Thank you guys for loving my last post!To be honest I still laugh my head off just thinking about it ,I am glad you guys had a good laugh too 😂

If you can laugh at yourself,you are going to be fine.If you allow others to laugh with you,you will be great!

Martin Niemoller

Ms. V had what is called the “Moving Up Ceremony” in her school. Come this September she would be starting 4th Grade (O.M.G. I can’t even ,I mean how did she jump for this tiny human to a 4th grader??)

Let’s understand the Montessori classes

Montessori is an 100 year old child focused educational system developed by Dr Maria Montessori for educating the children based on scientific findings.For the benefit of those who are new to the Montessori style schooling, here is a crash course on how the Montessori classes are designed.

The montessori classes are basically a 3-year cycle as follows:

1. Toddler(18-36 months)
2. Early Childhood (2.5 -5-6 years old)
3. Lower Elementary(Grade 1-3)
4. Upper Elementary(Grades 4-6)
5. Middle school (Grades 7-8)
6. High school(Grades 9-12)

Approximately every 3 years children Move Up to the next level where based on further Montessori teachings they continue to hone their skills.

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The Moving Up Ceremony

In the last week of school year ,the school held an elaborate moving up ceremony for the Leaders/Mentors (highest grades in the class are called the leaders,as they assist and lead other fellow classmates throughout the year) .

Moving Up ceremony is a part of Montessori tradition which is also sometimes called the Bridging Ceremony symbolizing passing through to the next level of their learning and growth cycle.

A week before the event,the parents of the leaders were sent a formal invitation to join the ceremony via Zoom.

It was quite a formal event,I can’t tell you guys how many times I choked up just looking at these kids sitting against a black backdrop all poised and confident holding their speech cards ready to deliver it to our tiny faces flashing on the zoom.

One by one as their names were called out,they walked up to the designated spot and read out their speech ending it with a big thank you to the teachers.

In the speech, they shared their best school moments,what they appreciate about their teachers,lessons they enjoyed and finally few words of wisdom for their classmates.

Ok! I wasn’t the only mom wiping my tears!! It was such an heartwarming experience.

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The best part was when Ms. V read her speech out ,this being her first year at the school S and I were pleasantly surprised at her choice of words and the sentences. She did really well,here is how she ended her speech

“My advice to first and second years is, make sure to never give up and always keep trying.I will miss you all and hope to see you in the fall sometime.Have a good summer“

After the children,the teachers read out their experiences and more than once they stopped to wipe their tears.They spend 3 years, 8 hours ,5 days a week with these kids, It’s but natural to feel all these emotions ☺

After the speeches,each child was presented with a origami butterfly and a single white rose as symbols of hope,respect, love and a bright future .

As a final step, the leaders were called out to cross this small wooden bridge, a symbolic representation of them moving up, passing through to the next grade!

It was a beautiful thoughtful ceremony.It was my first time but it won’t be the last.

Ms. N had similar ceremony at her class for those moving up to Grade 1.The ceremony was tailored according to age group that started with a song, a few words from those moving up and a candle that the leaders blew at the end of the ceremony.

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I am learning new things every day at their school and I am absolutely loving it! Have you tried Montessori schools for your kids?What has been your favorite experience?

“Be The Change That You Wish To See In The World“-Mahatma Gandhi