A very warm good morning I bid to all the wonderful people present today. It is my

pleasure to have educators and parents gather here in one place just to show how determine you

are in assuring a better education for our children.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I know that most of you already have children enroll in our curriculum and I bet Montessori

Method have managed to  inculcate the thirst of knowledge in your child, developing a sense of

order, nurture functional creativity, boost self-confidence and most importantly, bring in a sense

of independence. On the other hand, I am also sure that they are inquisitive parents here who

want to be enlightened as to what is actually Montessori Method?

Montessori Method is an educational approach developed by Italian physician and

educator Maria Montessori and characterized by an emphasis on independence, freedom within

limits, and respect for a child’s natural psychological, physical, and social development. Here in

Brainy Montessori, we are conformed to several elements in operating our institution. We

conduct a learning environment within mixed aged classrooms. Here we have three-year age

ranges. 3-6 year old in one class, 6-9 year old in one class, and so on. Apart from that, we use

constructivist or discovery model, where students learn concepts from working with materials,

rather than by direct instruction. We are also specialized in educational materials developed by

Montessori and her collaborators to help kids engage more actively in the classrooms with

freedom of movements, guided by a trained Montessori teacher.

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Without further ado, I would like talk about an issue that is so relevant to us, in which is “what

does it take to be a good parent?”. I wasn’t a good parent myself until I found Montessori

Method which has guided me through the years of bearing children. I personally agree that

spending quality time with our children should be put at the top of our parenting skills list.

American pianist Michael Levine says, “Having children makes you no more a parent than

having a piano makes you a pianist.” To be an effective parent and have a healthy family, you

need to spend time together. A number of families have found creative ways to do this so they

can connect in meaningful, positive ways. One way for you to do this is set aside special times

during the week along with each of your children. If your child is young, it is even helpful for

you to say “When I say to you or read to you or play with you, I won’t even answer the phone if

it rings”. Also during special times, focus on things that your child enjoys doing so he or she has

an opportunity to relax and simply display their strengths. You can also designate a regular

family time as part of your routine. Some families have a weekly family night. Others have a

monthly family outing. Others have a daily family check-in during dinner or before bed. Figure

out a routine that works for you and your family.

To know our child, we must learn to observe our child. If we carefully observe our

children’s behavior and interests, their ability to move and take on new tasks, their need to feel

secure and relax in their environment, we can get many clues as to what it means to parents from

a Montessori perspective. Each child grows and develops at his own pace. If we can follow his

cues as to what his needs and abilities are, and do our best to provide a home-environment that

satisfies these, he will grow confident that he is accepted for who he is and not expected to fulfill

his parents’ or anyone else’s timetable for development. This approach Maria Montessori called

‘following the child’. As your child grows and changes, we also have to provide things that are

appropriate for them at their age. I do think that if you find them misbehave and acting out, it is a

pretty good indicator that you better be looking more closely at what their needs are.

I as a parent myself, always try to make things available for my children. I mean, we live

in a neighbourhood in which nature is so close to us. So during school holidays, I make sure they

have binoculars, magnifying glasses and we even made a critter box for them to keep

caterpillars, frogs and bugs. Learning to be an observer of your child is a lifetime skill that takes

time to develop. If something is not working, it’s time to try something else. Become a student of

your child’s developmental needs and focus on what is appropriate for his current age level and

ability. Focus on activity that interests your child. Organize them so your child can be successful

and keep them easily within reach. Nurturing respect, independence and responsibility in your

child are key components to help him retain his desire to learn, feel confident and reach his

potential. Following your child demonstrates that you respect him, for who he is, that you

understand his capabilities and have reasonable expectations for him. It is important to spend

quality time together for working and playing.

Do you understand what your kids are trying to tell you? Are you paying attention to

body language or other cues that might indicate there’s more to a story? It is important to listen

carefully to your child and sincerely engaged in thoughtful communication. Talk about the

everyday stuff every day. Don’t wait for “important” conversations to have any conversations.

Find times to talk with your child every day. You can also create times for talking. Expect

everyone to be home for meals. Turn off the music while you’re driving around. Play a board

game instead of watching television. When a difficulty arises for you as a parent it is important

to express yourself in an ‘I’ statements such as “I feel irritated when you’re yelling at your

sister” instead of shaming your child with statement like “Stop yelling. You’re driving me

crazy!”. Children who feel this sense of respect are usually remarkably well-behaved. Children

want to feel independent and thrive when they are given opportunities to be responsible for their

own care. Most importantly, be patient. Sometimes you and your children will say things you

regret. Other times you’ll miss opportunities for a great conversation. Remember that you can

start a new conversation, even a simple one, to put you back on track.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Please. Stop telling your kids to share. Wait, the founder of Brainy Montessori is telling

you to have your kids to stop sharing? No. I actually want them to be better sharers. You can

help them by asking them to take turns. Not by telling them to share. Little minds really have a

hard time in understanding the concept of sharing. To a young child, telling them to share is just

like saying “Give away something that you want”. Period. All other good stuff about taking care

of other people’s feelings and fairness doesn’t really develop much until about the age of seven,

and even then, it takes several more years to fully develop after that; as any parent of a teenager

can attest. You see, word choice actually turns out to be really important in this situation. So,

taking turns is something that you can demonstrate. It is a concrete action that you can show

them how to do it. Sharing is more of a theoretical concept. The altruistic actions in caring for

others and putting yourselves in other people’s shoes are just not realistic to expect little minds to

be firing on all those cylinders. But you can give them a great experience in taking turns, which

helps them build their mental muscles by helping build their patience and then help them

understand other people’s feelings by pointing out how much their friends really enjoy it when

they do take turns. Because having fun time together, with your help, will eventually help your

little one become an excellent sharer.

Most parents are aware that their child’s feeling of self-worth are linked to social and

academic success but they sometimes don’t realize how easy it is to damage a child’s self-

esteem. Research shows that children with learning disabilities are especially likely to suffer

from a lack of self-esteem but all children benefit with their parents take steps to help develop

positive feelings self-worth. One of the things you can do is help your child feel special and

appreciated. This can be accomplished by focusing your energy on a child’s strengths.

Unfortunately, many youngsters view themselves in a negative way, especially in terms of

school. Make a list of your child’s ‘Island of Competence’ or areas of strength. Select one of

these islands and find ways of reinforcing and displaying. For example, if your child is a

wonderful artist, display his or her artwork.

The problem with respect in kids is mainly “How do you want them to respect you?” and

“What do you want them to do?” “How do they show respect?”. In most families, kids don’t

know. In most families what we do is we keep giving to kids without them having to give back.

So, what we really have to do is set up a very easy process for kids on how to respect us as

adults. The easiest way to get respect from our children is to go back to a process which we

actually started when our kids were very young, and it is the use of ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. We

live in a society today where most parents well-consciously started the process of nurturing the

use of these two phrases when they began to speak. That child will continuously use that as they

get older. Sometimes, around the age of nine this process tends to disappear. Think about your

household where you have your child constantly asking for something using the word ‘please’

and after they get it saying ’thank you’. If you can create this in your household, you can be

happy and feel far more respected than you are now. This is the simplest process I can give you.

Now, the problem is most of us do not use ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ in our household. What you

have to do is diligently remember every time your child asks you for something; they have to use

those two phrases. Well, I’m going to give you a little help here. All I want you to do is create

some visuals. Create a big sign and hang up in let us say in five places in the house that says

‘please’ and ‘thank you’. If your child says “Can I have a cookie?”, you can say “What is the

magic word?” and the child goes “Oh, yes. Please and thank you”. When a child gets older, you

do not want to pose the same question because you might get a word that you don’t think it is

magic. Just point to the sign and your child will get it. Do something simple. Set up this ‘please’

and ‘thank you’ routine and keep it up until they get older and you will find that the respect level

for everybody in your household will increase and you will be happier and enjoy raising your

kids far more than you are now.

Members of the floor,

Do you still remember when was the last time you get involved in your child’s school activities?

Or did it happen years ago that you cannot even recall the activities that you and your child had

your hands dirty with? Most schools and youth-serving programs go out of their way to reach

parents through conferences, volunteer opportunities, and special events; like this open-day that

we are having now. If you’re too busy to attend, at the very least, connect with your children’s

teachers via e-mail or phone. Then start taking advantage of opportunities to actually get into and

spend time at the places your children go.  Children and teens are more likely to be successful in

school if their mothers, fathers or other parenting adults are actively engaged in their learning.

That doesn’t mean you have to be an expert in what they are learning. Rather, you can show your

support and commitment many different ways, from being involved in the school, to encouraging

learning at home, and providing other opportunities for your child to grow and learn. Get

involved in school. This can include coming to meetings, attending parent-teacher conferences,

volunteering for classroom or school activities, or getting involved in school policies and

decisions.

Everyone needs to feel like he or she has something to contribute. Children who take on

responsibilities, have useful roles, and serve others are more likely to grow up with a sense of

purpose and concern for others. They are also more likely to develop the skills and attitudes to

take on new responsibilities. Here are some ideas to help you empower your children to

contribute. Share family responsibilities. Have a family meeting to get everyone’s ideas on

accomplishing household tasks. Share the decisions then share the work. Ask your children to

teach you something new. It could be something being learned in school, something related to

technology or sports, or a video game that your teen loves. Then of course, you can play it

together. You can also use home projects as learning projects. Whether you’re planning a family

reunion, doing home repair projects, or just catching up on chores, have your children help and

learn. Besides that, you can also follow your children’s lead. Children often are the ones who

recognize problems and want to take action. If they raise issues or concerns, encourage them to

dig deeper, learn more, and suggest ways your family can respond.

‘A chip of the old block’. ‘Flip side of the same coin’. ‘The apple doesn’t fall far from the

tree’. ‘Like father, like son’. These folk phrases concisely sum up family characterizations. They

all infer that parents are to blame for how kids turn out; for better or worse. Children, in general,

do tend to grow up to be a lot like their parents. So, you have to be a positive role model.

Parents should be very careful of how they behave themselves. ‘A fish rots from the top’. It is

extremely well known that children don`t do what you tell them to do, rather they do what they

see you doing. Always remember, if you are telling a lie, how can you expect your child to stop

lying?. Thus to improve them, you must improve yourself too. After all, role models are human;

they make mistakes. Parents who admit to their mistakes, learn from them, and strive to better

themselves can serve as powerful influences for children's emotional growth. By addressing

problems and conflicts in their own lives and sharing the process in an age-appropriate manner,

parents can encourage their children to address their own concerns. Parents should also display

non-aggressive responses to stress and anger management.