Simon Sinek, best-selling author and renowned lecturer, made his mark with a famous TED Talk encouraging leaders and organizations to “Start with Why.” Knowing “what” you do and “how” you do it does not matter if you don’t know “why” you’re doing it. As we embark on a new journey for Greensboro Montessori School through 70 in 70: The Fund for GMS, we’re excited to examine Mr. Sinek’s model of what, how and why as it relates to revitalizing our Primary classrooms. This exploration provides transparency, meaning and context … all of which are necessary to effectively educate our children and be responsible stewards of our donors’ contributions.

An example of the table and chairs, wood-grain tile and carpet selected for our Primary classrooms should we raise $70,000 by December 31, 2017.

What: One of the main goals of 70 in 70: The Fund for GMS is to revitalize our Primary classroom environments. “Revitalize” can be ambiguous, so let’s unpack this concept. If we raise $70,000 in 70 days, all four Primary classrooms will receive:

In addition to the Primary classroom revitalization, we will also award faculty grants to the professional educators in our other divisions: Toddler, Lower ELementary, Upper Elementary and Junior High. This democratic school process includes a committee of students, faculty, and administration who review and approve grant requests from faculty. Grants focus on specific needs that will propel a classroom's or division's curriculum to the next level.

How: It’s simple - not easy - but simple. By raising $70,000 by December 31, 2017, we will have the funding to support this immediately actionable, strategic imperative for our School, the Primary classroom revitalization. $70,000 also supports our powerful tradition of awarding faculty grants.

Why: The environments in which we live, work and play directly influence the levels of joy, productivity and success we experience in each of these endeavors. Think about the time and effort we, as adults, place in building warm, pleasant and efficient environments for ourselves, our families and guests. The spaces we design impart value on the people who spent time in them.

The same goes for a child’s classroom. While we may take this for granted, Maria Montessori revolutionized education by designing her classroom environments for her students, not for the teachers. Furthermore, she trained teachers in classroom design so they could create environments that optimize student learning. But why?

Students require freedom of movement in their living and learning spaces. Classrooms must have child-sized small tables for group work, tables for a single student to work independently, and chairs that can easily be moved by the student. Students are able to make themselves comfortable and find their place in the room where they best work.

Classroom furniture also facilitates learning attention to detail, control of error, and self-regulation. Students receive lessons on how to carry chairs safely; how to walk in a controlled manner carefully navigating friends and materials laid out on rugs; and how to learn when a work or space is not available in a specific moment. Carrying a chair without dropping it, knocking a friend, or disturbing a group is a challenge to be repeated for success. And is all done by design.

Another key element in a Montessori classroom is the consideration of aesthetics: beauty and simplicity are what draw the child’s interest into the purposeful work available throughout the classroom. Each and every day, our teachers prepare their learning environment by arranging materials on the shelves in an order and sequence that facilitates their use. Our teachers’ goal is to connect their students to the materials, which then become the active “teacher” of abstract concepts giving the student opportunities for discovery-based learning.

In describing the importance of the teaching-role played by the materials in the classroom, Dr. Montessori wrote: “As a teacher, the material is always ready, always patient, constant in mood, and prepared to repeat its lesson. It is truly a striking teacher in that it imparts a deep mastery, constantly leading to analysis and discovery until the root of the problem is reached. The pupil will never again forget that lesson.”

An investment in our students’ learning environment is an investment in them. Upon crossing the threshold of their rejuvenated classrooms for the first time, our Primary students will know they are valuable members of our community. The improved aesthetics of their classrooms will instill a greater sense of purpose, clarity, motivation, ownership and belonging in each of them, and their learning will be maximized.

At face value, flooring, furniture and countertops may not seem important or inspirational. But when we know why design and beauty play a leading a role in the Montessori classroom, we understand the significance of our investment. (We also see how Montessori’s classroom design remains on the cutting edge of education.) Just like gathering places of our adult lives - living rooms, kitchens, offices, conference rooms, even that special corner at your local coffee shop - prepare us for our best work, so do our classrooms for our children.

Great schools are made up of great educators, and when you step into Catherine Froelich’s classroom in the Primary division you can feel it. There is laughter, there is joy, and there is learning all around. Watching her move around a classroom of three, four and five year olds is like watching a busy bee tending to all of the cells of the hive. She carefully and consciously interacts with each individual student as she weaves her way through the tables and chairs and small work rugs on the floor. “In Montessori, I love that the children can work at their own pace and I get to be the facilitator. They can work on the floor and they can move around the room as they need to,” Catherine shared.

Catherine has a fun-loving, adventurous and out-going personality, and when you delve below the surface you learn that her bubbly nature is paired with a deeply personal commitment to the Montessori approach to education. “When I was growing up, I didn’t learn like everybody else and I knew it. I had teachers that sent me out of the classroom a lot. So I have empathy for kids who learn differently. I work to create an learning environment where each child is allowed to be their own person, quirks and all.”

Being a master at facilitating learning in the classroom is just one element that makes her an extraordinary educator. Catherine also has a deep appreciation for the role of parent partnership in shaping a successful school experience. According to Catherine, “building trust with the child and with the family is the most important thing that I do." This fall she worked with fellow faculty member, Tracy Carr, to translate this passion into a presentation on family communication at the 2017 Annual Educators Conference of the NC Association of Independent Schools.

Her work to build trusting and lasting relationships with the families resonates with families long after they leave her class. Lower Elementary parent, Mary Kristen Clark, shared this special sentiment about Catherine:

"In the three years our son, Avery, spent with Catherine in Primary, not a day went by that I didn't thank my lucky stars that his growth and development was influenced by such a phenomenal teacher. He walked through her door a hesitant preschooler and left a confident boy. Catherine instilled in him a love of learning and validated the merits of the Montessori approach to education for us. Isaac and I will forever be grateful for her guidance and patience, not only for our son but for us, as well!”

Catherine has been a member of the Primary faculty since 2011 and holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from UNC Chapel Hill and a Montessori teaching credential from the Santa Monica Montessori Institute in California. In recent years, she has also emerged as a faculty leader and is currently serving as the Primary Division Head. In reflecting on her role as division head, she said:

"I enjoy being part of something new and laying the ground work for a new vision for the future! Our team is so excited about the plans for refurbishing the Primary classrooms with proceeds from our new fundraising campaign 70 in 70: The Fund for GMS. The children will be the main beneficiaries of this project. It will make them feel valued! I hope that all of our families will find a way to participate whether their child is a past, present or future Primary student."

 

A toddler is seated at a small table, carefully guiding a toothpick through the tiny hole in the top of an oil & vinegar shaker. Beside him, a classmate pours water into a vase before adding a few small stems of flowers. Nearby, a teacher and children use blunt slicers to prepare cucumbers for the morning snack. Scenes like these are hallmarks of the Montessori toddler classroom, and look quite different from many other early childhood settings.

To the unaccustomed eye, the purpose of these activities, cobbled together from seemingly random household items, can be difficult to discern. But upon close inspection, one notices that the first child holds the toothpick with a grasp closely resembling the pencil grip he'll eventually master. His classmate is developing focus and concentration as the flowers engage her senses of sight, smell, touch, and aesthetic awareness. And those involved in the preparation of the healthy snack are now inclined to sample it themselves. The holidays, with their family feasts and seasonal crafts, are a great time to bring new Practical Life work into your own home!

Practical Life work extends far beyond a single shelf in the classroom. It comprises the child-sized mops, brooms, and window-washing materials; the boots that beckon a child to practice removing and replacing his shoes; the watering can being carefully hauled between the sink and the classroom plants; the dishwashing table awaiting the morning's plates and cups; and much more. These materials and experiences are deeply enriching to the toddler's developing sense of self. Practical Life activities:

Best of all, these activities are some of the easiest to duplicate in the home environment. Many parents are surprised to discover how much their toddlers enjoy simply pouring water from one cup to another, matching socks from the day's laundry, or using a whisk broom and dustpan to help with sweeping. The results aren't always perfect, yet every experience brings a child closer to mastery of these helpful household skills. A little time, space, and patience now can create young children who are eager and capable helpers down the road. And nothing quite compares to the pride on a child's face - and in a parent's heart - when they work and succeed together!

These websites offer some great ideas for creating Practical Life experiences at home:

www.LivingMontessoriNow.com
www.montessorimom.com/practical-life/
www.howwemontessori.com/how-we-montessori/practical-life/

In 1997, Greensboro Montessori School held its very first graduation ceremony honoring three eighth grade students. In the fall of 2017, exactly twenty years after that defining moment in the school’s history, we welcomed our inaugural 9th grade class, interestingly enough, also composed of three remarkable students: Theo Fenske, Owen Jacobs and Alex Kotis.  It has been affirming to watch these boys step up to be the leaders of the student body of our school.  They have each taken on the position with confidence and grace.

To support these students in their new leadership position, this year they have been meeting and interviewing local leaders in the greater Greensboro community. So far the students met with Abu Zaeem, the principal of The Newcomers School and our very own leader, Kevin Navarro, whose dissertation was written about what it means to be a vulnerable leader. Next they meet with Kevin H. Gray, the president of the Weaver Foundation.

Another important element built into our 9th grade curriculum is the completion of a year-long capstone project that challenges each student to apply his or her skills to an area of personal interest that will improve and enhance their world. Similar to a thesis or senior project, the capstone project provides a framework for demonstrating leadership and advanced application of critical thinking skills. The project is comprised of three main components: documented service learning, a written research paper, and an oral presentation, in the style of a TED talk, to the greater school community.

To further extend their learning, the students were challenged to custom design an end-of-year 9th grade field trip that would incorporate research opportunities for each of their individual capstone projects. They have been collaborating with a faculty advisor to explore a range of possibilities, and have settled on an itinerary that involves traveling throughout the Pacific Northwest. Their route will take them to explore tidal pools, tour museums in Seattle, visit a military base in Tacoma and interview refugees in Vancouver.

The three projects are as diverse as the students who developed them and include topics of refugee resettlement, marine ecology and military engineering.

In addition to making steady progress on their capstone projects, the students are taking a full academic course load which fulfills and surpasses the North Carolina state requirements for 9th grade.  Their course load includes an honors level English class, an honors level biology class, an online Economics and Civics class, Math 1 or Math 2, and either Spanish 1 or Spanish 2.

So far this has been a productive, busy year for our three inaugural students. As they look ahead at matriculation into 10th grade in fall 2018, they will be well poised for any high school of their choosing whether public, private, charter or otherwise.

Their experience has paved the way for others to follow and their leadership in the realignment of the Upper School (4th-5th-6th and 7th-8th-9th) has reinforced the validity and tremendous benefits of the three-year developmental cycle.