Reflections from Taitung City

I have now been home for 2 weeks, the time has gone very quickly as there was much to do.  I had a wonderful week in Taiwan.  The students were so gracious and eager to learn.  I am excited to see how the children will respond when our students are back in the classroom full time!

Before we left we spent few minutes at the beach; it was odd seeing the Pacific Ocean from the 'other side'.  We saw some interesting people, a huge pet pig, and an amazing umbrella-type structure.  We walked up under the structure and there were etchings in the floor with the milage to various islands in the Pacific.  It was great to think about how close we were to Australia!  I hope to go back next year and have a little more time to sight-see.

 I wanted to share a couple of pictures of the school and the children and the beautiful infant and toddler classroom.  The children made a lasting impression on my heart.

I'm in Taiwan!

Sunday was a VERY long day for me.  After finishing teaching and packing it was almost midnight Saturday night before I went to bed.  Then up at 4:00 to catch the 8:30 flight from Beijing to Taipei where I was greeting by my next hostess, Jane Wang.  We traveled to the other end of Taipei to wait 5 hours for our flight to Taitung City where I am teaching now.
While in Taipei, we visited the world's 4th tallest building, Taipei 101.  Of course we only visited the first 5 floors which were filled with high end stores, but this is a pretty impressive sight!
It is early Thursday morning and we are already halfway through this class. As always, God has sent some really wonderful people to take the class.  They are all very well educated in early childhood, but very eager to learn more about Montessori education. 
We observed in the lab school here on Tuesday morning and when we discussed our observations I guided them through an exercise to see how a change in the environment could affect the behavior of the children.  That afternoon the students begged to go make some changes, so we worked about 2 hours and rearranged the environment.  When we observed again Wednesday morning, the difference was profound!  This is one of the reasons I do this--it is so rewarding to see students grasp the ideas, desire to implement them, and then see positive results.  They still have a way to go, but I am confident that after I leave, they will continue to make positive changes for the children.

I received a warm welcome at the University where I am teaching!  Here I am with Jane, on the right, and my translator, Dr. Shu-Feng Chen on the left.  The flowers and sign were a gift from the students.

From my point of view

This is the view from my hotel room on one of the clearer days we've had.  If you look closely you can actually see the mountains.  When I look this window I am filled with many emotions; there are so many people.  The streets are crowded with cars, bicycles, mopeds, and pedestrians.  The high rise buildings are filled with people and the air is filled with a myriad of aromas.  I have come to love these people and my heart aches knowing that so many of them live lives void of any relationship with God.  They are good people, caring people, and so many of them are oh so lost.

I have one full day left in Beijing; in many ways the time has passed quickly.  As always, I conclude this time wondering if I did enough.  I wonder if they understand the concepts and if I inspired them to go out and make a difference?  Was I clear in my teaching?  Are they pondering the new information and processing it well?  How many of these students will complete all of the assignments and have a successful internship that leads to certification?  So many questions, but I did my best and ask my Heavenly Father to bless my words and multiply my efforts.  I also pray that they were able to see Jesus in James, Michelle and I.  James and Michelle will be teaching here 4 more weeks; I pray for their strength, health, wisdom, and witness.

For the many friends I have made this month I am extremely grateful.  For the opportunity to worship with fellow believers at the Beijing International Christian Fellowship I am truly blessed.  For the meeting I had with Dr. Marlene Barron at the AMS training center I am indebted, and for the "chance" meeting with Karen Brenneman from New Day Creations orphanage, I am amazed.  I don't know what future plans God has for me in China, but I am at peace and strongly feel I will be back.

As wonderful as this year's trip has been, I really miss home--western food, television, and mostly my family!  (I did find a Papa John's pizza--look at their delivery vehicles!)  30 days without seeing my husband and kids is a little too long for this lady; of course ATT should be happy!!  Ryan finished 2 weeks of camp today and it sounds like he had a blast.  Rachel is doing well and trying to not give birth to Emmerson until I return, and Edgar is taking care of all the details on the home front.  I fly to Taiwan early Sunday morning for  week of teaching and then HOME on what would have been my mom's 98th birthday!  I will try to post a few times from Taiwan, thanks for reading and for your prayers.


 

God's Busy in China!

Have you ever had what you thought was a "Divine Appointment"?  I believe I had one on Sunday!  We went to Beijing International Christian Fellowship for the third Sunday--such a blessing.  Each week there has been a different speaker and worship team, all very different and all very good.  This day after church one of our students, Sarah from the Philippines who introduced us to the church, wanted to take us to a Tex Mex place to eat as she knows I am craving western food.  The place was about a 15 minute drive from the church and we got there, ordered our food, and who walked in but the preacher, Byron Brenneman and his wife!!  Seriously there are 20 gazillon people in Beijing and this was 15 minutes from the church---are the odds we would end up at the same place for lunch?!!

They recognized us from church (we sat in my normal spot on the third row) and waved hello. Once they had ordered their food and we had finished ours, I went over to talk with them.  The church is trying to raise funds to print some children's Sunday School literature and I wanted more information.  As we talked they asked why I was in China and I briefly told them.  At this point his wife, Karen, became very interested and said that two of the girls who work with her had just come back from taking Montessori training and were very excited about it.  She is, are you ready?--the director of an orphanage for special needs children in Beijing!! 

If you know anything about me, you know that for MANY years it was my desire to adopt a little girl from China.  Each time I come here I keep thinking I would love to visit an orphanage.  Well, one thing led to another and Karen asked if I would be interested in coming over to do any training at the orphanage!!! Really?  I don't know how or when, but we exchanged information and I am already thinking of how I can do just that.  God knows the desires of our heart and His timing is perfect.  I don't think it is possible that we will adopt a child, but to have the opportunity to serve, even for a short time, is amazing to me.

So, I think that was a Divine Appointment, what do you think?

May I introduce you?

Do you see this lovely lady with Michelle?  Her name is Ye qigong Zhang, no I can't pronounce it either, but neither can I forget her.
I originally met her last summer and was so impressed with her servant's heart.  You see, she is the custodian for the school and she is an incredibly hard worker.  She is at the school 6 days a week and is always smiling, I mean really--this woman is cheerful!
She mops floors, cleans windows, scrubs playground equipment, washes sinks...she keeps the entire building looking great and never complains.
Ye qigong is a very humble woman and I had to twist he arm to take her picture, but she has touched my heart with how sweetly she goes about her daily chores.  I am reminded of a poem I memorized when I was a child.  I think it is a good reminder on this Saturday evening as I prepare my heart for worship tomorrow morning.

"Father, where shall I work today?"
My heart asked willingly.
He pointed toward a little spot, and
Said, "Tend that for me".

"Oh no" I cried, "Not that little place,
Why no one would ever see!
No matter how well my work was done,
Not that little place for me!"

And the words He spoke, they were
Not harsh, He answered me tenderly.
"Aw, little one, search that heart of thine,
Art thou working for them or me?  Nazareth
Was a little place, and so was Galilee."

Holidays and Hailstorms!

Today the students presented their Prenatal Timelines.  I am really pleased with the work they are doing--this is a dedicated group of men and women!  We have completed 9 days of class--72 hours of lectures and discussions, whew!

The city has had three days of holiday for the Dragon Boat Festival.  The Dragon Boat Festival is also known as the Duanwu Festival in China. It is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese lunar calendar.  Tonight is the culmination of this festival and there are many fire crackers exploding!  Because of the holidays only our class has been meeting; the children and staff will return to the school tomorrow--I have missed them!

We had some crazy weather yesterday--in the morning the sun was shining and the air was clear since we had so much rain last week.  Suddenly we had a 20 minute HAIL storm of all things in the middle of the afternoon.  The size of the hail was like large marbles and it was so noisy we had to suspend class for a few minutes.  This is very unusual in Beijing and an hour later the sun was shining again!

Have a great day, we will write more later!

I have now been in Beijing for 10 days!  We have a wonderful group of students including one married couple, who are all eager to learn more about child development, pregnancy, childbirth, infant care, and toddler care.  The discussions have been very good and I am learning more about Chinese culture.  The married couple have their 6 month old and 7 year old daughters with them.  On more than one occasion the little one has been the perfect model for much of what I am teaching!

A couple of the English teachers at the school are Christians and have introduced me to the Beijing International Christian Fellowship; what a wonderful group of believers!  One must show a foreign ID to be allowed to attend the service, so I have attended the English speaking service the last two Sundays.  It is over an hour's drive from my hotel, but well with it!  Both weeks the music, the message, and the people have been so inspiring. 

One of my challenges in China is being able to eat the food--I have a severe sensitivity to anything that lives in water--fish, shellfish, sea weed, fish oil....so eating here is difficult.  I came prepared with instant oatmeal, fig newtons, and peanut butter crackers, but we have still had 3 meals at Pizza Hut and 2 meals at Subway, ha!

After church yesterday, James, Michelle, and I found the best little French bakery so we had to sample some sweets!  I love the French outfits the employees were wearing!

We appreciate your prayers while we are here, and will do our best to keep this blog updated! 

A little late, but news from China

The school year ended with a lovely celebration and luncheon.  The children reviewed the sounds they learned this year and sang several songs in English and Chinese.  We all enjoyed the salads and deserts provided by the parents and, by popular request, I made our Shepherd’s

Pie.  Of course I was busy and took no pictures, but hopefully some of the parents will email me some and I will share them. 

For the next month I will be in Asia and will try to keep you updated on my trip and the work we are doing here.  First of all the flight is long, but thanks to my hosts, I flew business class and Delta has done a great job of improving the 12 hour flight experience for the business customers.  Not only was the food delicious, but also the seats totally recline into a personal flat bed and they provide pillows, upgraded blankets, and a personal filled toiletries bag for each customer.  I watched several movies, read for a while and slept a few hours, which is unusual for me, as I normally cannot sleep on the plane.

When I arrived in Beijing the owner of Kiddie Academy greeted me with roses!  Cathy Chen is always very gracious and it is a pleasure working with her to help her teachers and others learn more about Montessori education.  We loaded my three—yes three—suitcases into the car and arrived at my hotel about midnight Beijing time.  I was reminded again what a spoiled American I am when I was told that the main which for the central air is turned off at night because it is cool at night and we can just open the windows!! 

Well the window opened about 3 inches and of course there were no screens and in order to get any cool breeze I had to leave the curtains open!!  After 2 pretty cold showers I did fall asleep for a few hours but was awakened by the sun pouring in through the windows at 6:00 am.  At this point I am thinking I must find a translator soon who can help me communicate to the hotel that I need AC at night--are there no middle aged women in China who wake up hot in the middle of the night?!

June 1 is Children’s Day in Beijing and most of the schools had programs for the parents—Kiddie Academy is no exception, but I thought I would be going to the school to begin setting up the classroom for my lectures so I dressed very casually—in work clothes.  My mistake.  When Joanna, one of Cathy’s English speaking teachers, arrived to be my personal escort for the day, we immediately went to a different school where they were having their program.  Once there, Cathy asked me to please address the parents and assist in presenting some of the gifts.  My first response was to decline and apologize for my appearance, but she insisted and I felt God reminding me that I was there to serve. Not only I am I current president of the Montessori Institute of America, but considered a kind of dignitary coming from the US—it is very humbling and I want the Lord to use me however He chooses while I am here.

I was introduced to all the parents (about 200) so I could bring greetings and congratulations from MIA and the US.  I was then honored to select the winning raffle ticket for the largest prize and present it to the winning parent!  After the program, I had my picture taken with each of the nine classes of children, their teachers, and their parents!  Hopefully no one notice the bleach stains on my ‘work pants’!

Once the program concluded, we were off to the school and we began the task of preparing for the class of adult students who will begin on Monday.  Kiddie Academy has a large meeting room where the students can sit in desks on one end of the room, Michelle (my friend and translator) can face them in the middle, and behind us we can set up the model rooms.  The first space we create is a model infant home environment that I can modify as the lectures progress.  I change it from a newborn room, to an older infant room to a care giving room as I teach the students about the child at each of these stages. 

Once we finish the prenatal and infant work, we transform the room to a toddler home environment and finally to a toddler care giving space. In this way the students can not only see the different environments, but also they can see how to modify an existing space to accommodate the needs of the growing child.

Our first task was to carefully clean the room, move out or rearrange the existing furniture and plants and begin locating the furniture needed to set up the infant environment.   Not only was Joanna a great help, but several of the teachers where at the school and all eagerly moved furniture, swept and mopped the floor and carried furniture from all over the school so I could set up.  Truly many hands make light work, and these people, many of whom I met last year, are always so kind and helpful.  We finished in just over an hour and this afternoon I will take the materials I brought to finish setting up.

As I mentioned it was Children’s Day, so when we went to Pizza Hut for lunch we waited over an hour, but it was a good opportunity for me to observe Chinese children with their parents!  After eating we came back to the hotel where the air was working and the man from the hotel fixed the wi fi so I am now connected!

All in all it was a great first 24 hours in Beijing!

With Extreme Gratitude

There are so many critical pieces involved when putting together a first rate Montessori program.  Dr. Montessori described the balance of three elements to be essential in what is described as a true Montessori program.

The first element is the physical environment.  When deciding where to set up a classroom, beautiful natural lighting and plenty of space is desirable.  Of course having a complete set of the materials Dr. Montessori developed is essential so that the children can do the work of developing their minds.  The materials are not only child-sized, but are self correcting and intentional in their design.  They should be very attractive and arranged on the shelves in logical order.

children.  Montessori discovered that children develop in three-year planes.  By grouping children together who are on the same plane, we can maximize their learning experience.  In the Primary classroom we enroll children who are basically between the ages of three years and six years of age that allows them to work in each subject area on the level that is individually most appropriate.

When adults learn to be Montessori teachers they become certified on different levels.  Each level of training requires at least 210 classroom hours and a 9-month internship.  The certification levels are Birth to Three, Three to Six, Six to Nine, Nine, Nine to Twelve, and Twelve to Fifteen.

The third critical element is the adult in the environment.  The adult must not only be well versed in Montessori philosophy and pedagogy, but must be a keen observer.  Dr. Montessori did not refer to the adults as teachers but Directresses or Guides, because they do not teach in the traditional sense.  After carefully observing the child, this prepared adult directs or guides the child to appropriate learning materials.  

While most intelligent adults can learn the materials and philosophy and can even learn to become a careful observer, really outstanding Guides have more. 

Really outstanding Montessori adults express a true respect for children.  These adults do not consider themselves superior to children, but delight in spending time with them and watching them discover new truths.  They diligently prepare new materials and they share their love of learning with the children.  They bring a sense of joy to the classroom and they genuinely care about each child.

This week I was reminded once again that God has blessed our school with all three of the critical elements that make an outstanding Montessori program.

On Monday evening, when I very suddenly and without forewarning, was stricken with a severe attack of acute pancreatitis that resulted in five days in the hospital and emergency gall bladder surgery, I knew that everything at the school would be fine.  I knew that under the leadership of Michelle and James, and the availability of Miss Karen, the school would easily continue without missing a beat.

I am so grateful, and hope that you are too, for the dedication as well as professionalism of Michelle and James.  It was so comforting to know that these outstanding Montessori professionals would continue to be at school each day to love on, and guide your children.  We are truly blessed to have them and while I hope to not ever have a

medical emergency like this again, I am grateful to know that the school is in great hands.

I also appreciate the prayers, emails, texts, and calls from many of you!  I should be back at school full time this week.  Seeing the children and hearing their precious voices was great ‘medicine’ for the few hours I was at school this week!

Montessori Philosophy

Many times I am asked to describe, simply, what Montessori is and what makes a Montessori school different from other schools.  It is a simple question, but not so simple an answer.

To begin, Dr. Maria Montessori was the first woman physician in Italy, and as a physician she approached education from a scientific approach.  She observed children and developed a pedagogy based on her observations.  One of the greatest contributions Dr. Montessori made to the educational world is  her discovery that children do not come to us as mini adults or as 'blank slates', but rather their minds are like sponges that absorb, without filters, everything in their environment.  By the time they are three years of age, they have absorbs and incorporated not only a native language, but a native culture!

It is for this reason that authentic Montessori environments are filled with natural light, lovely child-sized furnishings, rich learning materials, and a well educated staff.  We do not set up typical 'learning centers' with activities to re-enforce what the teacher says.  Rather out classrooms are very orderly and filled with self-correcting materials that the child uses to 'construct' his mind.  The adult carefully observes the child and presents new materials on an individual basis as the child is ready or shows an interest.  There is no lock-step learning here--each child is an individual progresses individually.

“Mentally, the children have an immense power and are capable of great effort and concentration.  Their intellectual curiosity is limitless.  This curiosity is not the same as that o f the adult’s.  A scientist, for example, seeks to find something new.  The children’s purpose is the formation of their own minds.  They take in new information in order to re-form it and bring it into existing relation ship with what is already there.  Recent research substantiates this conclusion of Montessori.  The frontal cortex of the brain is not a storage place but is in constant formation and re-formation, in interaction not only with the outer environment, but within the brain’s own interior pathways.”

                                              From Montessori Today by Paula Polk Lillard

We are so grateful to have the opportunity to observe the daily miracles these children reveal as they interact with the environment, each other and us!  

Have you ever observed a Montessori classroom?  What were your impressions?  How did you feel about it?  We would love your feedback.

Starting Again

It is sad, but true; I forgot about my blog!  Not quite sure how that happens, but in all the busyness of school, and children, and church, and life, I suddenly realized that I had sorely neglected this blog!   A few of you have hung in there and still check it occasionally--thank you.

For a small recap since the last blog post:  We had a very good second year of school, starting with 12 students.  We moved to a new location on Brown's Bridge Road in January of 2012.  The Board, parents, and students came together and we dedicated the building to God on February 4, 2012.

We finished the school year in May and prepared for the opening of the Primary class in August 2012.  For a variety of reasons, we did not have an elementary class this past year.  Many of our students aged out, some decided to homeschool and several moved out of the area.  

When I reviewed my calendar from last spring, I am amazed at what the Lord was able to accomplish through my meager efforts!  We completed the paperwork and are now a 501 c 3 non profit organization, which means we can accept donations!  We got the new Primary classroom all set up, I prepared for my three weeks of teaching in China last summer, we completed the paperwork to sponsor Miss Michelle for her H1B visa, AND my daughter has a little wedding!  It was quite a few months, but He saw us through it all!  

Our Primary class has been outstanding and such a blessing.  Miss Michelle is our lead teacher and Mr. James is completing his Montessori internship as her assistant.  We have 10 students, all of whom are new to Montessori but doing exceptionally well.  One big change has been the addition of hot meals to our program.  The new building has a full kitchen and currently I am the head cook!


As we begin enrolling students for the fall classes, we are thankful that almost all of our current students want to return, and we are getting several inquiries from possible new students.  It is our earnest prayer that next fall we will have both classrooms full of precious children eager to learn.  

This ministry reminds us daily of our dependance upon our Heavenly Father, but we would not have it any other way.  As the old song goes, "Many things about tomorrow, I don't seem to understand, but I know Who holds the future, and I know He holds my hand."  We are eager to invite many new children to this amazing little place He  has provided and watch them bloom.  I will try to do a better job of updating this post so you can celebrate the fun stuff and pray us through the uncertainties.  Thank you for journeying with us!