Montessori on My Mind

Before I jump into the glories of my day of professional leave, I want to be sure to add the journal questions that accompany the rubric in yesterday's post. When the students write in their literature response journals, they answer a question from me, as well as choosing a question from the list below.

Journal questions

So my day began in earnest when, for perhaps the 8th time since moving to DC, I could not figure out how to get on the GW Parkway. Fortunately, after crossing the same bridge multiple times, I emerged unscathed in McLean, VA, home of the Montessori School of McLean. I was greeted by two charming children upon entering the building, following my journey through what looks to be some major school renovations. The school was conducting an open house, and in the classrooms, various pairs of children were set up to demonstrate lessons in math, science and reading.

Most of the lessons that I saw were math-related, except for one science experiment that involved microwaving bars of soap to demonstrate Charles' Law. Messy, but very fun. The greatest thing about Montessori education, from what I have seen so far, is that through the use of various manipulatives, the children are able to teach themselves. I saw students multiplying on an abacus, adding and subtracting fractions, and dividing using a cleverly devised bead board. My only concern was that some of the students made computational errors without noticing, but I'll chalk that up to the excitement of the open house and the lack of teacher facilitation. The key for the teacher, I am sure, is to be available to spot such errors.

The funny thing about the students there was their overall demeanor. They were all clearly capable and very eloquent, and I was impressed by their interaction with adults. However, one boy, when performing an addition problem using tiles, spilled an extra tile out of the box and mistakenly added it into the problem. When I pointed this out, he looked at me with something akin to contempt, that I should be so bold as to correct him. I suppose that the far side of capability is overconfidence, but if that is one small byproduct of such marvelous self-directed learning, so be it.

I then watched a video which was designed to encourage parents of preschool Montessori parents to enroll their children in the elementary level. The Montessori method uses multi-age classrooms, typically divided, I believe, into 3-6-year-olds, 7-9 year olds and 10-12 year olds. The video gave some interesting insights into the Montessori program, and I suppose, with the $12,000 yearly price tag, parents do need some convincing.

Overall, I was impressed with the school, and I plan on going back over my spring break to observe a regular school day. One comment from a Montessori teacher that I found particularly interesting was that when she worked at a regular school, she felt like a martyr to the cause of education, but working in a Montessori school, she finds as much enjoyment and growth for herself as the students do. I will keep that in mind, particularly if teaching starts to wear me down. The only problem I see is that the high price of tuition certainly limits the access of students from low-income families, the students that I most enjoy serving. My hope is that my increasing the amount of hands-on and self-directed learning in my current classroom, I can bring a little taste of the Montessori philosophy to children who perhaps most need the best education possible.