘imperfectability’;  I try to remember that it is not efficiency nor precision, nor an unflawed performance that characterizes a human self, but rather the stops and starts, imperfection and flaws in performance that humanize each of us. We are a multifarious group -thank goodness- for this informs our human dignity and magnificence – our unique potential. ‘ It is the soul’s business to strive toward expression, and maybe the soul’s greatest expression comes through imperfection nobly embraced, and through valuing in others what is imperfectly beautiful, what is beautifully imperfect—in a word, what is human.’

Each of us has our own unique flaws.  It is the imperfections and flaws we each have that make our lives together significant and rich. Self-acceptance of imperfection allows us to look for the good in others.

A Parable
A water bearer in China had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After 2 years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself because this crack in my side causes water to leak all the way back to your house."
The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house".

Blessings to all cracked pots

Chinese parable

What a Difference We Make

As a parent, securing my children's future through a commitment to personal financial planning – by drawing up a will, buying life insurance, educating them well, and hopefully, investing wisely – is a top priority. Lately I recognize that those efforts are less meaningful if I am not also ensuring that they end up in a world worth living in. So I try to teach my children about the decisions we make individually and collectively so that my grandchildren will have a world worth inheriting. Understanding that modeling is an effective way to teach, I look for ways, with colleagues, to model what a sustainable school and world would look like.

As Anthony Robbins observes, “Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more.”  We have a broad and ambitious vision for students. Our goal is to develop in learners their full potential - social/emotional, intellectual, creative and physical. This reflects our commitment to the development of the whole child. Learning is cumulative, an integrated process, rather than fragmented.  We are forging frontiers that will sustain and perpetuate this shared vision

As children reach a fuller understanding of the world around them, they begin to recognize the needs of others and want to help when the occasion arises. Each classroom community nurtures an ethic of caring. Generosity becomes unconscious—it is the connection that exists between all members of the group. It’s not a set of rules, but of everyday living. All are encouraged to notice who needs help and to deliver it in a supportive and humble manner. S/he does not need nor ask for praise or thanks—his/her internal satisfaction is clear; s/he is confident that s/he is capable of helping another person  We are committed to enlightening our students to their responsibility to the planet and its inhabitants. Our work calls for children to help children, for families to help families. This altruism is an important part of what school teaches and how we all live in the community.  Author, educator and psychologist Alfie Kohn writes in Altruism and Empathy in Everyday Life that "one learns more from personal involvement with pro-social action than from either hearing about it or watching someone else." He continues that "what we believe to be true about ourselves and others affects how we behave, which in turn affects our assumptions about human nature."

It is reassuring, then, that at the heart of our educational philosophy is a simple, but powerful notion engendering sustainability, compassion, empathy, and learning:  I take and I give back.  In this balance we find the great value and benefit – to ourselves and to our world, to our present and to our future – of our individual nurtured and nurturing lives.

Process or Be Processed

I recently listened to Douglas Rushkoff  speaking about his new book Program or Be Programmed and identified facets of his main ideas that profoundly resonate for me with the power of student centered, self-directed education.  Just as he weighs in on how technology as a tool can do for us but left un-tempered might reduce our personal empowerment, so I wonder how an over focus on benchmarking and data driven decision making diminishes the fundamental nature of education – learning how to learn as a process. “As one who once extolled the virtues of the digital to the uninitiated, I can’t help but look back and wonder if we adopted certain systems too rapidly and unthinkingly. Or even irreversibly. But those of us cheering for humanity also get unsettled a bit too easily, ourselves. We are drawn into obsessing over the disconnecting possibilities of technology, serving as little more than an equal and opposite force to those techno-libertarians celebrating the Darwinian wisdom of hive economics. Both extremes of thought and prediction are a symptom of thinking too little rather than too much about all this. They are artifacts of thinking machines that force digital, yes or no, true or false reconciliation of ideas and paradoxes that could formerly be sustained in a less deterministic fashion. Contemplation itself is devalued. The sustained thought required now is the sort of real reflection that happens inside a human brain thinking alone or relating to others in small self-selecting groups, however elitist that may sound to the techno-mob. Freedom—even in a digital age—means freedom to choose how and with whom you do your reflection, and not everything needs to be posted for the entire world with “comments on” and “copyright off.” In fact, it’s the inability to draw these boundaries and distinctions—or the political incorrectness of suggesting the possibility—that paints us into corners, and prevents meaningful, ongoing, open-ended discussion. And I believe it’s this meaning we are most in danger of losing. No matter the breadth of its capabilities, the net will not bestow upon humans the fuel or space we need to wrestle with its implications and their meaning.” Rushkoff

The value added of self-directed education and learning is that students internalize, develop and understand how to maximize their intrinsic learning potential; integrating self-management (contextual control), self-monitoring (cognitive responsibility), and motivational (approach a task in different ways using different strategies) dimensions.  In this way the learner harnesses the natural desire to help achieve a meaningful learning experience that will last through adulthood. The highly motivated, self-directed learner with skills in self-reflection can approach the broader ‘real world’ as a continual classroom from which to learn. Self-directed learning becomes even more powerful when it's systematic, that is, when the learner participates in identifying:

•  What areas of knowledge and skills we need to gain in order to get something done (learning needs and goals)

•  How we will gain the areas of knowledge and skills ( learning objectives and activities)

•  How we will know that we've gained the areas of knowledge and skills (learning evaluation)

• What are the criteria and means of validating

Listening to Rushkoff  re-ignited and renewed my educator’s passion for distilling and cherishing the power of education as a tool that can be wielded to understand how with intention and forethought to learn from everything we do; to take advantage of every experience as a learning experience;  to see systems and the people  we work with as resources - a lifelong process.

“Just as we think and behave differently in different settings, we think and behave differently when operating different technology. Only by understanding the biases of the media through which we engage with the world can we differentiate between what we intend, and what the machines we’re using intend for us—whether they or their programmers even know it.” Rushkoff

The Joyful Primary - a lasting, sustainable foundation for learning

“Education is a natural process spontaneously carried out by the human individual and is acquired not through listening to words but experiences in the environment.“  - Dr. Maria Montessori

This week I spent time observing in five primary classrooms that each provide students with a supportive learning environment where developmentally appropriate materials and positive learning experiences are clearly contributing to the growth of self-motivated and independent learners.  Each class is a multi-age grouping, balancing gender and developmental stages.  It is evident that the child teacher ratio assures each child maximum interaction with the teachers, and allows the teachers to observe and guide children individually.

Watching many of the youngest children seek help from an adult or older child as they learn to accomplish the task independently affirmed the marvelous outcomes of freedom and confidence that accompany the journey to self-sufficiency and… the ability to help a friend.  At the heart of this process is the notion that we take what we need and we give back what we are able – a quintessential Montessori value.

I observed class circle and the ensuing “work cycle” where children 'assimilate to the environment'.  All of the classrooms were demonstrably operating on the Montessori principle of freedom within limits. The children freely worked at their own pace with materials of their choice.  The teachers worked with children individually and in small groups, giving lessons and guidance on the prepared Montessori materials.  It was common to see a teacher giving a lesson to a few students while the rest of the children focused on work in different areas of the classroom. 

The shelves each held materials that children can explore to experience the full breadth of the curriculum through an open process of discovery. Individuality is balanced with an equal sense of responsibility and respect for the classroom community. Students investigated their own interests and chose activities exerting a sense of control over his or her life.

These joyful Montessori classrooms provide freely chosen learning materials to students, which are carefully and thoughtfully designed to offer a solid foundation for reading, writing, creativity, critical thinking, as well as, active participation in a community of others. As a child completes three years in Primary s/he becomes a self-composed, confident, and compassionate leader for the younger children. S/he learns to think independently, learns to learn with joy, and to self-regulate for social harmony - the common good.

*Research at the Universities of Virginia and Wisconsin has recently confirmed what Dr. Montessori observed long ago:

• "Movement optimizes learning. Active bodies create active minds. Montessori learning materials offer challenging work requiring both the body and the mind.
• Interest is key. Children learn best when they are interested. Children in Montessori classrooms choose their work, so they are able to pursue their interests.
• Motivation comes from intrinsic satisfaction. Montessori teachers avoid extrinsic rewards and competition since motivation is reduced when the rewards are removed. The Montessori method nurtures a child’s love of learning and desire to contribute and help others without rewards and punishments.
• Choice and control help children progress.  Montessori students choose their activities and manage their time. Students who have control over their educational experience make better decisions, exercise good judgment, and are more deeply engaged in their work.
• Order, beauty and routine are important. Montessori environments are aesthetically beautiful, tidy and organized. An attractive and dependable environment allows children to easily select and complete work and participate in maintaining the classroom.
• Collaboration inspires learning. Children in a multi-age environment learn from each other. Young children benefit from the example and guidance of older children. Up to age 6, children often prefer to work individually or in pairs. Montessori classrooms for young children are designed to accommodate this characteristic. After age 6, children are more likely to work in groups, collaborating on projects. Montessori classrooms for older children allow them to learn this way. Students solve problems by interacting with each other and listening to multiple perspectives. Montessori students have a strong sense of self, and are cooperative and supportive of each other. “

Each stage of Montessori education builds on the preceding one to form a lasting foundation. An authentic and complete Montessori education is truly a value added for life!

*www.curry.virginia.edu/research/centers; www.waisman.wisc.edu/

Toddler Classroom – Space to Learn

"An interesting piece of work, freely chosen, which has the virtue of inducing concentration rather than fatigue, adds to the child’s energies and mental capacities (leading to) self-mastery."   Maria Montessori

Recently, I was able to visit and observe in three toddler classrooms all of which were beautiful spaces actively supporting the engagement of children in purposeful work. The classroom environments were carefully prepared to be both beautiful and functional. The physical design, furniture and materials were varied from room to room but all equally supported the children’s independence and ‘innate impulse’ for self-development.

I could see so vividly how the work unfolding before me under the careful and gentle tutelage of gifted teachers assisted the children toward developing self-discipline, the ability to focus through the work in the environment. The materials were effectively captivating the child’s attention -clearly, the key to encouraging that focus.

It is important to say that in Montessori education this toddler stage is considered the first plane of development and to acknowledge that it is the one that has the most influence. ‘It is where thought, feeling, behavior, self-image, and self-esteem are formed.’

But what impressed me the most is the magical way the teachers used eye contact to let children know they are ‘with them’; used appropriate physical contact like holding hands and gentle touch to reassure and offer closeness; and focused attention to convey respect and how deeply valued each child is.

Recommended reading

Awakening your Toddlers Love for Learning  -  Jan Katzen-Luchenta  

Assessment-Feedback and the Self-directed Learner

One of the great strides in education over the last ten to fifteen years is in valuing diverse approaches to assessment and the benefits of innovative assessment.  This includes moving away from assessment of to assessment for learning. Montessori curriculum has always embedded these innovative measures and vehicles for feedback to the learner as an intrinsic part of the learning materials and environment.  As it is very intentionally embedded in the learning continuum to empower and build the learner’s confidence it can be an elusive piece in parent perception of the great strengths and benefits of the science and genius of Montessori.

Assessment for learning is different from formative assessment, the technique known to most traditionally schooled people.  While formative assessment is about providing teachers with evidence, assessment for learning is about continuous assessment and about informing students about themselves.  Formative assessment reveals who is and who is not meeting ‘outcomes’ or ‘standards’; assessment for learning tells teachers what progress each student is making toward meeting a learning outcome as they are learning —when there is still an opportunity to employ the feedback. In the formative assessment scenario the teacher typically provides the feedback to the learner.

When evaluation focuses on the results or outcomes of a program, it is called 'summative.  Summative assessments are  used to evaluate the effectiveness of the instructional program and teaching at the end of an academic year or a set time. The aim of summative assessment is to judge student competency after an ‘instructional phase’ is complete. They are used to determine student mastery of certain competencies and to identify areas that need to improve. Summative assessment seeks to identify which students have reached the top of the learning curve.  It holds students and their teachers accountable for achieving required outcomes - judging learning quantitatively at a particular point in time.  Examples are large-scale, on-demand state and district assessments, as well as traditional classroom assessments, e.g. tests and quizzes, typically used for report card grading.

In the Montessori learning environment there is a continuous array of assessments for learning used to help students learn more—to lead them deeper into their own learning.  Montessori assessment traverses many styles of assessment including authentic assessment – ‘the measurement of "intellectual accomplishments that are worthwhile, significant, and meaningful" – as well as performance based assessment. 

For example, authentic assessment “ … seeks to assess many different kinds of abilities in contexts that recreate situations in which those abilities are used. Students read real texts, write for authentic purposes about meaningful topics, and participate in authentic literacy tasks such as discussing books, keeping journals, writing letters, and revising a piece of writing until it works for the intended audience.  Both the material and the assessment tasks look as natural as possible.”  Authentic assessment stresses the thinking behind work, the process, as much as the outcome.

Performance-based assessment aims at a demonstration of the scope of student knowledge on a subject rather than simply measuring the accuracy of responses to a select series of questions.  Assessments become more than single events occurring at the end of the teaching. They become part of the learning process and keep students aware of their progress and confident enough to continue striving.

In the assessment for learning process, instructional decisions are made by students and their teachers. Thus, students use assessment information too, using evidence of their own progress to better understand what comes next for them. It relies on the class curriculum so that what has been learned and what comes next is clear to all throughout the learning. Assessment for learning motivates by helping students monitor and identify their success. Assessment for learning happens continuously throughout the learning process.  Students have a clear vision of the learning task from the beginning of the learning, as well as an understanding of the progression to competence.  Students also have continuous access to descriptive (as opposed to evaluative or judgmental) feedback from the teacher; information that helps them to improve the quality of their work.

These proactive assessments – which are at the heart of the Montessori approach to student-directed learning – allow students to engage with their own learning process and to successfully negotiate the road to mastery and learning competency.  Each of these specific practices draws the learner more deeply into taking responsibility for her or his own success. Over time these real indicators of learning generate and support an intellectually sophisticated, competent self-directed learner – the goal for every Montessori student.

Sources and references

Assessment for learning: putting it into practice, Paul Black, Chris Harrison, Clara

Montessori and Assessment, Haines, Annette M.

Montessori Assessment Outline, North American Teachers Association

 

Teaching as a Valuable Gift

Recently, I was drafting a quick note of appreciation and thanks to middle school teachers to affirm and acknowledge their curriculum night with parents.  I humbly sought a quote that I thought would resonate with their creative spirit and affirm their fluid and integrated approach to teaching.  I came across this marvelous reflection from Albert Einstein and reckoned any of us would delight in keeping such company in our daily endeavor.

I wonder if this reflection of Einstein speaks poignantly to the idea that consistency and change go hand in hand that great tradition provides the best foundation for change.

It is not enough to teach a man a specialty. Through it he may become a kind of useful machine but not a harmoniously developed personality. It is essential that the student acquire an understanding of and a lively feeling for values. He must acquire a vivid sense of the beautiful and of the morally good. Otherwise he - with his specialized knowledge - more closely resembles a well-trained dog than a harmoniously developed person. He must learn to understand the motives of human beings, their illusions and their sufferings, in order to acquire a proper relationship to individual fellow men and to the community.

These precious things are conveyed to the younger generation through personal contact with those who teach, not - or at least not in the main - through textbooks. It is this that primarily constitutes and preserves culture. This is what I have in mind when I recommend the 'humanities' as important, not just dry specialized knowledge in the fields of history and philosophy.

Overemphasis on the competitive system and premature specialization on the ground of immediate usefulness kill the spirit on which all cultural life depends, specialized knowledge included.

It is also vital to a valuable education that independent critical thinking be developed in the young human being, a development that is greatly jeopardized by overburdening him with too much and with too varied subjects (point system). Overburdening necessarily leads to superficiality. Teaching should be such that what is offered is perceived as a valuable gift and not as a hard duty.

—Albert Einstein, "Education for Independent Thought"

A Commitment to Keeping ‘Ideas in Play’

Adolescence is an arbitrary, contrived category. In past eras children were children until the early teens wherein, through some rite of passage, they were ushered into and took their place in adult society. Today there is no economic place for young adults and no rites of passage. We have, instead, created a holding stage that keeps young people in a limbo, into which children enter earlier and adults stay longer year by year.

—Joseph Chilton Pearce, Evolution's End

As an educator it occurs to me in my daily encounters with teachers, children, administrators and parents how clearly my ability to be ‘atheoretical’ or ‘apolitical’ is central to keeping ideas in play and rejecting the importance of fixed ideas and fixed subject matter. Over and over again, life in school presents me opportunities to grow and to learn how to avoid and to help students and teachers to avoid the entrapment of systems, blueprints or formulas.  To live into this, I must commit to an unwavering trust in children to learn, and I must acknowledge what I intuitively know - social change is the emancipatory potential of inquiry through the continuous reconstruction of experience;  self-directed acitivity, education for life and the common good.

From this perspective, “work” is best defined  through  its intrinsic connection to its inherent creative, community and collaborative components.  This self-directed  ‘work’  unfolds best  in learning communities where children  in their own way,  learn not only the concrete truths about the world, but the social truths as well.  These are the essential truths of people - people with many differences that must live and work together. 

When we keep’ ideas in play’ we empower learners and teach children  that the unity of expression, self-activity, and experience is the beginning not the end of learning –  life-long learning.

Discovering the specialness of every person

 “Children are human beings to whom respect is due, superior to us by reason of their innocence and of the greater possibilities of their future.”  Maria Montessori

The Montessori philosophy flows out of a deep respect for the child, notably the individuality of each child. We respect the child and we nurture the adult s/he is becoming. Montessori learning initiates out of a deep respect for children as unique individuals.  Montessori teachers work from a concern for the child’s social and emotional development. In a Montessori classroom, children are provided opportunities to explore in an orderly, well-structured environment. Maria Montessori observed that children presented with a calm, orderly environment in which to learn internalize that sense of calm. The curriculum and materials encourage the child to respect the classroom, thus teaching respect for one’s own environment. Thus instilling in children a love of learning, the ability to make appropriate learning choices, and respect for oneself, other people, and one’s physical surroundings.

By assuming the specialness of every person, we build a culture of respect that generates energy, creativity, and magnetism - something that people can sense and feel, and to which they are drawn. Highly respectful cultures treat every person with courtesy and interest, and convey the understanding that every member of the community is valued. By treating every person with the utmost respect, we develop a culture in which everyone wants to give their best to others, and expects to receive the best from others in return. It is the type of culture everyone deserves, and it is up to us to make it happen in our daily lives.

The Rabbi's Gift

               

Once a great order, a decaying monastery had only five monks left. The order was dying. In the surrounding deep woods, there was a little hut that a Rabbi from a nearby town used from time to time.

The monks always knew the Rabbi was home when they saw the smoke from his fire rise above the treetops. As the Abbot agonized over the imminent death of his order, it occurred to him to ask the Rabbi if he could offer any advice that might save the monastery.

The Rabbi welcomed the Abbot at his hut. When the Abbot explained the reason for his visit, the Rabbi could only commiserate with him. “I know how it is,” he exclaimed. “The spirit has gone out of the people. It is the same in my town. Almost no one comes to the synagogue anymore.” So the Abbot and the Rabbi sat together discussing the Bible and their faiths.

The time came when the Abbot had to leave. “It has been a wonderful visit,” said the Abbot, “but I have failed in my purpose. Is there nothing you can tell me to help save my dying order?”

“The only thing I can tell you,” said the Rabbi, “is that the Messiah is among you.”

When the Abbot returned to the monastery, his fellow monks gathered around him and asked, “What did the Rabbi say?” “He couldn’t help,” the Abbot answered. “The only thing he did say, as I was leaving was that the Messiah is among us. Though I do not know what these words mean.”

In the months that followed, the monks pondered this and wondered whether there was any possible significance to the Rabbi’s words: The Messiah is among us? Could he possibly have meant that the Messiah is one of us monks here at the monastery? If that’s the case, which one of us is the Messiah? Do you suppose he meant the Abbot? Yes, if he meant anyone, he probably meant Father Abbot. Certainly he could not have meant Brother Elred! Elred gets crotchety at times. But come to think of it, even so, Elred is virtually always right. Maybe the rabbi did mean Brother Elred. Of course the Rabbi didn’t mean me.

He couldn’t possibly have meant me. I’m just an ordinary person. Yet supposing he did? Suppose I am the Messiah?

As they contemplated in this manner, the monks began to treat each other with extraordinary respect on the off chance that one among them might be the Messiah and in turn, each monk began to treat himself with extraordinary respect.

It so happened that people still occasionally came to visit the beautiful forest and monastery. Without even being conscious of it, visitors began to sense a powerful spiritual aura. They were sensing the extraordinary respect that now filled the monastery.

Hardly knowing why, people began to come to the monastery frequently to picnic, to play, and to pray. They began to bring their friends, and their friends brought their friends. Then it happened that some of the younger men who came to visit the monastery started to talk more and more with the older monks. After a while, one asked if he could join them. Then, another and another asked if they too could join the abbot and older monks. Within a few years, the monastery once again became a thriving order, a vibrant center of light and spirituality in the realm. - Author unknown

Adapted from The Different Drum: Community Making and Peace by Dr. M. Scott Peck

The Serendipity of Teachable…..Learnable Moments

Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.

Plato

Maria Montessori knew that the teacher’s self-knowledge and awareness are crucial to seeing the learner clearly – seeing the child as whole and responding to the child in the moment.  In other words, we speak to the teacher in a learner best when we are conversant with our own inner teacher.  This requires that the heart and mind work together to expand our capacity for connectedness.  I think this further suggests that the intellect – the way we think about learning; emotion – the way we feel about learning; and the spirit – our desire to connect to a greater whole – are an interdependent whole in the teacher and the learner.

So it is that we seek, find and live into teachable/learnable moments.  So it is that we work together to make sense of, acknowledge and live our human paradox – balancing our dependence on how others respond to us with our independence of how others respond to us.

Just as parents set tasks, give choices, and negotiate the dance of holding on and letting go, teachers use the scaffolding of the learning environment to provide structure and support for the child’s own work to develop; providing parameters and boundaries to a work in progress which dissolve because the learner internalizes them.

Through this teaching/ learning exchange the learner is empowered to find her/his voice, to use that voice and to then have that voice heard.

Active, engaged, critical thinking - does it require more effort for student and teacher? Certainly. Does it sometimes involve a period of discomfort or confusion? Sure. If the mission is to give students the tools and capacity to face the future with confidence and competence, we need to assure them that we believe in their ability to step up to the challenge, and support them in their growth toward that end.

Reflecting the Perspective of Parents in the Home-School Connection

"When you are facing the child whose heart is open and overflowing, find yourself in that child. Remember the adult you loved dearly. Respond as you wish that adult had responded to you. When you are facing the child whose heart is locked away, find yourself in that child, too. Remember the adult who you feared. Respond as you wish that adult had responded to you." -    Catherine McTamaney   (The Tao of Montessori)

On Wednesday evening I arrived home late and as I settled in my daughter disappeared to the kitchen where neither her dad nor I was allowed to enter.  A surprise was underway.  A while later she led us with our eyes closed to the family room where a tray awaited us laden with fruits that had been carved and merged creatively to be different creatures.  A pear had been transformed into a pig and a plum into a fish using parts of grapes and lemon peel.  With our edible fruit creatures we were also provided a glass of fruit water.  Needless to say, it was a delightful extension on her part of a family habit of enjoying a plate of fruit together after dinner and before bed.

This was a wonderful affirmation and spiral of our family as a sacramental community. We have endeavored to weave this shared responsibility for family life into the often random and hectic pace of our daily experience.  Engaging with our daughter’s interpretation was a small gift exemplifying our mutual joy in each other.

As a parent I see my responsibility to nurture the mind, the hand and the heart of my child.  To me this incorporates self- monitoring those places where my interests for my child supersede her need for me to meet her where she is.  Being present with her is part of ‘following’ her as she evolves.  It provokes emotions and memories of how I grew up that I need to balance with how I wish to be as a parent.  This is an important task, steeped in ‘am I doing the right thing?’.

The school-home partnership at CMS offers parents meaningful ways to dialogue about the parenting journey, the reassurance that there is more than one way, and the invitation to consider together how to do our best for the child.  Modeling responsibility for the shared experience of community life – just one example of the value added at CMS.

This partnership helps children build a strong understanding of themselves as learners. This partnership also helps instill in students a sense of responsibility to themselves and to their community.  It encourages us all to value both the common threads which connect us to others and to respect our differences.