Hello Friends, “Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller The above quote has been a favorite of mine for many years. There is something to celebrate and grieve in each day, each moment. Each life, no matter how mundane it may seem, is a daring adventure. Some weeks make this more obvious than others. Or some months. Or some years. These past several months have made all us keenly aware of how “daring” and “adventurous” life is. Whether it’s connected to our jobs, our health, our children, or our country, we have all been …

Hello Friends, For over a decade I worked as an actor. And almost always, before stepping on stage, I felt at least a moment of anxiety. I wanted to rush through all of my lines, just to make sure I knew them. I wanted to see the whole play in my mind. Of course, this was impossible. And, eventually, as I stepped in front of the audience, the words came, one moment informed the next, and the weeks of rehearsal played out as planned. When I think of all of the work we have done this summer in preparation for …

Hello Friends, Today our 3rd and 6th graders drove through the TNSM parking lot with cheering teachers celebrating this important moment in their journey. Cars were decorated with signs, teachers held up poster boards expressing love and gratitude, horns were honking, and through the windows we could see big smiles, and watery eyes. This past Tuesday, the same scene happened with our kindergartners. It was surreal, beautiful, hysterical, and inspiring. Our students, your children, are a beacon of light during these difficult times. Their energy, creativity, and resiliency lift me up and give me confidence that we will continue to …

One of our teachers recently shared this quote with me. “It is necessary that the human personality should be prepared for the unforeseen, not only for the conditions that can be anticipated by prudence and foresight…For success in life depends in every case on self-confidence and the knowledge of one’s own capacity and many-sided powers of adaptation.”     (Montessori, From Childhood to Adolescence, Appendix A, 1948)   These words ring true for the moment we are in.  We are all adapting and preparing for the unforeseen. A group called the Montessori Collaborative Teacher Support Task Group compiled some guiding Montessori  principles …

Hi New School Montessori Friends, We hope you enjoyed our Zoom Pajama Dance Party on Friday morning. It was so wonderful to see your faces and to get some fun energy out together! Dancing with friends is a great way to start the day, and on Friday, April 24 at 8 a.m. we are going to have an encore performance — but this time with an extra ingredient: costumes! That’s right: this Friday’s Dance Party (4/24) will be a masquerade — and a fun way for us to help our greater community. If your child wants to dress up, anything goes: …

Hello Friends, There is a lot to be gained from thoughtful planning and intellectual work.  We make plans, set goals, structure our days in ways that provide a tremendous amount of comfort.  We love to imagine life is like this or that. Work is like this or that. We say, “This has to happen that way because…” There comes a moment, however, when we must submit ourselves to the fact that huge aspects of life are not in our control. This submission has its own value and wisdom. Enormous aspects of our lives lie in the hands of the unknown. …

Hello Friends, We have made it through another week together. Well done. I continue to be amazed at the resiliency, optimism, and creativity within our community.  Our teachers/staff, parents, and children have risen to the occasion. One TNSM parent(lawyer and ordained minister through the Universal Life Church) shared a photo of him marrying a couple on his front lawn from a distance!  Another family shared the ingenuity of their child who created a pill bug lego race track! I could go on and on with examples sent to us about the wonderful things happening during this difficult time.   As I have mentioned before, this pandemic has …

Dear Friends,  Do you remember how you used to play? The world lent itself to your imagination. You never walked. You danced or skipped or tumbled your way from one place to another. No tree was just a tree. The red maple in my backyard had the power to make anyone who touched it invisible. If you have forgotten how to turn a bush into base during a game of tag, or how to transform the grass under the monkey bars into volcanic lava, come on by and visit The New School Montessori during recess. You will be reminded how …