Montessori Radmoor

Happy New Year!

I am excited to see everyone again after two weeks. I can’t wait to hear all the fun stories from winter break. As we all get back into school rhythm, please make sure our young friends have all their winter gear ready to face the unpredictable winter weather; snow pants, boots, jackets, hats (and scarves) and mittens!

This is also the time of the year when we start to think ahead to the upcoming school year. Some of our older friends will be getting ready to move on to elementary and our second year friends will be preparing excitedly to take their place as the ‘older friends’ and leaders of the community. Of course, you will have the wonderful opportunity to come in and observe an extended day afternoon to see what being an ‘older friend’ is all about.

The Montessori primary environment is designed as a three-year-cycle, sometimes four, based on the way children naturally learn. At approximately 3 years of age, when a child comes into the primary environment, he looks up to the older children to make sense of the expectations and guidelines. As he observes them at work, he internalizes what he has seen which opens him up to learning from the environment. Throughout his first and second years in the environment, he anticipates eagerly the moment when he will get to do all the wonderful lessons that he has seen the older children do. Every lesson that he has had in the first two years comes together to support what he learns as a kindergartener in the primary environment. The lessons in math, language, science, geography and even practical life and sensorial are larger and more involved, utilizing, unifying and solidifying in their minds everything they have learnt so far.

This is also their chance to pay forward the guidance they received from the ‘older friends’ when they newly arrived in the primary community. They now act as mentors, assisting the younger children with their lessons, and in the process confirming what they have learned. Their self-esteem and confidence grows as they step up as leaders in the classroom and take on responsibilities beyond themselves. It is amazing to watch them grow and develop over these years.

Sincerely,

Archana

Image Credit: Google Image

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