Lessons Learned From Blue Oaks

Elementary teacher Rosie Said graciously stepped into the Ginkgo classroom this fall and stilled the waters of a community in flux. With a veteran partner in Shukuko, a platoon of supporting teachers and a full pot of strong coffee, the class has been in good hands. While juggling her own transition moving to Tokyo from Hawai’i and adjusting to working in a new school in a foreign land, Rosie has generously given it her all, gathering energy from her background in science, trees and seeds.

The Resilience of Seeds

Lower Elementary had the opportunity to collect arakashi, or Japanese blue oak, acorns. It was an event coordinated by our sustainability lead and early childhood mentor Naoko Kikkawa. With my background in environmental science—and many years spent in the fields of food production and environmental education—I’ve long been fascinated by seeds. 

Before coming to Montessori education, much of my work centered around the production of vegetables and the fermentation of grains, and I often found myself contemplating the quiet wisdom contained within a seed. Something so small and humble can offer profound insight into human development.

While collecting acorns that afternoon, I reflected on all the moments I’ve gathered seeds over the years, teaching the importance of preservation, resilience and the ephemeral nature of life, if we do not take care of it. As so much of life is increasingly threatened by human impact, many of us who work closely with nature feel a responsibility to protect and honor all living things. Even as we participate in human development, we also carry a role in human preservation.

First Leaves

I often think about seeds during times of personal adversity. Germination requires great patience and tremendous energy. Native oak trees, for example, must endure a period of cold before they can begin to grow. They survive on their stored food—two cotyledons, a concept our elementary children learn—until the precise moment they send out their first leaves.

My own journey has often felt like the germination of an oak seed. Sometimes we must be exposed to life’s cold seasons in order to truly understand the meaning of resilience and perseverance. And through pushing through adversity, through waiting, resting, and surviving, I have found something else: intuition. An inner knowing. A self-directedness unique to each person.

Cultivating a Bulb

Maria Montessori described human development using the image of a bulb—an expression of life containing an “unknown factor.” I believe that this unknown factor is the cultivation of intuition. It is the ability to trust oneself over seeking external validation and to discern for ourselves the right direction of our own lives. Everything we need to develop is already within us waiting patiently to reveal itself. 

I feel honored to support children as they develop this inner guide. To respect it, nurture it, and encourage its emergence. It is deeply personal work, and something we do each day in Montessori classrooms. We give children the space and support to trust themselves—so that, just like the oak, they can express their full potential in their own time.

I am grateful to be part of the community at MST. My own journey, with all its challenges, has led me here to this meaningful and rewarding work.

Rosie Said

Ginkgo Teacher