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  • Montessori Preschool: Pausing for the Dandelions

    • March 4, 2017
    • Posted By : Montessori School of Silicon Valley Staff
    • 0 Comment

    “History should not be taught as a collection of dates and places. But rather be approached to arouse gratitude and appreciation. This gratitude should be aroused first to the law and order of the universe and the preparation of the environment into which human beings came.” ~ Dr. Maria Montessori

    Appreciation for the Parents of Young Children

    Today I had the opportunity to be with a 2 ½ year old.  Her name is Aida.  What a truly remarkable little lady, Aida.

    It was the end of the day, I had met Aida before but up until this point I had not yet spent one on one time with her.  Today was the first day we had been together for a few hours.

    It was time to change her diaper.  I was careful to spend a bit more time with her before asking her if I could help her to change her diaper and use the toilet.  It took a few minutes, but when it seemed right, she agreed to go with me.

    When we were finished changing her diaper, this amazing young girl named Aida looked right at my eyes and said “thank you”.

    In that moment, I thought, what a beautiful, loving, compassionate person Aida is and how privileged I feel to have the opportunity to be in her life.

    Well, I think this thought about children all of the time.  This time though as I drove home I found myself thinking about the parents of all of these wonderful children who come to our schools every day.

    An Abundance of Information

    Looking online there are articles, blogs and more articles and more blogs talking to parents about all of the things they should do, worry about, change, think about and more…

    I regularly visit all of our Montessori schools, most often I prefer stand to the side of the room during parent and child events at our schools to observe.  Drop off and pick up time can be particuliarly interesting.

    Some of you may wonder what I am thinking while I am standing there, quietly taking it all in.

    Most of the time I am just observing the children.  I am fascinated by young children, how they move, how they discover, interact, notice tiny details and more.

    The things I see parents doing every day…

    Taking the time to wait for their child as she gets off of her bike, noticing one dandelion sticking up from the grass.  Allowing her to walk over, look at it with amazement, decide to pick it, make the wish and watch it blow away in the wind.

    Stopping to hear what children are saying and really listening as he is talking about his friend, who hurt his feelings that day.

    Kindly helping their children to choose words to help solve conflict, instead of just “fixing” the situation.  Kneeling down to help her to choose words to say.  Being patient while she thinks things through.

    Remaining patient even when your child is struggling with a choice.  Providing gentle guidance to help him/her make the best choice, while taking the time to let it be their choice.

    Being kind to all of the adults and to other children within our school community.

    Greeting the other children in the classroom at the end of the day with a big smile and accepting of the hugs that come your way.

    Helping your children to be kind, compassionate, loving, caring, thoughtful human beings.

    From all of us at The Montessori School of Silicon Valley

                          Thank You!

    As educators we help with this, but it is you, your family and your parenting that deserves the recognition.

    We love being with your children each and every day.

    We thank you for that privilege.

    So remember…

    Here In the Bay Area – and all over the world – we as parents are constantly busy. We are multi tasking, typically working more than we should, we sit in traffic longer than anyone should be expected to…

    The next time you are in a hurry and your little one must stop to look at a flower or a snail, pause – take a breath – and appreciate yourself along with your child.

    Oh and the dandelions, of course.

    -Colleen

    “Children First, Always”