Tete soar Gu Laura Jobb, assistant Instructor at Montessor| preschool, teaches Elisha Blower life skills concepts which include grasping and scooping items off the table. Hearing and speech month declared Signing of the pro- clamation was held at the Terrace Mayor’s office ‘on Monday, April 14 at 4:15 p.m. Assisting Mayor Jack Talstra was Purple Cross Committee chairpersons Gordon Hamilton: Elk’s Lodge 425 and Edna Jensen; OORP Lodge 216, The signing of this proclama- tion declared May as hearing and speech month in Terrace. Police report by Carrie Olson On Wednesday, April 9 two Terrace men were caught after breaking in- to Kalum Electric and Cecil Pratt’s office, ‘ From Kalum Electric the suspects stole one TV, one VCR, and a radio. From Pratt's of- fice two radios and one recorder were stolen. Terrace RCMP say. both break-ins are still under investigation. . **t & On Wednesday, April 9 two Terrace men were caught with the help of a police service dog. The men were apprehended after fleeing into a wood- ed area. RCMP said the two ~ males were in the process of siphoning gas from a truck parked on the business parking lot. _ RCMP say the two men will be charged with theft over $1000 and will be appearing in Terrace Provincal Court at a later date. Behavior Children who get involved with the roughest sports tend lo show more aggression, both on and off the playing field, than their peers, a sport psychologist has reported. Ina new study, children with the longest experience in high- contact athletics were more phys ically and verbally aggressive than their playmates in sports and indailylife. Those most involved in such activities were also likely to lag farthest behind their peers in moral reasoning maturity, re- searchers found. Many individual children and public treat-_ ment centers such as the Terrace Child Develop- ment Centre have receiv- ed assistance through this Elk’s fund, said Shirley Townsend, publicity chairman for Ladies of the Royal Pur- ple, Terrace No. 216. The public is asked to contribute any loose change or more to the Tag Day canvassers or to donation cans placed in business locations during the month of May, Townsend added, Ceremony planned TERRACE — The Pur- ple Cross flag raising cer- mony will take place on Sunday, April 27 at 10:30 a.m. in City Hall, recognizing May as hear- - ing and speech month in Canada. The event will also declare Saturday, May 3 as public information day. by Daniele Berquist TERRACE — Courage, © stamina, ambition, values and a dream belong to Tracie LeBlond, Montessori pre-school teacher. It all began some time ago. when LeBlond :as- sisted in a classroom in the tower mainiand where the Montessori method was used. She watched a four-year-old boy learn to read in just one week, The Montessori teach- ing method is based upon years of patient observation ‘of child behavior, said LeBlond. A lady by the name of Dr. Maria Montessori is the founder and pioneer- ed this method when, after graduating from the University of Rome Medical School, she became interested in education as a‘ doctor treating retarded chil- dren, After returning to the university for further study, Dr. Montessori began her work with nor- mal children in 1907 and was invited to organize schools in a reconstruc- ted slum’ area of San Lorenzo, Italy. This lady later trav- elled all over the world giving lectures about her discoveries and founded numerous schools well before her death in 1952. Montessori has also writ- ten various articles on education and books are available at the Terrace Public Library and also at Northwest Communi- ty College library. Respect promoted LeBlond explained why and how it differs from the present school Terrace Residents - Montessori, a wa system available in most parts of B.C. Incidently, said LeBlond, this method is used in most of the eastern part of Canada. First, said LeBlond, the concept is based upon a respect for the child’s personality. The youngster is allowed a measure of liberty (not licence) which forms the basis of real discipline. LeBlond said that the method seeks to do away with the necessity of forceable restraint by means of rewards or punishments. Instead, noted LeBlond, it is an active discipline which originated within the child and it’s not im- posed from without, and it works. The teacher deals with every child individually, in each subject and guides accordingly to his or her individual achievements. Each child is allowed to work at his or her own pace, without competition or restraint. This, said LeBlond, frees the child from the feel- ings of inferiority. She said that while it offers the child a maximum of spontaneity, it also enables him or her to achieve the levels of scholastic achievement expected under other sys- tems. $3000 grant The Montessori Chil- dren’s House Society is a non-profit organization. It received a $3,000 grant from the Vancouver Foundation last year. The pre-school opened in Terrace in January 1985, and the money received from the grant was then used to purchase Mon- tessori équipment, as (Left to right) Michael Ross 142, Corrina Poaque 5, Jonathon Ross,4% and Barbara Ross and a loca! bunny gathered for breakfast recently in Skeena Mall. Danleie Berquiel phoio re * Fee semana ne 0 nen oe eee eee one al en AEN PT ape awe ee shane NR Terrace Review — Wednesday, April 16, 1986 11 - yto QrOW Sara LaRose takes time out to concentrate on a coloring task at Montessori school. there is very little tradi- tional toys such as blocks and puzzles found in the school. The school sports a practical life area, where the child can bake, wash clothes and learn to read on boards that have let- ters and numbers cover- ed with sandpaper that the child is allowed to trace. The youngsters also learn to develop a sense of order by putting each item back in its proper place. LeBlond and her assis- tant, Laura Jobb, have worked almost without a salary since the opening of the school. They are very dedicated, said Solveig Larose, one of the 20 parents present at a recent meeting held in an effort to raise money for the school and also to make the public aware of its existence. Larose said she was looking for something concrete in a pre-school when she was introduced to the Montessori method. No demands Larose’s daughter, Sara, was three years old at that time. She is now four and is really enjoy- ing the program. “I like the concept of respect for the child,’’ said Larose. Teachers also look for what the child can give instead of im- posing demands on them, Larose explained. I feel that my daughter is really being spoiled by such a good start with learning and also with school. 1 personally highly recommend the Montessori pre-school, added Larose. Another parent, Betty Joan Zylicz, said she lik- ed the philosophy behind the Montessori program. Her four-year-old daughter Meta looks for- ward to going to school each day. Zylicz said there’s no pressure here at the school and as a result, Meta is more co- operative with playmates and more orderly, which Zylicz believes is a direct result of her daughter’s environment, the teach- ers and interaction be- tween parents, Zylicz has nothing but praise and positive recommenda- tions for the Montessori method. Fee charged LeBlond said that the parents are charged a fee of $100 for a five-day week which works out to approximately $1.50 per hour. Larose asked, where can you pay that little and get the same quality of education at a pre school or day care center for a child who is ready to learn and grow intellectually? LeBlond hopes that the Montessori Society will qualify as an in- dependent school for funds granted through the Ministry of Educa- tion. Staff members are presently looking for a classroom in one of the schools in the area. This subject, along with other topics, will be discussed in a further meeting with the schoolboard, sched- uled in the near future. Donations are ac- cepted, said LeBlond, and she can be contacted. at 638-8243 or 638-0703.