Our Life in Lockdown

We have all had our fair share of complaining about the situation we have found ourselves in since last Spring, but in this article, I wanted to concentrate on the positives this has brought to us.

For me as a homemaker mom, I was presented with a wonderful opportunity to experience some sort of homeschooling. I was always drawn to homeschooling, or even unschooling, and was seriously considering it for my second daughter Emily’s education. However, I knew it would be difficult to fulfil the social aspect of her needs and, once she met her best friend in Primary, I had no chance to persuade her to stay home with me. But now I can experience homeschooling without having to do any of the hard work, because all the preparation is done by her wonderful teachers. Isn’t it great?

International Montessori School homeschooling in lockdown

So, we started our “homeschooling” adventure last March during the first lockdown and I was very excited. Of course, there was a period of adjustment, but once we established a new routine, which is very important to Emily, I can say we all enjoyed being at home together.

Getting up later, actually following our biological clocks, not having to rush breakfast, saving time spent on travelling, enjoying more flexibility and generally slowing down have been big pluses.

When Emily was tired after looking at a screen for longer periods of time during the online lessons, we quickly learned that she needed to go outside, run around in the garden, and connect with nature. We even purchased a trampoline and I could see on her face that, after only a few minutes outside, she would completely change her mood. She herself had the opportunity to learn what she needs to do when she feels down, and will remember this for the rest of her life. Would she have this flexibility if she was at school, or the awareness of herself and her needs?

Montessori homeschooling in Covid 19 times

Emily has also said that she enjoys the flexibility in the amount of time she has to finish her work. There’s no stress and she can always ask for my help, although I am finding that she needs this less and less. She is getting more independent and facing less distractions and therefore getting through more work.

Another positive thing that distance learning has given our kids is computer literacy. They have always been much faster at grasping new technologies than we are and online learning has accelerated their progress. They had to quickly learn about emails, creating documents in Google applications, Zoom and the wonder tool Seesaw, which has been tremendously helpful to Emily and myself in organizing her work. Emily is now completely comfortable with all of this.

And what about food waste? I don’t know how much food is thrown out from the school lunchroom, but we have been able to completely eliminate food waste at home as I only cook what we like and we always use up any leftovers.

by Iveta Wells, an Upper Elementary parent

Comments

Další články

IMSP Podcast: Meet Alumnus Caleb Miller

Introducing our first guest on the IMSP podcast series: Caleb Miller. After graduating from IMSP, he moved back to the United States, finishing his university degree. Caleb and our host, Mariana, chat about independence in childhood, the benefits of multi-age classrooms, and what advice he has for current IMSP Elementary students. While reflecting on his time at IMSP, Caleb looks towards the future as he pursues a career with a global focus. “That's one thing that Montessori, our school, planted in me,” Caleb tells us, “the desire to engage with the world”.

What comes after kindergarten

The Montessori Elementary classroom is a dynamic system led by carefully trained teachers to enhance the learning of the 6 to 12-year-old student by aligning with their stage of development.

Video: Blueprint for the classroom: A Way to Move Forward

How do we encourage peacefulness and respect in the Montessori classroom? Together with the children, we prepare a blueprint for our classroom community!

Cooking With Children can be fun

It is often said that “the family that eats together, stays together”. We would like to suggest taking it a step further – and encourage every family to cook together, too. In Montessori, we know that kitchen work provides a host of benefits to children, all the way from toddlers to adolescents; it is a part of the Practical Life curriculum as soon as children can walk! However, its advantages are in no way tied to the classroom and can be just as easily – if not more so – applied at home.

Communicating with the Toddler Child

As teachers, we are often asked what special tips or tricks we use to get children to cooperate. Most often parents ask questions like “How can I get my child more interested in dressing and eating by themselves?”or “How can we make the mornings run more smoothly?” It can feel challenging when our patience is tested, but we must remember that children are learning to develop their own will and sense of obedience which is a natural process lasting until around six years of age.