Mrs. Curtis’ Montessori Life Story

More than 40 years ago I vowed, “I’m never getting married and I’m never having kids—they’re just brats!”  But God had a Plan for me!  He gave me a husband and we will be celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary this December and He gave me three children who took me on a journey to become a successful Montessori Guide—God has given me the gift to love and teach young children; how did this happen?!

The only thing I knew when my daughter was four years old was that she probably needed to go to school.  We lived in Germany in a small German village.  I checked with the military base and all the classes were full. I started talking to other military wives and one told me about her son’s “kind of different” school in the next village.  That was the beginning of my Montessori journey—now my daughter is 36 years old!

C & K Children’s House was a parent co-op Montessori school for American and German children ages 3-6 years old.  It was fantastic!  My daughter learned to read by 5 years old and was so happy there.  I decided to put her brother there too when he was three years old.  As a parent co-op, I got to learn how to give Montessori lessons to the children, to substitute teach, and was elected to the School Board to run the school.  I thought this was just the normal, regular way every Montessori school was: easy to get trained and learn all about Montessori!  But that was not true.

We moved to Maryland and entered public school because there was no Montessori.  I volunteered in the classrooms and all I kept thinking was, “Why do they make it so hard for the kids to learn when Montessori is so much easier?”

We moved again, to California, and our third child got to go to a Montessori school but the older two to public school.  Again my Montessori experience was amazing.  I got to substitute and was voted to the School Board.  But public school was mostly a disaster—expectations and lesson were way too low and boring.  I ended up Homeschooling my second son through 5th grade—the Homeschool movement was just beginning.  There was still no place available to get trained as a Montessori teacher and the internet wasn’t something yet created!

We moved to Colorado next and again disappointment in lack of Montessori so I went back to college (in my 40’s) to get a regular teaching degree.  I figured I could teach in a public school and just use Montessori materials and method there.  Well, we got moved to Okinawa, Japan next and I was able to finish my regular teaching degree which included Special Education and then found an online Montessori training with International Montessori Society (IMS)!  I completed both degrees and got to teach in a Montessori school—I loved it!

We got moved again to Germany and I got hired to teach on the military base in a “Sure Start” class.  (The military version of “Head Start”).  I led it as a Montessori class and within two months the children had completed the entire Sure Start “curriculum”.  I added more Montessori lessons and wrote the equivalent Curriculum Standards for them and my class was the most successful to move on to Kindergarten.

Next we were moved to Virginia where I got to work in two different Montessori schools before our retirement to California.  Here in California I have been blessed to be able to start my ministry, The Mustard Seed—a tuition-free Montessori classroom and Montessori Resource for parents.

For those of you who are interested in my professional training here it is briefly:
Montessori Certification through Interenational Montessori Society (IMS)
IMS Workshops in Pennsylvania, Scotland, and Hong Kong
Keynote Speaker for the Montessori European Congress in Sweden
American Montessori Society Workshop in Virginia
Association Montessori Internationale 100 Year Anniversary Workshop in California
International Montessori Council Workshop in California
Established Montessori Toddler Classroom at Calvary Chapel, Petaluma, CA

Curriculum Workshop

 Everyone interested in a curriculum workshop, post your interest here so I can set up a date. Love, Mrs. Curtis

Shiller Learning

Hi Jacqueline and Friends,

I am skeptical of Shiller Learning.  I am familiar with many, many authentic Montessori vendors and this company has never been represented at any of the Montessori workshops I have attended.  I would stay away from it!  I think it is a knock-off business trying to capitalize on the Montessori name.  This is a common thing—businesses and people/schools using some Montessori materials and calling themselves “Montessori” without truly being Montessori.  Stick to the materials, books, and companies I have listed on your blog.

Also,  please let your blog viewers know that even though I am not on the vendor list, I am authentic and do not sell anything—I am free.  I am willing to come to them or they can come to me.  I have given up leading my church Montessori Toddler Class and that will give me more time to help you and your group.  It is my passion to help families with children and my absolute pleasure!

I will write up a bio for you.  That should help people in your sphere to trust contacting me too.

As far as older school age children, many of the materials for the young ones are suitable for them too!  However, for those children who are beyond those materials I don’t know much, but I have wonderful, professional, colleagues at Montessori schools that I can contact and get help.  We could probably even set up a field trip to see Elementary Montessori—however that would be a GREAT privilege based upon my reputation and rare for most people.  It would have to be at the convenience of that school and under their guidelines.  Maybe they would be interested in some type of workshop for you?  I have my graduated students at this school so I have a good standing with them.  If you or your Homeschoolers are serious about Elementary Montessori, let me know what you would like to pursue for the Elementary Level (age 6 to 12)

For those who are interested in older children, I recommend the book:  “Montessori Today: A Comprehensive Approach to Education from Birth to Adulthood” by Paula Polk Lillard.  I found it to be a fascinating and easy read; I especially enjoyed the part covering information about High School Level classes!

Based upon your questions, I think we should schedule a gathering to talk only about “curriculum”—the difference in secular ideas of curriculum where you buy instruction books, go page by page and you are the teacher, verses Montessori where the real world is the curriculum and you offer the world to your child based upon their interests through many different avenues such as activities with music, art, writing/reading/research, math, science experiments, geography, field trips, history of how humans have positively influenced the world, the Bible, etc.  It is hard to imagine or to know how to change to Montessori if your mind is filled with only how public school is set up—a workshop can help with that.  It would be fun to set up two little classroom examples and let the parents try out each class to see the difference!

Love,

Aunt Donna 😊🍎💕

Materials and Curriculum

For those of you thinking about following Montessori teaching in your Homeschooling, I want to encourage you that it is not a method or curriculum meant for the intellectual, wealthy elite.  It does not require extensive training, a burden of overly expensive materials, or an abundance of “curriculum”.

Maria Montessori began her first internationally renowned school in a slum in Italy with children whose parents were totally illiterate—they could not read or write and were all low-level manual laborers.  The children were little hoodlums too young to go to school and were busy with graffiti and ruining the neighborhood (sound familiar to any problems currently in our own country?) Well, Maria Montessori got a free space to set up in, had some basic materials made up that she designed, found a dressmaker to be the teacher and started class.  Dr. Montessori describes the beginning as children in chaos, running rampant.  However, it wasn’t long before they were choosing to do activities that led them to write and read at such a young age.  No one believed it was true and many people came to check it out—even an Ambassador from Argentina on a surprise visit.  Class was closed that day but a child gathered the other children on his own and they opened the class up themselves and had school with no teacher.  That did it!  Proof indeed that these little hoodlums had become civilized, peaceful learners.

Was it because money was spent on nice materials and lots of instructive curriculum with a professionally trained teacher, extracurricular activities, and homework?  Absolutely not!  It has everything to do with how we interact with children, recognizing their spirit, and respecting their flow of life.  Physical activity and behavior is just a visible sign of the child’s internal spiritual life.  When the spiritual life is fed and nurtured, the child settles down and becomes peaceful, curious, loving, and kind without any punishment or reward or pressure to behave as such.

So, where to begin?  With some investigation—that means you reading.  What to read?  Start simple with something like:  “Teaching Montessori in the Home, The Pre-School Years” by Elizabeth G. Hainstock—this a lovely little gem, easy to read.  You will think it is definitely written quite recently, but then a glance at the publication page and you see the original copyright date of 1968!  Another book to give you an excellent overview of Maria Montessori, the materials, and how to present them to children is, “Basic Montessori Learning Activities for Under-Fives” by David Gettman.  This is another easy-to-read jewel  that includes directions on how to make many of the Montessori materials yourself.  I use “Montessori Matters” by Sister Mary Ellen et al Carinato as my Classroom Curriculum Guide; all the Montessori lessons/activities are thoroughly laid out for you in an easy-to-use format.

When you are ready to begin class, observe your child and purchase or make only the materials you need to see what is easiest or best for you.  If you are wealthy you can buy premier Montessori materials at Nienhuis, but most of us go with the well-made Montessori materials from either Montessori Outlet, Alison’s Montessori, Kid Advance, or Montessori Services.  You will be happy with any product from these companies.  I do not vouch for any other company—you can be greatly disappointed with expensive geography puzzles when the pieces don’t fit, or discover paint that chips on materials, or flimsy products, it’s just not worth it.

Remember, we are talking about very young children who will in no way ever supersede your intellect or knowledge so should be able to keep up with their academics!  It is the inner, spiritual child and the life revolving around that child, the entire environment that is most important.

Happy Trails!

Mrs. Curtis❤️

Mrs. Curtis Contact Info

First Practice in Handwriting

Here is the first practice in handwriting letters:  the child traces the Sandpaper Sound, says the sound out loud, and then draws it in the cornmeal.  A simple shake of the box erases the letter so it can be practiced again and again or other letters can be formed.  This is a very cheap box with lid that I bought in a Dollar Store.  You can use cornmeal, sand, salt, rice.

Next, you introduce the chalkboard.  Keep your materials orderly; I put my chalk in a container, use felt for erasing, and tuck it all into a duck basket.  The child again traces the Sandpaper Sound and then draws it on the chalkboard.  The first lessons on the chalkboard are without lines for the letters.

When the child is ready to move ahead with writing the letters, add a ruler and draw your guide lines.  I love Cursive because every letter starts in the same place on the line whereas with Manuscript Print, letters begin in different places so you need to draw more guide lines as you can see in the next photo.

Now you are ready to start writing phonetic words!  The Cursive does not have to be connected at first.  That will come later.  You want the children to be able to stop and hear the sound that is in the word and to draw it; this causes natural pauses at this point in the Early Writing stage.  When the sounds become more fluid, they will be able to start connecting the Cursive letters together.

With your Manuscript Print you will need to continue with these guide lines and be very specific in showing how to form the letters since they begin at different places on the lines.

Finally, you will get to the point when the child is ready for pencil and paper.  This is the paper I use.  I am showing an examples using colored pencils; plain lead pencil is fine.  I have found that it is worth investing in very good colored pencils for your pink and blue inset design work, your handwriting lessons, and booklet making that will come along with handwriting.  This Prismacolor container has 24 colored pencils of high quality and they lasted an entire school year and will last another for sure!  The container keeps them in order and the children never lost one because there is a slot for each pencil making it obvious if one has hidden itself on the floor!

Next Step In Early Writing

Before the children begin to put pencils in their hands to write, they get to write with the Moveable Alphabet!  You can have them lay out small objects that have phonetic spelling as seen in this photo or you can dictate phonetic words out loud to them or even use pictures of things with phonetic spelling.  Do not correct misspellings, this is a writing lesson and not a reading lesson!  They don’t even have to read the words to you.  The point is to get the children to hear the sounds that form the words and be able to find those sounds and create words.  They will get better and better at this as they practice.  Below is the Manuscript Print example.