Children’s House students begin their work developing Practical Life skills the minute they enter the classroom.  They learn to sweep, blow their noses, serve themselves snack, and wash their dishes, etc. etc.  However, these skills don’t stop when students transition to Elementary.  Older students grow in responsibility on campus and gain ownership over the extended community by participating in campus jobs. 

One such job depicted here is of a safety patrol person.  This person’s primary role is to escort younger students that are participating in carline to their classrooms.  While it sounds adorable, and trust us, it is absolutely adorable, there is really a lot of other unseen and important things occurring in the moment. 

The older student is experiencing an opportunity to learn about work.  The student must first apply for the position, be accepted, placed on a schedule, and then before even getting started, commit to showing up on time.  To be late induces a feeling of guilt, which invokes an immediate change of behavior. 

They arrive and then they must take their jobs very seriously.  They must be patient, kind, and helpful to their younger peers and often show compassion and pep-talk when they are sad to separate from mom and dad. 

The other part is the viewpoint of the younger student.  For here’s a peer, older, wiser, child, one to look up too and one to be brave for. …. For he’s a friend and he’s not sad.  I can be brave too.  While both students are drastically different in age, both are gaining confidence in themselves with such a very simple task….

This Tune in Today is brought to you by Shanon Flowers, Head of Redeemer Montessori School and Executive Director of Montessori Development Center.