Category: Social Justice

Social justice is the view that everyone deserves equal economic, political and social rights and opportunities. Social justice promotes fairness and equity across many aspects of society. For example, it promotes equal economic, educational and workplace opportunities. It’s also important to the safety and security of individuals and communities.

Generation Xer Blog - Grumble Services elementary Montessori materials & learning resources Follow the Child Dr. Montessori
June 29, 2021

Generation X

A song by the band Bush is playing. Not my personal favorite but it leads me back to the bands that paved the way before them: Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Alice in Chains, Breeders, Pearl Jam.

The cooks start discussing grunge and Generation Xers. “I’m not a Gen Xer, I think I am a millennial.” He is briefly interrupted, “I thought they were called generation Y?” The first speaker continues, “I read somewhere that you are considered a Generation Xer if you can remember where you were during the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion. I can’t.”

I can. And that day was a wakeup call.
Summer Slide Part One - Montessori Blog - Grumble Services Learning Resources Blog Post
June 8, 2021

Summer Slide

Summer Learning Loss – Fact or Fiction? Most of us have heard of the so-called summer learning loss, sometimes referred to as the ‘summer slide.’ Back in the early 1980s, researchers came to the conclusion that students’ achievement scores declined over the summer months. To this day, it remains the go-to industry standard.

Fast forward to now. We definitely continue to hear proponents endorsing the idea of an increasing learning gap and harping on its message. However, researchers are now questioning the validity of a research project occurring so many years ago.
Montessori Blog - Earth Day 2021 - Grumble Services Learning Resources Blog Post
April 27, 2021

Earth Day

This past Saturday, I invited my students to join me in the Annual Milwaukee Riverkeeper Spring Cleanup. I get some sort of weird satisfaction from picking litter up with my grabber tool. Looking for a central site safely away from busy traffic, I stumbled upon the Kinnickinnic Trail.

Like many educators, I have deep concerns for my students when they get older. What legacy are the generations before them leaving behind?

Our world is on fire and our planet is melting. Is it too late to affect real change?
Montessori Blog - School Reopening- Grumble Services Learning Resources Blog Post
April 13, 2021

School Reopenings

School reopenings are occurring more and more each day. Our school district has been 100% virtual since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. As I type, students are finishing up spring break and preparing to head back to in-person school for the first time this year.

I would be lying to you if I told you I didn’t have any misgivings. I’m convinced the general public has little idea as to what hoops schools need to leap through in order to raise the façade of normalcy for its families. I also believe many students will be coming back with the mindset that school might look close to what it was like before March, 2020.

Unschooling Movement Montessori Method Blog Grumble Services Blog elementary Montessori materials and learning resources
March 8, 2021

Unschooling Movement

Unschooling Movement is an informal learning approach encouraging learner-chosen activities over adult-chosen ones. It was inspired by John Holt, widely regarded as the ‘father of unschooling.’ He served in the military during WWII. As a civilian, he served as a dissatisfied elementary school teacher.

Coining this term in the 1970s, Holt came to the conclusion reforming the American school system was an impossibility. He began recommending to parents to keep their children at home; to let them decide what to learn and when.