Tiny Humans

Tomorrow we will begin yet another round of testing at our school.  As a matter of fact, every school in Jackson Madison County will start another round of testing.  At this point, I honestly am not sure if this is a real or practice test because they all come so frequently that it is difficult to keep up.  In the shadows of all these tests, I found myself pondering the end goal of such a system.  Why would you water-down a child to a point on a graph? Why would you strip away their name, personality, and everything that makes them amazing and replace it with a data point?

          I have twenty-two children in my classroom.  I have 10 first-graders, 6 second-graders, and 6 third-graders.  I refuse to look at them as points on a graph or a score on a test.  I could tell you amazing things about each one of them.  I could describe to you how they laugh on the playground and how they focus during our meditation time.  I could tell you which ones prefer Zumba and which ones prefer Yoga.  I could tell you which little ones might cry if their feelings are hurt and how I would make them smile again.  I could tell you which ones show outstanding leadership skills at recess and which ones dabble in the dramatic arts.  There is so much that I could tell you about each one of them, but I would never describe them as a Tier 1, Tier 2, or Tier 3 individual.  This is how the state of Tennessee would have me describe them to you.  I refuse to think of them that way.

          I became a teacher to help cultivate the minds of the little humans of the world.  I did not become a teacher to assign a label, data point, or line graph to each individual child.  In my classroom, I teach them to be good people.  I teach them to love, to learn, to be peaceful, to create, to solve, to give, and to grow.  If this is not what a teacher is supposed to do, then perhaps I should find another profession.  Tomorrow when my little 3^rd graders enter the computer lab to take another standardized test, I will smile at them and say, “Don’t worry, just do your best!”  This will be the only discussion that we have about the test, because they are more than a test score to me…..to me… they are amazing little humans.

ASL

When I first arrived to the Montessori School I noticed that people were using sign language.  This was very intriguing to me and I wanted to learn as much as possible.  American Sign Language is used in my classroom for asking certain questions and giving instructions.  Imagine how much this controls the volume level and peaceful environment!  Students know the sign for restroom, toilet, water, eat, now, sit, stand, line-up, walk, stop, art, music, library, recess, gym, lunch, and many more.  I fell so in love with using ASL and sign language that my husband and I are now in the process of adopting a little boy from China that is Deaf. :)  We are currently taking ASL classes and learning more signs each day!  Anyone can incorporate ASL into their classroom, and trust me .....you will not regret it!

The People Upstairs

The People Upstairs

I want you to imagine a world that revolves around numbers.  A world where children are identified not by a name, but by numerical digits.  A world where children are expected to act the same, learn the same, and meet the same milestones at the same times.  In this world, The People Upstairs hover over spreadsheets and databases searching for an answer.  An answer that is numerical and cold.  In this world it doesn’t matter what country you come from, what neighborhood you live in, what your parents are like, or the environment from which you come.  In this world you are assigned to a room and this specific room comes with a very specific set of tasks that you are expected to complete.  Basic human needs such as hunger, safety, and love are not considered by The People Upstairs.  The People Upstairs don’t care if you ate breakfast, or stayed up all night, or cried yourself to sleep.  In this world, The People Upstairs are in charge and what they say goes.  Upstairs they expect all children to perform on schedule and on time like a well-oiled machine.  In this world they expect performance, perfection, and assimilation to all rules and regulations.  In this world children are expected to be still, be quiet, be ready, be compliant, be determined, and most of all be their definition of successful.  Upstairs the definition of successful consists of being able to draw inside a little circle and obtain a high numerical valuation.  Upstairs the definition of successful is singular to performing this very specific set of skills that are determined by a very specific set of Upstairs People.

Now I want you to imagine that this world is your world.  This world is your children’s world.  This world is populated by our future.  This world is the public education system of America.  What is missing from this world?  What huge pieces of the puzzle have become extinct?  What missing pieces were never there to begin with?  Why are we treating our most precious assets like widgets in a factory?

I would dare to say that the first and biggest thing that is missing from this world of education is the deep consideration and respect for the basic needs of humans.  Maslow taught us that human beings are not capable of moving to higher levels of self-actualization without their basic needs being met.  Children arrive to school daily without their physiological needs being met.  Many children are hungry and tired, but if you happen to arrive in such a state on an exam day there is no checkbox to mark, no place to make a note, and no adjustment to your precious test score.    Many children are not made to feel safe, secure, accepted, or loved in this world of education.  Children first arrive to this world full of love.  They are inherently filled with a love of discovery, curiosity, exploration, and intrinsic motivation.  However, due to the pressure and direction of The People Upstairs, all the love is quickly sucked out of them and labeled as inappropriate, unnecessary, and not a standard that they need to know.  Imagine what the future will hold for a society filled with robotic performance, rather than love. 

We have been blessed with masses of tiny humans that are relying on us to show them the way.  Why on Earth would we want to lead them in the wrong direction?  What if we didn’t think about numbers or dollar signs, but of the souls of the children themselves?  What if we chose to teach the children skills for their future and not archaic skills to pass a test?  What if we chose to do what is the best for them and not the best for us?  What if we decided that it okay for all children to be different and unique individuals?  What if we embraced their individual talents and skills instead of pushing them into a box of uniformity?  What if we loved each child as if they were our own? 

I long for this world of education to no longer be dictated by The People Upstairs, but to be organically created by the little humans downstairs.

Chelsea Bergeron  

http://mrschelseabergeron.blogspot.com/

Alternative Seating Options

Every classroom can provide alternative seating options for children.  Some children work better on the floor, some students work better in a desk, and some students work better while standing.  These options can be easily accomplished my using carpet squares, standing tables, bean bag chairs, and mats.  I think that all children love to have options and it actually improves their learning!

Peace and Love

Two of the main philosophies of Montessori are peace and love.  This is something that anyone can easily incorporate into their traditional classroom.  One of the most important lessons I have learned teaching Montessori this year is the benefit of a peaceful classroom.   Creating and maintaining peace is one of the most important things that happen each day in my class.  This starts with an attitude and demeanor of peace and love.  It continues with the creation of your peace corner.  This is not to be confused with a reading corner, which we often see in traditional classes.  A peace corner is a place where students can visit throughout the day to find peace, calm down, and just relax.  There are many things that you can have in your peace corner: peace books, peace flowers, a peace bear, peace rocks, seashells, an hourglass, a battery-operated candle, a zen garden........the list can go on and on.

What is Montessori?

Montessori education is an educational approach developed by Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori and characterized by an emphasis on independence, freedom within limits, and respect for a child’s natural psychological, physical, and social development. Although a range of practices exists under the name "Montessori", the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) and the American Montessori Society (AMS) cite these elements as essential:^[2][3]

• Mixed age classrooms, with classrooms for children ages 2½ or 3 to 6 years old by far the most common
• Student choice of activity from within a prescribed range of options
• Uninterrupted blocks of work time, ideally three hours
• A constructivist or "discovery" model, where students learn concepts from working with materials, rather than by direct instruction
• Specialized educational materials developed by Montessori and her collaborators
• Freedom of movement within the classroom
• A trained Montessori teacher

My name is Chelsea, and I am starting this blog as a place for traditional teachers to learn to make their classrooms into a Montessori classroom. I have been a traditional teacher for 6 years, but over this school year I have been evolving into a true Montessori teacher :) You see, Montessori is more than just materials and training, Montessori is a state of mind....a peace within you that flows forth into your classroom.  My goal is to help any teacher adopt the Montessori philosophy and mindfulness to create a Montessori environment in their classroom.  I will do this through pictures, videos, and simple explanations that anyone can understand.  Share and Enjoy :)