Becoming a Teacher or Coach

Certainly the highest callings to get in life would be a great teacher or coach for anybody who loves to lead others. If we think back to our childhood, we certainly remember who stood out in our life and played a great part in molding us the person we are today. They could be our parents or a teacher that helped us through tough times in our childhood.

Teachers and coaches do have important roles in our lives sometimes they not only teach us the subject that they are experts at, but they also elevate us by teaching us the art of life.

Take the example of a coach for table tennis; we all think that his or her main job is to produce a player who can make the way by winning so many medals by playing better than others. Similarly a teacher gets best out of you that he possibly can, as well as infuse things like discipline, love of the art, awareness of health and better understandings of life all the way.

A best teacher always directs his students towards the path of hard work and sacrifice as this is the best route to big success. Actions that do not improve you are actions having no worth at all. Great teachers remained constantly learning and getting better in their subject. They have the ability to take complicated issue and turn it into something simple. They are capable to inspire students to achieve what others consider impossible.

Great teachers normally have a balanced and tireless work ethics. They also know the fact that life in not all about them and do not care who receives the credit for future successes, providing everyone is working in the pursuit of perfection all the way.

A great teacher or coach never judge himself by what he or she earns or how many wins a team has given, they judge themselves by how many lives they have changed and how many they have inspired or elevated be the best they can be.

A Mother's Reasons For Choosing Montessori

This is the time of year when the parents of many preschoolers must decide where their child will attend school in the fall. I wanted to take this opportunity to share my experience with Montessori preschool education.

My son is completing his second year in a Montessori preschool program and attended from the age of 3 1/2.

I chose Montessori for several reasons. First, my son is a bright, inquisitive child who already had a sound grounding in recognition of his alphabet, numbers, shapes, and colors before he started preschool. I was worried that he might be bored in a more traditional preschool. Montessori's highly individual program means he is always challenged and interested. In addition, my son is a very active child and the Montessori program gives him lots of opportunity for free play outdoors and indoors as well as more freedom to move about, stand, or even lie on the ground while working on his lessons in the classroom.

In my opinion one of Montessori's great advantages is the fact that the child drives the educational experience. My son's interests and abilities determine his unique educational program and so his lessons may overlap but are not identical to those of his classmates. This makes him an eager and motivated student.

The education program offered by Montessori also includes many advantages. My son's experience includes the arts, math and science, language, and life skills. He regularly impresses our friends and family with his knowledge of science, sign language, and other areas not traditionally included in preschool programs.

I also like the fact that his classroom includes a wider range of ages so he has friends who are both younger and older. In addition, he really enjoys having regular contact with the elementary-age students who serve as both role models and friends.

Finally, as a parent, I cannot stress enough the benefits that a program like Montessori offers in terms of life skills. All students are expected to be responsible for their own personal hygiene as well as maintenance and cleaning of the classroom and food areas. While support is offered by adults and older children, even young children can learn to clean up after themselves. It has certainly had an impact on my son's willingness and ability to help out at home.

Recently I compared preschool experiences with a friend whose child is completing her second year in what most people consider to be the top preschool program in our community. We compared our children's skills to the checklist provided by our school district of 60 skills (including cognitive skills, listening and sequencing skills, language skills, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, and social/emotional skills) that will help children transition into kindergarten. My son has all 60 skills while her daughter lacked skills in each of the areas.

I recommend every parent at least consider Montessori for their child as it is a child-centered learning approach that can provide an excellent foundation for a child's future growth and learning.

The Role of Practical Life in the Montessori Classroom

Children Need to Feel Capable and Valued:

With this in mind, Montessori developed the practical life component of the curriculum. These activities are an essential factor in the Montessori classroom. Practical life provides a vital opportunity for the child to gain skills necessary to function within her culture, but perhaps more importantly, to feel capable and valued.

The Montessori Environment is Created to Meet the Child’s Need to be Independent and Competent:

To facilitate the child to this end, the Montessori classroom meets the needs of the child because she is allowed to explore her surroundings and construct these practical skills in a safe, encouraging environment. The child is given freedom with responsibility, which is an important life skill in itself. Furthermore, Montessori developed materials and furniture appropriate to the child to support her on her journey for independence.

To educate the whole child, the Montessori classroom supports the child in developing the necessary practical life skills through the maintenance of the classroom environment, the development of skills, which build a sense of self-worth, and the acquisition of language and adeptness required to solve her own problems.

The First Plane of Development and Practical Life:

Montessori initiated the practical life component of her method beginning in the Toddler and Primary classrooms. In the First Plane of Development, the child is in a sensitive period for ordering her environment and strengthening her independence. To facilitate her in this process, Montessori developed specific materials, such as the careful scooping, spooning, pouring, washing and folding, to support the child to this end. These practical life skills help the child develop fine motor skills, as well as increasing her independence and concentration in preparation for more challenging work.

The Second Plane of Development and Practical Life:

With this preparation, the child enters the 6-9 classroom, while simultaneously embarking on a new journey as she moves into the Second Plane of Development. There are tremendous changes taking place in the 6-9 child, physically and intellectually, as her reasoning mind begins to evolve. The need remains, however, for practical life activities to continue to build the child’s independence and confidence. In addition, the 6-9 child becomes more social and enters a sensitive period for moral justice and fairness. Therefore, important practical life skills for the 6-9 child are not only grooming, sewing, gardening, cooking, carpentry or computer skills, but may include lessons in grace and courtesy, as well as problem solving with her peers. These important lessons continue at the 9-12 level, as well as in the middle school, where Montessori children are also given opportunities to be in charge of student-run businesses.

Closing:

With the acquisition of practical life skills, the child becomes independent, while attaining important life-long skills. Montessori addresses the necessity for practical life experiences in the classroom and states, “Today we might define this goal as the preparation of children to live successfully in their world, by which we mean the future, rather than live primarily in ours, which is the present and the past.” (Montessori Today, Paula Polk Lillard, page 3). Therefore, through practical life experiences, the child is provided the skills necessary not only to function within her environment, but also feel capable and successful in her world. The child’s desire to learn new skills and her eagerness to contribute has enabled her to not only feel valued, but to be valued as well, even while existing in the “supernature.”  By gaining practical life skills, the child enables herself to generate useful contributions in the classroom, at home and in her community.