The Creativity Crisis

Again the genius of Montessori has been "discovered", or rather validated, by current research. Po Bronson, author of Nuture Shock, has written an article about the statistically measurable decline in creativity in American children over the last 50 years. Needless to say, a Montessori environment by nature holds the answers. I think that the article is good reading both as a staff exercise and for parents as another way to reveal just what it is we do so well.



Click here to read "The Creativity Crisis"

The All-Day, All-Year Montessori Community: A Place for Living at School

(At the conclusion of this article is a section that describes the process of 
bringing the parents along on this journey from the perspective of the 
administrative staff. See: “A Few Thoughts From an Administrative 
Perspective”)

By Michele Aspinall 
Winter 2005

I am pleased to have another opportunity to share this story with you. I don’t claim to have a terribly “unique” story, but I found that when I was struggling to develop the all-year program at Countryside, it encouraged me to hear of others going through the same thing. I am also quite proud to retell it again and again because the story is not mine but instead it is the children’s story...

Mentor Transcript: Elementary (Unsupervised Students, Enabling Independent Music Work, US History) Transcript Date: May 13, 2010

Click here to download the transcript:  Unsupervised Students

Mentor Transcript: Primary (Colored Pencils for Art, Assistant Training, Outdoor Work Environment, Age Appropriate Work) Transcript Date: May 11, 2010

Click here to download the transcript:  Colored Pencils for Art

Mentor Transcript: Toddler (Phys Ed Program, Rearranging and Beautifying Environment) Transcript Date: May 11, 2010

Click here to download the transcript:  Phys Ed Program, Rearranging and Beautifying

Mentor Transcript: Elementary (Math for 6th Graders, Untrained Head of School) Transcript Date: May 6, 2010

Click here to download the transcript:  Math for 6th Graders

Mentor Transcript: Primary (Changing to All Day, Reading by Kindergarten, Kindergarten Enrichment) Transcript Date: May 4, 2010

Click here to download the transcript:  Changing to All Day

Mentor Transcript: Toddler (Toilet Learning without Parents, Snack Process) Transcript Date: May 4, 2010

Click here to download the transcript:  Toilet Learning without Parents

Mentor Transcript: Elementary (Journals vs. Loose Papers, Care of Environment, Daily Math Assignments) Transcript Date: April 29, 2010

Click here to download the transcript:  Journals vs Loose Papers.pdf

Mentor Transcript: Primary (Age Appropriate Work, Recalcitrant Child, Inspiring Bell Work) Transcript Date: April 27, 2010

Click here to download the transcript:  Age Appropriate Work, Recalcitrant Child.pdf

Mentor Transcript: Toddler (Material Rotation, Unfocused Child, Observing Child, Manipulatives) Transcript Date: April 27, 2010

Click here to download the transcript:  Material Rotation, Unfocused Child

Teaching Today's Elementary Child: Is Anything New?

By Wendy Calise

...Think for a moment when the last time was that you heard the word mettle. The word itself seems almost to be one of the past. If the language has fallen out of use, what does that mean for the idea? Has mettle become obsolete? As I consider the challenges of the future, it seems unlikely. Yet the development of sturdy constitution in our youth is waning, and the children will not likely be the better for it...

...The father did his work; his son did his. I do not suffer the illusion that we can or should recreate one culture in place of another or somehow go back in time. But there is much to be learned. These children were astoundingly competent. They could do things. I wondered about their counterparts in America...

Download the full pdf file here:  Teaching Today's Elementary Child

Mentor Transcript: Elementary (Research Writing, Work of Assistant, Difficult Parent) Transcript Date: April 22, 2010

Mentor Transcript: Elementary (Research Writing, Work of Assistant, Difficult Parent)
Transcript Date: April 22, 2010

Click here to download the transcript:  Research Writing, Work of Assistant.pdf

Mentor Transcript: Primary (Difficult Assistant, Practical Life Activities, Lunch Transition) Transcript Date: April 20, 2010

Mentor Transcript: Primary (Difficult Assistant, Practical Life Activities, Lunch Transition)
Transcript Date: April 20, 2010

Click here to download the transcript:  Difficult Assistant, Practical Life Activities.pdf

Mentor Transcript: Toddler (Outdoor Environment, Transition, Child Mentoring, Setting up the Environment) Transcript Date: April 20, 2010

Mentor Transcript: Toddler (Outdoor Environment, Transition, Child Mentoring, Setting up the Environment)
Transcript Date: April 20, 2010

Click here to download the transcript:  Outdoor Environment, Transition.pdf