Arbor Montessori recently issued the following announcement.
In honor of a new season of parent-teacher conferences, I thought I would share my progress reports from my Montessori years (yes, from the early 80s).
If you look closely, you might notice that at three years old, my attention span left a lot to be desired. After three years of exploring with the materials, working with the practical life activities, and engaging with my friends in my multi-aged class, things improved quite a bit. Of course, if I fast forward to upper elementary, my work habits were not stellar, and my teacher was keenly aware of my inability to get along with others. Yikes!
I am grateful my parents took these marks as they were intended: a snapshot of where I was at that moment in time. These checks were unable to convey are the friendships I had formed—one of my kindergarten classmates was in my wedding—the obstacles I overcame, the persistence I showed when working with lessons that were difficult for me to grasp, the ebbs and flows of my abilities from year to year, and the lifelong love of learning I developed during my time in my Montessori school.
As teachers meet and share more about your child’s triumphs and challenges, remember that our conference reflects a single snapshot of your child’s life at this particular moment. Some of what we observe will stay the same, while other habits and traits will change dramatically. Your child who rarely “works without disturbing others” today may show great community building or lobbying skills later on. A love of the brown stair today may indeed translate into an engineering career tomorrow.
Who knows what may happen in twenty, thirty, or forty years? Just know that we, as parents and teachers together, are here to support the children where they are today, knowing that tomorrow, your children will become the amazing people they are meant to be.
Original source can be found here.
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