Montessori at Home or School

Montessori at Home or School: How to Teach Grace and Courtesy is a bit like "Montessori meets Miss Manners." In Montessori, grace and courtesy is seen as an important part of a child’s education and an important part of meeting a child’s inner needs. The Montessori method provides a framework that can effectively be used with one child or a group of children. Part I talks about grace and courtesy for preschoolers and elementary-age children. Suggestions are given to help parents and teachers feel comfortable teaching grace and courtesy. Part II gives rules of etiquette in many situations for preschoolers through age 12. Sections include "Using the Montessori Method to Teach Grace and Courtesy," "Why Use the Montessori Method?" "The Preschool Child," "The Elementary-Age Child," "Introductions," "Greetings and Farewells," "Conversations," "Saying 'Please,' 'Thank You,' and 'You're Welcome,'" "Saying 'Excuse Me' and ‘I'm Sorry,'" "Coping with Problems in Public," "Bathroom Manners," "Cleaning up after Yourself," "Having Friends Visit," “Being a Guest at Someone's House," "Table Manners," "Telephone Manners," "Letter Writing," "Games and Sports," and "Showing Respect."

Montessori at Home or School: How to Teach Grace and Courtesy is a bit like "Montessori meets Miss Manners." In Montessori, grace and courtesy is seen as an important part of a child’s education and an important part of meeting a child’s inner needs. The Montessori method provides a framework that can effectively be used with one child or a group of children. Part I talks about grace and courtesy for preschoolers and elementary-age children. Suggestions are given to help parents and teachers feel comfortable teaching grace and courtesy. Part II gives rules of etiquette in many situations for preschoolers through age 12. Sections include "Using the Montessori Method to Teach Grace and Courtesy," "Why Use the Montessori Method?" "The Preschool Child," "The Elementary-Age Child," "Introductions," "Greetings and Farewells," "Conversations," "Saying 'Please,' 'Thank You,' and 'You're Welcome,'" "Saying 'Excuse Me' and ‘I'm Sorry,'" "Coping with Problems in Public," "Bathroom Manners," "Cleaning up after Yourself," "Having Friends Visit," “Being a Guest at Someone's House," "Table Manners," "Telephone Manners," "Letter Writing," "Games and Sports," and "Showing Respect."

Deb Chitwood is a certified Montessori teacher who taught in Montessori schools in Iowa and Arizona before starting her own Montessori school in South Dakota in 1980. She was a Montessori teacher/director until 1988 when she closed her school to spend more time with her family. She homeschooled her two children through high school using Montessori principles and unit studies. Deb credits Montessori education and homeschooling for her now-adult children’s self-motivation and love of learning, which helped her children receive straight As in their university programs. Both of her children have bachelor’s degrees and successful careers. In addition to her Montessori certification through the St. Nicholas Training Center (now called Montessori Centre Internationale) in London, Deb has a master’s degree in Early Childhood Studies from Sheffield Hallam University in Sheffield, England. She also has certification for ages 3-8 in the Montessori-based Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and the Montessori-based Godly Play religious-education programs. Deb is the founder and author of blogs at LivingMontessoriNow.com and BitsofPositivity.com. She is a contributing editor of the blog at SpringSnowPublications.com and a monthly contributor at PreK + K Sharing.