Preparation for life

I got to eavesdrop on an Upper Elementary class meeting the other day while I was waiting for my lunch to heat up.  The class has a weekly meeting, moderated by one of the students.  Agenda items can come from the teacher or the students.  The first item on the agenda was the snack table.  The Upper Elementary students use a collapsible TV tray table when they are having snack. The student who had put the item on the agenda said, “Sometimes when people are done having snack they don’t put the table away.  I’ll look over 10 minutes later and it’s still sitting out even though no one else is getting ready to have snack.  You need to put it away and not assume that someone else is going to have snack right after you.”  Another student added, “And make sure you clean up, otherwise people end up accidentally sitting in your crumbs.”

There was no finger pointing or complaining or whining.  All of the comments made on the topic were presented maturely, as gentle reminders about courtesies that are necessary for their communal life together.  As I listened, I envisioned these very kids 15+ years down the road.  Perhaps during a staff meeting at work they need to bring up the fact that people aren’t cleaning up messes in the microwave in the staff kitchen.  Or perhaps they are on a committee and feel the need to point out that not everyone is pulling their weight.  Maybe they need to have a sensitive conversation with a co-worker about an offensive remark they made.  I could see them handling these situations with confidence, diplomacy, and poise.

A Montessori teacher who is planning to open a middle school program in northern Montgomery County recently talked to our Upper Elementary parents about it.  As she presented her vision, she reflected on how she has heard parents express concern about whether their children will be prepared for high school or college and said, “Why prepare them just for college?  Why not prepare them for life?”  That is exactly what we seek to do here at CFMS. 

When you come to observe in your child’s classroom this spring, you might be able to see the future applications of what the children are learning and doing.

• Project management: A 4-year old is doing shoe polishing, which involves numerous steps, from retrieving and laying out the materials, to executing the tasks in a precise order, to cleaning it all up when finished.
• Communications: A 7-year old is mediating a disagreement between two classmates who have conflicting ideas about the rules for a recess game.
• Collaborative work: Four Upper Elementary students are undertaking a large project and have to figure out how to divide work, hold one another accountable, and pull the pieces together into a unified whole.
• Work-life balance: A 5-year old finishes a large math work and sits in the rocking chair, taking a break and enjoying some quiet before moving on to her next task.

You will also see math, writing, reading, history, science and all sorts of other academic work.  But be sure to look for the genius of Montessori that lies in the breadth of preparation for life that is naturally woven into the whole of classroom life.

Wendy Shenk-Evans