|
TNSM Parents
Honoring a Legacy of Parental Involvement
at TNSM
The New School Montessori was founded by a group of
parents in 1970, and that legacy of parents sharing their time and
talent continues to shape and enrich the TNSM community.
In the classroom parents support the curriculum
and help out with special events. Parents share their knowledge and
family traditions through special classroom presentations. Parents
serve as chaperones on field trips—including the annual
overnight camping trip and trips to Cleveland and Washington, D.C.
The TNSM Board is made up entirely of parents, and work outside of
the classroom happens largely through Board Committees that often
include non-Board parents. Parent volunteers provide the
refreshments that make gatherings at TNSM—whether educational
or strictly social—more welcoming. And major events, such as
the Harvest Moon Festival and the Auction rely on the energy and
creativity of an army of parent volunteers.
Parents who contribute their time and talents
make TNSM a better school and, in turn, are rewarded with a deeper
sense of community and life-long friendships.
A Parent's Appreciation
This section of the newsletter is an opportunity
for TNSM parents to share thoughts on some of the things that they
value most about The New School Montessori and the Montessori
experience.
One of the many, many things I appreciate about The New School Montessori is our outdoor playspaces, which are really quite exceptional. Many American parents have begun to focus on how little time our children spend playing outdoors. There’s even a best-selling book that addresses “Nature-Deficit Disorder,” called Last Child In the Woods. While these concerns are quite pressing, they don’t really touch us as TNSM parents. We know that our kids get plenty of fresh air and exercise in a very magical space where their imaginations have the room and the materials to soar.
When my children were in the pre-primary program, we had a rule that they had to take off their shoes and dump out the sand inside of them before entering the house. The length of time that sand just kept pouring and pouring out of each little shoe boggled our minds. We didn’t know how they could still walk with so much extra weight, but we knew that in addition to learning incredible things in the classroom that day, they had experienced holistic education. We knew they had played in the fresh air, poked at worms with sticks, experimented with mud and pine cones and stuck those funny, whirly seed pod things to the ends of their noses.
When our kids moved on to the elementary playground, it turned out that they were introduced to a new, magical play-space which is bigger, and a little wilder, as is appropriate for bigger kids that are ready for new challenges. At every age, when our kids play outside they are building, exploring materials from nature, problem solving, working in teams, and “playplay- playing” in a kingdom of their own making. Their faces get fabulously dirty, and let us not speak of the condition of the knees of their pants. This is exactly how I think kids should spend their playtime. ~ Rebeca Arbona |
