montessori elementary class

Endings

I left my classroom. I stopped teaching. And those last three weeks in May everyone kept asking me about my feelings. (Which I already think is weird, but ok). And I felt (and feel) great. I like endings. I like being finished. Did I think what I was doing was important and did I love doing it? Yes, and yes. But also? Fine to be done. I am still working on getting all of my things out of the classroom (the ugh part). But one of the great joys of the last few weeks was bringing home my gorgeous, loved (and been paid homage with reports, observations, poetry and drawings!) by so many of my students, been with me 13 out of my 15 teaching years ajolote.

Welcome home, beautiful girl. Welcome home.

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Psychogeometry Gem

This gem from Maria Montessori’s P͟s͟y͟c͟h͟o͟g͟e͟o͟m͟e͟t͟r͟y͟ :

“I do not want to discuss the argument raised by many regarding interest and effort here, contrasting these two faces of the same coin. In fact, many have said that it is necessary to choose between interest and effort in education – calling interest pleasant execution and effort unpleasant execution. However, effort is implemented actively, using one’s own energy: and this is done when there is interest. Man is not a machine. He acts when his interest, generosity or enthusiasm is aroused. Furthermore this living, active and strong man will know how to make the unpleasant effort.”

The adjective that stood out to me was generosity. I have countless times witnessed in the classroom a child patiently and kindly helping another child with an activity that is nowhere near their favorite out of a straightforward sense of generosity. Not only that, I regularly watch generosity spark the other two adjectives in that sentence: interest and enthusiasm. We are collaborative beings meant to do things together and nowhere is this more clear than in a well-functioning Montessori elementary environment.

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