I’m always learning, and growing as a teacher; it’s one of the things I love the very most about my job. Sometimes I’m learning completely new things, sometimes I’m learning new ways to present old lessons, and sometimes I’m re-learning things I’ve learned before. We are only 10 days into this new school year and I have re-learned so much already.
We have a new student this year who is teaching me about the art of Montessori. Claire is 3 years old. She is beautiful, petite, strong spirited, and quite bright. She has been blessed with two loving parents who are warm, loving, and extremely supportive, yet wise enough to give her a little nudge when she needs it. Claire comes to school 4 mornings a week. On her first day, she cried - like so many students do on their first day, but went home and told her parents that she had fun at school. On her second day, she cried a little less, she observed, and she even worked with me in Practical Life. She is soaking it all up, like a big giant sponge. What’s remarkable about all of this is that Claire doesn’t speak any English…. yet. She only speaks Thai.
In our Montessori training we learn to give silent lessons. We learn to move slowly, to pause often, and to observe the children. As we become more seasoned, we bend and adapt what we learned to fit our own preferences as teachers, our personalities, the needs and culture of our classroom; trying not to stray too far from what we learned in training. One of the things that often slips away quickly in our lessons is the silence. We get comfortable with the children, we talk, we work to keep their attention, and we insert unnecessary chatter, resulting in slightly diluted lessons. Claire has re-opened my eyes to the beauty and power of the silent lesson. I don’t speak Thai, and she doesn’t speak English, and Montessori is bridging the gap between us. She is learning to pour, to cut, to match. She is learning our daily routine, how to sit at line, and she is learning it all by watching and participating in silent lessons. Montessori transcends.
I have a new respect for the silent lesson. My actions in the classroom are much slower, more purposeful and calculated. Already I feel like my lessons are more meaningful and I will be a better teacher this year for every child I serve. For that, I can thank Claire. One day soon she will know what I mean when I say “Thank you.”