Comments on: Montessori Observation http://www.amymossoff.com/montessori/2387/montessori-observation/ Surround Yourself with Things You Value Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:09:25 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Amy http://www.amymossoff.com/montessori/2387/montessori-observation/comment-page-1/#comment-8110 Amy Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:59:09 +0000 http://www.amymossoff.com/?p=2387#comment-8110 Monica, Thanks for the feedback! I wish you the best of luck with homeschooling. It really is scary, isn't it? I think your experience and your thinking on the issue will serve you well, though. I've been thinking a lot lately about those first few grades of homeschooling and I'm moving towards keeping a Montessori-like method for that time. Still, my main guide is The Well Trained Mind, especially for grades 4-9. If you do end up homeschooling and working from home, I'd be interested to hear how you manage it. I'm scared to death of losing my own time once I start homeschooling. Monica, Thanks for the feedback! I wish you the best of luck with homeschooling. It really is scary, isn’t it? I think your experience and your thinking on the issue will serve you well, though. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about those first few grades of homeschooling and I’m moving towards keeping a Montessori-like method for that time. Still, my main guide is The Well Trained Mind, especially for grades 4-9.

If you do end up homeschooling and working from home, I’d be interested to hear how you manage it. I’m scared to death of losing my own time once I start homeschooling.

]]> By: Monica CW http://www.amymossoff.com/montessori/2387/montessori-observation/comment-page-1/#comment-8109 Monica CW Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:34:38 +0000 http://www.amymossoff.com/?p=2387#comment-8109 Amy, I’ve been enjoying reading your blog for over a year now, and decided to quit lurking! I appreciate your insights into the Montessori environment, and have found so much of it to be true for the Montessori school where my son, now kindergarten age, attends. Several years ago I worked in the preschool room of a traditional childcare center, and as part of our continuing education we were sent out to visit other preschools in the area to observe their environment and curriculum. One school was Montessori, which was not familiar with. I was a bit creeped out by how quiet the classroom was, coming from my classroom, where a high volume level and lots of teacher-directed activities were the norm. When I discovered Objectivism and its connection to the Montessori philosophy, so much of what I observed finally made sense to me, and I was overwhelmed with a sense of dismay at the approach my old school had taken to instruction, where the children “learned” through the traditional model of teachers imparting their knowledge as though they were filling up an empty pitcher. I also realized how mistaken my expectations of the children were (as you put it so well), that they were “little ‘selfish’ heathens who need to be tamed”, or who just needed to sit still long enough to listen to what I had to say(!) As I read more about Maria Montessori and her philosophy, and combined it with my understanding of Objectivism, I realized what I had missed as a child and became determined to provide every opportunity for my children to at least begin their education in a Montessori school. I have been amazed at what my son has learned, and also with how well he is able to interact with people of all ages. My husband and I decided to keep him at his school for kindergarten rather than subjecting him to public school, but his school doesn’t offer elementary instruction, and it breaks my heart as I think about what next year will bring when he enters first grade. I am working my way towards being able to work from home so I can homeschool. It’s a bit terrifying, as I am still unlearning some of my old preschool teacher behaviors, but I know I can do better than the public school, even if they are “some of the best in the state”. Amy,
I’ve been enjoying reading your blog for over a year now, and decided to quit lurking!
I appreciate your insights into the Montessori environment, and have found so much of it to be true for the Montessori school where my son, now kindergarten age, attends. Several years ago I worked in the preschool room of a traditional childcare center, and as part of our continuing education we were sent out to visit other preschools in the area to observe their environment and curriculum. One school was Montessori, which was not familiar with. I was a bit creeped out by how quiet the classroom was, coming from my classroom, where a high volume level and lots of teacher-directed activities were the norm. When I discovered Objectivism and its connection to the Montessori philosophy, so much of what I observed finally made sense to me, and I was overwhelmed with a sense of dismay at the approach my old school had taken to instruction, where the children “learned” through the traditional model of teachers imparting their knowledge as though they were filling up an empty pitcher. I also realized how mistaken my expectations of the children were (as you put it so well), that they were “little ‘selfish’ heathens who need to be tamed”, or who just needed to sit still long enough to listen to what I had to say(!) As I read more about Maria Montessori and her philosophy, and combined it with my understanding of Objectivism, I realized what I had missed as a child and became determined to provide every opportunity for my children to at least begin their education in a Montessori school. I have been amazed at what my son has learned, and also with how well he is able to interact with people of all ages. My husband and I decided to keep him at his school for kindergarten rather than subjecting him to public school, but his school doesn’t offer elementary instruction, and it breaks my heart as I think about what next year will bring when he enters first grade. I am working my way towards being able to work from home so I can homeschool. It’s a bit terrifying, as I am still unlearning some of my old preschool teacher behaviors, but I know I can do better than the public school, even if they are “some of the best in the state”.

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