v o lu m e X I v , n u m b e r 1 7

A w e e k l y p u b l i c a t i o n o f T h e Po s t Oa k S ch o o l

J a n ua ry 2 3 , 2 0 0 9

Ava i l a b l e o n l i n e a tw w w.p o s t o a k s ch o o l .o rg

“Do you like pasta?” asked me.

“yes,” I answered as she brought to her mouth a single curly cue

pasta lightly covered in red sauce. She lifted the spoon with great control. Her table mate alternately used spoon and fingers. but that’s dinner with

two-year-olds. We were sitting on chairs perfectly proportioned to their size. It was a miracle of engineering that one supported my weight. It was a perfect dining table for them; my feet fit under the table but my knees neared my chin.

picked up a glass and drank her apple juice. She wiped her mouth with a napkin. She picked up

“ C u t e? ” b y Jo h n Lo ng, Hea d o f S ch o o l

continued on page 3

I n t H I S I S S u e : S P e L L i n g b e e W H a t I t m e a n S t o b e a m o n t e S S o r I Da D i S A S A c c r e d i T A T i O n v i S i Tp r I m a r y pa r e n t C H I l D n I G H t m i d d L e S c H O O L b O O k c O r n e r a m I r e f r e S H e r C o u r S e I n f o r m a t I o n

T h e We e k l y

poSt

Ga l a ar t Pr o j e c t s

Children in Primary Home Environment silk screen on a canvas for part of their Gala live auction project.

The 2009 Gala of thePost Oak Parents Association

Friday March 6, 2009 at the Four Seasons

Hotel Ballroom

1300 Lamar Street6:30 pm

Ba r e f o o t i n Be l i z e

Donated by the Walji family

Of all the resorts in Belize, Journey’s End Resort is one that excels at providing an

elegant and all-inclusive experience. Enjoy a three night stay for two people on beautiful

Ambergris Caye, Belize, at Journey’s End Resort. Luxuriate in a private garden or pool

cabana surrounded by white sand, palm trees, and the f lora and fauna of the tropics. You

can dive the numerous reefs, snorkel with reef sharks and rays, or dip in the crystal clear

water and wiggle your toes in the sand.

sPecial four seasons rates

Gala room rates at Four Seasons Hotel ($165 while available). Call the Four Seasons at 713-650-1300 soon to make your reservation.

Progr am ads now on sale for businesses and families

Take this opportunity to support The Post Oak School by purchasing an ad in the Gala program. If

you don’t have a business to advertise, you can show your support for the school by purchasing

an ad personally.

• Familyorchildphotoswelcome!

• Seenbyover300peoplefromthe Houstonarea!

If you would like to purchase an ad in the Gala program, please pick up a contract at the front of-fice or download one from the web site. Contracts

and artwork/photo due January 26.

Thankyouforsupportingourschool!

pa G e 2 J a n ua ry 2 3 , 2 0 0 9

her plate and carried it to the dish drainer by the sink. She pushed her chair up to the table.

a perfect child? “I have a bad cold,” I think she said. Her runny nose helped me to interpret her words. “Would you like help blowing your nose?” She received help graciously.

She’s so cute. aren’t the tiny little chairs and the tiny little table cute? Wasn’t it precious the way she lifted each curly cue pasta on a little tiny spoon?

to answer, put yourself in s position. are you cute? are your table and chairs cute? and isn’t it precious the way you eat pasta? or would you find this patronizing?

is engaged in noble work. She is developing the practical life skills of using a spoon and drinking from a glass. These are

commonplace skills, but ones that confer full membership in the family. She is de-veloping the social skills to sit at table with others, to eat and converse. She is develop-ing a sense of physical order—placing the dirty dish where it belongs, pushing in her chair—that leads to the development of an orderly mind. She is developing a sense of her own capability, of her own capacity to learn and to take her place in the family. She is learning to accept help when it is needed, and to offer it when she can.

How does this happen? The environment was specially prepared for her, and she has been shown how to do these things. So she learns. and that learning is treated with a sense of reverence, a sense of high serious-ness. We did smile and enjoy ourselves but at the same time there is a profound respect for the child which undergirds such encounters. and the child perceives this along with her own growing capability. Dignity results.

Seeing her as oh-so-cute would undermine

this. It would say, “We don’t really expect

you to be able to do these things and it’s

just so amazing that you are able to!”

Hailing her as precious, and declaring

each newly learned skill as a Kodak mo-

ment creates in the child both a need to

please others and a need to be the center

of attention. When we match her enthu-

siasm, but don’t exceed it we honor and

protect her intrinsic motivation. We avoid

overwhelming and transforming it into

extrinsic motivation. a child doesn’t need

a cheerleader to develop high self-esteem;

she needs to develop capability in a climate

of respect and love.

Is she cute? She is beautiful. Is she cute?

She is capable. Is she cute? She is dignified.

Is she cute? She is our future.

copyright 1996 John Long and The Post Oak School .

“Cute?” by John Long, continued from page 1

Spelling bee

Above left: Students listen to instructions before the bee. Above middle: spells the winning word, “camouflage.” Above right: Best friends and finished in the top two spelling bee places. will compete in the next level spelling bee. If she is unable to compete that day, will be available as the alternate.

pa G e 3J a n ua ry 2 3 , 2 0 0 9

by vikas mittal, Parent

to be a montessori dad, to me, means many things.

• Learningtorespectmydaughterasifshe were an adult.

• Notofferingadviceunlesssheasks.Stepping back.

• Acceptingthenaturalorderofthings,and not imposing what I “feel” is correct.

• Beacutelyawarethateveryinteractionwith her is an opportunity to imbue it with dignity and self-respect.

• Helpingherdeveloplifeskills,ratherthan manage her life for her. for example, instead of making sure her homework is done, help her develop a daily schedule so it inculcates the habit of getting it done.

• Readingtoincreasemyemotional intelligence.

• Remindingmyselfthatacademic excellence, while important and desirable is not the only goal of education.

• Remindingmyselfofthemanyfriendswho, while professionally accomplished and successful, have terrible personal lives because they are lacking in emotional and social intelligence.

• EnsuringthatIdonotlivemydreamsvicariously through my daughter. my dreams—needs and insecurities—should not drive my expectations .

• Reciting,asoftenaspossible,thefollow-ing lines from tao te Ching:

Ø weakness, the most useful quality

Ø humility, the highest virtue

Ø non-action, the highest form of action

Ø mastering others requires force, mastering self requires strength

• Trustingherteachersandlisteningtothem carefully, because it is important and liberating. They spend an enormous amount of quality time with her, observ-ing her.

• Micromanagingachild’slifecanmakeyou brittle of nature. you will always be focused on small things that seem urgent, but are not important.

• Huggingheroftenandtellingherhowmuch I love her, how much joy she brings to me. for this I am thankful to God, and nandita.

What does it mean to be a montessori dad?

ISaS accreditation visitby robin Lunsford, director of Finance and Facilities

last week, I was honored to travel to Good Shepherd epis-copal School in Dallas to work on their accreditation team for the Independent Schools association of the Southwest. I had heard from members of other teams that this experience was wonderful, but very intense. as we caught the bus to the school at 7:00 am and finished out last meetings at 9:30 in the evening, I agreed! I was not acquainted beforehand with most of the members of the accreditation group, but we felt like a team by the time we finished on Wednesday. this was a won-derful opportunity to take the time to see how another school operates and to help the members of their staff that I worked with. I am proud of the post oak School’s accreditation with ISaS and this visit gave me new appreciation for all the hard work members of our school communities do to help all of us maintain our high standards.

middle Schoolbook corner

middle School students are currently reading Sister carrie, a turn-of-the century novel in which author Theodore Dreiser explores not only the appealing dangers of the White City, but also the impact of the materialist industrialism of the early 1900s on the city’s inhabitants. Dreiser introduces us to city life through the eyes of Carrie meeber, a small-town 18-year-old girl. readers identify with her innocence, her subsequent disillusionment, and ultimately, her disavowal of societal constraints.

pa G e 4 J a n ua ry 2 3 , 2 0 0 9

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The 2009 Post Oak Fund:Building a Solid Base

Participation as of 1/22/2009Total parent participation: 91%

Congratulations to Kathy Long’s class and her class captain Anne Singleton,

and Sabira Najeeb’s class and class captain Whitney Walsh for reaching 100% parent participation! And to ALL families who have

contributed to date, thanks for helping us reach 90%

participation! The campaign continues. We hope to

hear from the remaining 22 families to get us to 100% participation. Remember,

you can pledge your support today by sending an email to christinacantu@postoakschool.org. Pledges are due at the end of the school year, and you will

be sent reminders.

Dear Mom & Dad,

You are invited to my class! Thursday, January 29, from 6:00–7:00 pm is Primary Parent-Child Night. Come see my work and work with me!

There will be childcare for my older Post Oak siblings. Just call the front office.

With love,

Your Primary child

pa G e 5J a n ua ry 2 3 , 2 0 0 9

S C e n e Sf ro m

T h e Po s t Oa k S ch o o l

Left-to-right, top-to-bottom:1. “I know it!” middle School students compete to

see who can define a word fastest during “the vocab game.” They used an empty stapler as a buzzer.

2. fine art: carefully painting the pieces of the chandelier for their class Gala live auction project.

3. middle School teacher Kim Davis glowingly finishes running the half marathon last weekend.

4. “once there was a giant elephant and a tiny mam-moth...” a student writes creatively while practic-ing cursive writing.

5. a student gets a lesson on metal insets.

6. taking the oath: a primary student demonstrates what the president would do during his swearing-in ceremony. He was also reading about obama as a senator.

7. a five-year-old student drew a picture and wrote what he thought about obama’s inauguration.

8. middle School student and her father, Ken, celebrate after finishing the half and full marathon, respectively.

9. “and what’s this one?” Quizzing each other on multiplication.

10. Students learn about Chinese new year.

11. “look, it’s eating some!” feeding the fish in the classroom.

12 . “I can do it!” a child in Infant Community undresses himself before potty time.

13. Writing a research report about bears, including a drawing of one.

1

2 3

4 5

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6 8

9 10

11 12 13

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pa G e 7J a n ua ry 2 3 , 2 0 0 9

a b o u t T H e W e e k Ly P O S T

The Weekly Post appears on most fridays of the regular school year.

you can receive a printed copy from your oldest child, or a pDf version online.

Submit letters, articles, or photos in electronic form by 5 pm on the tuesday before publication

to Communications Coordinator Shannon neufeld (shannonneufeld@postoakschool.org).

tHe poSt oaK SCHool: founded in 1963 and accredited

by both the association montessori Internationale (amI) and

the Independent Schools association of the Southwest (ISaS)

4600 bissonnet, bellaire, texas 77401 / telephone: 713-661-6688 / fax: 713-661-4959

J a n u a r y 2 6 - 3 0

Thu 1/29

Primary Parent-Child Night 6:00 pm

f e b r u a r y 2 - 6

Tue 2/3

POPA Coffee/Work Day 8:45 am

Wed 2/4

Parent/employee basketball 7:00–9:00 pm

f e b r u a r y 9 - 1 3

Wed 2/11

Coffee with the Upper School Director 9:00 am

Parent/employee basketball 7:00–9:00 pm

Thu 2/12

Re-registration deadline for fall enrollment

Fri 2/13

Teacher in-service day; no classes, only students with expanded-year contracts attend

Financial Aid Applications Due

AMI Refresher Course in Houston (see ad on right)

f e b r u a r y 1 6 - 2 0

Mon 2/16

Presidents’ Day; no classes in session

AMI Refresher Course in Houston (see ad on right)

Wed 2/18

Parent/employee basketball 7:00–9:00 pm

Keep t rack of school e vent s w it h ou r on-l i ne c a lend a r — or dow n load a f re sh copy

of t he school ’s pr i nted c a lend a r, a l l at http://www.postoakschool .org

H a ppe n I n G S

For more, visit www.postoakschool.org

n o t I C e b o a r D

AMI refresher course and workshops for parents, teachers, assistants,

and administrators“creativity to the core,” February 13-16, 2009

intercontinental Hotel in Houston, Texas

Check-in volunteers needed friday, feb. 13, 4-6 pm and 6-8 pm Contact Jeff Schneider if you’d like to participate.

http://w w w.amiusa.org/conference_refresher_2009.asp

Ga Me on!!

Faculty donat ion for the Gala silent auct ion

Think they can do it? Mark Tucker will referee a basketball game between ten students (4th, 5th & 6th grade only) and the energetic and

determined faculty team of Asenet Garcia and Jenna Pel (yes, that’s it). Post-game meal of pizza will be provided. Come and cheer on

Monday, March 30, from 6:00–8:00 pm in the PostOakgym.Parents:listenup!Thefirstten

to sign up at the Gala silent auction get their child a spot on the team.

pa G e 8 J a n ua ry 2 3 , 2 0 0 9