Stay At School Until 4:30?

“I get to stay at school until 4:30 every day? Awesome,” said a 3rd grade boy on hearing that new this year, Countryside Montessori School is offering a longer day for their Elementary class. The class consists of forty-seven children in 1st through 6th grade. They study together in one large, bright classroom at the school on the corner of Pfingsten and Techny in Northbrook. In the Elementary classroom, children work individually and in small groups in self-directed learning. As in the past, attendance is required from 8:30 AM until 3:30 PM, but children can now arrive as early as 8 AM and leave any time until 4:30 PM.

“The children really love school and there just didn’t seem to be enough time in the day to do all of the things they want to do,” Wendy Calise, Elementary teacher and Educational Director, says. “Adding the hours has made the class feel more like a neighborhood of sorts, instead of a formal class.”
The new extended day is voluntary, and Countryside assures parents that children who don’t stay the extra time will receive, “the same volume of teaching and attention that they have in previous years.” As might be expected, parents are pleased with the program. To their delight, so are their children.
“Come back in 15 minutes,” begged one 3rd grade boy, whose mother arrived at 4:15 on the first Friday of school, a sunny, still-summer day. “Please! Please! Please! I want to go back upstairs.” And back to the classroom he went to his reading interpretation lesson, leaving his mom to shake her head, remembering how she had watched the clock, waiting for her school day to end. When this boy’s older sister, a Countryside graduate now in 8th grade, heard of the extra time in the classroom, she complained, “Why didn’t they do that when I was there?”

Another child, a 3rd grade girl, tested the water on the first day of school by staying until 4 P.M. The minute she greeted her mom that afternoon, she said, “About tomorrow, pick me up at 4:30 please.”

Other families don’t leave the choice up to their children. That includes 1st grade twin boys, who are new to Countryside. Last year they were in public school half-day kindergarten, so the change is dramatic. Still, their mother reports they are loving the long day.

Several children, including a 6th grade girl, report they are enjoying the extra time with friends. So what happens in this extra time? In the morning as the children trickle in, Mrs. Calise says the teachers now have time to chat a little and hear about the things the children do out of school. Then as late afternoon arrives, she says, “children start to be called to go home, as in the morning not all at the same time. Many work up until the very last minute. Some listen to stories read aloud from William Bennett’s, THE BOOK OF VIRTUES, some younger children watch the 6th graders feed the snake, others organize the art cabinets, attend a geometry lesson, or continue with water color illustrations.”

Countryside decided to offer the longer day partly, Mrs. Calise points out, because American children have one of the shortest school years and shortest school days in the industrialized nations. The other inspiration came from Countryside’s All Year Montessori classroom, which is open to its 3 to 6-year-olds from 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM year round. “That classroom has a relaxed feel,” Mrs. Calise says. “There never seems to be a rush for time. We wanted that same feeling in Elementary. And so far,” she adds, “that is exactly what we have gotten.”

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School's Founders Prepare to Retire after 40+ Years

One more first day of school. One more back to school picnic. One more parent orientation dinner. One final, exhilarating, exhausting, surprising, inspiring year. One last graduation day.

Frank and Annette Kulle have been the guiding spirits at Countryside Montessori School since they opened their first classroom in Glenview 43 years ago. Each event they host at the school this year will feel like a conclusion, a “one more time” event, a final celebration before they retire at the end of the year.

Annette composed her speech for the Parent Orientation Dinner over the summer. “I could talk about the kids who remain in my mind and heart, or the families who remain in my heart,” she said. “I think I will talk about what I am proud of . . . . I will tell stories. I love the stories.”

The Kulles founded Countryside in 1967. It was then a single classroom in Glenview United Methodist Church. After filling satellite classes in Skokie (1969) and Northbrook (1970), the Kulles purchased a piece of property. In 1971, they moved the school to the house on Pfingston Road that has remained the school’s home.

A major renovation and a large addition to the house were completed between 1995 and 1999. Today, Countryside is a not-for-profit Montessori school with an enrollment of about 150 students. The school accepts students as young as 16 months into the toddler program. Children graduate from Countryside at the age of 12.

When Countryside students enter the school through carpool each morning, the words printed above the vestibule door remind them of their school’s mission: “respect, responsibility, resourcefulness.” Most Countryside students can read the words independently by their kindergarten year.

The Kulles said they knew very little about Maria Montessori’s philosophy or educational method when they opened their first classroom. Frank had just been discharged from the army and was working as an engineer; Annette was at home with three young children. When their eldest daughter was ready for pre-school, every school Annette called had a waiting list.

“Frank came home one day in May, and I said, ‘how hard would it be to start a school?’”

Marty Fishman, a Lincolnwood accountant and life-long friend of the Kulles, has served on Countryside’s board since they founded the school. “I spent a lot of time with Frank on the phone from the outset, considering options, paying attention to progress and failures,” he said.

Fishman said he will continue to serve on the board after the Kulles retirement. “It started out as friendship and business,” he said. “With something like this, that you start and watch grow . . . it’s something you just don’t let go of.”

Fishman said the school’s purchase of property in 1971 and the subsequent renovation were pivotal events. “It was a large, courageous undertaking for the school,” he said.

The Kulles were not able to obtain a loan from the bank for the purchase – their classrooms were not yet profitable -- so they borrowed money from Frank’s Uncle Charlie.

“Uncle Charlie loved little kids,” Annette said, smiling. Uncle Charlie was then approaching his 100th birthday. He came to live with the Kulles and their three children shortly after they moved the school to it current location. He lived with them, watching the school he helped establish thrive and grow, until he was 103.

Fishman remembers how strong and firm the Kulles were -- and have remained -- in their commitment to the highest educational standards for very young children. “We are a school, an educational facility.” he said “We did not want to be billed as a babysitter.”

“There were times when things were rough, when (the board) had to consider day-care as a revenue source,” Fishman said. “Annette absolutely would not let the school grow into a day-care facility.”

Countryside is one of only two schools in Illinois to earn and maintain the highest, international accreditation for Montessori schools, granted by the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI). The school has also met or exceeded all requirements for accreditation through the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS) and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA-CASI).

Dr. Elizabeth Raspanti is a Countryside alum and parent. She attended the school from 1973 through 1979. Her two oldest daughters are now enrolled in the school’s elementary and primary programs. “Montessori helped me develop self-discipline, patience and tenacity,” she said. “I learned to be methodical and pay attention to details, as well as take pride in my work.”

“I believe that with the Montessori materials, learning the basics comes in a fun, appealing, and natural way. The grammar I learned in Montessori helped me show my classmates how to diagram a sentence in sixth grade.”

“Everything I learned at such a young age became a part of me,” Raspanti said of her years at Countryside. “I had a great foundation on which to build. I wanted to pass on that experience to my girls.”

When the Kulles retire at the end of the year, their multiple responsibilities and ongoing projects will be distributed among the administrative staff they have been training for many years. Current Director of Education Wendy Calise will assume the position of Head of School.

Calise also attended Countryside as a child. She has three children enrolled in the school, the oldest of whom will graduate this year. After graduating from Northwestern University and completing AMI primary training, Calise began teaching at Countryside in 1990. Calise completed elementary training and began teaching in an elementary class in 1998. Soon thereafter, she began her work as Director of Education.

“I would like to preserve the benefit that comes from the Kulle’s 40-plus years of experience,” Calise said. “I hope to have their steadiness when steering us all in the CMS community through difficult times of a dizzying variety.”

What about the Countryside experience is unique? What distinguishes Countryside from the many other options available? “The classroom experience children have,” Calise said. “Teachers who care deeply about their profession, who understand intellectually and practically that every child has a unique path.”

The Kulles will remain in Norhbrook. The enjoy traveling. They have enjoyed “dabbling” in local and national politics. They hope to volunteer, and to enjoy the company of their seven grandchildren. They will continue to enjoy the stories they have collected through four decades of innovative work in education.

Fishman said that of the many stories he has exchanged with the Kulles, his favorite is now more than 20 years old. At that time, he was developing a hotel in Minneapolis. Several times a day he collaborated with an interior designer he had worked with on previous occasions. She was extraordinarily smart, talented, hard working and friendly, he said. The project was long and plagued with difficulties. “She was a great help to me,” he said.

“I knew she had a grandson who was born with everything in the world wrong with him. He had learning problems and physical problems.” On the plane ride home from Minneapolis, Fishman said he asked her how her grandson was doing. Though they were exhausted, Fishman said her face “immediately lit up.”

“She talked for the whole ride to Chicago about how well he was doing, told me all about the great school he was attending, all they were doing to help him. She went on and on,” Fishman said. “ You know when I finally asked her where he went to school, she said ‘Countryside Montessori School!’ I’ll never forget that.”

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CHARACTER IS A FAMILY AFFAIR

I was at a park recently and observed several small groups of children playing in the sand. As is always the case, there was a variety of behaviors: some children played cooperatively, some struggled, some were selfish and demanding. In addition to the children, I noticed the parents who went along with this group of frolickers. As is also usually the case, there was a variety of behaviors in this group as well: some parents intervened successfully, others intervened unsuccessfully, and some did not intervene at all.

And it got me to wondering: why? Why was the human being created this way? Why are the social graces and qualities of good character not inherent within us at birth the way that so many other things are like our need to satisfy our hunger, to protect ourselves from danger, to reproduce? Why were we not given what we need to live happily and peacefully together as a part of our genetic code? The response to that question remains and will always remain unanswered. It is a part of the eternal mystery of the human condition.

What I did reflect upon, however, is that the human child at birth is primarily a blank slate: given an innate urge to live and move forward, but little more, so that he can adapt to the particular culture into which he is born. Although this blankness leaves each new child with much to accomplish in his first years of life - he manages to learn all facets of his particular culture, a formidable task indeed! – it also allows for the diversity and distinctness of each man and woman that is the splendor of the human race. In this instance, I speak of diversity not in physical characteristics, but rather cultural. Although all of the same species, we do not eat the same foods, we do not speak the same languages, we do not sing the same songs, wear the same clothes, hold the same ideas of beauty. Each human culture has created its own set of standards and ideals.

The result is that we are born with an incredible freedom granted no other being on earth. What a magnificent gift! What a glorious mystery: There is no telling when a baby is born who he will be, what he will choose for his life. But as is always the case, freedom comes with responsibility. And this is what is at once curious and divine: The baby is not born with a sense of responsibility. The task of inculcation rests squarely on the shoulders of the parents. It is solely and unilaterally their task. A helpless newborn human child takes longer than any other creature to become independent. And it is during this long apprenticeship borne of love that our children realize not only how to survive but also how to distinguish what is right and what is wrong - the very essence of morality. Our children are born into freedom with the desperate need to learn the qualities of fine character.

The question that begs our attention, then, is how to do this. How do we go about helping our children grow into adults of good character? When do we go about it? What are those qualities that we wish for them? There are many qualities of character that are universally embraced, across cultures and across the span of time: courage, honesty, perseverance, patience, strength, generosity, good humor, humility, forgiveness, kindness. The old adage here to practice what you preach goes a long way. Our first chance to teach our children directly is to be aware of our own behavior and choices. We must be living models of what we wish our children to become. But, among those qualities listed was not perfection. This does not mean that we have to be the perfect models of proper behavior. In fact, it is often when we do or say something that we regret that we have our first chance to speak to our children of humility and forgiveness!

Most of these qualities can be encouraged in children at a much younger age than we realize. The ability to persevere is one which children learn about from the time they can first control their movement in any way. When they see something that they want for themselves and start to scoot over toward it, we have as parents an early chance to help our children learn to struggle for something they want. And what’s best is that all we have to do in this case is nothing. Nothing. We must resist the temptation to move that object closer to the child or the child closer to the object. This is struggle and accomplishment in its fragile nascent beginning. Even when he cries out in frustration, we need then to encourage not to relieve. In this way we are thinking differently about our interactions with our children. We are asking ourselves: What opportunity lies here for me to teach?

Patience is another virtue best encouraged from the start. Again when we watch our young children struggle with a task, it is often our own impatience which causes us to intervene - on their behalf, of course, or so we tell ourselves. But this really is an opportunity both to model patience and to allow your child to develop his own patience. This first notion of patience will come through patience with himself. Later as he grows older, he will then understand to wait for the elderly man walking slowly in front of him, to wait pleasantly in the long line at the store, to allow others who may take longer with an answer some extra time to think.

Opportunities to foster courage are also present very early in the child’s life. How we respond to our own fears as well as those of our children will have a significant impact. To protect our children from all that they fear certainly does not prepare them for what they will face in their own life experiences. Still, it is a difficult paradox. How do we support our children yet not cripple them with too much help. There is no easy answer here. Each instance must be considered one at a time. When a child faces something that frightens him that you, the adult, know to be safe, reflect back to your child calm reassurance that he can manage it. Balance being close enough to offer support with enough space for your child to feel he can do it alone. In the face of something that frightens your child, sometimes it can be best to simply tell him he can handle it and walk away. It is often this calm assured communication of his ability to overcome his fear that helps a child realize he can manage something independently. A strong clear vote of confidence can do wonders. The tough part as a parent is to remind yourself that there is no way to overcome fear without some discomfort. There is no way to circumnavigate this part of the learning process. But the reward and satisfaction of accomplishment is also irreplaceable.

The list goes on and the opportunities are endless – if we take the time to think each day about the virtues we are trying to instill in our children, and also that we are the ones who must instill them. The development of good character in our children needs constant conscious attention. It is not something that will just happen. Our chance to influence our children passes much too quickly. No one waits to remind us of this, to help us refocus, to help us stay attentive. It is a matter of careful, thoughtful, determined, intentional, daily practice.

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Educators explore all-year Montessori program in Northbrook

More than 70 teachers travelled from 13 states, Chile and Brazil last weekend to learn about Countryside Montessori School’s All Year Montessori class. They came to listen to veteran Countryside teacher Michele Aspinall talk about the unique program she helped create a decade ago.


Workshop attendees had the opportunity to tour the school and examine Aspinall’s famously beautiful indoor and outdoor environments.

Aspinall spoke honestly about the challenges an AYM program presents for teachers and administrators. She also shared her conviction that children benefit tremendously from the continuity and quality of care offered in Countryside’s AYM class.

Educational consultant Carol Alver agrees. Alver traveled from her home in Nashville to participate in Aspinall’s workshop.

“We need to come to grips with the needs of the young child,” Alver said.

“Children need to work,” she said, emphasizing that the young child’s work should be constructive, joyful and offered to each child as “an affirmation.”

Alver also noted that AYM programs are difficult to implement, and many programs fail within a few years.

“Michele is a great mentor now,” Alver said. “She took a great leap of faith when she started this program. Her first years were very hard.” Alver said Aspinall’s workshop presentations demonstrate that her class has been a dramatic success, and that Aspinall is a confident, leading educator.

The AYM program seeks to meet the needs of families with children between the ages of two and a half and six years old who need a full day of care. Aspinall’s class is open from 7:30 until 5:30, 245 days a year. Her class and the workshop she leads have an international reputation.

Countryside Montessori School’s enrollment is typically 150 students. The school has a toddler environment, three primary classes, upper and lower elementary classes. The school offers an AYM program at the elementary level. This year Countryside will also begin offering optional extended academic hours for all elementary students.

Director of Education Wendy Calise said Countryside teachers embrace a philosophy of joyful teaching and learning, and often find traditional school hours are too short. Learning in a stimulating environment surrounded by a community of friends is energizing and exciting for teachers and students of all ages, Calise said.

Michele Aspinall agrees. She has been at Countryside for 20 years, and has worked in all areas, toddler, primary and elementary. She is dedicated to Countryside’s philosophy and mission, and very proud of the AYM program.

“The All-Year class is almost 10 years old and in a really good place. This environment has become a home away from home for me and for many children. I love my job.”

See related article in the TribLocal