Ten Years At Our Montessori Unit

Tomorrow, it will be eleven years since I arrived in New Zealand; Monday will mark my tenth year teaching at the Montessori Unit at our school. A decade! At the same school! I have seen families come and go; I have taught all the children in some families (so I have known some for almost that entire time), and right now there are students in my class that I remember as toddlers or preschoolers who insisted on wearing the same dress every day (and this child's mother despairing over it!)

Today, my ten year anniversary was celebrated with some of my friends from school and with our Montessori family.

I have to say it...

I am one lucky girl.



After listening to a song written and composed by a student (who sang SO sweetly); watching one of my students dance (I wish I was that graceful); receiving thoughtfully handmade gifts/poems from the children, as well as beautiful flowers and gifts from the Montessori Board of Trustees, then listening to very kind words about me (and taking note of the stories that were kindly left out), I blubbed my way through thanking everyone there.

My co-workers, families at school and the Montessori Trust have not only been my friends over the past years, but have been my support system and been part of my New Zealand family.

I am so thankful - my heart is very full... and I know, I am loved.

(I actually have cake, not chocolate, but the thought is much the same!)  via

Life Lessons I've Learnt From Knitting

For the last six years, I have written a speech to deliver to my students who leave the Senior Montessori class at the end of the Montessori 3 year cycle.

Last year, I gave the best one to date... A few people asked me to post it, but I never got around to it...(a bit busy with other goings on in life!) So now that my baby actually sleeps at night, I'm finally posting my speech from last year (my apologies if some of the photos are stretched out and funny looking. I had to save them from my Powerpoint... chances are I'll miss some stuff out too, since I generally make my speeches up as I go.)

Life Lessons I've Learnt From Knitting.

  Casting on - Casting on is the start of a new journey.

I love starting new knitting projects. Selecting my materials and reading through the pattern to plan the pathway to completion. The excitement, anticipation and nerves are all part and parcel of embarking on a new adventure or project. Like the students who are leaving us at the end of this year to cast onto their new adventure, I too will be casting on in my new role as a mother.

  Lesson 1 - Your parents will do (almost) anything for you, even stuff they hate.

I started knitting at a young age because I saw my grandmother knitting and I wanted another way to be close to her and connect with her. Mum taught herself to knit so she could teach me how. She hated it. She still hates knitting. She watches me knit now and wonders how it is that I can put so much time and effort into my hobby. She said it was a very happy day when I lost interest in knitting, so she could stop also.

 But it did give me a bit of extra cuddle time with my beautiful grandmother, thanks to my mum's efforts for me.

  Lesson 2 - It's okay to make mistakes. Don't be so hard on yourself... most of the time, no one can tell but you. Take the mistake and learn from it.

Can you spot the mistakes in the sweater? (This was the first one I ever knit.) I used the wrong stitch pattern on the ribbing because I got confused with the pattern.

 This photo shows that the sweater was sewn up backwards. Oops.

Lesson 3 - Ask for help when you need it.

Since this was my first project on my own, I asked Phill's mum, nana and aunty for help. They all worked on the sweater with me. It's now a treasured little bit of our family history. (Unfortunately, our baby's due in the summer so s/he won't get to wear it, but it's there should they want to!) Ask for help. People generally want to help if they can.

Lesson 4 - No matter how hard you try, sometimes things don't work out as you plan. Imperfect can be perfect. 

I worked for ages on this soft toy. I tried and tried and tried. It just doesn't look right or as perfect as the other ones I've done... but it has character and it's really quite sweet and perfect in its own way. When things don't work out as you planned, appreciate the lesson learned and move on. 

Lesson 5 - Things get easier the more you work at it.

Each one of these soft toys was better than the last one I made. Practice really does make perfect. The first time you do something, it isn't going to be the best... so keep working at it.

 Lesson 6 - Learn new things. Take the time to learn something new. Do things that you think may be too hard, you may surprise yourself.

I like the look and vibrancy of hand dyed wool. I liked the thought of it. I decided to try it one afternoon, using Kool-Aid. It was great fun and it turned out beautifully! I can't wait to do it again!

 Lesson 7 - Good things take time... if you're going to do something, you may as well do it right.

Again, perseverance is key. Good things take time and aren't always easy. It's so satisfying when you figure it out and finish it though. This blanket took me 6 months to make - each row took me 10 minutes. It was frustrating and tiring, but I did it and I took the time to do it right. It felt awesome.

 Lesson 8 - Keep important relationships alive.

I made this little cardi for a dear friend who was expecting a baby. We hadn't seen each other in many years and I still have yet to meet her baby. Her friendship is important to me though, even though we don't talk very often... we still check in with each other every so often. It's an easy, relaxed friendship, that's easy to keep alive. Keep those relationships alive - they're more important than you could ever realise.



 Lesson 9 - Take an interest in what others are going through and show them you care.

These were made for a friend who was very sick and going through some difficult things in her life. She loved them appreciated them, and they made her feel good to know that she was cared about and on my mind. Small gestures can mean the world to people.

 Lesson 10 - Give freely, generously and from the heart, with no expectation of return.

Another wee gift for a friend's baby, just because I wanted to celebrate his birth with her. I didn't want anything in return, I just wanted to give. A study recently showed that performing altruistic acts for others has a physical benefit for the giver. Not only is giving a wonderful thing, but it's good for your health too!

 Lesson 11 - Ask lots of questions and learn what you can from those around you.

Your friends all have a talent. Ask them for help and learn from them... this sweater was a gift from a friend who I often ask for advice about knitting patterns and techniques. I want to ask her to teach me how to knit with colours and designs!



Lesson 12 - Be yourself, find your balance and take pride in your own unique gifts.

A lot of my friends think I'm a bit of a nana for loving knitting. Not many women in their thirties get excited about pretty new knitting needles. I don't care. They've come around and actually think it's pretty cool now, because I'm not ashamed of my talents. Embrace your talents and your quirks. They make you who you are.

Casting off - Finish what you've started and see things through to completion, but at the same time, don't be afraid to start over (and over and over). Your completion point may be different than what's expected - it depends on the goals you set for yourself.

Please note that the ends of this sock are not woven in, and there is only one sock. I've been working on this pair for ages but it's not the sock that I really wanted to get from this project (although the sock is awesome) - I wanted to knit with my beautiful new wool and I was focussing on learning a new technique to make the wavy pattern. (It was surprisingly easy.) That being said, I ripped it apart and started over again at least 3 times. There's nothing wrong with starting over. Sometimes, it's even fun... but do try to finish the journey you've started upon - much like you've finished your journey in the Montessori Unit.

Oh. Man.

Every year, I think it's the hardest year to say goodbye to my students who leave me, but I think that they're just so awesome during the year, I forget how my heart breaks and swells all at once on the last day.  Quite frankly, it's emotionally exhausting!  I had an a lot of students leave at the end of this year, so it was a bit hard.

On Wednesday, we had our Montessori Leaving Assembly to say goodbye to our students who have completed the Montessori Cycle and are moving on to another school.  Generally, I'm a blubbering mess on that day - I was pleased that I held it together so well on Wednesday... I cracked a tear when in his farewell speech, one of my boys thanked me especially and said that I taught him "important life lessons beyond academics and how to be a compassionate individual."  My heart twisted a bit, but I mostly kept it together.  Oh.  Man. (#1.)

In a card yesterday, a parent thanked me for "helping shape xxxxx into a mature young man, although he's still got a long way to go, you've given him the best start possible..." again, my heart twisted.  Tears!  Oh.  Man.  (#2) 

But today was hardest.  I was doing alright.  Teared up when I got another beautiful card from a parent, but the tears didn't actually brim over.  Oh yeah!  We said goodbye to our 5/6 students first and I felt my eyes getting a bit wet when I looked at their cheeky grins, sparkly eyes and just gorgeous smiles.  But I was good!  I held it together and made it all the way to morning tea.  Thought I was awesome.

And then...

"So... uh... Tez, we lied and we weren't actually doing anything for the yearbook - the intermediate leavers have organised a gift for you and there was no parental input in this at all.  We just wanted to say thank you to you."  OH!  MAN!  (#3)  Tears, tears, tears.

Not only did they give me a GORGEOUS eco-cup for my morning coffees, but the card... inside were the sweet and heartfelt messages...

Kept it together a bit...

But then... I read this poem that one of my girls wrote...

Oh.  Man.  Tears.  (#4 & #5)

But it was this message that sent me straight over the edge.  It's not only filled my eyes with many tears, but filled my heart with love, pride and a bit of selfish sorrow that she's going.  She hugged me several times at the end of the day, so we cried together (more than once.)

Oh.  Man.  So many tears!  (#6, #7 & #8) 

Ten years ago when I decided to be a teacher, I hoped and prayed that I would make some sort of an impact on children's lives.  I actually still hope for the same thing, each and every day.  Today, however, was one of my high points in my career - it rates up there with when I left home and one of my boys organised all the students sign a Hockey Canada t-shirt that he bought me.  (I cried my eyes out then too, but it was only my 3rd year teaching and I was too cool to cry in front of them, so I hid in the bathroom and sniffled away.) 

I really do love my job... so grateful and so blessed.

The New Class Pet - v 2.1

My boys came to me today, heads hanging low... Bruce was nowhere to be found... as I (not-so) subtly lifted my feet off the ground and sat cross-legged on my swiss ball (not an easy feat, but I was holding on to the table) while they sighed quite pitifully.  I tried to contain my terror at the thought of big, hairy Bruce wandering around my classroom and forced a sweet smile onto my face. 

Until one of them brightened considerably and gleefully informed me, "But Bruce has left lots of baby Bruces for us!"  I think I went a little bit green at this point.  I suggested Brucetta for a new name (since obviously he, was a she) but that wasn't nearly imaginative enough.  No... this is what they decided:

K.A.T.E. - Killer Acrobatic Terrifying Energetic

How cute are they?!  Since it's a girl spider, she obviously needs little hearts!  I've never enjoyed a spider so much!  To be honest, I've never enjoyed a spider before. 

Regardless, they checked on her and her babies throughout the day (they reckon she went away to die after having her babies, like Charlotte.)  They were overjoyed to find her hiding up in the corner of the windowsill around lunchtime.  The boys were SO excited about all this arachnaction (you see what I did there?)  that they ended up spending the morning researching New Zealand spiders and terrifying spider stories (which I told them they were not to share with me under any circumstances.)  They were so engaged in their research that I didn't hear a peep out of them for the rest of the morning (which in itself is a bit of a Christmas miracle.)

I couldn't help myself and checked for her at the end of the day, but she was nowhere to be found.  I was pretty grateful on some level that I wasn't being confronted by K.A.T.E., but felt quite sad for my boys.  Crazy, but I hope she's there tomorrow.

A New Class Pet?

I was thinking yesterday that it's been ages since I've written anything... not that nothing good is going on, but quite frankly, I've been knitting like a demon.

But this was too good not to share...

I came into class this morning and it was already hot and stuffy, so I went to open the window, and this is what I saw...

So of course, I had to check Bruce out.



Yep.  There he is.

Apparently, one of the boys (the one who wrote the sign) says good morning to Bruce every day and it's our new class pet.  Great.  This boy's not going to be in my class next year... I wonder if he'll take Bruce with him in two weeks when we go on holiday.  Maybe I'll suggest it - I'm sure his mum will love it!

Still - pretty gorgeous (my kids, not Bruce.)

exhaustion tempered by gratitude

I'm exhausted for all the right reasons.
I'm too tired to write heaps, but feel like I'm going to explode with gratitude, so I had to share why I'm loving life so much (in no particular order...)

1. Great zoo trip yesterday - I love the zoo!
2. Cultural Fair today was AWESOME.  The children who organised it did a GREAT job and the parents were an incredible help.  The assembly in the afternoon was fabulous and everyone was well impressed with my students' square dancing.  Particularly grateful that no one was absent and I didn't have to get up there and dance in their place!



The sign they started yesterday and finished this morning (just in time too!)
















3. I'm going home TOMORROW!!  (and finally get to check out the international Air NZ Lounge!)
4. Tomorrow is the last day of Term 3 - only 8 more weeks of school until the long holidays, summer and beaches.
5. I was bone tired today and was lucky enough to be served a lovely dinner by a lovely husband while I was sprawled in my chair.
6. I'm going to see Noah and Maya and give them the stuffed toys I made with so much love (and swearing.)
7. I'm going to see my Mum, Navaz and Shazeen!
8. And my friends!
9. I got lovely letters from my Year 8 students that I mentored for exhibition (not from my class.)  It was a great opportunity to get to know some awesome kids that I don't get a chance to work with very often.  My favourite lines: "You have made this exhibition a whole lot better with your happy and cheery personality day after day which has kept me motivated.  You have helped me become more of a role model because you are such a great role model yourself."   and "Once again I would like to thank you for givng up your time to help us make our presentation.  And being the best mentor ever!" 
10. I got some beautiful cards (and a box of chocolates which came in handy at the zoo yesterday) from a couple of my students recently... it made me cry when I read "I am so greatful that I can now not be hurt inside.  I am also great-ful you have helped me with my Dislexia."  (How much do I love that this child spelled Dyslexia wrong?!)  "I know that they (classmates) are better but a know even more that I am better than them at somthing they are not... I can't imagine not having a teacher like you when I go (next year.)"  (It was very hard not to correct that as I was typing!) (The words in blue were written with sparkly blue pen.)  When I asked their mum about it, she said it was all her children's words - she didn't prompt them one bit.  Gorgeous!
11. This is my 100th blog post!
12. I'm now going to up to my bed, and I have a roof over my head, a full tummy and am blessed with all that I need for a happy, safe and secure life.

Gratitude overflows...

I was driving home today and I was feeling blue.  Tears stung at my eyes and while I blinked frantically, I hoped that I wouldn't drive myself off the road.  In an effort to pep up a bit and take my mind off my sadness before I got home, I flicked the radio on.  Ronan Keating was singing away on my radio, happily proclaiming "Don't fight it.  Life is a roller coaster.  Just gotta ride it."  So that's what I'm doing.  Holding on very tightly to this roller coaster as it's upping and downing and sometimes doing a loop-de-loop.  I'd also like to point out, that I actually have been on the roller coaster below.  I held on for dear life and screamed until my throat was hoarse... much like I'm doing now.

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So I decided I was in great need of reflection.  A lot of this post has been rattling around in my mind since the fire at school, and the list of things to be grateful for has only grown longer in the past few weeks.  It's time for a gratitude list.  I like a good list.

• Strangers have big, big hearts and can be so very generous.  After the fire, Louisa's friend Kat, managed to get a heap of stuff for the school, as well as a very generous donation of various art supplies from Faber-Castell.  It was a friend of a friend of a friend's who got it.  They don't know me, nor do they know any of the teachers at our school.  It was just pure generosity and goodwill towards others. 

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• Another post-fire instance of love in action... A former member of the Montessori Trust and a dear friend, told his customers in his shop of the fire at school.  A lovely older lady, who was once a teacher, walked (that's sacrifice enough for me, thanks) to a bookstore and bought a heap of books for the library.  Good books.  Actally, lovely books!  After she dropped them off to Jay at his shop, she went back to the bookstore and bought more, as she felt like she hadn't got enough.  She said she couldn't bear to think of the children being disadvantaged and not having books in the library.  What a beautiful soul.   

 

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• My co-workers (past and present) are also awesome.  They way everyone came together, supported and helped each other was fabulous.  I spent a full day helping another teacher put her classroom together the day before school started.  I have been working with her for 7 1/2 years, and I never really got to know her.  It was nice to get to know her better, and it felt good to give to help someone else.  She was so appreciative and kind - it made my heart all full of joy.  

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• My.  Class.  Is.  Awesome.  I am so happy when I'm teaching.  I have lovely children around me each day, and they make me smile.  The Montessori Trust is wonderful, kind and supportive.  They do so much, not only to support us as teachers, but to ensure that they are doing the best they can for all the children in the unit.  They are beautiful people, with big hearts.  I am grateful that I work so closely with them.

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I suppose it comes down to the simple fact that people are awesome, and life is indeed beautiful. 

I'd love to hear any other stories of the generosity of strangers!

Searching for the Silver Lining.

Yesterday, the unthinkable happened.  Every time a school goes up in flames here, I think, "God... what if...?" and I generally couldn't bear to finish the thought.  Yesterday, sadly, we were forced to stop wondering what if, and it moved to "What now?"

Our beautiful school is still beautiful... just... well... yeah.

So... the silver lining is there, and it's a substantial silver lining... there are things to be grateful for...

1. No one was hurt.  A true blessing in a fire that big.
2. Our school community is phenomenal.  Teachers, former teachers, students and families... everyone will come together and like some guy on the news said, we will end up stronger for it.  I genuinely believe that.
3. It is still an excellent school.  The quality of the teaching programmes and learning that will go on, starting next month has not changed, nor will it as a result of this.   
4. The fire service was amazing.  Utterly amazing.  They contained the fire and stopped it from ravaging the whole school.  I was lucky enough to bump into the New Zealand Fire Service guy, Steve Larkin (I'm not entirely sure that's his last name, but I'm close) when we were leaving the speedway tonight.  I had to stop and thank him for all their hard work last night and the incredible job they did.  He thanked me for speaking to him... it could have been because I was a bit teary eyed as I spoke to him, but he was a really nice man.  
5. My friends and family are wonderful, lovely and supportive.  Love, love, love.  So blessed. x

It's happened and done now.  There will still be tears.  There is still anger, frustration, emptiness and a whole lot of sadness.  But it is also time to rebuild and move forward.