We inspire and guide children to love learning, to love one another, and to love the world around them.
Montessori Musings: Take a Closer Look
What continues to fascinate me about Montessori is that the simplest task can often be the most complex. Take the act of washing a table. From the outside this looks like a simple task that takes little to no effort. Yet, did you know that cleaning the table actually takes 27 or more steps? Aside from keeping an area tidy, what purpose could this exercise serve in the classroom?
Washing the table teaches students concentration and order, which is important considering that most of the academic world is sequential. The left to right motion of scrubbing also strengthens the hand and prepares it for cursive handwriting. Can you believe that this task also has math ties? Well it does! The up and down movement of drying the table mimics the columns found in addition problems.
“I want my kids to be challenged,” a remark often made by parents considering private schools. However, would these same parents see the act of washing the table as a challenge for their Primary age child? Probably not. Yet, through this “simple task” students are nourishing the roots upon which all of their learning will grow.
The work found in our classrooms serves to feed the curiosity of our students, driving them to ask why and discover what they don’t know. After all, guiding children to love learning is part of our mission.
This post of Montessori Musings was written by Andreka Johnson, Director of Marketing Communications.
This post of Montessori Musings was written by Andreka Johnson, Director of Marketing Communications.
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