Meet the team: Kate

We'd like to introduce ourselves-- the team behind Goldenrod! Here is a Q&A with Kate Schiffman, our elementary teacher.

How did you find Montessori?

I attended a Montessori school when I was a kid.  When I left college, I did not want to go into economics, which is what my degree was in.  So I started working at a yarn and coffee shop, and I found out that I really liked teaching kids knitting.   I partnered with an online magazine to start online kid’s knitting videos.  My old teacher, who is a family friend, saw this and was talking to my parents and invited me to come volunteer at my old school.  From there, I started subbing. I started with the young toddler group and worked my way up through the age groups over the years, until I co-founded a summer camp for returning elementary age students. That’s how I found my age group.  It was a set path for me after that– just a matter of when I had my own classroom!

What is it about the elementary age group that really resonates with you?

With elementary students, their insatiable curiosity is so much fun. It’s a great jumping off point for so many of the Montessori works and so many of the explorations.  Also, I really enjoy the relationships you’re able to build with them.  There’s a lot of sarcasm and social development that happens with this age. I also think that all kids have passions, even preschoolers and toddlers, but you can really make something spectacular happen with elementary schoolers and their passions.

What’s one of your favorite subjects to learn about with students?

Hands-down science! No question.  Science, from my perspective, has an amazing ability to teach us to ask “why” more, to do deeper explorations and to find more opportunities to learn.  As adults or even young kids, we’re trained to stop asking why or to squash our curiosities. Because Montessori has an integrated curriculum, you can foster a love of learning about anything. That’s what it’s all about, and then you tie it all together and make it fit the students in your class.  For me, science is my passion, so it’s what I love to share with my students. But I always find a way to meet them with their passions, to kindle that fire and help them grow. 

Can you share a favorite memory from the classroom?

This is from last year.  I was starting to introduce algebra to some of my older students.  And they were fighting me and fighting me. A funny kind of thing that all older students want to know is “How am I going to use this?” And I was like, “Well, you’ll use equations for a lot of things, including your taxes. How fun for you!”  But I also really love math, and I was excited to show them basic algebra problems.  And my student all of a sudden said, “Oh! The letter just stands in for a number! And then it’s like a puzzle! I love this!” And this student, who was just hating it, something clicked in their brain and then it became this fun activity for them, like decoding a cipher.  That was really amazing.

In another recent memory, we took compost and put it in sealed containers under microscopes.  We looked at both fresh compost and decaying compost.  It was stinky even in the containers! The kids were so grossed out and so excited simultaneously. Just seeing the life cycle of compost and seeing all those little critters breaking everything down was very exciting and engaging.

What is something unexpected about the process of opening a school?

There’s so many things.  One of the things is just seeing your broader impact.  We’re connecting to so many people, and asking for help from so many different people in our community. It’s great to be reminded of my impact and my years of connection in this community.  For instance, learning who my past students’ families are connected to, this person is great or suggesting we talk to a friend of theirs, whatever it is.  And to have my past teachers give me advice on how to start a school–whoa! Very big.  

The most unexpected thing was how I felt when we were taking pictures.  And I had my own children with these different generations of my students who I just have so much appreciation and love for.  They were all playing together, and to take these pictures and witness the joy and connection was so touching and meaningful.

When you’re not in the classroom, what are you most likely to be doing?

If it’s summertime, I hope to be gardening or hiking with my kiddos.  We do a lot of group gardening whether I like it or not.