Travel Diary: Guangzhou, China– Tuesday, 03/29/2011
Posted on: March 29, 2011
Wenru picked me up at 8am as class was to begin at 8:30am. Fortunately, we are only 5 minutes away from the training classroom. It is on the second floor of a training facility.
Wentru has arranged the areas of learning very beautifully: the large classroom holds everything except practical learning, sensorial, and language. When I came in, students hugged me and were happy to see me. I was thrilled to see them, again. There were 14 women and 1 man. (PS: The man owns 7 schools with 100 children in each. He laughs a lot and some of his ways are rather manly).
I began reading, “Mama, Do You Love Me?,” and asked why I would show them this book. We talked about how they will give parent classes and lectures, and how important bedtime “tucking in” is and the time to tell your children that you will “always love them.” Wenru will take this book home to see what her smart twin daughters say about it.
One young woman asked how to conduct cirle and what it was. So, I spent about an hour discussing:
1. Traditional versus Montessori thinking
2. The change of heart and mind needed to be a Montessori teacher
3. The current problem of intervention of work and using Montessori materials as teaching materials at circle.
The morning “bowl test” for practical life went exceedingly well. I can see Wenru’s hard work in giving good lessons. There were the usual problems of standing up with the work in hand, or using one hand to wipe the table. Wenru had prepared matching large water activities that were beautiful.
After lunch I showed the Good Shepherd. I had shown it last November, so I had told the students that they could have a longer lunch if they didn’t want to see it again. All of them came, including Ruth, Wenru’s friend, who took the London Montessori Course and taught in Shanghai for two years. Since the students had already had a “bowl test” over the Chinese language materials, we had a test over the English materials. I was shocked how well the 15 Chinese students did on the test, especially capable of pronouncing the short phonetic sounds very accurately. A couple of the students needed help in feeling the complete sandpaper letter without lifting their fingers. Most of them did a lovely job of picking up the pencil with two hands.
Even though I was freezing in the classroom, I was warmed and in awe of God’s work through MIA in China, of what His plans for these students might be, and how they will assist children to learn through their full potential. We ended the day by summarizing the bowls a discussion of the lesson as a scientific learning experience for each teacher and child.
Montessori Plus School 
April 15, 2011 at 4:25 pm
If I see you again in MTP, I would be thrilled too ^^ I think it is wonderful for you to know that you are so important person and give a big effect to many people, future Montessori teachers.