Baan Dek Montessori

My whole world changed the day you were born. How do we honor a child on her birthday?

One of the hallmarks of a Montessori classroom is Individualized Education. What is it? Why would we do this? How do we implement it? Listen here and find out!

Mrs. Jamie Bauer has been been on maternity leave, and chats with us about reflections since becoming a parent. Being a Montessori teacher is different from parenting, and there are amazing and important qualities to each role.

There are holidays throughout the year. Some require looking up beloved recipes on yellowed cards and hanging of decorations and long car rides. Some you only know about because social media or the Google Doodle informs you. Holidays are a wonderful opportunity for stories and conversations with your child, and even establishing new traditions in your family.

Change is an inevitable part of life. Things change -- big things, like moving, and small things -- like who is picking you up from school. How can we help children be comfortable with change? Why isn't this easy yet?

We all want to help -- our children, our friends, strangers in need. Help is an expression of empathy, and binds us in community. When isn't help helpful? Why do adults help children, even when they don't need it? What other ways can we assist a child, without overtly doing something for her?

In the final episode in our series about Guiding Principles at Baan Dek, Charlotte Wood discusses principle #5, We Prepare the Environment. The Prepared Environment is a phrase used to describe the Montessori classroom, a space curated especially for children of a certain age. What else can be a Prepared Environment? How do we adjust the content, furniture, time, accessibility of a space for young children?

Charlotte Wood discusses the fourth Baan Dek Guiding Principle, We Create a Culture of Empowerment. We build each other up. We will the good in one another. We expect greatness, and we help manifest our best selves.

In the third of this series of five podcasts, Charlotte Wood discusses the Guiding Principle of "We Communicate Effectively."

We have five guiding principles at Baan Dek. In the last episode, we discussed the first principle, "We're always learning." In this episode, we discuss the second principle, "We can always improve."

We came up with five guiding principles at Baan Dek. This first podcast in the series explores the concept of "We're all learning." As a school, we expect the children to always be learning, but we also have adopted that concept as fundamental for ourselves as guiding adults.

At Baan Dek, we're always trying to improve as an organization. We believe in growth so whole-heartedly, it's a fundamental part of our culture. Charlotte Wood discusses some of the ways we seek personal and professional growth, in the classroom and as a school, individually and as teams, for the benefit of all at Baan Dek.

Independence with Toileting is such an important milestone in a child's life. Each child is unique, and will come to self-toileting on their own path, much as they do with speaking or with walking. Charlotte Wood and Jamie Bauer discuss some helpful tips, as well as tools they employ in the classroom to help children be successful with toileting.

Jamie Bauer and Charlotte Wood talk about how we can help young children prepare for a life rich with literacy.

Jamie Bauer and Charlotte Wood chat about some of the ways you can help your young child prepare for school.

Ms. Jones and Ms. Wood chat about students moving into the Montessori Primary classroom.

Ingrid Geiger and Charlotte Wood chat about some of Ingrid's experiences as a Montessori Parent

A few of our staff at Baan Dek sing a selection of favorite songs.

Mrs. Bauer and Ms. Wood discuss the accreditation process for the Montessori Toddler Program

Ms. Wood and Mrs. Bauer discuss the importance of tenacity in learning and as a life skill.

Ms. Wood and Mrs. Bauer discuss music in the young toddler community at Baan Dek Montessori.

Ms. Wood and Mrs. Bauer discuss when learning starts. Traditionally conceived, there's a cultural assumption that learning only happens when children turn six, and enter into Kindergarten or even first grade.

Bobby George and Charlotte Wood of The Baan Dek Montessori, discuss how to become a Montessori teacher.

Bobby George and Charlotte Wood enter into a discussion of Helen Keller and Montessori.

Bobby George and Charlotte Wood discuss the value, ethics, and characteristics of work in the Montessori classroom.

Bobby George and Jamie Bauer sit down to discuss how to create a Montessori home environment.

Bobby George and Charlotte Wood, both of The Baan Dek Montessori, discuss Montessori's lecture, "A New World and Education", first delivered in 1947.

In this podcast, we discuss the role community plays in the Montessori classroom. By community we mean so many things.

While Montessori and Froebel share a number of common traits, in particular, their emphasis on the individual needs of each and every child, they radically differ on a wide range of issues. In this podcast, the fourth in our ongoing series, we sit down with Hugh Weber, a Montessori parent, connector, catalyst and community builder; as well as Charlotte Wood, a primary guide at Baan Dek, and a thought leader in this space. We discuss how Montessori enacted a transformation in education, and, more specifically, how her system of learning was designed to encapsulate what is traditionally conceived as the kindergarten year. The importance of Montessori Kindergarten, as the completion of a program that was carefully designed to meet the individual, developmental needs of the children, at this biologically formative period, is discussed within the broader context of fostering learning, as a whole.

Bobby George and Charlotte Wood record a podcast to discuss their own reflections on the development of language with young children, especially within the context of the Montessori environment.

Bobby George and Jamie Bauer sit down to have a conversation about the toddler environment. They talk, more specifically, about what the toddler classroom looks like, how it works, and why it is so special. They also touch upon how to prepare children to transition to the primary classroom, and why we, as a society, still have so much yet to learn from the amazing minds of children. We hope you enjoy this second podcast in our series.

Bobby George and Charlotte Wood, from The Baan Dek Montessori, sat down to chat about the role Montessori plays in education. The starting point was a quote from Jean-Marie Guyau: "Through seeing others smile, the child smiles." As with all things Montessori, there are so many layers, that sometimes the best way to carefully try to unfold them is rather spontaneously. If you enjoy the conversation, and would like to hear more podcasts, please don't hesitate to let us know.