As a highly traditional, decidedly low-tech Montessori school*, we've spent plenty of time dodging repeated recommendations to start a school blog. We've never created videos. Our weekly parent newsletter contains a few links to interesting books and articles, but it's mostly business-focused--calendars, reminders, and permission slips. And, quite honestly, there are so many amazing Montessori-focused blogs and websites out there already that we weren't quite sure that one more voice was necessary.
And now, here we are, in the middle of a global pandemic. We suddenly have interesting, unique content to share. So we're launching a blog. The time has come.
Over the past few weeks, our teachers and assistants have transitioned to providing lessons via video and email, and they have discovered talents they never knew they had. Although they desperately miss seeing the children in their environments in real-life (and we all miss the old version of normal), they are making it work. They're making it work incredibly well.
We can't share all of their video lessons--many are held via Zoom and include the children's images, names, and voices--but we'll share what we can. We'll also share the lessons we're learning along the way and links to the best blogs and articles that we're finding. To start, here's a fun Spanish lesson from Srta. Anais.
We hope that you're well, that you're finding ways to enjoy this unexpected extra time together with your families, and that we can all be back together soon. What are you doing to document this time together? What information would you like us to share here to help you "do Montessori" at home? Let us know in the comments.
*What do we mean by low-tech? We believe in grounding young children in reality. This means encouraging strictly limited (or no) screen time at home, and our primary environments are screen-free. Elementary children have access to computers for reserving library books, learning to type, doing research (and learning to assess sources), and for typing final drafts of papers. We believe that it's vital to stay grounded in reality and to use all of the senses in early childhood and that children can, should, and will learn to use technology when the time is right.