"Look what I made all by myself! This time I made it all by myself."

            Hello and happy Monday! I hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday weekend. Thinking back on the week leading up to Independence Day, I’ve typically never felt very festive until the actual holiday, as I imagine most adults can relate to. Being around the children this week, however, this was not the case. As they spent time making firework and hand-print American flag crafts, I couldn’t help but feel their contagious enthusiasm for the special occasion ahead. When I walked into Exploration Camp one morning three children greeted me covered in star-spangled sunglasses and necklaces with huge grins. I’ve noticed that when we’re older we often hesitate to be openly excited and happy. After all, there are a million other things to be stressed about, right? Being around the children this week I noticed that their uninhibited excitement goes hand in hand with their dedication to the work they do. Whether they were working on coloring an American flag or telling me about how incredibly excited they were about seeing fireworks, the focus was the same. I find that Westmont continuously manages to cultivate an environment that encourages dedication. At Westmont, children give one hundred percent of themselves in whatever they do. Whether that’s completing a puzzle, completing a craft, or explaining how you feel in a moment of happiness or anger, the children always follow through. Westmont encourages the growth of the whole child. Looking back on this concept and approach as an alum, I can’t help but think that growing up and learning in an environment like Westmont’s encourages you to be wholeheartedly yourself.

            The concept of  ‘being yourself’ brings me to the other concept that I’ve been thinking about this week: independence. Not only is it especially relevant this week, but I’ve also found that being oneself and independence go hand in hand at Westmont. As I discussed earlier, children at Westmont are taught to work and feel wholeheartedly, which ends up making them wholeheartedly themselves. I was sitting with a child this week who was working on his Play-Doh, trying to roll it out enough so that he could cut out the shape he wanted. He’d been working at it for a while and then suddenly grinned, proclaiming, “Look what I made all by myself! I couldn’t make it by myself last time, but this time I made it all by myself.” Again, I couldn’t help but smile when I saw his enthusiasm. It all seems to fit together—the dedication, independence, enthusiasm, and the unique growth into being oneself that comes as a result of a Montessori education
            The picture shown above is a little me on the Westmont playground years ago. I lost my dad a year ago today, so he is on my mind more than usual, but this week’s post especially brought him to mind. My dad was always the one encouraging me to make my way across the monkey bars, waiting to catch me if I fell while believing that I could do it myself. I’m feeling especially grateful for Westmont and my dad today. Have a wonderful week everyone.