Stoneridge Children's Montesori School

"So Much More Alike Than Different"

by Diana Schor

Diana Schor is a new parent at Stoneridge. She and her husband have a daughter in Children’s House.

Prior to joining the Stoneridge community this academic year, our daughter Maia was enrolled in the Toddler program at Harborlight Montessori School (HMS). We liked the extended day program because it fit our needs as working parents and provided a nurturing and stimulating environment for our two-year old daughter.

My first introduction to the school is illustrative of the positive experiences that we had at HMS. On a hot July day in 2010, I walked into the Toddler room to observe children playing and interacting with each other. I had barely sat down in a corner when one of the toddler boys discovered my presence and eyed me with curiosity. I smiled at him, he smiled back, and then spontaneously ran to me, gave me a big hug, and then ran back to his play. Needless to say, I was totally surprised and thought to myself, only a happy child would hug a stranger! I knew then that I wanted Maia to go to a school that nurtured such happy and content children.

Over the course of the 2010-11 academic year, Maia developed a close, loving relationship with her two teachers at Harborlight, Cheryl Corneau and Elizabeth Stone. I came to see them as part of our extended family, a part of our “village” that helped raise our child. I trusted their intentions, their intuition, and their experience. They genuinely loved the children in their care, and it showed in everything they did. Both teachers respected our views as parents, even if at times they did not agree with us entirely. For example, at some point in the spring, separation at the start of the day became difficult for Maia, and we differed in our assessment as to why. Over the course of the school year, Maia developed very close friendships with her friends. She became known as the “buni” (grandmother in Romanian) who hugged a crying friend or helped another toddler put on her underwear. That year was also a tremendous year of cognitive development, and much credit goes to her teachers for nurturing her growth in this important area. All in all, we had a very positive experience in the Toddler House at HMS.  

As you can imagine, I was so surprised to hear the news about the merger! We as a family had gone through a stage of mixed emotions when leaving HMS even as we were very much at peace with the decision to join Stoneridge. My first reaction to the news of the merger was very positive. I was excited at the prospect of a larger school that provided more options to working families and a richer and better menu of curricular and extra-curricular experiences for children. I also thought that, based on our experience in interacting with faculty and families in both schools, we were so much more alike than different. Most importantly, we all shared a commitment to excellence in educating and nurturing our children within a Montessori framework. 

I know the transition won’t be easy. Changing systems and culture never is. But I think that the good will and the collective wisdom of the caring professionals in both schools can go a long way in making this process of change constructive and productive for the many families, like my own, who are deeply committed to our children’s Montessori education. 

 

 

Participation Counts! The Song of Annual Fund

by Alan Feldman, Head of School

Just two weeks ago, the Stoneridge community was treated to an extraordinary Coffee House, with performances by students, former students, siblings of students, faculty, parents, and even one parent alum! Altogether, more than 80 people performed at the Coffee House.

I’m sure many of you who attended felt as I did: it is a precious gift we receive when performers share their talents. I was especially touched by the performances of our youngest instrumentalists who are emerging this year for the first time.

Judging from the rehearsals I’ve seen over the past few weeks, tonight’s Holiday Concert should be equally spectacular. Our students’ voices—individually and collectively—get stronger and more beautiful each year.

Just as our many performers give so much to our community, Annual Fund is a time when parents have the opportunity to give to the Stoneridge community as well. My message is simple: every family needs to participate in this Annual Fund “performance.” Truly this is a time to get in tune with each other by helping to make Annual Fund a re-sounding success! The chorus of parents singing together needs your voice.

Thank you in advance!   

 

Coming to You Live

by Hannah Mell, Music Teacher

We live in a music-saturated society. Sometimes you choose your soundtrack while jogging with your iPod or dialing up your favorite radio station. Other times, you’re at the mercy of whatever some marketing expert has decided will motivate you to shop. Either way, the music you’re listening to is sleek and polished, the result of countless hours of preparation and production.

When he invented the phonograph, Edison is said to have foretold “the end of civilization as we know it.” Where mothers used to sing their babies to sleep, some parents now pop Baby Einstein into the CD player. Where families used to gather around the piano to sing, some now watch the next pop sensation being groomed on American Idol.

Don’t get me wrong; I love recorded music. I always turn up a favorite song when I’ve got housework to do. I’m awed by the luxury of listening to great musicians any time I feel like it. But at the same time, I feel deeply grateful to belong to a community where music isn’t a spectator sport: it’s something we make together every day.

In November, I was struck by this privilege over and over again. Early in the month, I attended a conference sponsored by the Association for the Contemplative Mind in Higher Education. I helped lead a workshop on contemplative practices for the music classroom which included games I use to teach improvisation, fine-tune focus, and develop deep listening skills. Over the course of this music-making workshop, I watched the faces of the attendees (mostly serious academics) brighten and relax. As we sang together, the energy in the room changed.

The following week I went with Middle School students to the Herrick House, an assisted living facility, for our monthly sing-along. The students have amazed me with their poise and  enthusiasm about these trips. They love watching the way the residents respond to their singing. Cristina said, “Their faces open up.” Ian remarked (rather poetically, I think), “When you sing for them, a ray of hope shines down on you.” This time when we visited, we had the opportunity to sing “Happy Birthday” to a 95-year-old woman. She beamed and told us, “When you turn 95, remember how you did this for me.” Suddenly we were all envisioning our lives at 95. Sure puts math homework in perspective, doesn’t it?

There are so many examples--I could go on and on. If you arrive early for Musical Mondays, you know how live music can weave a spell that lifts the spirit. If you attended the Coffee House, you know the magic we create. As we usher in the holiday season with all its joys and challenges, I’m glad our community makes its own music. It might not always sound polished, but to my ears, there’s nothing sweeter.

Simply Thankful

by Deb Thomas, member of the Board and CH parent

Recently I asked my daughter to name something for which she is thankful. Her answer was a stern face and “I don’t want to talk about it.” Of course it was right after school when the kindergarten brain just wants to relax into the car seat and have a snack. So I tried again another time. This time the response was “Mom, you already asked me that.”

It made me think of the first time I spent Thanksgiving with my husband’s family, and we all went around the dinner table giving thanks for one or two things in particular. How I agonized about what to say! I didn’t want to seem shallow by giving thanks for something with only material value, but I also didn’t want to give the impression I was trying to ingratiate myself with my prospective in-laws by giving thanks for my fiancé or for being able to spend time with his wonderful family. It was a more sensitive situation than subsequent Thanksgivings, to be sure, but that experience and my daughter’s made me wonder—why is giving thanks sometimes so hard? How do I turn an “Aw, Mom” moment into a happy one?

It could be that when we name something for which we are thankful, we are also implicitly acknowledging that we are lucky to have it and that it might not always be there. That is scary to contemplate. It could be that it’s simply not practical to think about every single person or thing that deserves thanks in our lives and it’s hard to choose on the spot. My daughter has a hard time choosing her favorite color, so how can she answer a question like “What are you thankful for?”

To make it easier for her (and me), I have made a Thanksgiving resolution to stop worrying about trying to name things for which to give thanks. Instead, I will try simply to appreciate what we have with joy and without guilt. I’ll encourage my daughter to be mindful of the wonderful people and things in her life and not take them for granted. We’ll try to make it a daily exercise, or even a state of mind, instead of a yearly event.

I know it won’t happen overnight, but I am encouraged by something Elizabeth Slade said at her Curriculum Spotlight (“Ages, Stages and Family Traditions”) in September. She said that we can consider life as practice, both as we teach our children and as we live our own adult lives. We don’t have to be experts at appreciating, as long as we practice. This week we practiced by talking about what made us happy every day. We’re starting simple, with things like cupcakes and having gym on the soccer field. It seems easier to me to remind my daughter to think happily about how much she treasures these things than asking her to name one thing she’s thankful for.

I wish you all a joyful Thanksgiving full of wonderful things to appreciate!

 

Montessori at the Heart

by Tony Boisvert

Tony is Board member, a parent of three Stoneridge children, and teaches Humanities at the Waring School in Beverly. His wife, Cathy Favreau, is the chair of Foreign Languages at the Rivers School in Weston.

Five years ago this fall, when I escorted my sons to their Children’s House classrooms for the first time, I knew next to nothing about Montessori education. If asked, I would have said, with a mixture of pride and embarrassment, that Montessori wasn’t really why my sons were here. I was drawn to Stoneridge because, in my own working life as a teacher, I had been deeply impressed by the many Stoneridge alumni who had passed through my classes.

In fact, as a lifelong pragmatist, especially in matters of education, I must admit that the whole idea of “Montessori” gave me pause. My opinion of ideologies is that they tend to function better as ways of closing minds than of opening them; the quotation of Maria Montessori in the lobby seemed, to a history teacher, like the disquieting vestiges of a cult of personality.

That feeling was very short-lived. Now, with my youngest son entering Children’s House, I have to come to feel that Maria Montessori was as pragmatic and practical an educator as anyone could desire. Looking at a Montessori classroom, I marvel at how carefully and empathetically Maria must have observed the behavior and interests of the children in order to design the curriculum and methods that bear her name.

The classic example of this is the number beads, with the bewildering array of chains, squares and cubes that go with them. My own math education, from second grade onwards, was an almost continuous train wreck. For my oldest son, who is also a highly verbal person, I feared a similar fate. A year ago, I overheard this conversation between my eldest and a non-Montessori friend:

My son: What’s your favorite part of school?

Friend (snickering): None of it.

My son: Oh (awkward pause). Mine is division.

For my sons, I have been impressed with the ease and intuitive way in which Maria Montessori’s math materials impart a knowledge of math operations that go far ahead of what I was exposed to at a similar age. While doing summer math work, if Campbell asked for help with a problem like 7x6, all I would have to do is remind him to think back to his sevens chain. He had been doing multiplication since kindergarten without even knowing it.

If you follow education in the press, it is pretty easy to see that most adults, even the kindest and most well-meaning, are much more concerned about who and what they want children to become than about who children actually are. I have no doubt that, when Montessori was alive, this was even more true than it is now. By being truly empirical, carefully watching and appreciating children for who they are, Montessori now strikes me as having created an approach to learning for children that is anything but doctrinaire. I brought my boys to Stoneridge because I enjoyed teaching Stoneridge graduates; based on our family’s experience over the past five years, that Stoneridge is a Montessori school is paramount to my family.

 

 

Learning with Harold

by Alan Feldman, Head of School

Each month, the newsletter includes one or more "reflection articles." The goal of these articles is for the Head of School, trustees, and parents to address the broad mission of the School: "Helping students and their families construct their lives, learning, and communities." If you are interested in writing a "reflection article," contact Alan.

During her month-long visit this summer, my granddaughter received many gifts. At three-months old, she was indifferent to most of them, but the gift that intrigued me most was the picture book, Harold and the Purple Crayon, by Crockett Johnson. I hadn’t read it for many years, likely since my daughter was very young. But reading it again, I found I love it even more today than many years ago.

Parents at Stoneridge may know the book well: “One evening, after thinking it over for some time, Harold decides to go for a walk in the moonlight.” Thus begins his adventure, one in which Harold (with his purple crayon in hand and the moon accompanying him on each page) draws everything for which he wishes including, an apple tree, a dragon to guard the apple tree, and a boat to save him when he is adrift in the ocean. The drawings are playful, the language even more so.

I want to draw several parallels between this charming book and what I expect will be your family’s experience of learning and growing at Stoneridge this year.

First, not only is Harold having the adventure, he is constructing the adventure. It is his crayon—and his imagination—that move the story along.  Similarly, our faculty see our role as creating an environment in which all our Harolds can do their own constructing. The term most often used to describe what children do in school is “learning.” How much more interesting is the term constructing, a word which recognizes that the energy and imagination for action emerges from within each child and follows a plan that reflects the individuality of each child. This concept is just the opposite of traditional learning, whose goal is for each child to make the same strides each day!

Second, Harold’s adventure involves getting lost: “He stepped ashore at the beach, wondering where he was.” Getting lost is also part of real learning: it’s not a simple path with evenly spaced stones to guide us, but rather a rambling one that often leaves us wondering where we are. Harold rescues himself when he remembers that his window looks out on the moon, so he draws his window around the ever-present moon and finds himself home. Learning involves taking responsibility for oneself, which is much more than raising one’s hand and waiting to be helped.

Third, the book reminds us that we create our own destinies. When something is not quite right, we have the option of working—with determination, imagination, and optimism—to set it right, just like Harold. We often talk of the Stoneridge Partnership which brings parents and the School together around the needs of each child. It’s the determination of both partners that make the partnership work in service of our child’s learning and growth. With this kind of cooperation, most every problem can be solved.

For me, Harold’s adventure constructing his world is a wonderful parable. It can lead us toward a deeper understanding of our children’s growth and the powerful partnership of parent and School. I’m looking forward to working with all our families to make this the best year ever for your Harold.

"And then Harold made his bed. He got in it and drew up the covers. The purple crayon dropped on the floor. And Harold dropped off to sleep."

View a cartoonists’ comments on Harold and the Purple Crayon. 

Electronic Tattoos: Online Safety for Children

by Andrea Coates Vinson

Andrea is the parent of an Upper Elementary student.

“It’s like the Wild West out there,” said Mari Anne Snow, as she began her excellent talk to parents about how to help keep our children safe on the internet.

The essential message of Snow's presentation on February 14 was how to ensure our children's safety in an online media world that is here to stay. She encouraged parents not to be intimidated because there are some wonderful things happening in social media.  There are new ways of joining people together for good purpose. However, there is plenty to be concerned about--the online world is one that is constantly evolving, and there are issues that need to be understood.

The online culture is already an integral part of our children's lives. So, how do we prepare our children to live in that culture safely? With a long list of guidelines, Snow emphasized that it is important to help children understand the consequences of their actions online:

• Assume that everything that goes online is there permanently--it's your "electronic tattoo."
• If you say it, you own it.  If you do it, you own it.
• Social media allows you to connect with friends and family, but it also connects you with friends-of-friends-of-friends-of-friends. The result is that you may share information with many people you don’t know.
• There is no privacy online.  Repeat: there is no privacy online.
• Photos posted on the internet may have GPS settings embedded in them that others can find if they know where to look. Remove GPS signatures from cameras, including phone cameras.
• Count to 10 before you send. Don’t post something when you are mad. Ask first: will what I'm writing hurt someone? 

For some parents, climbing the online learning curve is huge, and for others it's easy.  Mari Anne outlined some basics for helping parents ensure safe online activity:

• Watch first, learn the environment, and then participate.
• Don’t be invasive, but do check up on your child.
• Don’t jump to conclusions; ask your child about what s/he is doing.
• Encourage your child to tell you if something online upsets, scares or worries him/her.
• Monitor your child's online activity: if your child doesn't want you to see something, s/he probably shouldn’t be writing it. 
• Get comfortable with texting: it might not be your first choice, but children do it.  (They think email is too slow!!)
• Learn about privacy settings on social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, etc) and help your children monitor them. Keep checking the settings because they change.
• Keep antivirus programs up to date.  Don’t save passwords. Clean out ‘cookie’ files frequently (companies use "cookies" to identify the sites you look at so they can target advertising. Ever wonder why, after looking at sites to buy a new car, you ‘magically’ start getting junk emails about cars?)
• Consider turning off wireless internet in your home at bedtime. iPods have internet connections that can be accessed from bedrooms.
• Consider getting a program that monitors online activity.
• Use childrenonline.org, an excellent resource for parents.

This summary just touches on the interesting and important information Mari Anne shared that evening.  I left with a renewed appreciation that it is vital for us, as parents, to be more than comfortable operating in a technological world.  And if there is another opportunity to learn about Online Safety for our Kids at Stoneridge, I encourage you to attend.

About Mari Anne Snow

Mari Anne Snow, CEO of SophiaThink consulting, works with companies to help them use social media to promote their businesses. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Bentley College where she teaches students the best ways to use online media for clients.  She is a contributing editor to DataGuidance, a leading international data privacy publication. Mari Anne writes and speaks frequently about data privacy and the new online culture in a very small global world. 

 

 

 

 

An Inspiring Evening with Alumni

by Pam Hussey, MS parent

In early January, Stoneridge hosted Alumni SpeakOut, at which recent graduates shared their reflections on their Stoneridge education and the transition to high school or college. This year, we welcomed three alumni: 

> Charlie Harris, Stoneridge ’10, a freshman at Hamilton/Wehnham High School

> Hunter Johnston ’10, a freshman at Pingree School

> Sage Magnant, Stoneridge ’07, a senior at Masconomet High School

Articulate and poised in front of a group, Charlie, Hunter, and Sage delivered thoughtful reflections in response to every question thrown their way. Speaking from their hearts, they demonstrated remarkable maturity, grace, and kindness. 

A special thank you to Diana Mathey, who organized and moderated the panel. Diana is Director of the Annual Fund and Parent Relations at the Pingree School. She is an alumni parent, a former Director of Admissions and Development at Stoneridge, and a new Board member. She began the evening with her own reflection:

“I will always be grateful for the education my children received here, for where they have taken those experiences in their lives, and for the people they have become as a result. Stoneridge is one of my favorite places in the world.”  

On working with different kinds of people

In the beginning of the evening, the students spoke at length about the distinct advantage they possessed, over their high school peers, in their ability to work with different kinds of people. Due to the smaller number of students at Stoneridge, they had to work with others who were often very different from them. As a result, they became highly skilled at getting along with everyone.

 “While I may not like each person I meet, I know how to deal with them.”

 “When you are going to be with someone in the same class for years, you learn to work things out.”

At a larger school, they might have chosen to hang out only with peers who were like them. Sage spoke of the different groupings you might find at any school, such as “the sports kids, the girlie girls, and the flower-power group.”

Hunter and Charlie credited their experience on the Negotiators Committee for their current skill at working with all kinds of teachers and students.  “It wasn’t always easy” they said, but it definitely honed their social skills.  

On finding one's place in a different, larger school 

The students reflected the confidence they had acquired during their Stoneridge tenure when responding to questions about leaving a deeply familiar environment and transitioning to a typically larger and completely unfamiliar one. They consistently expressed feeling comfortable taking the initiative--or the first step--in introducing themselves to new people.  

“Before Stoneridge I was the short, shy kid.  After Stoneridge, I was the short, outgoing kid.”

“Join sports or clubs!  I joined a sports team that began over the summer, which meant I knew people the first day of school.”

“It’s easiest to meet new friends right in the beginning, when everyone else doesn’t know anyone either. I went out of my way to be as friendly as possible the first week so that I might be the first person someone knew...”

On managing homework

Taking initiative, asking questions, and figuring out how to get something done became second nature after honing these skills during their years at Stoneridge.  This was a common thread that ran throughout the evening. At Stoneridge, homework packages are due within six- to eight-weeks. This is in sharp contrast to typical next-day homework due-dates in high school. By having to be responsible for asking the necessary questions and setting their own due dates along the way, Stoneridge students developed keen time management skills.

“Staying on top of my homework now is easier than staying on top of my homework at Stoneridge”, because of the time-management skills required to complete homework at Stoneridge. Homework now is usually due the next day or the day after that.”

Sage uses these organization skills now to manage her time over the year-long projects due each year at Masconomet High School (freshman design a house for math class).  These skills have enabled her to keep on top of the annual project, while still getting her other homework done. This year she is re-designing her parents’ kitchen!

At Stoneridge, Hunter found that he was successful getting most of his work done during school hours. He would go to the quiet room (one of his favorite places here) and be diligent during work time in class.  This preference has carried over to Pingree, where he uses many of his free periods during the school day to go to the library.

Diana added that of her four children, the two who attended Stoneridge are the ones she never had to check on to ensure their homework was done.  “It was ingrained in them that it was their work, not their mother’s homework.  They are totally independent.”

During the second week of high school, Charlie couldn’t find the answers to the homework questions in his reading. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t see them. He asked his dad, who confirmed that the answers were indeed there; Charlie tried again to no avail.  Finally, his dad said that Charlie was reading between the lines.  Sure enough, the answers were literally stated exactly in the questions. Being unaccustomed to having answers handed to him, Charlie had been taught to dig deeper and look for the meaning behind the questions.

On the effects of Stoneridge on confidence

Describing one high school experience after another, the students' confidence in tackling challenges came across loud and clear. This solid base plays a role in the success and happiness they experience in their new environments. 

“At Stoneridge, you can’t hide in the back.  You are asked what you think and what you believe.”

Sage recalled a situation in high school, when a friend was called names.  “That was not O.K. with me,” she stated.  She told the name-caller that “No, it is not funny.”  She also spoke of helping the quieter students in her classes.  Diana commented that those skills, such as empathy for others, are imbedded in a Montessori education.

Charlie, who felt that he hadn’t been particularly strong academically at Stoneridge, felt confident at high school raising his hand, asking questions, and getting extra help. This gave him an advantage over many of the other students, who hadn’t learned how to ask questions and actively seek information.  Some of them were moved to a lower class.  Due to Charlie’s study skills, hard work, and confidence in getting help, he's been successful.

Hunter noted that he was one of only a few who answered questions in class at the beginning of his freshman year, while Sage credited Stoneridge with her confidence in asking questions--of both peers and teachers--in order to finish her work in high school.   When a high school teacher teaches in a way that's not aligned with Sage's learning style, Sage is comfortable advocating for herself.

Feeling comfortable being themselves, these Stoneridge alumni wanted to do their best and didn’t worry about being “student-of-the-month”.  As one of the captains of her science team, Sage wanted her team to win. More importantly, however, she “wanted her students to get a taste of what interested them.”  This approach seems to be working just fine.  Last year they won, and this year they placed second!

A parent's view

As a participant at Alumni SpeakOut, it was clear to me that it wasn’t just what these students said or how they said it: their presence spoke volumes. Sage, a twelfth grader, is in the middle of finishing up college applications.  Charlie and Hunter are in the middle of the hectic first week back, after break, during their first year of high school.  Despite these demands, their initiative in attending spoke to their gratitude and fond memories for Stoneridge.

My overwhelming feeling, as the session came to a close, was how parents hope that their children will grow up to become like these three remarkable people.  I liked them, and all that they stood for, immensely.

 

Journey of Discovery: Journey to a Lifelong Love of Learning

by Annette Huber-Lee, CH II Parent

For me, learning is a miracle and a mystery. Participating in the Journey of Discovery earlier this month illustrated the miracle for me and unveiled some of the mystery.

Just on the mechanics, in the Journey of Discovery, eighteen parents spent thirty minutes in each multi-age classroom, from Toddler House, to Children’s House to Lower Elementary, to Upper Elementary and finally to Middle School. We then had an hour to talk with each other about what we had learned, in a session led by Diane Sullivan and Alan Feldman.

We started the morning by each selecting a piece of paper with a single word to keep in mind throughout the day. My word was "collaboration." Just the day before, graduate students I am teaching on water planning realized firsthand how critical collaboration is to successfully manage water in the Mystic River. The word came up half a dozen times. But I also tell my students that the skills they need to succeed in an increasingly complex world are not just an ability to collaborate, but an ability to work across disciplines, to embrace diversity, and deal with ambiguity.

I see these four capabilities as a challenging goal for graduate students. But I was astonished to find the seeds of each of these abilities are planted in our school, starting in Toddler House and continuously reinforced through the Middle School.

The structure from Toddler House through Lower Elementary is empowering. It gives tremendous freedom in a safe and respectful environment. I felt myself growing as I moved through these three classrooms: gaining confidence, gaining knowledge, gaining respect for myself and the other students and the world around me.

These classrooms embody diversity and disciplines. For, just like an ecosystem or a local community, our children thrive on diversity - and the particular diversity they need is a diversity of senses. They want sound, and they want touch, and they want to run and they want to create. But at the heart of all of this diversity and exposure to different disciplines, they need a simple structure that is sound and is found in their work at Stoneridge.

Then came Upper Elementary. I found myself at an activity apparently for learning science. But what did I start with? Drawing, to the best of my ability, an object from the table. When do I take time to carefully draw? And think about every single line I put on the paper as I draw? Then I was asked what could I observe about this object? What hypothesis could I make? And then, pushing me even further, could I write a short essay about how this made me feel?

An ability to synthesize is incredibly important and difficult to teach. But here, in grades 4-6, our children are combining art, science, math and literature in coherent ways.

OK. I  was impressed, but what about dealing with ambiguity? Who teaches that?

Enter Middle School and a simple exercise called word mapping. The teachers started with a phrase on the board: "America is..." And we brainstormed words to finish the sentence, just as the MS students had done several days earlier. Our words that matched the words of Middle School students included beautiful, free, magical, diverse, selfish, greedy. We did another round, changing the word ‘is’ to ‘was.’ This was more interesting, as we debated what words should still stay on the board. Words we disagreed on were highlighted in blue. The goal was not to agree on the ‘right’ answer, but to listen to other opinions which may be different than ours and accept the difference: working with ambiguity.

I left that day with a sense that every part of my brain had been stimulated. I left feeling whole. How did the teachers do this?

I think of the quote,

All good things come by grace and grace comes by art and art does not come easy. Norman McClean

At the end, I had experienced the miracle, which takes some element of grace. But that grace is coming in part from our incredible teachers who excel in the art of teaching. And I am sure that does not always come easy. I, as a parent, am extremely grateful for each teacher and amazed by your art.

 

 

Curriculum Spotlights Start on Wednesday 10/6

by Alan Feldman

What a pleasure to see the very large parent turnout at each of our Curriculum Spotlights last year! This year, Spotlights are scheduled for two Wednesday mornings each month, alternating with Assemblies. The presentations start at 8:30 am and end about 9:00 am, and are typically held in the Music Room. Coffee is available.

Curriculum Spotlights, the Journey of Discovery, Learning Night, and Peaceful Transitions are some of the ways that we are working to ensure that parents have a comprehensive understanding of the excellent academic program at Stoneridge.

Here's the lineup for October:

October 6 -- Music (focus on LE thru MS), led by Hannah Lynn Mell, Director of Music

October 20 -- Learning to Read (focus on LE and UE), led by Shadi Tayarani, Learning Coordinator, and Heather Grice, Head Teacher LE B

Future Curriculum Spotlights will take place on November 3 and 17, then December 8. All dates are listed on the School Calendar and as topics are determined, they will be noted on the calendar as well.

See you next Wednesday!

At the Heart of Our School

by Alan Feldman, Head of School

Whenever I have a chance, I read about the well-documented crisis in public education. The crisis is described in many ways, but can be summarized by two questions: how can we change our schools so that all our students will be high-achieving? how can we manage our schools so that all our teachers will be high-achieving? The proposed solutions for public education are many, and most would require sums of money that are not available now nor will they be in the foreseeable future.

There is one innovation – it’s part of our daily lives here at Stoneridge – which has the potential to remake public education at no additional cost. This extraordinary innovation is the multi-age grouping of our classrooms – a structure that deeply shapes every aspect of a child's education.

Some brief history may be helpful: almost all schools in the U.S. are structured into age cohorts where the maximum age span is 12 months. The organization of the school into these narrowly based age cohorts is, in fact, a recent occurrence; schools in other eras combined children of many different ages. Think about one-room country schoolhouses that were popular in this country during the 18th and 19th centuries; some grandparents or great grandparents of our current students may have attended such a school. Or the Lancastrian schools that were common in the 19th century, which mixed students from ages 5 to 18. The teacher taught the oldest students, who taught the students who were slightly younger, all the way down to the youngest students. Sometimes there were 100 or more students with one teacher! In the late 19th century, both these models were pushed aside in favor of the concept of a school organized by narrow age cohorts called "grades": Kindergarten, first grade, second grade, etc. Most if not all of our parents grew up in school organized in this way.

Dr. Montessori saw how limiting this structure was for children. Her careful observations of children led her to develop a theory of human development that is known as the Four Planes of Development. Based on this framework, she advocated creating classrooms where children are organized by the phase of their development. These classrooms consisted of Children's House (3 years to 6 years), Lower Elementary (6-9), Upper Elementary (9-12) and Middle School (12-14). (The development of Toddler House came many years later.) Why these particular ages? It is at these age ranges that children's development has much in common – and between these ages (eg, at ages 5/6) that children make enormous shifts.

 I am especially reminded of the impact of these carefully designed multi-age groupings each fall, as your children return to school. In most schools, it takes a teacher a full month or more to get the routines for her classroom established; every year they have to take children from several different classes and create anew the culture of that classroom. Not at Stoneridge. In one of our LE classrooms, for example, this year opened with 18 students. Of these, 11 have been part of the classroom for either one or two years – only 7 are new to the class. And all have been in a Montessori school before! With this mix of students, the classroom culture is up and running within a week or two, with the "experienced" children introducing the “new” children (typically the youngest) to the particular learning rhythms and social routines of that class. The new children benefit by learning from peers; and the older children benefit by being the ones who do the "tone-setting" for the new students. The teacher is fully involved in teaching – and the students are fully absorbed in their learning – within a short week or two. The effect of this school structure is that there are many more days at Stoneridge devoted to actual learning rather than being relegated to the task of establishing the rules of the classroom. Win-win by any measure!

There are many other profound implications of multi-age school groupings. Teachers typically teach the same student for three years, so they get to know each child very well. The teachers know each child's special strengths, academic and social, and what accommodations, if any, are needed. They know the child's family and how best to work with that family. They appreciate the interests of each child and know just how to spark them.

From the child's point of view, s/he gets to play very different roles in the multi-age classroom over the course of the three years. One example: next Thursday, the children in our UE class will stay in school till 7 pm; after dinner, they will write the "classroom code" for the year. The sixth grade students will lead the meeting, in this way modeling their skills in running meetings and thinking about rules and expectations for their younger peers. Similarly the oldest students run the daily class meetings throughout the fall as their younger peers observe and learn these skills themselves. Academically, the situation is quite similar. While older students are learning the mathematical skills of working with fractions and learning about percents and decimals, their younger peers get to learn from these lessons as well: children and teachers both remark at how much easier it is to learn new concepts when you have been in a classroom for several years where you have watched others working on these same skills! Teachers also note the benefit to student motivation: "teachers to do not need to push learning because the example of older students is pulling the younger ones along." (Lash, 2010, cited below, p. 4)

Finally, for all students, strong and positive self-esteem is crucial to learning. In a traditional, age-based classroom, the fundamental assumption is that all students are learning the same material at the same pace – and the outcome is that students learn whether they are "smart" or not. The outcome: some students are winners and some are losers in this system. In a multi-age classroom, the fundamental assumption is that each child is focused on working on his/her individual learning activities (some self-selected and some assigned by the teacher). If you are thinking that bright students do best in the more competitive traditional setting, there is no research that supports that belief!

My conviction is that the structure of Stoneridge – typical of Montessori schools – would make a huge difference in the lives of children in any school. Dave Lash, former Stoneridge parent and Board member, is an organizational development expert. He is working on the challenge of improving public schools. Dave stopped by Stoneridge last week, and we had a discussion on just this point. In his article on the "next generation of learning," Dave writes eloquently about the ways that the Montessori model of education can serve public education.

As school starts, I invite you to listen closely to your child’s descriptions of the rich learning community in his or her classroom. Which of your child’s successes are outcomes of the carefully designed multi-age grouping? Join me in imagining how education would be better for all children if they had the opportunity to benefit from this extraordinary innovation!