“It often happens that, in obedience to a set program of studies, a teacher is obliged to hustle on his pupils to reach a certain attainment by a certain date. His eyes, and therefore those of his pupils, too, are fixed on the future; and the whole atmosphere becomes one of forward-looking tension. This is a mistake: because, though the sensitive period is a “period of power,” i.e., the power of acquiring certain cognitions with a special facility, speed, thoroughness, it is a present power, and will not last forever. Therefore, in order to make the fullest use of it we must let the child live wholly in the present, using the wonderful gifts of the present.”
E.M, Standing. Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work. p.140
I miss the prepared environment of school and worry about how to meet Joule’s needs at home. I miss being around other students and teachers. I feel lonely sometimes, even in the company of my family so I know Joule misses her classmates too.
It looks like I will most probably be homeschooling Joule throughout the next school year, when she is 3 years old. I’m still in the process of completing my Early Childhood Montessori credential and was supposed to do one year of practice teaching in a primary classroom but with everything that’s going on; the Covid-19 pandemic still active and the school I worked at closing, staying home for the long haul seems to be the most prudent choice to make for our family.
However, staying alive and healthy during this time is my most important goal. I am devastated for all the families who have lost loved ones because of the coronavirus outbreak, and as a parent of a young child, I am so scared of getting sick and not being able to care for my daughter. The average age of new infections seem to trend younger, and with our city trying to get back to normal, I fear that it will become the epicenter again.
My challenge for the next couple of weeks is transforming our living room to become more of a home learning environment for her. I have to figure out what works for us in our small space and make do with what we have. It’s tricky because coming from a classroom environment, I’ve seen how the physical space is such a big factor in the child’s behavior, so attempting to replicate that at home can be frustrating. I’m going to be as kind to myself and manage my expectations of this process and of Joule’s behavior. I’ll let both of us try our best to be fully present during this time.