Do You See?

In this episode, Ms. Angie, Ms. Alisha, and Ms. Audrey answer all those burning questions we received from students and parents, including the all-important one about Ms. Angie’s Tesla. Feel free to send your question to podcast@mwmacademy.org.

In this episode, Ms. Angie, Ms. Alisha, and Ms. Kari discuss mindfulness. What is it? And is it a bunch of “woo” or is there solid research behind it? Ms. Angie dates herself with a classic “kids these days” statement and Ms. Kari teaches how breathing can activate the parasympathetic (“rest & digest”) nervous system.

In this episode, Ms. Angie and Ms. Alisha host a guest panel of three 9 th grade students who share their hopes and fears for high school as they finish up their time at our school…a vulnerable look at how it feels to be a teenager poised on the verge of the next big adventure.

In this episode, Ms. Angie, Mr. Alden, Ms. Terra, and Ms. Karen talk about initiative and the importance of so-called “soft skills” in success. Do our students sit around waiting for someone else to do something? I don’t think so! Mr. Alden gives a parent homework assignment that is important.

In this episode, Ms. Angie, Ms. Rebecca, and Ms. Melissa K. talk about the human need for belonging and the importance of creating classroom communities of acceptance, inclusion, and social support. Ms. Angie remembers a funny story from Ms. Melissa’s classroom.

In this episode, Ms. Angie, Ms. Alisha, and Ms. Autumn discuss focus and how students engage with work. They examine the idea of the state of “flow”, as researched by a Hungarian psychologist whose name Ms. Angie bravely attempts to pronounce, and Ms. Alisha says some things that she hopes her students never hear!

In this episode, Ms. Angie and Ms. Alisha interview three students, a 7th grader, 8th grader, and 9th grader about their school experiences and get all the pro tips about surviving and thriving in Middle School. They may or may not also get all the dirt on the Middle School teachers…

In this episode, Ms. Angie, Ms. Alisha, and Chef Rick Pettingill discuss our amazing school lunches and Chef Rick shares some tips for getting our students to try new foods. Ms. Angie shares some research about how important good nutrition is for developing bodies, and tells the story of her financial fight to create a “full prep” kitchen when the school was built. Chef Rick throws the teachers under the bus!

In this episode, Ms. Angie, Ms. Alisha, and Ms. Hailey talk about the essentials of the Montessori method and the difficulty in trying to explain it all quickly, because there is so much to it! With 20/20 hindsight, we postulate that perhaps this should have been Episode 1 instead of Episode 11, and instead of homework, Ms. Angie offers parents a bonus.

In this episode, Ms. Angie, Ms. Alisha, Ms. Melissa, Ms. Sheri, and Ms. Kimberly discuss the love of reading, and the amount of literacy expertise in this group is sure to impart some wisdom. They tell the stories of their own pathway to loving books, and give some opinions on graphic novels and some advice on struggling readers. Ms. Angie reminds us that books give us access to the minds of geniuses and dead people!

In this episode, Ms. Angie, Ms. Alisha, and Ms. Kari discuss boundaries and the Montessori notion of “freedom within limits”. They also dispel the myth that students in Montessori school can do whatever they want, expound upon the safety that consistent limits give to children, and Ms. Angie gives her best classroom management tip.

In this episode, Ms. Angie, Ms. Alisha, and Ms. Laura discuss experiential learning and the ways in which going out into the world can benefit students. Ms. Angie is a glutton for punishment when it comes to taking students on trips, Ms. Laura’s secret nickname is revealed, and Ms. Alisha tells the notorious Ouija board story.

In this episode, Ms. Angie, Ms. Alisha, and Ms. Allison discuss the terrifying topic of the adolescent brain. It turns out this is the second biggest time of change for the human brain, as you might have guessed if you happen to have a teenager around the house. Ms. Angie has survived raising three teenagers and gives parents some homework: to examine one of their teen’s irritating behaviors (if they don’t currently have one, just wait a few minutes) in light of the insights of this episode.

In this episode Ms. Angie, Ms. Alisha, Ms. Melissa, and Mr. Alden discuss growth mindset, which emerged from research at Stanford University, and how we can help children become friendly with their mistakes and develop the resilience to take risks. Mr. Alden creates a metaphor using the weather, and Ms. Angie recommends a song from Zootopia.

In this episode Ms. Angie, Ms. Alisha, and Ms. Becca lucidly discuss some recondite vocabulary words and ask: how do we learn new words and how do we foster a rich vocabulary in children? Ms. Angie puts Ms. Alisha and Ms. Becca on the spot with a vocabulary test, and Greek and Latin roots are highlighted.

In this episode Ms. Angie, Ms. Alisha, and Ms. Katie discuss creativity and present some excellent evidence that Montessori-educated children are more creative than their traditionally-educated peers. Ms. Angie asserts (not for the first time) that her job is never boring, and brags about some of the amazing innovators who were educated at Montessori schools. Also, Ms. Alisha sings!

In this episode Ms. Angie, Ms. Alisha, and Ms. Melissa discuss conflict resolution and the four styles of communication, as well as the use of the peace table to increase students’ emotional intelligence. Ms. Angie tells of a peace table between a young boy and girl that may or may not reinforce the stereotypes of communication styles of men and women everywhere…

In this episode Ms. Angie, Ms. Alisha, Ms. Melissa, and Ms. Rebecca talk about the benefits of positive thinking and gratitude. They stress the importance of having fun at work, which they certainly do, and Ms. Rebecca tells a story about the longest word in the Oxford dictionary, despite the fact that she is our kindergarten teacher.

In this pilot episode Ms. Angie, Ms. Alisha, and Ms. Melissa explore confirmation bias, in which humans fool themselves by giving more weight to evidence that confirms their existing ideas than to evidence that contradicts them. Ms. Angie confesses her own confirmation biases.