Tag Archives: Maria Montessori

Establishing Peace

24 Thursday Aug 2017

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These are difficult times. Tragic events such as those in Charlottesville, Va., and Barcelona, Spain, have focused our attention on acts of violence and intolerance. Conversations are focused on our differences, with race, religion and culture at the forefront. What is our obligation when events such as these dominate our landscape? How can we make a difference?

One need look no further than historic thought leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi and Dr. Maria Montessori to guide us. They provide wisdom that will remind us of our obligation to each other as we work toward peace and justice. They and countless others have allowed us to live the lives we live today – lives of opportunity, equity and security.Peace Day 2015 - 29

Each day schools have the opportunity to shape our future. Peace and social justice are central to Montessori education. Students are taught grace and courtesy from the moment they enter our schools. These tenets are part of our students’ experience each and every day. Through conflict, they learn acceptance, tolerance and understanding. They make mistakes. They are sometimes unkind. However, what they learn is how to see another’s point of view, how to listen and how to respectfully engage in conversation with others. For as Maria Montessori said so well, “Establishing lasting peace is the work of education.”

As another school year begins, we must work to help children learn about others – their similarities and their differences – to create a world of peace.

Montessori Education: An Example of What’s Possible

29 Thursday Jun 2017

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Sir Ken Robinson jokes that when he goes to a dinner party and says he works in education, the conversation stops.

“Of course,” he says, “if you’re in education, you aren’t invited to dinner parties.”

When you say that you work in Montessori education, polite looks of curiosity often follow; not many people know about Maria Montessori and her educational methodology, which was developed more than a century ago. Although there are literally hundreds of Montessori schools throughout the world – and many of those are in your town – people remain puzzled by them. They may not look like the schools of their youth. Continue reading →

An Untapped Resource

16 Thursday Mar 2017

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The greatest untapped resource in the world is human potential. It’s not oil or gas. This untapped resource exists because our children aren’t getting an education from an early age.
– Nicholas Kristof

While attending the American Montessori Society’s annual conference last week, I had the pleasure of hearing New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof speak to more than 3,500 Montessori educators. With lots to share and a responsive audience, he spoke of the many injustices that he has revealed over the years through his writing and the humanitarian efforts on behalf of those world problems. Speaking to educators provides a welcoming audience, an audience who has the potential to make an impact through their work with children.

One of Maria Montessori’s most important messages is that the future of the world is in the hands of our children; we must develop their human potential. They must be presented the world in order to work to make sense of it and create the change that is needed to ensure the future of our planet and its people. This is the central purpose of a Montessori education. Children are our future. They need the opportunity to learn, to develop an understanding of the world and to begin to create solutions to the world’s problems. The way we care for our world is to care for the children who inhabit our planet and ensure the future of both through education. I can think of no better way to do this than through Montessori education.

It Takes A Village

02 Thursday Feb 2017

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About 20 years ago the phrase, “It takes a village,” was brought to the nation’s attention in a book written by Hillary Rodham Clinton. She did not author the phrase; instead it is believed to be an ancient African proverb, which translates to, “It takes a village to raise a child.” In the past month, I’ve been reminded of this proverb many times over.

Maria Montessori has shared her vision regarding the world village in which we live. We are called to honor those who came before us, to learn from the lessons others have learned and can teach us, and to rely on and support each other as we navigate our ever more complicated world. This is true for children and adults alike.

Every day in Wilmington Montessori school, I see examples of the village – children and adults alike – “raising” the children and adults in our community. This occurs from the moment a child holds the door for an adult entering the building in the morning to the adult who provides a warm smile when needed, and an entire classroom celebrating a child’s birthday with the birth and life celebration during which a child walks around the sun to commemorate each year of his or her life. Each of these examples may seem small when taken in isolation. When recognized as a tiny part of each day, they represent the village… our world and our planet.

Nothing we do for each other or in memory of others is too small an act. We are the village and we are here to support, nurture, and raise each other to continue to contribute to the global community or village in which we all live.

Establishing Peace

19 Thursday Jan 2017

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This week, our country celebrates the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., the week that our first African-American President leaves office, and the week of the presidential inauguration. It’s a momentous week to be sure. As we honor these dates, we reflect on what has led us to this place in history – some things we are proud to claim and others we may prefer to forget.

Through many years of working with upper elementary students, one thing I learned is that looking at history through their eyes is nothing short of remarkable. As we have shared stories from World War II – books about children treated as less than because of their race or ethnicity and people immigrating to the United States only to face more struggles than they imagined – the students’ reaction is one of disbelief. They cannot understand why anyone would treat another person in any of these ways; they are rightly appalled. In their lack of understanding of the world, they tend to see it more clearly than we do. Things are much more simple. Kindness results in kindness. Rising up to denounce the cruelty of a person or a society’s actions is an obvious act that must occur. Why did we, the adults of the past and present, allow these things to persist? Why did we not create the changes needed to protect and preserve the people of our world?

Education for peace is a central focus of the Montessori curriculum. As Dr. Montessori stated, “Establishing lasting peace is the work of education.” As children move through their school years, history reveals itself. The good and the bad are apparent. Students are sure they can do a better job than their ancestors. They are certain they would not stand for many of the things that have occurred throughout our world’s history. They want to create change and to treat people in the same ways, no matter who they are. They know they have the answers. It is our responsibility to help them find those ways, to right those wrongs and to learn how to make a difference. We open their eyes to what has happened, to see what is wrong with our world so they can move steadily forward making the changes that are needed. They need to know that their actions are imperative, that they have meaning. They are creating the future. And we are there by their side to stand with them, answer their questions and guide them along the way. Peace education is a critical aspect of educating all children. Thank you to Dr. King, Dr. Montessori and all of those who went before us leading the way for our future.

 

Follow the Child

22 Thursday Dec 2016

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_dsc6313As a Montessori teacher, parent or someone affiliated with Montessori education, one often hears the phrase, “Follow the child.” Searching for this quote from Maria Montessori’s writings is challenging. However, her peer Loris Malaguzzi, founder of the Reggio Emilia approach to education, stated clearly that “the teachers follow the children, not plans.” Learning is paramount; teachers are guided by the students.

Each student approaches the materials on the shelves, the lessons and the learning process in different ways. Some meet a challenge head on, yearning for more. Others sit back and watch, while still others work together, talk about what they’re doing, experiment and do things in an entirely different way. There are as many ways to approach student work as there are materials in the classroom. It is the teacher’s job to see how students do their work and where the areas of understanding meet those of confusion. Following the child supports the children where they are in their learning while offering new lessons and materials to move them further along. Children lead; we provide the conditions for learning, serving them and their quest for knowledge.

Nurturing Independence

20 Thursday Oct 2016

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Last week, a parent shared the changes that he has seen in his young child’s behavior since beginning school in September. In particular, he has noticed her movement toward independence. One of Maria Montessori’s most quoted phrases is,”Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.” Continue reading →

More than an Athlete

15 Thursday Sep 2016

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world-map-made-up-of-peopleAt the beginning of each school year, the Wilmington Montessori School staff has the opportunity to spend one day together. We are not setting up classrooms, ordering supplies or making name tags for the students who will soon appear. Instead, we are nurturing our community and sharing common experiences. This year, we spent part of that day learning more about cultural awareness and our sensitivity to those from cultures different from our own. It was nothing short of enlightening. Continue reading →

The Genius of Montessori

28 Thursday Jul 2016

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Last weekend, as an evening of theater came to a close, an image proving the Pythagorean Theorem appeared. I was reminded immediately of the Montessori material used in upper elementary classrooms. Though this character in “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” was demonstrating his acute mathematical abilities, I again considered how much Dr. Montessori knew about how children learn. She developed a system to make concepts accessible to children and lay the foundation for the more complex mathematics they will encounter as they move on to middle and high school.

pythagoras-materialThese particular materials help children prove the Pythagorean Theorem, which states that given a right-angle triangle, the sum of the squares formed on the short legs equals the square formed on the hypotenuse.

Manipulating these materials demonstrates this and gives children visual and kinesthetic ways to see the theorem in action. They explore it much like we might explore a puzzle; they can see that the pieces “fit.” One side squared plus the other side squared equals the third side…the squares are right there; children can see them, count them and physically move them. They don’t need to be advanced mathematicians to do this work, nor do they need to be able to write the algebraic expression to prove it. Instead they have the opportunity to explore it, manipulate it and see for themselves how to make sense of this idea and store it away for future use. The wonder of Montessori!

Seeking Peace

21 Thursday Jul 2016

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“Establishing lasting peace is the work of education.” – Maria Montessori

Too many times over the past few weeks and months we awakened to hear of instability and injustice in our world. We are shaken to our very core with stories of violence from Orlando, Chicago, Dallas, Paris, Nice, Turkey, Baton Rouge and more. As adults, we try to make sense of these situations that make no sense to us at all; we yearn for peace and understanding. And we often ask how we can get there. What can we do?

This weekend, I had the pleasure of listening to Thich Nhat Hanh in this podcast. It is not a new episode, but one that seems particularly relevant. Thich Nhat Hanh is a Buddhist monk who works for peace throughout the world:

“Peace always begins with yourself as an individual, and as an individual you might help build a community of peace….And when the community of a few hundred people knows the practice of peace and brotherhood, and then you can become the refuge for many others who come to you and profit from the practice of peace and brotherhood. And they will join you, and the community gets larger all the time. And the practice of peace and brotherhood will be offered to many other people….”

Establishing peace is at the core of the Montessori philosophy. Cultural studies are central to each and every lesson in the Montessori curriculum. As we share stories of the universe, the coming of life and of humans to earth, and the development of language and mathematics, we are sharing the world with children. We are not only sharing the science and the history of how life began; we are also sharing our interconnectedness and recognizing what it is that binds us. We are establishing a community – a world community. For in a Montessori classroom, we quickly realize that we are more alike than different. We have the same fundamental human needs and depend on each other to survive and thrive.

As Thich Nhat Hahn states, “When you practice looking at people with the eyes of compassion, that kind of practice will become a good habit. And you are capable of looking at the people in such a way that you can see the suffering, the difficulties. And if you can see, then compassion will naturally flow from your heart.”

Teaching compassion and peace underlies all we do at Wilmington Montessori School.