Mrs. Johnson at Montessori Makes ‘Classroom a Safe and Inclusive Space for All’

"Beth goes above and beyond at every turn. Last school year when we were talking about the 17-year cicadas in our home, she noticed Adrian was chatting about it at school and created two Montessori works about cicadas specifically based on his interests.

However, I have a story that is even more meaningful. We take our religious practices and traditions very seriously, and that often means missing school in order to celebrate. Adrian was given the choice to go to school or go to church to celebrate the feast of St. Nicholas on December 6. He was torn because as much as he wanted to go to church, he also did not want to miss school for fear he would not complete his work plan. We talked to Mrs. Johnson and she agreed that his work serving in the altar, which includes preparing the incense, processing with candles and helping prepare the hot water, could count for the sensorial area.

When he arrived at school, he asked if he could bring his classmates oranges. The tradition in eastern Europe is that St. Nicholas leaves oranges in children's shoes on his feast (Santa's origin story). Not only did Mrs. Johnson say OK, Adrian later told me with great excitement that she shared the historical origins of the story and the historical person, Nicholas of Myra.

One of Mrs. Johnson's core values is to make her classroom a safe and inclusive space for all, and she does this in ways big and small."

-submitted by Marianna Ruggerio (on behalf of Adrian Bannon)

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Teacher Appreciation Week 2022

Thank you, teachers! This year for Teacher Appreciation Week and Teacher Appreciation Day, we asked students, families and staff to thank their favorite RPS 205 teacher – and to tell us what makes them special. We had many fantastic responses, and we’re sharing our favorites on the 205 VIBE.