written by Nadine Wetzel-Curtis, St. Croix guide
One of my first impressions of Montessori children at work was fifteen years ago when I got to observe an adolescent community meeting. Students described a problem that affected the community, several students took ownership of their actions and proposed solutions to move forward. All this occurred elegantly with very little adult facilitation, and no shaming or blaming.
I was inspired to learn more. Conveniently, Larry Schaefer, who helped found GRS, was available to answer my questions. Larry explained students begin practicing how to be in community when they are very young and focus on leading themselves. Then they can progress to leading others. Larry described some of the key elements of a community meeting: recognizing small and large acts of leadership, compliments and thank yous, using a talking piece, delegating and alternating tasks of time keeper, facilitator, and scribe. He assured me it is an organic process that requires regular practice and what I witnessed was the result of years of practice. He ended by firmly stating, “It’s one of the most important things we do.” Now, after fifteen years of learning with Montessori children (and adults!), I concur.
The structure and routines of community meetings vary slightly classroom to classroom. Here are the community meeting norms practiced in St. Croix River:
Everyone must be able to see and hear everyone else in the community.
We pass a talking piece and give our attention to the person with the talking piece.
Items added to the agenda must be those that influence the whole community (topics that affect just a few are addressed in a small group)
Once a problem is correctly identified, we stay focused on suggesting solutions.
All solutions are considered.
We only speak about our experience and don’t mention another’s name unless we have their permission.
We set time limits for topics. Not everything can be resolved at one meeting, sometimes we need to revisit topics at a later meeting.
As students are learning the norms, there are inevitable slip-ups: mentioning someone else by name or repeating a problem after it has been thoroughly described. More often than not, the student who is facilitating the meeting provides a gentle reminder and the meeting continues.
As I witness the youngest students describe problems and suggest solutions or present an idea for a community celebration, I know this is an authentic opportunity to practice public speaking and develop leadership and agency. As Dr. Montessori stated, “the education of even a small child, therefore, does not aim at preparing them for school, but for life.”