 | |
Spontaneous Self-Discipline
| | by Maren Schmidt | | |
|
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.
|
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. |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Quicknotes - February 27, 2012
|
|
Interview with Tori Miller, New Gate Alumna Class of 2011
| 
Over the winter break, Lorna McGrath sat down with Tori Miller, one of last year's graduates, to talk about her years at New Gate and her first semester at Aquinas College in California, a highly regarded liberal arts college based on the study of the Great Books.
Click here to listen to the audio recording of their conversation.
|
| |
Upcoming Events
Montessori Family Life - Working together as a parenting team
Tuesday February 28, 2012 from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM EST
We call this session "the wrap up." Parents will gather for the final session to learn strategies for increasing their ability to work together in communicating with and setting limits for their children. Topics include: supporting each others parenting style; ways to promote partnership; and making family life fun!
The Race To Nowhere - An Intimate Screening and Discussion
Monday, March 5, 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.
Is Montessori Right for You?
Tuesday, March 6, 2012 from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM EST
Join us for coffee, an introductory video, lively discussion, and a tour of the school!
Back to Top
|
|
There are only days left in our Re-enrollment Period for 2012-2013!
|  March first is the end of our Re-enrollment and the beginning of Open Enrollment for the 2012-13 school year. We are happy to announce that there are many new applicants who are anxious to join our school community in 2012 and we want them to have your child in class with them!
So if you haven't returned your child's Enrollment Agreement yet, please do so that we can assure your child's place at NewGate.
There are some very nice discounts that you will be eligible for by meeting the March 1 deadline as well - interest free payment plans, discounts for pre-payments.
|
|
Financial Aid for 2012-13
|  Each year NewGate School is committed to helping children and their families to be part of our school community who might not otherwise be able to afford it. If your family needs financial assistance for the 2012-2013 school year, please go online to www.factstuitionaid.com and submit your application as soon as possible. The Financial Aid Committee will be reviewing applications during the month of March and awarding aid by April 1. Families must apply for financial each year. |
|
Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences!
|  March conferences are fast approaching! Conferences will be on Friday, March 16. Carmen is ready in the office to help you schedule a time for your conference. If your child is in the final year of primary or in elementary or secondary, he/she is expected to attend the conference with you.
Childcare will be available throughout the day from 8:00am-4:00pm. If you need childcare for more than your conference time there will be a $30 charge and you must sign up in advance. (The charge does not apply to those students who are enrolled in the Extended Day Early Childhood Program or the Full Year Aftercare Program.)
In preparation for conferences, we invite you to observe in your child's classroom and also join us for Student Demonstration Night on Thursday, March 15.
|
The New Playground Equipment Has Been Ordered
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
|
|
Friends of Montessori
| 
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. |
|
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.
We ask that parents and students be aware of the dress code and abide by it. Thanks.
Back to Top |
| |
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, 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.
Back to Top
|
|
|
|
|
