2016 Montessori Education Week
Each year, schools all over the world celebrate Montessori Education Week the last week in February. This is our opportunity to join with over 5,000 other Montessori schools and celebrate an educational approach that has stood the test of time.
This week, Webster Montessori School will share videos and articles about Montessori. A few minutes of your time each day will enhance your appreciation and understanding of this strong foundation you are providing your children. Actually, just a few minutes of your time each day will remind you of how exciting it is that your children have the opportunity to experience a Montessori education. Please feel welcomed to share with your friends, family, co-workers, etc.
Day One
I have linked an entertaining video called "Superwoman Was Already Here.” Please take a few minutes to see why Maria Montessori's ideas are still relevant to children and the world today. Learn why we do what we do. Come find out!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQl-7Lmm4hE
Day Two
As we continue our celebration of Montessori Education Week, we turn our attention to a written article. This short read presents several key components of a Montessori education that grow into habits for successful learning throughout life. It is a great way to understand why the first years of a child's education sets the tone for the years that follow. The seeds we plant now are the ones that bloom in the future.
Come find out!
Download now: SEED CORN by Edward Fidellow
Day Three
Creative thinker. Innovator. Curious. Self-Motivated. Fearless. Collaborative. Self-Directed. Discoverer. Imaginative. Achiever.
These are all words we want to use to describe our children as they grow. Or, as Maria Montessori herself said, "If young people are to meet the challenges of survival that face them today, it is imperative that they develop to the fullest extent possible their potential for creativity, initiative, independence, inner discipline, and self-confidence. This is the central focus of Montessori education."
Please enjoy this 3-minute video. Why Montessori? Because we grow creative thinkers. Innovators. Curious kids. Self-motivated teenagers. Fearless leaders. Collaborative students. Imaginative citizens. Children can become amazing adults. Come find out!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoSrph1Wzbw
Day Four
Have you taken an opportunity to observe in your student's classroom yet this year? This peek into their day is also a way to further understand the environment that supports their growth and development.
It is my pleasure each day to work in a school with amazing teachers. Our staff are incredibly experienced and have not only a deep understanding of Montessori, but also of children.
Maria Montessori herself reflected on teaching in this way, "The secret of good teaching is to regard the child's intelligence as a fertile field in which seeds may be sown, to grow under the hat of flaming imagination. Our aim therefore is not merely to make the child understand, and still less to force him to memorize, but so to touch his imagination as to enthuse him to his innermost core". Wow!
Today I have attached a short poem written by a teacher about the classroom. Come find out!
Download now: A VERY MONTESSORI POEM by Bree Van Nes
Day Five
What a journey this week has been as we celebrated Montessori Education week. I hope the time and path have been inspiring to you.
Maria Montessori also described the journey of childhood this way "My vision of the future is no longer of people taking exams and proceeding on that certification... but of individuals passing from one state of independence to a higher one, by means of their own effort of will, which constitutes the inner evolution of the individual."
I leave you with one more video to watch. Join Jackson on his own journey in 4 minutes. Can you possibly imagine the joy young children feel by being able to say "I did it!" Come find out!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09Y-huCMjIc