Concentration is one of the four cornerstones of the primary aged, Montessori philosophy.  The other three are order, coordination and independence.  Ms. Melissa demonstrated the concept of concentration to the students last week, first by using the yellow, knob less cylinders in a distracted manner where her eyes were wandering and her hands knocked over her work.

Then, by using concentration and her imagination, Ms. Melissa was careful to put each cylinder in order from largest to smallest. 

Once she accomplished this, Ms. Melissa was  easily able to build the tower in a vertical manner.

This ability to focus on a task, and be willing to have the patience to methodically interact with the materials in a manner that is orderly and with purpose, is a hallmark of a Montessori education.

Completing the 100 Board

Concentration is a life skill that takes time to grow and, by practicing the skill over and over, the ease and power of its effect begins to take root in the student and eventually they experience clarity of thought in the execution of the job at hand.

With enough practice, the desire to approach a task from a place of concentration begins to feel like second nature to the student and they begin to internalize the positive feeling of using their powers of concentration.

Our classroom “fish wall” has expanded:

A Spanish lesson.

Thank you to all of the families who attended the Parent/Child night.  It is one of those special nights where the child is truly leading the adults around in their world; and with an open, watchful eye, a parent can learn much from their child.  We appreciate your participation in this important night.

A special thanks to Ms. Nancy, Paxton’s mother for bringing the Chinese New Year to life in our classroom today.

REMINDERS

Celebration of Dr. Seuss is on Monday, 3/2.  Please help your child dress up as their favorite Dr. Seuss character.

Celebrating “100 Days of Kindergarten.”

Ready for P.E. with Coach Bob.

Parent/teacher conferences are scheduled for Thursday 3/5 (half day dismissal) and all day on Friday 3/6 (no school for students). Thanks to Grace (and her family) for providing great snacks and beautiful flowers for our classroom. Spring break begins Friday, 3/27 (half day dismissal) and school resumes Tuesday, 4/7.