Almost all the teachers I know are busy creating their classroom learning environments. These teachers are anticipating students who are eager and excited to be back in the classroom! This year will be different than most. We have some students who have been doing distance learning, others homeschooling and some who have been in class all year. Yes, we know the virus is still here and many schools will require masks for their students. Whatever policy your school adopts, just remember, that there are three basic important key players in the Montessori method of education: the beautiful children, the engaging environment, and the prepared teacher.
Our world has been turned upside down in this last year, a world-wide pandemic, riots, political strife, so much discord and hatred has been seen, heard and witnessed. Maria Montessori herself, knew war and hatred in her life during World War II. She believed that we could change the world through our children. We just needed to teach the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you want them to do unto you.” Sound too simple??? Not really. Just think about it, if we all treated one another with love and respect. What a different place our world would be! So how do we do that?
The year 2020 has been a very unusual and tough year for so many of our children and their families. A time of fear of a disease that is worldwide and many changes in life as we know it. Children do have problems understanding why they can’t have their usual birthday parties, sports activities, play dates and just go places and of course there is the wearing of masks. One thing that is consistent in all our lives, young and old, is the changing of seasons! It is now more important than ever to be thankful for the little things in life and celebrate them!
One hundred fifty years ago tomorrow, August 31st, marks the birth of Maria Montessori. The woman physician from Italy who is known throughout the world as an advocate for the human rights of children. One thing that has always drawn me to the Montessori Method of education is that it was and still is based on Science. The Science of daily experiments and observations made by Maria Montessori during her work with children and her observations of teachers using her educational method. Her method of education was revolutionary, in that respect, was and still is given to the child. How did she show respect to the child? They were given rights. The right and freedom to explore things that they are interested in. This is a freedom in the Montessori environment but it is also a freedom with boundaries. It is a freedom in which the children develop responsibility, self-discipline and independence. To many of you this may sound like a fairy tale, allowing children freedom in their environment and then expecting the child to be responsible and act with self-control.
I have been using this method of education to teach children for over thirty years, and I have found it to be successful for all children…. those with behavioral differences, the child who has learning disabilities, the children who excel, EVERY CHILD. One of the major tenets that Montessori based her method on is the child’s right to choose what they want to work on. What calls to them, what meets their physical, social and emotional needs at the time? We need to follow in the steps of Montessori and truly observe and follow the child. That means we must change our own thinking, to become revolutionary as she was, and reform our own thoughts of education.
Montessori acknowledged that every human is different in their interests and abilities. We need to watch/observe the children and see what they are truly interested in. When we do acknowledge what interests them, then we can assist them in developing concentration, self-discipline, and calm through materials that “call to them,” and variations with that particular work or area of study. Yes, there are works and subjects that will need to be practiced and memorized, which will come with repetition with the materials and working with others.
What can we do to assist the child in his development of concentration, self-discipline and respect? Create a beautiful environment and observe them… Find out what they are interested in! Rather than forcing our interests upon the child or what we think they should find interesting….sit back and observe. What is the child drawn to? Then take that interest and expand on it. Show the child works and read books in that area and then watch the children as they experience periods of concentration. It is beautiful to watch a child so absorbed in what he is doing that he forgets all else, developing within himself an attention span and the ability to concentrate! He becomes self-disciplined with the use of the materials that excite within him an intense concentration.
There is a wonderful passage in Montessori’s book, “Spontaneous Activity in Education,” that addresses how the child changes within through the use of the materials. The passage tells of her observations of children and those of Ms. George, an American Montessori teacher as they work with the children.
“..at a given moment a child begins to show an intense interest in one of the exercises…it may be any object that fixes the attention of the child so deeply; the important factor is not the external object, but the internal action of the soul, responding to a stimulus, and arrested by it.” (p. 89)
I am challenging each of you and myself, to “respect the child,” as Maria Montessori did so many years ago. Give them the beautiful materials, presentations of interest to them and watch them change internally with outward signs of concentration, self-control and joy! If you are not achieving the success you would like with a child, evaluate the environment you have created and look at your presentations. Are they interesting or boring? Yes, we need to observe ourselves with the child and evaluate our work with them. Become an observer of everything just like Montessori! Her method works if you observe and follow each individual child giving to them our best each and every day.
These are times that are truly unprecedented during my lifetime. My entire career has revolved around the beginning and ending of a school year and all the months in-between. It is a life full of memories of the faces and personalities of so many children! Children of all different races, religions, cultures and social-economic environments. I have loved and been blessed by each one. This year has been a difficult one for the children and adults of our world. The world has been struck with a pandemic that shut down our schools and our communities. It is hard for everyone but most of all it has been difficult for our children.
When working with children, I believe it is important to be able to create a learning environment, whether at home or in a classroom, that encourages repetition and consistency. Without repetition of works and lessons children and adults will not fully “absorb” new information, reasoning abilities or motor skills. Think of a musician who has weekly music lessons with an instructor. Unless the student “practices or repeats” the information shared during the lesson their ability to play or perform music is stifled. They never get to the point of being able to perform. The student must practice the skills and music presented in the lesson in order to master them. It is the same with learning in almost all areas. A lesson is given and the information should be “practiced,” in order to obtain mastery. So what halts the child’s interest in a particular work? Why does he/she become bored? Why is there so little repetition?
Who doesn’t love summer? When I think of summer, I think of activities that are truly fun, engaging and enjoyable. At this time in our world there is the health crisis of Covid-19, so many schools that offer summer camps are doing things outdoors! Remember that children need the security of the routine and schedules that are predictable. So, what are some great activities to include in your summer fun agenda? Activities that they may not experience at home, here are just a few…
During this health crisis, I have had many people contact me wanting to know what they can do with their students through Zoom meetings. They want a way to practice the Montessori Method but in a way that can be communicated and experienced through technology. This is a challenge since our wonderful Montessori materials are all concrete and not in the homes of our students!
This is a time in our lives when everyone, adults and children have all had to sacrifice a certain amount of freedom in our everyday lives to keep ourselves, loved ones, and others safe. Yes, it is serious and scary, and our young children don’t understand why they can’t go to school, their favorite children’s restaurant, or play with their friends. Birthday parties, extra curriculum activities such as dance, soccer, baseball, gymnastics, etc. have all been cancelled. So that leaves parents, many who are also trying to work from home, in charge of keeping their children busy, happy, learning, and away from others! That is not an easy task. It may be the toughest thing you will do during this next year. If you look at it through a child’s eye though, this time can start a string of, “BEST DAY EVER!” moments for the children in your life. All children have a need to feel loved, and they seek the attention of the adults in their life to get the love they desire. This shelter in place can be a time for you to give your children the loving experiences with you they need.
I have been asked many, many questions about my career choice and why I choose Montessori for my own children. One of the most asked questions is, “Why Montessori?” The wonderful benefits of the Montessori Method are so numerous that they cannot be explained in one simple article. The best way to understand the advantages of a Montessori education is to experience it firsthand!
This weekend, I conducted a workshop on growing character traits in children. It seemed that there was a consensus that many of our teachers are dealing with disrespectful behaviors in children. Some said not only children but often they encountered disrespectful parents as well. If you pay attention to our news media and entertainment television series, you will find that being disrespectful is the norm. There seems to be little respect for someone if they have a different opinion than ours. You do not have to be disrespectful to someone who has a different idea than you do. It is possible to disagree with someone and still be respectful! Our children are just products of the times and environment in which they live. Children live and become what they see and experience in their environment.