March 23, 2007

Evergreen SchoolScene

Montessori Academy seeks to challenge children at their own pace

School uses personalized attention, curriculum to challenge young students

By Ali Abdollahi
Staff Writer

Tucked away in a quite neighborhood in Evergreen for the past 30 years, the Montessori Academy uses a unique methodology to inspire learning in its students and provide them with essential life skills.

The school is one of several unincorporated schools that utilize the philosophy of Dr. Maria Montessori. The “Montessori Philosophy” functions under the basic principle that all children carry within “the adult they will become,” and that the years between ages three and six is the time that a child most easily learns the ground rules of human behavior. In order for children to develop to their fullest physical, intellectual, social and emotional capacities, the Montessori philosophy states that they must have freedom achieved through self-discipline.

The Montessori Academy was purchased three years ago by Yukti Singh, who holds a bachelor’s degree in Child Psychology from Purdue University, an MBA from Ball State University, and a Master’s Degree in computer science from Ball State. After working as a teacher to pay her way through college, Singh entered the world of high-tech business.

Teaching children, however, was always something she wanted to pursue. In college, Singh even wrote a business plan in the event that one day she was running her own school. Said Singh, “When I had my two kids, it gave me the perfect reason to return to teaching.”

Social development is another key aspect to the Montessori philosophy. When problems or arguments arise between pupils, the students sit in a larger group to discuss the issues.

Singh believes strongly in working with each child at their own level.

“It’s very important that the children are challenged, but at their own pace,” said Singh. “There is no classroom competition between students. It’s about how far you can go. This way, the students get very excited to finish one thing and move on to the next.”

Singh said burnout can be a major factor in young children who are pushed too hard to succeed as well.

“Other schools sometimes push the kids too hard. These children are too young to be saying things like, ‘I’m really stressed,’ or, ‘I’m burnt out,’” said Singh. “It is too early for them to be stressed. Learning should be fun for them. The early years of education should be a door that opens the child to more learning.”

Montessori students are often offered one-on-one attention, and each student works from their own personalized set of textbooks. Students are divided among the school’s toddler, pre-school and kindergarten programs.

“In most schools, the teachers teach, and either the child absorbs it or they don’t. What matters to them is the curriculum,” said Montessori teacher Maria Fe. “Here at Montessori, what matters is the child.”

Teachers at Montessori are instructed not to help students with their homework, a method that aims to build independence and self-discipline in each child. In each subject, the students progress from level “A” to level “F.”

Students often do their assignments (or “jobs,” as they are referred to at Montessori) in groups of two, and the students are paired with classmates who are working at a different level.

“Working with a classmate who is on another level causes the children to aim for a higher level of achievement,” said Fe.

Montessori also employs a “big brother, big sister” program, where older students serve as role models for younger classmates. Said Fe, “It provides the younger kids with someone to model their behavior after, and it teaches them leadership and partnership.”

Teachers at Montessori are instructed not to help students with their homework, a method that aims to build independence and self-discipline in each child. Students often do their assignments in groups of two, and the students are paired with classmates who are working at a different level.

Lesson plans at Montessori include language arts, reading, phonics, writing, math, science and geography. Students are each given a personal plant to care for as part of the science curriculum.

“If the plant is dying, it’s the student’s job to figure out why, and try to help nurse the plant,” said Singh.

Students also study music, cooking and computers. The computer lessons, however, last only five to seven minutes per day. Said Singh, “It’s important we help them learn basic computer skills, but we don’t want it to become something addictive.”

Social development is another key aspect to the Montessori philosophy. When problems or arguments arise between pupils, the students sit in a larger group to discuss the issues. “We use those opportunities to allow the kids to talk about the problem, and to learn how to resolve their own conflicts,” Singh said.

Montessori parent Laurel Nomura – whose daughter is currently a Montessori student, and whose son is a former Montessori student – appreciates the academy’s approach.

“When my son left Montessori to go to kindergarten at a public school, it was amazing how far advanced he was both emotionally and scholastically,” said Nomura. “His teachers immediately moved him into a (kindergarten-grade 1) split classroom so that he would get some exposure to first grade material.”

Singh said that most of her 72 students came to Montessori based on personal referrals, which comes as no surprise to Nomura.

“What is also very special about Montessori is the warmth, and the family environment,” Nomura said. “The kids really pick up on that, and that’s so important for their development.”

To learn more about the Montessori Academy, visit www.mymontessoriacademy.com, or call (408) 259-5376.

Abrazos and Books offers $2,000 scholarship to Santa Clara County students

Evergreen resident and former television news reporter Rigo Chacon appeals to high school seniors to apply now
Applications are still available for graduating high school seniors to apply for a $2,000 scholarship offered by Rigo Chacon’s Abrazos and Books –A Tribute to Young Scholars.

Rigo Chacon

Founded in 1990 by the former ABC 7 News South Bay Bureau Chief, Abrazos and Books has awarded more than $400,000 to 300 students who have attended or are attending universities throughout the United States. Their names read like an honor role of Silicon Valley high school graduates. Many Abrazos and Books recipients are now professionals here while some are in the process of attaining bachelors, masters, PhD or medical degrees. Many recipients have found new places to call home but remain in contact with Chacon as they pursue their careers and their new interests.

Abrazos and Books was born out of tragedy. Following the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, Chacon was assigned to cover the disaster. Prompted by his reports, Bay Area television viewers donated $1.3 million. The funds were used to rebuild hundreds of homes in Mexico City. Two elementary schools in the Xochimilco area were also rebuilt.

Moved by the children’s eloquent tear-filled expressions of gratitude, Chacon decided to start a small scholarship program for the children of Xochimilco. He combined that endeavor with his decades old efforts here in Santa Clara County. Today, Abrazos and Books is a scholarship project dedicated only to Silicon Valley students, although the commitments made to Mexican students in the 1980s were thoroughly fulfilled. All of the recipients in Mexico City attended Mexican universities and became professionals. They still maintain ties with Chacon and other Abrazos and Books volunteers.

Santa Clara County graduating seniors are encouraged to obtain applications from their campus careers centers. Applications are also available on the Abrazos and Books Web site, www.AbrazosandBooks.com. Ethnic background is not a factor in the selection process. Deadline is May 30, 2007.

2007 scholarship recipients will be honored at the annual Abrazos and Books dinner on August 18 at the Wyndham Hotel in San Jose. Many past recipients will also attend.

Beyond scholarships, the mission statement for Abrazos and Books also calls for support of children victimized by poverty, disability and natural disasters. Thus, the following donations were made: $20,000 to victims of Katrina, $20,000 to Tsunami victims and $10,000 to displaced families in the Willow Street Apartment fire in San Jose.
Abrazos is the Spanish language word for “embraces.”

“We seek to embrace the child and assist the student,” Chacon said. “By not focusing on ethnicity to select scholarship recipients, we also seek to embrace all communities.”

Abrazos and Books is a tax-exempt entity: Tax I.D. # 77-0260 296. Donations may be sent to 255 W. Julian St. San Jose, CA 95110. Tickets for the annual Abrazos and Books dinner are $100 per person, with tables of ten available for $1,000 each.

Matthew Lin and Lexing Tong of J.F. Smith Elementary School in Evergreen won second and third place, respectively, in the Harker Math Invitational 2007 in the sixth grade individuals competition on March 10.

Masters of math

The sixth grade team of Matthew Lin and Lexing Tong of J.F. Smith Elementary School in Evergreen participated in the Harker Math Invitational 2007 on March 10 and walked away winners.

In the individual competition, Lin and Tong won second and third place, respectively, in the sixth grade group competition. In addition, the JF Smith Elementary math team won first place in the sixth grade group team competition. The team is coached by Lucy and Sherman Tong.

All told, 12 Silicon Valley schools, with more than 150 students, participated in this event.

School Briefs

Evergreen Valley High School Band Winter Percussion and Winter Guard Competition on March 24
The EVHS Band is sponsoring the Winter Percussion and Winter Guard Competition Saturday, March 24 at EVHS from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. 22 high schools from the bay area (eight in percussion and 14 in guard) will be participating. For more information, please contact Evergreen Valley High School at (408) 347-7000 or go to http://ev.ca.campusgrid.net/home.

Rock-it Science camp registration now open for summer sessions
Rock-it Science, located in Santa Clara at 2110 Walsh Avenue, recently announced an expanded schedule of their summer science camps. Camp sessions are still available for June 18-22, June 25-29, July 2-6, July 9-13, July 16-20, July 23-27, July 30-August 3,and August 6-10. Registration is open now at www.rockitscience.com.

The Rock-it Science summer camps utilize storytelling and innovative science experiments to capture the children’s attention and imagination. Camp themes run the gamut from experiments that fly to experiments that bubble and smoke! The camps serve children ages 5-12.

The goal at Rock-it Science is to spark, nurture and develop young people’s enthusiasm and ability to learn science successfully. Each camp day begins with a scientific concept introduced through a zany tale involving Jack, Jill, and The Evil Mr. Fred. Then the kids begin hands-on experimentation to determine possible solutions to the cliffhanger story.

Kids are encouraged to think creatively, to try things out, make mistakes, make corrections and discover how to solve problems. They don’t just reproduce a pre-determined result – they experience the joy of discovery for themselves.
To learn more about Rock-it Science and this summer’s camp offerings, go to www.rockitscience.com or call Rock-it Science at (408) 969-1900.