Montessori Writer

Montessori classrooms are separated into age groups spanning three years.  Maria Montessori did this because she noticed that the cycle of development is similar in each three-year span.  She divides child development into ages 0-3, 3-6, 6-9, 9-12, 12-15, 15-18, 18-21, and 21-24. Yes, she believed that you are still growing and maturing, both physically and mentally, until the age of 24, which is true adulthood.  (So, I was still a child when I got my training!)

My classroom consists of ages 3-6.  Technically, my youngest may be 2 1/2 when the school year starts, and two years I have had a child turn 7 in my classroom.  The 2 1/2 year-olds turn 3 within state guidelines for school-age birthdays, and the 7 year-olds had extenuating circumstances.

In the 3-6 classroom, the children are able to experience the lessons and topics in three different ways.  As a three year-old, the pink tower is strictly for building.  As a four-year old, he may begin to notice patterns that he can create with the pink tower, and start matching it to other materials, such as the brown prisms.  As a five-year old, he may start measuring things with the pink tower, and indirectly start learning about volume or he may recognize that the pink tower matches up with the cubes that accompany the cubing chains.

In the language area, the three-year old starts learning sounds with the sandpaper letters and may be introduced to the moveable alphabet.  The four year-old will start blending sounds with the sandpaper letters and moveable alphabet.  The five year-old will be using the sandpaper letters to practice alphabetizing and is creating phrases and sentences with the moveable alphabet.

When you get into the science area, similar new levels of understanding occur. 

Another advantage of the multi-age classroom is the learning interactions.  If you have a three year-old who is already starting to read, she can start using the more advanced materials normally dubbed as “four year-old” or “five year-old” work.  On the other hand, if you have a five year-old who is still practicing his sounds, he may be able to work in a group with younger children.  Age does not dictate what you will learn.  It is determined by your own abilities and interests.

Younger children are able to observe what the older children are working on.  They learn through observation, and become excited about what is yet to come.

Older children become role models in the classroom.  They are often called upon to help the younger children.  If they are able to teach another child a skill, then they must have truly mastered it themselves!

Every year when the children come in to visit the classroom, you can see a new sense of pride in the 3’s who have now become 4’s.  They come in with an attitude of, “Hey, I know how to do this stuff!” and are excited to share with the new kids.  Sometimes the older children are better able to teach a new lesson than us directresses!  For example, I have never been able to teach a child how to tie a shoe, yet every year, my 5’s who have tie shoes learn how to tie.  They teach each other!  And I still remember, and am in contact with, the boy who taught me how to tie my shoes at Montessori!  So, the mixed ages definitely has its perks!

When I was three years old, my parents were trying to run their furniture store, and I had a new baby sister.  I was already reading, so my parents wanted to find something productve for me to do for part of the day.  A family friend recommended that my parents check out the local Montessori school.  Dad says he walked in, and instantly knew that this was the program for me.

I entered the program in January, at the age of 3 1/2.  I stayed as long as the program allowed, which back then was through 6th grade.  I have fond memories of independent learning and self-exploration.  I remember being strongly encouraged to pursue any of my dreams and desires (e.g. writing).  I remember learning how to learn and how to learn independently.

Those skills have stayed with me to this very day.  I still love to learn about almost anything, and have almost an insatiable desire to learn more and more.  This is often reflected in the variety of articles that I write for my various websites.  And I try to implement it in my classroom regularly.

The American Montessori Society has an excellent video about the love of learning that happens in a Montessori classroom.  We often show it or recommend it to parents who are considering sending their children to our school.

If you have ever been curious about what goes on in the Montessori classroom for ages 3-6, check out this YouTube video:

Technically, my friend started this challenge this work week, which was Monday.  I believe she started writing a few on Sunday, and her financial goal is up to about a third!  Considering how much she was trying to earn, I am highly impressed!

As for me, I have only made about half of what she has at this point.  But for me, that is a personal record!

It occurred to us that the actual pay period for Demand Studios runs from Wednesday to Wednesday.  So anything that isn’t approved by today has to wait until next week.  Again, keeping that in mind, I am satisfied with what I have done.  The weather report this morning is rain, rain, and more rain for the next week, with a few spots of sunshine.  Bad for gardening jobs, but great for writing!

If you have joined us in this quest, how are you doing so far?

One of the sites for which I write is called Demand Studios.  Usually you will then find those articles on one of my eHow accounts; however, Demand Media also serves at least a dozen other websites.

To become a writer for this site, you have to fill out an application and submit writing examples, preferably previously published articles from a different website.  Not everyone is hired to work for them, though.  I know a couple of talented writers who just cannot get their foot in the door.

Working for Demand Studios can be fun, as you can choose from titles within your expertise, or try other titles that require a little bit of research.  My current favorite area is Health and Fitness, because it gives me an excuse to research medical conditions plaguing me, my family, and my friends. Once you have the research for one article, you can often find the topic again and again and maximize your money.

Demand Studios pays upfront for their articles, ranging anywhere from $5-15 for a title.  They have been experimenting with a revenue share series of titles, as well, that in theory will earn you more over a five-year period.  Pay periods run from Wednesday to Wednesday, and pay day is every Friday.

One of my writing friends on Facebook is challenging herself to write nothing but DS articles for the month.  Her goal is to write 10 articles a day, for five days a week.  I told her I would love to join her challenge, but would probably aim for 5 a day, because I work for about 11 different websites at this point.

Last night, she adjusted her goal to a financial one, as there were more of the lower-paying articles available.  But it’s all about cranking out quality content for the titles for the money, right?

So far, for this pay-period, I have only written four flat fee articles, and one revenue share article.  I have also proofed 120 titles.  (Title-proofing pays 8 cents per title you either accept as is, adjust to fit the site, or reject, and is done in increments of 20. It’s actually quite easy, and those pennies add up!)  With the pay-period ending on Wednesday, and allowing for review times, many more will have to be written today to qualify.

I get to cheat a bit with the financial aspect, because I am close to receiving a revenue-share bonus.  For every 10 written, you get a bonus through the end of June.  I need one more written, then would like to aim for the next ten.

We’ll see how the challenge goes!

How are you challenging yourself, this month?

So, the last post was created as we were sitting in the Days Inn in Albany, bored out of our minds.  I couldn’t find anything online that looked remotely fun, and I like to entertain myself, so I just wrote and played on the laptop all day.  Finally around 5ish, we emerged from the hotel room cocoon and headed downtown again.

Dinner was at a cute little Bayou cafe that played a lot of Pearl Jam music - both studio and random b-sides - as well as other fun Seattle music.  It made me happy.

We wandered down to the theatre around 7 pm.  We had to make sure that we looked at the tour buses, and dork that I am, I took photos.  It was kind of funny to look at the license plate that had been ripped off, even though the incident pretty much wasn’t funny (if you were in the EV crew).  I took a few of my other dorky pictures, such as the Pearl Street sign.  (If you knew me in college, you’d understand, let alone the significance of Eddie being in Pearl Jam).

I bought my second poster, and another t-shirt, and we settled in for Liam Finn.  I do love listening to him, and especially watching him onstage.  As my friend (and the guy in front of us) pointed out, he looks like Animal from the Muppets when he plays the drums.  I just don’t know that I would listen to him on CD, because it just wouldn’t be the same. 

The second night’s seats were Orchestra Level again, this time on the far left on the outer aisle.  We were in row F, which I believe actually put us about 10 rows back?  The advantage was, again being on the aisle, allowed for easy access to rushing up for the last song, “Hard Sun”.

The show was good (of course!!), but I didn’t feel as connected as I did the previous evening.  Lots of good music and covers, but please don’t ask me what he sang!  (Visit the tenclub website for a complete listing!)

After the show, we returned to our spot from the previous night, preparing to again wait a long time.  This time we wore sneakers and jackets and long pants, in preparation for waiting in cold rain.  It didn’t rain, but the time time flew, as we conversed with several other fans. Most notable was the man we dubbed “Random Hot Pearl Jam Guy”, as we never did find out his name, but enjoyed listening to all of his stories.  I love other Pearl Jam fans!

And then the moment we were waiting for.  Ed’s security guy came over and said that there would be no signing and no pictures with him, as there were just too many of us, just some handshakes, and we were more than welcome to take photos of him as he came around.

The crowd of 30 swelled forward, clamoring for pictures and a chance to shake his hand.  I was shaking, because I feared that I wouldn’t have a chance to do it again, as there were so many of us, and I couldn’t push my way up front.  I took photos with my phone (see above), and then he was close by.

I made eye contact and extended my hand.  He took ahold of it, starting to say his “Nice to meet you” line.  I said what I have always wanted to say:  “Thank you for the last eighteen years of my life.”  He paused, squeezed my hand, and said, “Wow……really?”  I said, “Yes, you have been a part of my life for the last eighteen years, and kept me going.  Thank you.”  He thanked me, finally let go of my hand, started to move on, but then stopped again, turned around, looked right at me, and said, “Stay alive.”

I turned to my friend with tears welled up in my eyes, absolutely thrilled that I had finally said what I have always wanted to say to that man.  And I started shaking again.

After he made his way through the crowd, he started heading to the other side to greet everyone by his bus.  But before he left, he again stopped, turned around, looked at us and said, “Sorry for all the f*ck-ups tonight, guys.”  I was one of the people with whom he made eye contact at that point, and I simply said, “It’s all good.  Don’t worry about it.”  We smiled, and he went away.

So, then we ran with RHPJF guy around the buses, just to go watch and listen to the other side.  I was a little jealous because people over there were actually able to reach out for hugs, but at the same time, the emotional exchange that I had meant more than the physical contact.  When all was said and done, RHPJF guy looked at me and said, “I feel like we have experience something profound together,” and gave us each a big hug.  He has literally been to double the number of Eddie and Pearl Jam shows that I have, but has never had the opportunity to meet him before.  Apparently he waited outside after a solo show until 5 am, and Eddie never came out.  So, I feel even more fortunate that I got to do it…..TWICE.

Ok, so this has absolutely nothing to do with Montessori, but it is the happiest thing that has happened to me in a long time!

My friend and I drove out to Albany yesterday to kick off Eddie Vedder’s solo tour at the Palace Theatre. I have been a huge fan of Pearl Jam for 18 years and always try to go as many shows as I can. Somehow, this trip seemed like it was going to be magical before it even started.

I’ve been having recurring dreams over the last several weeks about meeting Eddie. And then I panic, wondering what on earth I would say to the man who has helped form me and whose words and music help me get through whatever life decides to throw at me. My wise “big sister” told me to simply say “Thank you”. I won’t repeat what my father suggested……especially as I feared it would actually come out of my mouth……
We had the tickets for the second night of the tour, because my friend had gotten them the day they went on sale. She said that the first show was sold out, but I told her to not fear, because I would be able to locate some.

One night I had a very vivid dream that I had gotten two tickets to the Monday night show and then we had met Eddie afterwards. It was on a day off of school, so later that morning I decided to try my luck. I got two tickets on the aisle of Row K, right center orchestra.

We drove out yesterday, checked into our hotel, then found our way to the Palace Theatre in Albany. The show was amazing, even better than the two opening nights in Boston that I was at last year. I took the seat right on the aisle, and had absolutely “Hard Sun”, we all rushed up toward the stage. I think I ended up about 8-10 people back? I have never been quite that close before! But of course my stupid new camera wasn’t working properly and I couldn’t get any clear photos.

After the show, we hung out toward the stage, waiting for Eddie to appear. But the Nazi security guards kicked us out. We went out the side door near where I saw the buses. We stood right at the gate, closer to the “extra tour bus”. Apparently Eddie’s was the one in the back.

Surrounded by drunk, obnoxious loudmouths, and getting wet in the drizzling rain was highly annoying, but I figured it could make for an interesting story at some point. Then all of the guards took off running, because some schmuck decided to steal the license plate off of Eddie’s tour bus. He must have taken something else, as well, because they were searching a nearby grassy area with flashlights. A bunch of cop cars showed up and they had some frat boy in custody. Slowly, but surely, other fans were drifting away, until our number dropped to about thirty on either end of the bus lineup.

We were all joking around that this was actually some kind of clever diversion to help Eddie sneak out from the front entrance. Then suddenly, the one guy comes out, walks up to us quietly, and says, “He is going to come out. No photos, no signing, just hellos and maybe handshakes.”

And then there he was.

A strange quiet settled over the group of us as our musical god approached us. He we,nt from one person to the next, looking them straight in the eye as he grasped their hands, responding with a “Nice to meet you” or “Thank you” as the situation required.

Somehow I managed to stay calm, as I gazed into those gorgeous eyes and told my hero “Thank you,” then had him thank me in return. I can still feel his grasp on my hand, even though it has been 14 hours. I stayed calm as he walked away to greet the fans on the other side. Then as we turned around, the tears came, and perhaps a little hyperventilating?

Somehow we made it, starstruck, back to the car, laughing in complete disbelief. We somehow managed to make it back to the hotel room, and I was totally unable to sleep. Every time I would doze off, I would return to that moment and wake back up.

And so today, we have been sharing our good fortune with everyone. We keep talking about how exciting it was to meet him, how appalling it is that he is actually my height (when he seems so much larger than life), and are bored out of our minds as we anxiously anticipate tonight’s show.

But I don’t care, because I MET EDDIE VEDDER!!!!!

Every school year, a hot topic of conversation at our “grade level” meetings is “To graduate, or not to graduate?”  We go round and round for a while, and often end up doing the same thing.

Our school’s tradition for those K’s moving on to “first grade” is to set up a Moving Up Ceremony.  Working with our music teacher, the children learn songs reflecting our multicultural diversity, education for peace, and self-empowerment.  All of these are ideals that are taught throughout the child’s journey in our early childhood program.  Often sign language is incorporated, and they perform a dance.  When all is said and done, they are each given a certificate celebrating moving on from the 3-6 classroom to their next adventure in life.

Questions pondered include the following:

• If it is a moving up ceremony, why aren’t all the children moving up?  (My boss has a dream of the children literally crossing a bridge to symbolize moving to the next level.)
• If we want to encourage children to stay at our school, why do we give them that little diploma/certificate, that symbolizes completion of the program?
• How can we make the celebration more reflective of what the children have learned throughout the year?

Our production, though highly stressful to prepare for, always ends up being a huge success and the children step up to the performance, and almost everyone cries during the slide show.  It’s a concept that parents understand, but does it really reflect who we are as a school?

The elementary children this year did a “Show What You Know” sort of fair, in which they spent several weeks researching a favorite topic, created reports and visual aids, and displayed them for parents to see.  It was a true culmination of what they had learned over the year.  Could a scaled-back version of that be appropriate for the 5-6 year-olds?

Other Montessori schools I have worked at and attended as a child also have annual programs with song and dance that reflect what the children have been learning in music and foreign language classes throughout the year.

How does your school celebrate the end of the year? 

Should we encourage graduation at such a young age?

I’m interested to hear your thoughts.