January 2024 – Follow the Child

As we spend time immersed in Montessori environments, as educators, administrators, teacher-educators, as parents and as children, we find the experienced steeped in cycles. The year and its children, families, and colleagues turn and return and turn again and for some the years unfurl to a decade and then decades. Our own children become adults, become parents of new children, and then, and now the wheel seems quite grander in scale of time and of magnitude.

Lyra is fussing. We’ve given Amarinda and Brendan the gift of a night out, absolutely leaping at the opportunity to care for this beautiful four month-old baby, born half that age early. The repertoire of practiced techniques is not cutting it tonight; the usual checklist of diaper, hungry, entertainment has been loudly ignored by an increasingly agitated and unhappy child. In the space afforded between decibels, I wonder if there is a genetic factor to quiet and comfort and soothe. If Rhythm of the Saints worked for Amee…. did she pass that on to Lyra like so many anti-bodies? Luckily there’s no fumbling through CD’s, we’re a mere “Hey Google” away from Paul Simon and then I’ve got Lyra cradled and the volume is up and those first beats of the dundun drum and the dance begins, and whether it’s surprise or curiosity, Lyra lets one last sob shudder and begins to just listen and feel. It’s probably untrue, but I think that it is perhaps 31 years since I last listened to this album, when I was 31 and Amee an infant child, but the years peel away as the lyrics start and they pour out of me nearly unbidden, but apparently not forgotten. (But among the reeds and rushes, A baby girl was found). Lyra is no match for the not-too-gentle rocking and dancing. Like her mother before her, by the time Obvious Child is in its last verse, she’s already droopy-eyed as Sonny takes down his high-school yearbook. (Her eyes as clear as centuries, Her silky hair was brown). When The Coast kicks in, she’s starting to breathe deeper and deeper, as sleepy as that harbor church of St. Cecelia. (Never been lonely, Never been lied to, Never had to scuffle in fear, Nothing denied to) And when we’ve reached Born at the Right Time? Well, you know Lyra’s been asleep for at least three tracks. (Born at the instant, The church bells chime.). But me? I’m still dancing (And the whole world whispering). I’m still singing (Born at the right time), I’m so gone, man, so in love with all of it.

“Let us take the child out to show him real things instead of making objects which represent ideas and closing them in cupboards.” Maria Montessori (1948).

Dr. Maria Montessori believed strongly that elementary-aged students were suited to learn from outside experiences and that the classroom did not only have to be inside four walls. By linking the upper elementary classroom to the world beyond its walls children are provided with the opportunity to mesh concepts into real life. Learning to operate in the real world is an explicit goal of Montessori. “Going out” is the term Montessori used to describe leaving the classroom for hands on experiences in the real world. Going out relates to the “acquisition of culture”. Montessori believed that the elementary-aged child was especially developmentally suited to learn from activities outside the school building, in the thick of the society, the culture, and the natural world.

Sometimes children learn information and procedures in school but cannot see how they are relevant or can be applied outside of the school context. Going out allows learning to be directly connected to the context from which it arises and finding real life applications. The classroom environment is perfect for introducing students to concepts and ideas for students to then initiate their own projects and research based on his/her interest. Bringing in living creatures to study and take care of in the classroom environment, builds an appreciation for living creatures. Using real maps for a geography study of a child’s town or city or country provides the opportunity to work with items used in real life. Learning to follow written directions, finding your way around a new town, and reading a map are all skills that can be utilized outside of the school environment. A going out experience to find a location, predetermined and studied on a map, links the classroom to the world beyond.

Leaving the present moment for a different time opens up the imagination. Through the study of history and cultures, students are able to use their imagination to transfer back to another time period. Historical studies can be linked to a field trip to a site or location that was studied. A while back, a group of students at the Cornerstone school were interested in Vikings. After 7 -8 months of work, they planned a trip up to Newfoundland, the location of where the Vikings first landed. The trip was guided by an adult but the planning and administration of the trip was carried out by the students. Although the classroom part was memorable, there is no comparison to actually going to see the site of the Viking landing.

In geometry, learning about the Pythagorean theorem by using hands- on materials, and then going out to plot out a garden, is a direct link from inside the classroom to a useful project outside on the school grounds. In math, a study on percentage can lead to a field trip to a store that is having a sale and figuring out what savings is offered. A trip to a Spanish restaurant to practice ordering in Spanish allows that knowledge to be used as well as having students figure out the percent tip to be left for the waiter.

A bake sale for a fundraiser can provide all different kinds of skills to be utilized both in and out of the classroom. A shopping list must be formulated and the shopping done. While at the store, the students can shop for bargains on products they need. Grace and courtesy in the classroom hopefully will be transferred to the outside setting as children interact with the public.

The kingdoms of life are another unit of study that can then be transferred to the outside world. Collecting pond water and using a microscope to see the protista, collecting fungi and classifying them, studying plant life with an expert in the field, growing seedlings inside and transferring them to a garden are all good links between the two environments.

Children in both Lower and Upper Elementary take class trips during the school year to educational sites as extensions of their learning experiences in the classrooms and to foster community building.

Going out is driven by the child’s personal interests and goals as they become more independent.

Planning a going out experience should be child led, including figuring out where to go, how to make practical arrangements, what to bring, how to learn from the experience, what interview questions to ask, and how to call and make reservations. These are small group “field trips.” Going-out guides the children in developing life skills that facilitate transition into the world as young adults. The children involved organize the event from start to completion. They use the resources of the community in preparation for the going-out experience. They initiate the research, make the needed phone calls, set appointments if necessary, obtain and arrange drivers, and complete the appropriate paper work (forms, permission slips, etc.) This trip into the community can provide the information they need to complete a research project or provide the real life experience that truly demonstrates life skills. Upon returning from the trip, they can present their experience and findings to the class.

The Upper Elementary classroom has no walls. Each and every subject matter can be linked to the real world. The world is open for exploration. With freedom to travel down any road the child decides to take, the experience will be his to explore and create through books, travel and hands-on learning. Through self-created projects, learning in context is so important for children. So much more knowledge is acquired when the subject matter is self-directed. Montessori believed in the acquisition of culture, and what better way to receive that culture then by seeing and experiencing all that is out there.

Month: January 2024

born at the right time

going out