SBCA Blog

The Beauty of Montessori through Materials

Ivy Schmalzried2023-05-08T20:23:10-04:00

Concrete materials are a fundamental component of a Montessori classroom. They provide children with hands-on, sensory experiences that help them develop a deep understanding of abstract concepts. In the Montessori approach, children are encouraged to learn by exploring and manipulating the world around them, and concrete materials are a key tool for facilitating this process. These materials are designed to be self-correcting, meaning that children can immediately see if they have made a mistake or not. This allows them to learn from their mistakes and make corrections independently, without the need for instant teacher intervention. The use of concrete materials also [...]

The Beauty of Montessori through MaterialsIvy Schmalzried2023-05-08T20:23:10-04:00

God’s Beautiful Classroom

Ivy Schmalzried2023-05-01T20:32:12-04:00

One of my roles at St. Benedict Classical Academy is to facilitate recess duty for teachers. On a typical day, I facilitate five or more recesses outside on our schoolyard turf. I have been at SBCA for eight years and we have always prioritized outside play during the school day. We encourage a schedule where students go outside three times a day, in addition to morning drop-off recess. Children are able to play in the fresh air in all kinds of weather - rain, snow, sleet, sun… anything! (Only once has a child complained to me because of the weather, and [...]

God’s Beautiful ClassroomIvy Schmalzried2023-05-01T20:32:12-04:00

The best seat in the (school)house.

Ivy Schmalzried2023-04-24T12:18:05-04:00

Eight years ago I answered a job post that seemed to perfectly combine my love of working with people and my Catholic faith. Honestly, it seemed too good to be true. But when I left my interview, I called my husband and said I needed to be a part of this new exciting school. It was everything I loved! I feel so blessed to still be here almost a decade later. On the days I arrive early to work, I love to sit quietly in our beautiful schoolhouse chapel. The calm of the school, the peace of Jesus in the chapel, [...]

The best seat in the (school)house.Ivy Schmalzried2023-04-24T12:18:05-04:00

Tiny Seeds

Ivy Schmalzried2023-04-14T16:00:06-04:00

Every other week I have the opportunity to visit Kindergarten and read the students a book focused on the virtue of the month. While we can certainly model desired behaviors and choices, one of the simplest ways to introduce virtues is through children’s literature. In his book The Mysteries of Life in Children’s Literature, Mitchell Kalpakgian reminds us, “Goodness in children’s stories assumes the nature of simple deeds of kindness: doing a favor for a stranger, sharing one’s bread, helping with the housework. Goodness consists in performing small, humble, unnoticed gestures of goodwill that escape public attention, but which bear great [...]

Tiny SeedsIvy Schmalzried2023-04-14T16:00:06-04:00

Finding Our Calcutta

Ivy Schmalzried2023-04-03T11:07:54-04:00

One recent February day just before the dawn of Lent, in our St. Benedict Classical Academy (SBCA) Pre-Kindergarten classroom at our St Placid Campus, I was preparing to lead an activity that would help our little ones begin to have an understanding of the Beatitudes. Truthfully I am just as much a learner about our Catholic faith as even our youngest student - our Faith is an ongoing and lifelong pursuit. I started by pondering and praying about each Beatitude and each of the theological virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity, and how they applied to my role in the classroom. [...]

Finding Our CalcuttaIvy Schmalzried2023-04-03T11:07:54-04:00

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and Dr. Maria Montessori’s Understanding of the Spiritual Child

Ivy Schmalzried2023-03-27T09:40:34-04:00

“An education capable of saving humanity is no small undertaking; it involves the spiritual development of man, the enhancement of his value as an individual, and the preparation of young people to understand the times in which they live.”Maria Montessori, Education and Peace – Speech in Copenhagen, May 1937 With man, the life of the body depends on the life of the spirit. Maria Montessori, The Advanced Montessori Method I, p. 20 Our Montessori Pre-Kindergarten program at St. Benedict Classical Academy uses the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) Program for our students’ faith formation—a Montessori-based religious education curriculum for children, with level [...]

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and Dr. Maria Montessori’s Understanding of the Spiritual ChildIvy Schmalzried2023-03-27T09:40:34-04:00

Setting Our Minds on What’s Above: The Sacrament of Penance

Ivy Schmalzried2023-03-21T11:29:16-04:00

17 To the man he said: Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, You shall not eat from it,Cursed is the ground because of you! In toil you shall eat its yield all the days of your life.18 Thorns and thistles it shall bear for you, and you shall eat the grass of the field.19 By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread,Until you return to the ground, from which you were taken;For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.GENESIS 3: 17-19 I read this chapter of Genesis recently, fittingly on Ash Wednesday, and [...]

Setting Our Minds on What’s Above: The Sacrament of PenanceIvy Schmalzried2023-03-21T11:29:16-04:00

Keep It Simple

Ivy Schmalzried2023-03-12T20:09:25-04:00

“Lent is a time to grow and change for Christ”, reads the bulletin board outside our kindergarten classroom. Twelve flowers decorate the board, each with a Lenten promise written by a student. “I will play with my baby sister”, “I will give up sweets”, and “I will pray for the poor” are just a few examples. The promises, like the children who wrote them, are small. However, they contain a larger truth that is worth contemplating throughout our Lenten journey, a truth expressed by the Little Flower herself, St Therese: “Nothing is small in the eyes of God. Do all that [...]

Keep It SimpleIvy Schmalzried2023-03-12T20:09:25-04:00

Baroque’s GOAT

Ivy Schmalzried2023-03-10T11:38:11-05:00

Every summer the search for artists to include in SBCA’s artist of the month line-up begins. Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio makes the list almost every year. In my opinion, he is the best choice and a solid standout in the Baroque era. My hope is that the students at SBCA will tell you why. Caravaggio dominates February as our artist of the month because of his compelling compositions that capture dramatic moments. He is a minimalist who controls what the focus should be. Spare scenes with dramatic illumination or tenebrism set the stage for the miracles unfolding on canvas. Remarkably, we [...]

Baroque’s GOATIvy Schmalzried2023-03-10T11:38:11-05:00

Lenten Gratitude

Ivy Schmalzried2023-03-10T12:04:38-05:00

On Ash Wednesday, the Church began the great preparation for Easter—the holiest liturgical season of the year. As a child, I fondly remember receiving the ashes on my young forehead, my parents asking me what treasured thing I would choose to give up for the following six weeks. (I usually chose candy—we did not have it that often, so that was easy!) During this time of fasting, I remember sitting together on the couch while my dad read the Chronicles of Narnia to my brothers and sisters and I, in place of watching our favorite show or movie. We went to [...]

Lenten GratitudeIvy Schmalzried2023-03-10T12:04:38-05:00

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