Alternate schooling methods

So as you are aware i'm relief teaching here in Welly. and there is a lot of variation. there is basically a scale system called a Decile rating of 1 to 10. a 10 school is the best, the cream of the crop, they have a devoted art week, multiple computers in each room, a laptop cart and usually mostly white anglo-saxon pupils. The opposite end of the scale is the 1 and 2 where the students are usually more ethnic, lower socio-economic status, more behavioural and less supplied in terms of school equipment (in Ottawa we call those Beacon schools). So i've worked the range of decile 4 through 10; yes there is a difference.

At one of those 4s though there is a Montessori school. the staff jokes that the Montessori is how they stay open because of the funding it gets. so i've relieved a few times in there...its different. i'm not going to bore you with details but the basics boil down to this:

1) students choose what to learn, then do it
2) teachers teach them how to use the development math tool for say counting, just enough of an explanation to peak interest then stand back and let them use it for days and observe.
3) it encourages and has a practical hands on living aspect, there is a mini-kitchen so they can learn to cook, clean, etc.
4) oh and they encourage them to go outside a lot to exercise and plan small group trips off of school property without adults.

suffice it to say that i'm impressed, Blaise is impressed and though children are not yet on our list of "to do" things yet we both see Montessori as an option.

ok back to the point i was trying to make. a few years back some of the kids asked for (in a business proposal btw) an expresso/barrista machine like every coffee shop has. they got it too, its considered practical and hands on. these kids then proceeded to start a coffee delivery business to all the teachers in the school. so mrs. A wants a flat white at 10:20, mrs. B wants an expresso at 11:30, the kids in room 4 order four hot chocolates at lunch, etc. Because the Montessori kids are allowed to move freely in and out of their class as part of their education, they can do this delivery service. its $2 for anything and let me tell you they make a good Mochachino. then they keep banking/accounting records of all their sales and they use the proceeds to fund camp trips or charitable donations (the class agreed to use the funds to buy a goat last year for a village in Africa). There is currently a science project going on growing cultures because one of the boys who does this had concerns about the cleanliness of his coffee machine so the teacher brought in culture mediums in petri dishes and he's started a 2 week project testing his machine and other areas of the class for cleanliness by doing mold cultures. Oh i suppose i should add these particular coffee kids are boys between the ages of 10 and 11; and one of the guys has been doing this since he was nine. did i not say Montessori was neat!

So i've been raving to Blaise about this and today the school had a craft/fund raising sale call Knack. The Montessori kids who do the coffee were invited to set up shop on the stage. They were there last year and they did so well they were invited back this year and got a sponsor who gave them all the coffee for free this time.
So we went in and purchased two drinks, my Mochachino and for Blaise his standard flat white. Blaise had to admit that it was a very nice flat white. The guys let us take a picture for posterity.

Meet the barristas of the Montessori program.