When we think of the lessons of grace and courtesy in the Montessori environment, we often think of teaching and modeling socially acceptable behaviors and expectations. Another aspect is the emphasis on learning to give back to humanity and the earth. In essence, it’s learning to serve others.
Community Service (also called Service Learning) projects integrate the academic and behavioral lessons learned with the Montessori concept of Cosmic Education. By teaching civic responsibility, children of all ages learn the value of being contributing members of society. They see firsthand that they are able to strengthen the bonds within their own communities. The power of the service transforms both beneficiaries and students.
It was Dr. Montessori’s vision that a peaceful world created by children would make the world a better place. Montessori teachers know that by performing community service, we are helping develop and educate the whole child. Students learn the joy of giving of themselves and develop compassion because of these real, practical life volunteer experiences. After all, we've been teaching service and service learning all along. We model and teach our Montessori students to be stewards and caretakers of the Earth and its inhabitants. By doing so, we create caring, empathetic students capable of thinking beyond themselves.
© North American Montessori Center
Service Learning at Island Montessori can be observed in the following ways:
Children's School and Lower Elementary:
-Gardening
-Beginning a recycling program
-donation drives
-singing and working with local nursing homes
-water awareness
Upper Elementary:
-Island Montessori farm(tortoise and bee care)
-donation drives
-gardening
-passion projects(grant writing and implementation)
Middle School:
-Off-site service learning
---Foster Pantry
---SkyWatch
--- Rise Up Farms
-Donation Drives
-Passion Projects(grant writing and implementation
-Island Montessori Farm Care(tortoises and bees)
-gardening
-Reading with younger students
-Supporting teachers and office staff with school jobs
This month we will dedicate a whole week to school-wide service activities. We will be kicking off the week with a Saturday Serve with Work on Wilmington April 22nd. Click here to sign up!
Classrooms have been planning and researching how they want to participate. Stay tuned for more information on how you can help your student's classroom serve our school and the community around us.
