So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye
Well now comes the hard part.
Saying so long to my colleagues.
You know where I was raised out in the west the term So Long
really meant See You Soon.
That is how I like to say goodbye to others.
So what have I learned the past 20 months?
Culture
is important. We all have culture,
learning to recognize that and respect that is vital to harmony in the world.
Bias must
be overcome. The mass killings in our country we must get to the bottom of it
and make it right. What a child experiences
in the early years 0-6 forms the foundation for the rest of our lives. One could almost say we live and die by what we
learn as young children. What we learn
about the world and our place in it and what we learn about ourselves.
It is all
about relationships. Forming strong attachments
and trusting relationships is foundational for young children. I have worked
with children who long for that and don’t have it in their environment. Now when I see a child I smile. Even that brief contact in a positive form is
a place to start. My work in parent
education is just beginning, I feel though that this is important work helping the parent be able to form those attachments
and relationships with their child.
Long Term Goal
The last 8 months I
have been dealing with a medical problem. One which has prevented me from
working and following the path I wanted.
I plan on working on getting my full health back so I can pursue my
goals. My long term goal – there is so
much I want to do. I see the possibility
of developing my cap stone project into a real program and present it to independent
preschools for social – emotional behavior management training. This is something
no one address in training of preschool teachers and other staff. I think it could be a valuable thing to offer
and possibly it could be part of a plan to provide for myself. I am
still thinking of using Montessori some way.
I have talked with the pastor at the church I attend about using the Catechesis
of the Good Shepard for Children’s Church.
If I can extend the program to last from Sunday school the children will
have two full hours to work in the classroom and I can incorporate other Montessori
work into the space. Finding a job that
will give me long term employment is another goal. While that may seem like a short term goal I
live in a very depressed area and finding a decent job here is very difficult. Traditional preschools here pay minimum wage
for a teaching position to start. Rather
hard to make ends meet on that but it would be a start. I am also going to write about my experiences
being suddenly disabled for a local newspaper here and a Montessori Chat for
them too. So I don’t have one big long
term goal but lots of small ones that I hope can meld together and turn into a
good life that is satisfying and fulfilling while keeping me financially solvent
as well.
I want to thank my instructors for the past classes and Dr. Embree
for the Capstone class. She was a great
help when I had questions.
I want to thank my classmates.
Always nice to work with you in the classes.
I also want to thank my kids.
They have put up with a lot the past
20 months and have excelled in their own scholarly pursuits as well. The one goal I had for my children was that
they go to college and all have done so.
I am proud of all of them.
I want to leave you with Maria Montessori’s thoughts on the child
and teacher relationship.
The teacher, when she begins to work in our schools, must
have a kind of faith that the child will reveal himself through work. She must
free herself from all preconceived ideas concerning the levels at which the
children may be. The many different types of children . . . must not worry her.
. . . The teacher must believe that this child before her will show his true
nature when he finds a piece of work that attracts him. So what must she look
out for? That one child or another will begin to concentrate" (The
Absorbent Mind, p. 276).
One of the most notable differences between Montessori teachers and traditional teachers is the enormous trust Montessori teachers place in the developmental abilities of the children. It takes a tremendous amount of faith to “follow the child”. It is so much easier to say to the children, follow where I lead and no one will get lost. Nonetheless, with careful observation and planning, Montessori teachers remain constantly alert to the direction each child is heading and actively works to help them succeed.
Montessori teachers are not the center of attention in the classroom. Their role centers on the preparation and organization of learning materials to meet the needs and interests of the Montessori children. The focus is on children learning, not on teachers teaching.
One of the most notable differences between Montessori teachers and traditional teachers is the enormous trust Montessori teachers place in the developmental abilities of the children. It takes a tremendous amount of faith to “follow the child”. It is so much easier to say to the children, follow where I lead and no one will get lost. Nonetheless, with careful observation and planning, Montessori teachers remain constantly alert to the direction each child is heading and actively works to help them succeed.
Montessori teachers are not the center of attention in the classroom. Their role centers on the preparation and organization of learning materials to meet the needs and interests of the Montessori children. The focus is on children learning, not on teachers teaching.
Know thyself and follow the child. Two very important things in my Early
Childhood Education World.
You can contact me on http://ww.Linkdin.com
. My identity is Linda Bale. I’d be
happy to connect.
Peace and all good.
Thanks for stopping by.
