Take your time

Thoughts & Reflections

Do you remember, when we were in school, and you we got really interested in a project? For some of us we may need to think hard, but there was definitely something, at some point. Right?

Maybe it was a difficult math problem, one that posed a serious challenge; or, perhaps a creative exercise in storytelling? Remember? We were so enraptured by the activity, so committed to solving the problem, or finding the right word to capture our imagination, that time simply seemed to fade away.

What happened next? BOOM! The bell rang, or further still, the teacher closed the math book, or called the story telling time to an end. They looked at their watch, and told us we were now changing subjects. “Please open up your history book, and turn to page 173. If you remember, yesterday we were discussing Napoleon.”

Well, that doesn’t happen in Montessori. Children are free to choose their own activities, and spend as much time with them as they wish. Today was a perfect case in point. We had a student that was so interested in the decanomial square that he literally devoted the entire day to exploring this activity, which has many variations, as you can discern from the pictures.

What is more, since it was such a beautiful day, he decided that he wanted to take this activity outside, and work with it under the sun. This is another important point to note about Montessori. Learning doesn’t just take place inside the classroom, it takes place everywhere. All this to say, he spent the day, following his own interests, discovering and overcoming his own challenges.

A good reminder for us all: Take your Time..