Christian Montessori Fellowship

Is your forehead still furrowed with the question “What is he talking about?” Good, because what I am talking about is even more radical than what we already do by being Montessori teachers.

If there is any hope for our country and the world it will be up to a remnant to create the change required. It has never been a majority that preserves the culture, the society or the church – it has always been a remnant – a small group of committed believers who have a passion for God who will lay down their lives to achieve God’s purposes for their time and place.

You have already taken a first step in that regard. Montessori is certainly out of the mainstream and you were willing to do that. Then what followed was your commitment to Christian Montessori education which leads you further into a niche of a niche of a niche (which certainly can qualify as a “Remnant”.) Even many of our secular Montessori friends do not understand our wanting to “muddy” the waters of Montessori with our Christian spiritual leanings and concerns. We’ve often been accused of wanting to marry Montessori and Christianity while the reality is that we want to keep them from being divorced. E.M. Standing, Montessori’s biographer, wrote that on more than one occasion she said that God had given her this method to advance the kingdom of God.

So why would you quit your job and close your Christian Montessori school?

Because once you quit your “job” (which often doesn’t pay well enough to really count as a job), you are available to embrace what you do as a ministry. Second, by closing your Christian Montessori school it will allow you and your new ministry to embrace Montessori Christian education; where the emphasis is not on the wonderful tool of Montessori but on nurturing your children spiritually (while using all of the wonderful Montessori materials, philosophy and opportunities.) The question comes down to, “What are your children going to take into eternity?”

You have the opportunity to impact your children for eternity. I know that parents want academics; they want the advantages of a great education for their children; they want all the benefits of Montessori and you will still provide that, but by quitting your job and closing your Christian Montessori school you are now truly ready to minister to your children. “Seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you.” This is a decision that only you can make – which is more important Christian or Montessori? They are both important but the grammar lesson that changes your life is to decide whether Montessori is the noun and Christian the adjective that describes it or if Christian is the solid triangle (of grammar symbols) and Montessori describes how we share our Christianity and faith.

It has taken Barbara and I a long time to close our Christian Montessori school but we now are sure what our eternal priorities are. If you choose to consider this radical approach for your life then we ask you to join us as we begin to minister to people all over the country and the world. The Christian Montessori Fellowship exists to encourage you and to help establish this amazing way to minister to children. We need your support, your membership, your attendance, your prayers and your renewed commitment to the children and families that God has placed in your life.

We would like to hear from you. We would like your commitments to the work of the fellowship. We would like you to be co-laborers with us in this new wave of ministry. God has called you to be a special remnant and together we can impact children starting from where you are, your own Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

“It doesn’t work!” says the rookie. “After all of the training I’ve had, Montessori just doesn’t work.” And then the rookie resorts to the kind of teaching and actions that are common to traditional education because – “Montessori just doesn’t work.”

The first rookie mistake (and the last thing you want to do) is to go back to traditional controls because traditional controls will never bring about a Montessori environment. If Montessori isn’t “working” we need to first look at what we are doing – not what the children are doing.

There is a magic to Montessori. The rookies see experienced teachers do it. A classroom is transformed and the children are normalized and are highly functioning individualized learners. The rookies step up to the plate wave the magic wand of Montessori and it doesn’t work. And they wave the wand again – and it still doesn’t work. After they get tired of waving the wand they shake their heads and conclude – they can’t make it work.

They “it” that they can’t make work is the hard work behind the magic. Tough classrooms and challenging children are not just presented to rookies, experienced teachers are also handed the same situation. Experienced teachers, instead of resorting to traditional methods, resort to traditional Montessori methods. The number one tradition is presentation. The number two tradition is re-presentation. The number three tradition is re-re-presentation. And number four is re-re – I think you get it. You start over and over again – if you must. And you often must!

Montessori doesn’t work unless the children are trained. And the magic that traditional educators miss is that children can be trained to be independent and self-guided just as they can be trained to be dependent and teacher guided. The magic is in believing that it can happen. This ability to train is a talent that must be developed, practiced, nurtured and practiced some more.

The teacher difference in traditional and Montessori is that the traditional teacher learns a few basic techniques and slots the children into those techniques. Whereas, the Montessori teacher is constantly learning new techniques as each child presents a new training paradigm. Some things work with a lot of children, some things work with only a few children – and some things don’t work at all. Experience lets you run through your list of options and your training gives you creative permission to try new ones.

If Montessori isn’t working it is time to go back to basics. Present, re-present and re-present again. The magic is in the practice, and the practice is in the training.

I couldn’t believe I made them again! There I was in a parent conference with an upset mother. Half of what she was upset about was my own fault (then again you know the teacher is always at fault when the child does not produce, perform or progress as the parent expects.) But this was my fault. I had violated at least two classroom principles that every rookie should know. What made it worse is I’m not supposed to be a rookie – and I know better.

I had a prospective intern in the classroom and I was sharing the dynamics of my student’s abilities. I thought I was being quiet and discrete in my conversation but a child heard a comment and took it to heart and took it home. It does not matter what I said. It does not matter what the child heard (and misinterpreted.) And it does not matter that the parent came loaded for bear. It was my fault. Rookie mistake – NEVER discuss a student’s ability, progress, behavior etc in the classroom in the hearing of the student or the other students or of parents. NEVER! It always comes back to bite you.

Second rookie mistake I made – and it came back to bite me in the same conference. (You’d think I’d learn.) Never discuss a student’s progress, character, or performance with the parent of another student. Even by way of illustration pointing out good or bad comparisons the potential of what you say to do damage to the relationship is always present.

“But I thought this case and this parent was different.” is what all the rookies say. Take it to heart from the new rookie here – don’t! No matter how mature the parent is, no matter how close your relationship, no matter how seemingly appropriate it is – Don’t! When push comes to shove the typical parent somehow feels that it must be your fault and not the child’s. Let me share with you an historical (if not hysterical) conversation. A child had been guilty of hitting several of his classmates. When the parent was brought in to conference her response was to ask what the other children were doing to her son. Her second response was, “He doesn’t hit at home.” said the mother of an only child.

The ultimate damage of this rookie mistake is to undermine the parent’s confidence in you. When you share information about other children with a non-parent, even though they might feel that they have entered in the inner circle of the classroom, they have a hidden worry about what you might say to other parents about their child if you talk so freely about other children with them.

Rookie mistakes we need to avoid.

“If I had a hammer, I’d hammer in the morning …” goes the old song but what if I needed a pair of pliers? “I’d hammer in the morning…” Or if I needed a screwdriver? “I’d hammer …” well you get the idea. Each tool has a specific purpose and optimum use. So it is in the Montessori environment.

Normally, we intervene with our children when they are abusing the material. However, as guides with all good intentions, we seem to abuse the material. Abuse here does not mean to destroy but to improperly use material for something it was not intended for.

An example of this is seen by the “extension” of matching cards for knobless cylinders, broad stairs, pink towers, color tablets etc. While it seems like a nice extension it takes away from the primary purpose of the material. We have to also make sure that by “extension” we mean another facet by which the materials purpose can be explored. Pink towers are not sensorial matching exercises. They have a specific teaching purpose and once mastered lead on to the next stage of development.

Another classic extension is using the red rods to build “The Maze.” I know that thousands of teachers have been shown how to build “The Maze” but is that the purpose (or even a good extension) of the red rods?

All of these “extensions” keep our children from going deeper in their learning as we tend to lose our focus of what needs to be mastered. We visited a classroom that had four or five alphabet puzzles or matching exercises and of course the child is going to do each one (and more than once) which only encourages the child to go wide instead of deep.

The building of towers with the knobless cylinders is another common abuse (and waste of time.) It is fun but it is neither the direct or indirect aim of the material.

I can hear you saying, “You’re taking all of the fun out of the environment. You’re squashing their ability to discover.” Allowing discovery is one thing but to present these extensions to the child wastes their effort and energy because they are a distraction from the purpose of the material. If a child discovers that the knobless cylinders do in fact build a unique tower, you smile and remark on their discovery and encourage them on to their next mastery.

Observe your environment, (even revisit and revise your training if necessary), to see what might hinder your children’s development. It could certainly be an over abundance of extensions that do not lead your children deeper into learning but might be considered busy work. Observe and ponder because all extensions are not equal.

“If I had a hammer…”

Christian Montessori Fellowship
National Conference
February 17 – 19th, 2012

Conference Theme
Building on a Sure Foundation

“Whatever you have seen in me – put it into practice” Philippians 4:9

Our national conference has taken a departure from 29 years of summer conferences and we will be holding our 30th conference this winter. San Antonio is a great place to visit while it is cold and snowing in many other places.

The fellowship will be warm, the learning exciting and your spirit will be refreshed for this great adventure that God has called us to.

Conference starts Friday morning at 8:00 A.M. and finishes Sunday Morning at 11:30.

Conference cost:
$350 Regular registration
$325 Early Registration if paid by Jan. 6th
$300 Early Registration for CMF members
Conference includes 2 Lunches and Saturday dinner.
Conference Location:
Crockett Hotel
1-800-292-1050
www.crocketthotel.com
Lodging costs $105.08 (tax included) per night
Double or single
Rates good if you register by January 17th
If you have never attended a Christian Montessori Conference you will enjoy the true spiritual encouragement that comes from sharing Jesus with each other in the context of our educational lives.

Christmas reminds me again of how special God looks on His children. Dr. Montessori writing in “The Child and the Church” says, “A the teacher must be able to see the child as Jesus saw him.” Jesus says that whoever receives a child in His Name receives Him. It is an interesting challenge that was first started in Bethlehem. What was it about the physical Christ-child that was so special? He was a dark-haired, dark-eyed child much like the other children born in Bethlehem or Judea. Looking at the child there was nothing about Him that was distinctive to differentiate Him from all the other children. But it was what was “about” Him that made the difference. There was the long history of prophecy coming about to be fulfilled, there was a special star in the heavens to announce not only His birth but His place on earth. There were angel choirs rejoicing at His birth. There were the hosts of shepherds and wise men to note His birth. Their gifts of presence and presents honored God the Father’s gift to us.

Two thousand years later we each come to the Bethlehem of our classrooms. Is there anything about the brown-eyed, brown-haired, or blue-eyed, blonde-haired child in front of us that tells us that this is the Son or Daughter of God? Is there anything that says you are in the presence of royalty? That this child will transform the world? Yet, this child shares in a long history of prophecy telling of his or her coming. (That prophecy is written in heaven long before time began.) The place of the child’s birth is also written from before time began – and his parents. He or she also has a star that marks the place of birth – it is the “Bright and Morning Star.” And the Angels rejoice when the child is born. There are shepherds and wise men, common folk and educated that will play a part in the life of the child in front of you.

Bethlehem is a place to see with the eyes of the spirit. Your classroom becomes holy ground when you begin to search for the Christ-child hidden in plain view.

Christian Montessori Fellowship
National Conference
February 17 – 19th, 2012

Conference Theme
Building on a Sure Foundation

“Whatever you have seen in me – put it into practice” Philippians 4:9

Our national conference has taken a departure from 29 years of summer conferences and we will be holding our 30th conference this winter. San Antonio is a great place to visit while it is cold and snowing in many other places.

The fellowship will be warm, the learning exciting and your spirit will be refreshed for this great adventure that God has called us to.

Conference starts Friday morning at 8:00 A.M. and finishes Sunday Morning at 11:30.

Conference cost:
$350 Regular registration
$325 Early Registration if paid by Dec. 19th
$300 Early Registration for CMF members
Conference includes 2 Lunches and Saturday dinner.
Conference Location:
Crockett Hotel
1-800-292-1050
www.crocketthotel.com
Lodging costs $105.08 (tax included) per night
Double or single
Rates good if you register by January 17th
If you have never attended a Christian Montessori Conference you will enjoy the true spiritual encouragement that comes from sharing Jesus with each other in the context of our educational lives.

Life holds many paradoxes – Jesus tells us to save our life we must give it away and to love our enemies. In Montessori we find the need for an imperfect perfectionist. Even though we all make the excuse, “Nobody’s perfect” we sure hope that our pilot, our surgeon and our lawyer sure come close. However, in our Montessori environment we need “imperfect” perfectionists. (An another paradox is how an environment can be ruined by a perfect perfectionist.)

Perfectionists impact (and enhance) every part of a Montessori environment. Perfectionists make sure that all the colors match, that all the corners are even, the environment is pristine, and all of the materials are just as they need to be – perfect and whole. But isn’t that what a Montessori teacher is supposed to do?

Yes, but the perfectionist lives and breathes and has a driving passion not only for the environment but for the program to be perfect. We are blessed by perfectionists – to a point. What is needed, however, are imperfect perfectionists; those who realize that others may not have this same driving perfectionism and are able to accept this both in the environment, in their co-workers and in the children.

Proverbs tells us that a clean barn brings no profit – and a pristine and a “perfect” environment may not bring any real learning or life. But just like a used barn is restored by cleaning so an environment is also brought back to its state of equilibrium between use and perfection.

In Montessori, the imperfect perfectionist allows life to happen and then allows life to deal with reality. Our challenge is maintaining the balance between starting off with a perfect environment and ending with a perfect environment because what happens in between is imperfect. (Perfectionist mothers don’t teach their children to cook because the child may make a mess.)

If perfectionism is our goal – whether in the environment, our co-workers, our children or their learning we will hinder the child’s development and growth. Life (and learning and becoming) all happen in imperfect fits and starts. Even though perfect environments, lessons and examples act as models for learning and life – they are not the goal. Mastery is the goal. Mastery of the environment; mastery of the learning, mastery of ourselves.

Some of us need to be more perfectionist and step up our game in the environment and with our children, while others of us need to be less perfectionist so our children can breathe and become who God is calling them to be. Life is always a balance.

After 29 years of summer conferences we will hold our first national conference in mid-winter. February 17th – 19th 2012 in San Antonio, Texas.

Conference theme “Building on a sure foundation”

Conference cost:
$350 Regular registration
$325 Early Registration if paid by Dec. 31st
$300 Early Registration for CMF members
Conference includes 2 lunches and Saturday dinner.
Conference Location:
Crockett Hotel
1-800-292-1050
www.crocketthotel.com
Lodging costs $105.08 (tax included) per night
Double or single
Rates good if you register by January 17th