M.E.W - Day 1 - Sun., Feb. 26

Question:  What do you see as one (and I know there are many) benefit of Montessori Education for children?  

Responses: 

   -  Leadership (BP)

   - The concrete learning materials which form a lasting impression in the child’s mind.  (BJ)
   -  Montessori gives children the confidence and humility to lead and be led. (CM) 
   -  I asked a forty-year-old, former student from Audubon Montessori, a public school in New Orleans, what he remembered most about Audubon. His reply says it all. "Montessori gave me the freedom to learn." (RK)
   -  Learning how to be independent learners.  (SG)
   -  Children can be change-makers who will create a more peaceful, more just world. (MF)
   -  Respect for others, oneself, and one's environment. (SH)
   -  The encouragement for development of independence. (ML)
   -  Empowering Children to help themselves. (AE)

   -  The ability & confidence to always ask questions - Independence - (AGB)

   -  An environment that honors the child— what they already know/have learned, their passions, and their potential. (KS)

   -  I can do it myself attitude that lasts a lifetime! (MF) & (KF)
 

M.E.W - Day 2 - Mon., Feb. 27

Question:  What do you see as one benefit of Montessori Education to you, as a Montessori Educator? 

Responses: 

   1.  One benefit of Montessori Education is the leadership skills students develop naturally. Being in Lower Elementary, there is just something magical that happens from the first day for those new third years. They walk in confident, feeling prepared internally, and ready to lead the new group and show them how things are done in our classroom community. I have watched it over and over again. It is just magical watching them step into their own leadership style. (JM)

    2.  Age is just a Number for a Montessori child for doing any big work in math, geography or history.  (AP)
    3. I think one of the biggest differences between Montessori and mainstream education is the freedom and discipline we observe in our classroom. Academia talks about autonomy in education, which we can clearly see every day in our classrooms. With strong guidelines, the child is able to choose freely from many different learning materials and manipulatives, and can made decisions according to their personal preferred learning method. - (WMN)

   4.  Being a Montessori educator has helped me connect with a group that encompasses what I believe education should be. It's helped me live what I teach my students. It brings me joy! - (BS)

   5.  I see so many benefits. One that really struck me this week was a sense of community and family with the children. We have children butting heads, we have children doing wonderful things. We have children arguing about stuff, we have children playing wonderfully.
What we have over it all is balance. The arguments pass. The butting of personalities pass. As time goes on, these are all part of living in a community and learning how to deal with it. I see so much love and respect between my students, even when issues do come up.
Life isn’t perfect, and neither is the community. But it is healthy and balanced. (MB)

   6.  To remember the influence teachers have on their students . Teach them how to be thankful, kind, and how to give back to the community. (AF)

   7.  You mean besides the lightbulb moments during my training?  For me it was the process of becoming a guide rather than a “teacher.” It shaped my parenting style, taught me to sit back an observe, and to allow others to to learn by doing, without me trying to “fill them up with knowledge.” (AGB)

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M.E.W - Day 3 - Tues., Feb. 28

Question:  What do you see as one benefit of Montessori Education to the parents of your students? 

Responses:

   *  A new way of life. A path forward in a relationship that lasts a lifetime.  (GC)

   *  As a parent, I see my child’s teacher seeing his abilities in ways I haven’t seen yet, allowing him freedom to be more independent at school and as a result at home. (SR)

   *  We collected food for the local food pantry, invited an animal adoption agency to talk to the students, participating in a walkathon for dogs and had a friendship luncheon for parent volunteers. (AF)

   *  When teachers see each child as a "whole child" with emotional, social, and learning needs, each child can be supported in the way that works best for them. This is a page to ask and learn about working with ALL childen with the strategies and tools, consistent with Montessori philosophy, that Montessorians can learn, and develop.  (admin)

   *  As a parent, I loved the Grace and Courtesy lessons. That is not taught in traditional schools. (PA)

   *  Children become more independent and feel confident in their own abilities.  (CC)

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M.E.W - Day 4 - Wed., March 1

Question:  What do you see as a benefit of Montessori Education to your community (city, town, state)? 

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M.E.W - Day 5 - Thurs., March 2

Question:  What is your favorite Montessori Material or Lesson and why? 

Responses:

   ~   Black strip and decanomial. . . .One has entire history in itself and latter is a versatile math manipulative.  (AP
   ~  Teaching square root with the peg board! Making so visible something that most adults learned by pushing a button on a calculator has always been a favorite of mine and a definite wow factor for parents.  (CMM)

   ~  I love the Bead Box. It’s a beautiful way to teach all the mathematical operations. I use it in my traditional preschool and so much better and more concrete than rote or flash cards. (PA)

   ~  Yellow area of a triangle materials (KW)

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M.E.W - Day 6 - Fri., March 3

Question:  Relate a “Montessori Moment” from your time working with children or adults. 

Response:

   #  A little boy in my class was a bit mischievous. But he loved the materials. He was in trouble for something and crying like crazy. He took out a work on his own and became focused and stopped crying. I remember thinking, the miracle of Montessori.  (PA)

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M.E.W - Day 7 - Sat., March 4

Question:  How can the benefits of Montessori Education be made more available to all children? 

Response: 

   ^  Montessori should be in all schools starting with preschool through high-school and beyond. How to do that is to put Montessori people in the school board. (PA)

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If you have questions, or comments, or want to add ideas to the above questions . . . please email info@oaksmont.org