Questions by Leandra Merea Strope, MCS Music Specialist (I’m new here.) Again and again, it happens — a student comes to me with a question, and then as I’m standing there trying to give her an answer, she turns and dreamily walks away, usually to the water fountain, completely oblivious to my attempt to address...
Work away! Work away! It’s time for group! by Camille Perkins, MCS Toddler Teacher I love group time in our toddler environment. It can help ground the children at the beginning of the day, become a learning platform for a new concept, and it can bring us together as a cohesive community. It doesn’t take...
The Affective Component of Learning Science By Derek Starkenburg, MCS Adolescent Math/Science Guide One of the most important affective components of learning is seeing a subject made accessible and invigorating. If students can be introduced to a discipline in a manner that is engaging and developmentally appropriate for their plane of development, they can establish...
The Joy of Self-Expression Through Art by Holly Dykes, MCS Art Specialist Teacher While in grad school, I worked in a library. It had recently been built and decorated in, what I thought, a pretty wild fashion—fuchsia and orange, hot pink and neon green, stripes, and checks. When I asked the people who worked there...
If You Give a Toddler a Ball by Tim Daniel, Head of School (With apologies to the great Laura Numeroff) If you give a toddler a ball, he’ll probably just throw it over the fence expecting you to pick it up and give it back to him. And when you pick up the ball and give...
Grace and Courtesy in Elementary by Kalpu Shah, Upper Elementary Program Director and Teacher Grace and courtesy in the elementary years. How does the refinement of grace and courtesy survive into “the age of rudeness,” you might wonder? We don’t talk much about grace and courtesy in the elementary years the way that we talk...
What is the Mark of a Great School? Say, if I could holler / Like a mountain jack Yeah, yeah, oh, people / I’d call my baby back Whether you’re listening to the slow, bluesy Ray Charles version, or the much more up-tempo rendition from The Queen of Soul*, the sentiments expressed are the same: Come back, baby…Let’s talk...
Working with Others Written by Catherine Swanson, MCS Lower Elementary Teacher A student in my lower elementary class came up on the playground one day to ask, “Can you give me some advice on what I should say to my friend?” Inside, my heart soared, but on the outside, I kept my cool. This lively...
I Don’t Want to go Outside! Written by Adam Miller, MCS Primary Teacher This is exactly what a three-year old student said to me five years ago. As a child of the late 70s, this comment made no sense to me whatsoever. However, it did make me think about how times have changed since I...
Grace and Courtesy in a Montessori Classroom Written by Annie Green, MCS Primary Teacher There are many pieces of a Montessori environment that set it apart from your typical classroom. From the way the children independently work at woven rugs and wooden tables, to the way the teacher gives lessons to only a few children...
