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Spontaneous Self-Discipline
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An indicator of healthy and normal development in children (and adults, too!) is the presence of self-discipline that seems to appear almost out of nowhere. In reality, there are factors that contribute significantly to the development of self-discipline in the child and adult.
As a child's will is strengthened by the use of free choice, spontaneous self-discipline appears and we see concentration, coordination, order and independence develop within the life of the child.
Children are born willing to listen and follow adults whom they trust. When we as the adults in a child's life can provide the child with clear direction for independent activity, concentration is strengthened and self-discipline forms.
The word, discipline, has roots in the Latin word, discere, to learn. Self-discipline connotes that we are able to learn and follow a path with self-determination and control.
Sue and Steve worked to create a home environment for their three-year-old daughter, Tasha, where Tasha could make appropriate choices for her activities. Their home contained a variety of independent tasks for Tasha, from working puzzles to making a snack for herself and others. Steve and Sue used their home to create a place where Tasha could tap into the natural tendencies of early childhood love of order, love of purposeful activity, love of silence, obedience, attachment to reality, practice in choosing, and support of independent activity. All these factors contributed to Tasha's development of self-discipline.
Tasha showed the signs of healthy and natural development: joyful activity, a sociability to help others, ability to concentrate on self-chosen tasks for over an hour at a time, as well as the ability to listen and follow directions from the trusted adults in her life.
A morning with Tasha might look something like this:
7:00 am Wake up, go into parents' room to tell them good morning and get a hug and kiss.
7:15 am Choose clothes and get dressed independently.
7:30 am Pour milk on oatmeal, put jam on toast, and carry to table.
8:00 am Put dishes in dishwasher and brush teeth without reminder from parents.
8:15 am Help Sue sweep porch.
8:30 am Choose puzzle from activity shelf.
9:00 am Put puzzle away. Choose blocks.
9:30 am Put blocks away. Choose beading necklace.
10:00 am Put beading necklace away. Make snack in kitchen with Steve.
10:30 am Go outside and feed dog.
10:45 am Swing.
11:00 am Dig in garden.
12:00 pm Go to bathroom, wash hands, set table for lunch.
12:30 pm Help clear table. Choose book for Sue to read at naptime.
Tasha's parents
have created an environment where Tasha can make successful choices for purposeful activities in an independent manner. Tasha is able to live with quiet dignity, gaining self-discipline and self-confidence with each activity chosen and successfully completed.
Summary: Children who are on-track with their development display all or most of the following: love of order; love of work; deep, spontaneous concentration; attachment to reality; love of silence; love of working alone; sublimation of the possessive instinct; power to act from real choice not just curiosity or impulsivity; trust and obedience; independence and initiative, as well as spontaneous self-discipline.
The main sign of normal and natural development, or normalization, is joyful work. Nurturing this process of normalization is our most important work.
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Maren Schmidt, MA is a Montessori educator and was the founder and, for many years, the head of a Montessori School. Maren is the author of Understanding Montessori and writes an award-winning, nationally syndicated parenting column, KidsTalk News, from which this essay was drawn. Maren Schmidt is a member of the New Gate Board. She lives in Oregon. |
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Quicknotes - February 7, 2012
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Upcoming Events
The Importance of the Kindergarten Year
Thursday February 9, 2012 from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM EST
At this session we will take a close look at NewGate's curriculum and the academic development typical of our five-year-olds completing the third year of the Primary Program. As a point of comparison, we will contrast it to traditional kindergarten programs typically followed by the local schools. Going beyond academics, we will consider the development of character, independence, self-confidence, curiosity, internal sense of order, and self-discipline among New Gate students during their culminating year in the first level of the advanced Montessori program.
The Potter Room
The Race To Nowhere - An Intimate Screening and Discussion
Monday February 13, 2012 from 9:00 AM to 10:45 AM EST
Race To Nowhere is an acclaimed documentary that explores the often-ignored, dark side of America's over-emphasis on highly competitive educational programs that stress test scores and hours of homework, over a calmer, more thoughtful approach to deep learning. The film address topics that many parents find thought-provoking and disturbing.
NewGate School
Montessori 101: An Overview of The Foundations of The Montessori Approach
Thursday February 16, 2012 from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM EST
This workshop will offer a broad introduction to the Montessori approach. Topics will include: how we create a prepared environment for young children; the structure of the day and role of the teachers; the psychological principles behind the Montessori educational materials; why the classes are multi-age grouped; how the teachers track the the children's progress; and the rationale for combining two smaller groups of children into one larger group with two adults. We will consider the question of competition and adult expectations in Montessori, how Montessori teachers monitor each student's development, the outcomes of a Montessori education, the importance of student- initiated work, and how well Montessori students make the transition to traditional programs, should they elect to transfer. In addition, we will consider some of the common myths and misperceptions about Montessori education.
The Potter Room
February Class and Community Meetings
Thursday February 16, 2012 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM EST
This month's class meetings will begin at 6:30pm. The community meeting will begin at 7:30pm. They will focus on an overview of the program at each level. Childcare will be provided.
The classrooms
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New Playground Equipment
Please Help Us Reach Our $25,000 Goal!
Back in October, two NewGate Upper Elementary students, Nina Edelsbacher and Trinity Johnson, came to us with a proposal to raise money to build a new playground. After meetings with Chris Hice and other members of the Buildings and Grounds Committee, we estimated that the cost would end up around $50,000-$60,000, well beyond what we could afford this year.
In hopes of meeting this challenge, the Montessori Foundation looked for the best suppliers of natural playground equipment in North America, and found Bears Natural Playgrounds. The company is family owned, and very interested in working with the Montessori Foundation to introduce their work to the community of Montessori schools. You can see their work by visiting their website at: .
The Montessori Foundation has been in touch with the president of this company, Danny Bears, and he is willing to work with us to give us a substantial discount on his equipment in return for help promoting his products to other Montessori schools around the world. This we can do through the Foundation's website, conferences, and magazines.
The amount that the school needs to raise for major pieces of equipment for the Primary and Elementary Children, along with age- and size-appropriate equipment for our Toddlers is approximately $25,000.
Nina and Trinity have taken this project head on and have already raised about $1,800. They have studied and shared the catalog with their fellow students to figure out which components they'd like to see built into their design. Our goal is to raise the money quickly and get this equipment installed before the end of the school year. The photos above are examples of projects they designed for other schools. Please take a few moments and visit their website. Share your children's excitement and please give generously. Click on the button below to donate online designate PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT
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Friends of Montessori
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Since our kick-off last October, we have raised over $2.000, of which approximately $1,000 was awarded as a match to our student efforts to raise capital for the playground. Most importantly, Friends of Montessori is putting NewGate in the forefront of local business circles. Thanks for your ongoing comments and suggestions. We will now focus on adding more retailers and restaurants across the Sarasota/Manatee area. Do you know of any retailer, restaurant owners, or service providers who would like to get FREE advertising? If you do, if they are in the Sarasota, Arcadia, Manatee, Ocala, Parrish and Englewood areas, simply contact or email Thetu Kishoiyian at thetubk@yahoo.com or Guenther Edelsbacher at guenther@edelsbacher.com, or complete the inquiry forms at the office and leave it for either of us with Carmen. |
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Parents Night Out
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Parent's Night Out is coming up on Friday, February 10th, 5:30 - 8:00. The NewGate Babysitters will take care of your children while you get to go out and have a good time! The cost is only $15 per child! Please come and drop off you children for a night of games, movies, snacks, and fun! For more information, please contact Lori Gomez, 7th Grader, at 941-445-7451 or email me at
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We have had a number of parents observe that some students occasionally come to school dressed in a way that is inconsistent with the guidelines of the school's dress code. The concern has been for very tight pants or shorts, shorts that may be less than modest, and school shirts that are very tight or revealing. We also ask that children wear shoes that are suitable for running.
There are two basic reasons why we adopted a school dress code.
Emotionally, we want to avoid the power or the defensiveness that "fashion" can create, even in very young children. The child as a person, not the empowerment that fashionable clothes can create (or take away), is the issue at NewGate.
Also, we don't want clothing to be a distraction. Our school is gentle, but we take our studies seriously, and many years ago we concluded that, in setting limits on dress, we underscore the respect that we ask all students to demonstrate for the learning process.
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Reenrollment is now open, and new applications are beginning to be considered for fall admission. Reenrollment forms will be mailed home this week. Please watch for them and return them to the office by March 1.
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Friendly Fridays
Last Friday several families who are interested in, or who have applied for admission to the school next fall, joined us for Friendly Friday after school. Clearly this was a great opportunity for them, and a wonderful way to continue to build an ever stronger school community. We encourage NGS families to consider inviting a friend to join us for Friendly Friday - 3:30 to 4:30 every Friday when school is in session. Please consider bringing food and beverages to share.
NewGate Talks For Parents
NewGate holds one or more free talks for parents weekly, either in the morning after drop off or on the occasional evening. More and more families who are considering NGS for next year have begun to attend. Please let your friends and colleagues know of any talks that you feel they might find interesting.
Thursday, February 16th - Special Classroom Meetings @ 6:30pm Mark this date on your calender and invite a friend to come with you. Get a sneak peak of the curriculum that awaits your child at the next level.There will be presentations by students and opportunities to ask questions. You won't want to miss this!
Thursday, March 15th - Student Demonstration Night @ 6:30pm Plan ahead and invite a friend to this night, where your children become the teachers and marvel us with their brilliance! Bring your friends to see why our students have a love of learning.
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