IT IS THE AGE OF NINCOMPOOPERY. People everywhere are abandoning deportment in favor of becoming irascible brutes. They’ve zero consideration for their surroundings. They give just as much thought to others. They’re altogether unpleasant to be around!
This news is alarming to any parent of a young child. They don’t want to raise a boor. They want their child to become an adult who dances across kaleidoscopic social landscapes with grace and tact, and finds happiness in harmony with their neighbors. They would also rather stick bees in their ears than spend years sharing a home with that most vexatious of all creatures: a discourteous teenager.
Perish the thought!
This poses a challenge if your own sense of decency impels you to earn a good living. How can your child learn respect when that most respectable figure in their life (i.e. you) is ocupado?
“Respect. Empathy. Compassion. We believe these qualities are innate to everyone," said Shonali Harrison, CEO of Eden Prairie Montessori. “That’s why our approach to early child care is relatively simple: provide them with a warm, loving environment, and recognize them whenever they choose to be respectful toward their peers, teachers, and environment.
“Putting activities back on the shelf the way they’re meant to be stored. Pushing your chair back in when you rise from the table. Hanging up a jacket you see on the floor, even if it isn’t yours. Caring for a potted plant that you grew from a seed. Leaving a caterpillar be while it’s rearranging itself into a beautiful monarch. These are just a few of the little lessons we teach in mindfulness and good manners.
“But the greatest teachers here are the children themselves. I regularly watch older children showing younger ones how to be kind and share, and preschoolers reminding each other to say thank you when their teacher pours their milk. I have seen many budding arguments between classmates swiftly resolved by knee-high Good Samaritans. After 35 years with Eden Prairie Montessori, I’m still amazed every day by just how conscientious little ones can be.”
Does the thought of shepherding uncivil tots through a field trip give you angina? It does the same to Shonali and her colleagues. Fortunately, the little ones’ conscientiousness stays resolute wherever they roam.
“They encourage each other to take turns on all the activities when we visit the Minnesota Children's Museum,” said Shonali. “They advise their friends to be gentle to the trees, flowers and bugs at Richardson Nature Center, which we’re lucky to have so close to both of our day cares. They’re at their all-time charmingest when we spend the day in Waconia with Carlson’s Lovable Llamas, where they treat the animals so tenderly as they lead them up and down the path, and spend much of the adventure making sure their new friends stay happy. ‘C’mon! Let’s lie on the grass if you’re tired,’ they say to the llamas. ‘Look! You can eat the grass, too!’
“I don’t know what llamas think, but I choose to believe they’re touched by such kindness.
“If they aren’t, then at least I am. It’s proof that goodness is still strong. Our children will continue spreading acceptance, tolerance, and love long after we’re gone. They won’t be able to help themselves. It’s in their nature. They just need the teensiest push to let it all out.”
Eden Prairie Montessori has two convenient locations at 7455 Market Place Drive and 8098 Glen Lane. You may learn more about their infant, toddler, preschool, kindergarten and summer programs at EdenPrairieMontessori.com, as well as schedule a tour of either school with Shonali, Jen, or Sue at your side.
"The first five years last a lifetime."