What does a kindergarten graduation speaker say to kids? - A POINT OF AWARENESS by Preciosa S. Soliven

Graduation season is on throughout the Philippines. As president and chief executive officer of Operation Brotherhood Montessori Center and its three branches in Metro Manila, I have to preside over the preschool, elementary school, high school and college commencement exercises. Out of eight, six ceremonies shall be held in the Maria Montessori Hall in Greenhills; the grade school and high school graduations of our Angeles Branch shall be held at the Mimosa Leisure Park in the Clark Special Economic Zone in Pampanga. For each graduation, we invite either a guest speaker or a parent to give the inspirational talk. After which the student speaker, who is usually outstanding in the class, addresses the graduates.

Yesterday, Manila Standard columnist Larry Sipin addressed the O.B. Montessori preschool graduating class of 2001. Being a parent, he was present in all the O.B. Montessori Professional High School graduations of his three elder daughters in 1994, 1995 and 1999 respectively. Presently, the oldest girl, Marianne, is taking up her masters in Communication at La Salle Greenhills. Kristianne works in the public affairs office of Allied Bank and intends to take up Law. While Roxanne is in her sophomore year at Assumption College, taking up Mass Communications. Once again, Larry was a proud parent to six-year old Ra-ziel Angela, who is shy by temperament. However, upon enrollment at the O.B. Montessori preschool in Greenhills, she underwent what Larry calls "an amazing transformation". She now chats with everyone and is very spontaneous.

What does one say to an assembly of six-year olds?

Larry went up the stage with a small portfolio containing a bell and two drawings. He began telling the story: "There was once a boy, six year old, which is the age of most of our graduates, who carried around his drawing of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant." He addressed the parents, "What is a boa constrictor? An adult like you and me would readily answer that it’s a snake. But an advanced casa graduate from O.B. Montessori would have a different answer. The answer would be, a boa constrictor is a reptile." (The O.B. Montessori preschool uses the Zoology nomenclature cards. It is a set of picture cards for fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals).

He continued speaking to the parents. "Such an answer expected from our graduates underscores their amazing transformation under O.B. Montessori casa or preschool education. When we brought them here, they were no more than babies. Today, they are smart children who baffle us with their knowledge of a wide range of subjects, among them reptiles, mammals and the solar system… Parang kahapon lang…"

"But let’s get back to the little boy and his drawing of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. The drawing as those who have read The Little Prince over and over – and who has not? – are all too familiar and looked like this." Larry holds up a 20" x 15" board illustrating a hat. The six- to seven-year old girls in their rainbow dresses and the boys wearing matching soft, long-sleeved shirts in little Lord Fauntleroy style, listened intently as they sat in their small wooden chairs.

"What is this is?" he asked. A few of the graduates shouted, "A hat!"

The story continued: "The little boy would show his drawing to adults, asking whether the drawing frightened them. But the adults always answered, "Frightened? Why should anyone be frightened by a hat?" The boy made another drawing so that grown ups could see it clearly."

Once again Larry pulled out the second drawing. This time an elephant showed within the silhouette drawing of the same hat. "What is this? All the 200 preschool graduates of Greenhills happily chorused, "It’s an elephant!"

How tiresome it is to talk to adults

The little boy, who grew up to be the pilot in Antoine de Saint Exupery’s beloved classic Little Prince could only shake his little head at the inability of grown-ups to understand things by themselves, complaining that, "It is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them."

I’m sure our children, the casa graduates, are tired of explaining things like Reptiles, Mammals, the Planets and how juice is poured, to us. Bear with us dear children, we are not like you who can see and understand things clearly, with the heart and eyes rather than the mind. We are not like you. We are grown-ups.

"Ah, to be young and innocent, with an uncluttered view of the world again…"

Who does the graduation speaker address – the parents or the child graduates?

Larry continued, "Now, this business of being the Parent-Speaker gave me a problem. Do I talk to you, my fellow parents? Or, do I talk to the graduates? I opt to talk to the graduates. If I talk to my fellow parents and the other grown ups here present, we would talk about adult concerns and end up being incomprehensible to our little boys and girls here. I better talk to the children then."

"I don’t know how a group of six year olds can understand a middle-aged hard nosed journalist. But I’ll try. If the adults will please bear with me, I’ll go down to the children. Being a Montessori parent four times over, I think I have an idea of how to do this." Larry goes down the stage holding a bronze bell. He sits down on a small casa chair and faces the children as a teacher would do during news-sharing or storytelling time.

"Dear teachers, please coach me if I’m not doing this right." Both teachers and students look on expectantly at what he will do. He invited them. "Boys and girls, let’s play the Silence Game." (The Silence Game is an exercise done by O.B. Montessori preschool teachers to inhibit one’s movement and acquire self-control. It is done in the middle of a working session when the noise of the busy children is at its peak. A bell is rang and the teachers invite the class to quiet down gradually.)

"What am I holding?" Excitedly the children chorused, "A bell!"

"That’s right, it’s a bell (The bell is rang), Now lets start he game. Everybody, zipper your mouth and keep still." The children keep still, some making a zip-up movement across their mouths. (Larry, if the children were noisier, you may have to give more instructions like, "Silence with your hands. Silence with your feet. Now, silence with your mouth. . . ")

Still speaking to the graduates, Larry said, "When you were babies, you could hardly do anything except sleep, drink milk, make funny noises and cry. Isn’t it amazing that when you were babies, you could not even say one word, but now, you know so many words, and you can even read and write? You now know your letters, your numbers, how to write your name, how to draw, you can now pour your own drink, set the table, sweep the floor and do a million other things!"

"There is no limit, there is no end to what you can learn to do. Casa was only the beginning."

A word of wisdom to parents

"After casa, you will move up to grade school. You will have new teachers. You will meet new friends. You will learn many new things. Learn and you will grow up into wise and good citizens like daddy and mommy, Dr. Soliven, your teachers and the other grown ups now taking care of you and teaching you. Ever wonder how daddies and mommies got to be doctors, lawyers, engineers, accountants, managers, or whatever they are now? It’s because they went to school. Do good in school, and you will do good in life.

"I just hope that stuff was not too adult-sounding for children. (The bell is rang again) Alright, children, the Silence Game is over.

"Just one final word to the parents. If you’re thinking of transferring your graduate – Don’t! Take it from this four time O.B. Montessori parent. This institution is the ideal training ground for children – for life. Our children are already here. Don’t even think about taking them out. Thank you very much O.B. Montessori."

‘Thank you parents

for believing in us…’

Thank you, Mr. Sipin. Thank you parents for believing in us.

Of all the school events we have to preside throughout the year, we are most touched by the March graduation ceremonies. The O.B. Montessori Casa Graduation opens up the series of other graduations. Today we shall have the grade school graduation. By Friday the high school seniors graduate in the morning while the OB Montessori College in the afternoon.

Dear casa parents, I see your bright happy faces. As young preschool parents you mirror the spontaneous and adult-like poise of our preschool graduates. We thank you for your full support as you attend the major activities of casa – from the three individual Parent-Teacher Conferences, the Field Trips children take in Metro Manila, the Open House visits to the classroom and the Closing Day class demonstrations. Finally let me congratulate all you parents for learning the Montessori way of life."

Our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, saluted the youth as the hope of our Motherland. Many Filipinos have said this of our youth but they remain empty words, unfulfilled by traditional education. For the past 35 years we have built a reputation for graduates who excel.

As Dottoressa Maria Montessori says, "A new figure has arisen to greet our eyes. Not just a school or an educational method, but MAN himself… the emergence of the New Man who will no longer be the victim of events but thanks to his clarity of vision, will become able to direct and to mold the future of mankind."

(For more information, please e-mail at obmci@mozcom.com)