Tag: Social Justice

Grace and Courtesy Montessori Method Blog Grumble Services Blog elementary Montessori materials and learning resources
October 12, 2021

Grace & Courtesy

Grace & Courtesy: Teachers are picking up their virtual classroom pieces, gluing them back together and are now attempting to rebuild their classroom communities.

I’m not going to lie to you, this is truly a tall order. Virtual school was not ideal for many reasons. But it did offer one very important component which is missing from a school year littered with COVID obstacles and learning loss hurdles: Consistency.

Montessori classrooms that began the year relying on grace and courtesy lessons seem to be bouncing back most quickly. Here’s why.
Public Montessori Blog Grumble Services Blog elementary Montessori materials and learning resources
September 21, 2021

Non-Negotiables

Non-negotiables: Last week I started discussing the challenges Montessori programs might face when being implemented into a public-school system. These struggles can vary from small to large. And when looked at in their totality, they can have a devastating effect on a Montessori program.

Within public schools, we are asked to compromise a number of Montessori principles. Some of these compromises we can live with while some we simply cannot. To those we can’t, I refer to them as the ‘non-negotiables.’ And, believe me, the public school system has its own set of ‘non-negotiable’ too. 
School Is Out For Summer Public Montessori Blog Grumble Services Blog elementary Montessori materials and learning resources
September 14, 2021

Public Montessori

Public Montessori Schools: If I am being honest, I’m not even sure where to begin on this topic. Over my years as a Montessori educator, I feel ‘whether you can practice the Montessori Method with fidelity in the public sector’ continues to be a hotly debated topic.

During my first-year teaching at a new school, I remember an early conversation I had with one of the upper elementary guides I worked with. She hastily pointed out to me her opinion about public Montessori: “It’s impossible to teach Montessori in public schools.” I thought, my gosh, is this true?
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.