Have you ever wondered what goes on in the Hollis Montessori Adolescent Program (AP)? AP Guide Susan Holmes Glazier describes just how much work, learning, and growth goes into what may seem like simple projects.
There is often a magical alchemy between work of the head and work of the hand. It is challenging academic work fueled by the practical needs inherent in running a small community. We cook, we clean, we fix things that break; we care for our building, our land, ourselves, and each other; we have conflicts and we work them out. We make big and small decisions every day. We know that we matter - our work, ideas, and problem solving all matter because they directly impact the people in our school community.
AP Students selling their homemade products
The students have to build a huge body of skills and knowledge to do this work. AP students do the work you might expect in Jr. High such as solving quadratic equations, studying history, and writing beautiful, well crafted poetry. However, sometimes the high level of academic work the AP students do isn’t the first thing you notice, because what you often see is the application of that knowledge.
For example, many students in the last 5 years or more contributed to the work of removing our old orchard trees and then replanting new trees. One piece of this process happened when students researched which apple trees were best adapted to Hollis, NH. This involved knowledge of ecosystems, life cycles of plants, insects, and fungi; pollination, predation, carbon and nitrogen cycles, and more. They did the research and had lessons from guides to help them develop this scientific understanding and when they were conversant with this knowledge, they chose the best suited trees for our orchard. Other students wrote a professional level proposal to the Hollis Montessori Board of Directors requesting money for the orchard. The Board members did not necessarily see all of the lessons and practice on punctuation, capitalization, outlining, revising, editing, tone, and use of specific literary devices, but they did appreciate a well written proposal delivered by articulate, poised young adolescents.
AP Students breaking ground for the new orchard.
New orchard ribbon cutting ceremony
Last April, an exciting day came for the AP because we broke ground on an orchard that had been years in the making. (a lot of ground! 30 holes worth of ground!) While we sited and dug the holes, our conversations ranged from the beauty of the dandelions and their usefulness to pollinators, to using shovels as levers. As one student noted—while digging out yet another rock— “Who ever said being able to graph a parabola doesn’t matter? Watch me throw this rock - a perfect parabola!”
So why are we renovating an apple orchard in the first place?
Each year, the Adolescent Program has a tradition of pressing local apples and selling cider to the HMS community. The apple trees that originally grew on the property that became Hollis Montessori School had outlived their useful lifetime. Renewing our orchard is a project for the future—eventually, AP students will be pressing cider from the apples in our own orchard.
While we all love the delicious, fresh-pressed cider, there are many benefits to this work. Maria Montessori recognized the importance of the work of the hand as an instrument of intelligence and that children needed to gain experience by doing things. Adolescents are looking for ways to put their new physical capabilities to the test, take on adult-like work, gain economic independence, and contribute to the community. Above all, they want to know that their contributions matter and that they are valued by the group.
Cider production requires the effort of every individual in the group to be successful. It involves life skills which extend beyond the classroom: shared purposeful work, division of labor, collaboration, valuing a variety of skills and talents, responsibility, pride in one’s work, flexibility and problem solving, attention to detail, and sticking with a task despite challenges.
But one of the biggest outcomes is the self-confidence and “valorization” that comes from accomplishing a large goal: students don’t need adults to tell them they’ve succeeded after they’ve produced and sold twenty gallons of cider! As students experience belonging and contribution, they participate in a cycle of increased engagement, learning, community, and leadership.
Production and exchange holds a pivotal role in adolescent Montessori communities. AP students and guides work together to solve complex, challenging problems in a small community in which everyone’s work is essential to making it all happen. AP students can feel good knowing that their knowledge of science, math, history, languages, arts, and economics runs deep and that they are simultaneously developing skills such as organization, leadership, and communication that help them apply that knowledge.