One Parent's Perspective on the Three-Year Cycle

Below you will find part of an email recently received by a primary teacher. This parent really seems to grasp one reason why Montessorians believe the three-year cycle is so important.

"...[We] talked last night about what a blessing it is to have a teacher who knows our child so deeply, over YEARS, and who is committed to ALL of the students' success. The three-year-cycle is great for the kids (role-modeling, consistency, etc.), but there is another side of it that we don't often consider: Working with the same children for three years gives the teacher a depth of knowledge about each kid (aptitude, personality, learning style, family issues, all that stuff) that can't be attained quickly or easily, and that is vital to ensuring each student is given the best chance for THAT CHILD to succeed.

While keeping in mind that ultimately we are individually responsible for our own learning, I think the three-year cycle provides teachers a wonderful sense of "ownership" of each student's outcomes that promotes the best teaching--which naturally results in both better learning and better enjoyment of learning for the student.

I think one of the problems in public school education is that teachers don't have to live with their own "mistakes" for more than 9 months. That leads some teachers to work mainly with the kids who are easy to work with, while ignoring or marginalizing the challenging kids, knowing that the "problem" kids will be gone in a year anyway. This is totally logical: after all, what can one teacher do to change a kid's lifetime patterns of behavior in only 9 months? Not much. So why try, when there are other kids the teacher can put her limited time and resources into and then actually see positive progress with? The kid who can't get himself with the program? Well, maybe some teacher will be able to help him next year.

In some ways I think this also leads public school teachers to look for excuses for poorly-performing kids' poor performance, instead of diligently attempting to improve those students' performance. But our teachers' deep knowledge of each student not only allows the teachers to recognize when something doesn't seem quite right for that particular student, but the teachers have "enough" time (three years) to work with the student to actually make it seem like a reasonable investment of the teacher's resources. AND if the teacher doesn't, in fact, help the child improve, it is that same teacher who continues to suffer the consequences: after all, they are going to have to "live with" that student for another 2-3 years, and wouldn't that time be more enjoyable if the kid isn't a problem every day? The three-year cycle gives the teachers an incentive that public school teachers can't possibly have.

At any rate, thanks again for everything you do. I'm so impressed by your consistently thoughtful, reflective, honest approach to every single child in the primary classroom. I am grateful every day that my child's education is in your hands."

Building Trust

Trust is not something that comes naturally to a lot of people...especially where their children are concerned. Yet Montessorians worldwide have, as a new school year started, expected just that from parents - trust. We expect you to trust that we are professional educators, that we have your child's best interest at heart, that if your child is not meeting academic expectations we will communicate that to you in a timely manner, that if your child is unhappy or bored that we will do everything we can to help make it better, and so on.

All too often, though, we demand something we have not earned. As any parent should be, you are protective of your child. You question the motives, beliefs, attitudes, actions, and words of any person your child comes in contact with. Why would we, spending upwards of seven hours per day with your child, expect to be immune to the same, if not more intense, scrutiny that everyone else receives.

At The Montessori School, we strive to maintain an open communication policy. When communication between home and school flows freely, children perform better academically and improve their social skills. We understand that not knowing what is going on in your child's school life can be very frustrating and even scary for parents. We welcome questions and conversations. The more time we spend communicating, the more our mutual trust will grow.

In an effort to be transparent, honest, and forthcoming about everything that takes place at school, we ask a few simple things from you, as parents, to help us earn your trust. If you do not understand something your child's teacher writes or says, ask questions. Don't assume you know why or how something was said if you are uncertain. Don't guess. Do not rely solely on the information your child gives you. If your child tells you something disconcerting, ask the teacher about it. Never infer that a teacher or staff person is questioning your parenting skill or parental authority. Try not to let a situation that concerns you continue for extended periods of time before you communicate with us. Sooner is always better than later.

In reality, we try to follow these same suggestions in our communications with you. And we do have your child's best interest at heart; the more time you spend communicating with us, the easier it will be to believe that to be true.