Montessori Mastery

Even if your child does not have ADD, “Superparenting for ADD” is a must-read for parents of young children!  The introduction alone is well-worth your time.

Though I’m dating myself for sure, reading “Superparenting” reminded me of a song in the Rogers & Hammerstein musical My Fair Lady.  The song was titled “How to Handle a Woman”.  The solution the lyrics offered?  ”Simply love her, love her, love her.”   This may sometimes seem challenging for parents of an ADD child!  But Halloway and Jensen see love as “the single most powerful tool you can use to draw out your child’s strengths”.  I liked their suggestion to acknowledge a child at least once a day for something positive that he did.

The authors go on to provide more specific information and suggestions for parents,  always emphasizing the positive with terms such as “strength-based”, “excellence”, and the “gift of ADD”.  Also included is a description of Kathy Kolbe’s work on identifying natural, inborn strengths.

My only disappointment is that, in the chapter on schools, there is no mention of Montessori schools as appropriate learning environments for children with ADD.  Montessori education is a developmental approach that honors the uniqueness of each child, while encouraging control of movement, organization, independence, responsibility, concentration, and respect for self, others, and the environment.  Though I am definitely biased, I’d like to see more exploration by the ADD community into the benefits of Montessori education for children with ADD!

Nonetheless, “Superparenting” is a valuable addition to any parent’s bookshelf.

Maria Montessori felt that the future of the world rested in the hands of the children.

Trevor Eissler’s new book, “Montessori Madness”,  has arrived on the scene at a time when many of us are questioning how well we are preparing these children who will determine our future.  Are we educating happy, responsible, compassionate, and globally aware leaders who can make a real difference in the world?  Or are we shortchanging both them and us by adhering to ways of educating that do not meet the needs of the child nor nurture his full potential?

Using a very readable and often humorous style, author and Montessori parent Trevor Eissler has used his own experiences in traditional education as a way to illustrate the true genius of Montessori as “education for life”.  He has done an excellent job identifying what I refer to as the “intangibles” – the real core values – of Montessori education that are so often not apparent to the untrained eye:  respect for self, others, and the environment; emphasis on the positive; appreciation of beauty; and real community.

Trevor writes about many of the basic principles of Montessori, such as Sensitive Periods,  the Absorbent Mind, and the Prepared Environment; but what I appreciated most was his explanation of Freedom and Responsibility – two concepts often misunderstood and sorely lacking in today’s world.

During a recent phone conversation, Trevor shared with me that some people actually questioned his usage of the words “Montessori” and “Madness” in the same title.

Yet for people who are products of traditional education, allowing children to move freely about the classroom choosing their own work might indeed appear to be madness.  How can children learn to adjust to the “real world” if they’re allowed to do whatever they want?  Surely, this IS madness!

But while reading this book, it doesn’t take long to realize that the real madness lies in not offering Montessori education to every child!

“Montessori Madness” is a real gem.  I highly recommend it for anyone interested in a clear, concise introduction to Montessori education.   I recommend it even more to those who are seeking a true alternative to traditional education.

Once upon a time, a father took his five year old son out on the lake to catch some fish.  It was a beautiful day and the father was delighted to have some one-to-one time with his  son – that is, until young Bobby – out of nowhere – suddenly asked THE QUESTION:  ”Daddy, where did I come from?”

The father looked around.  Here he was in the middle of the lake with no hope of assistance.  The responsibility of this delicate conversation was on his shoulders, and his alone.  Was he up to the task?

While taking a few grounding breaths, he scanned his brain for memories of this important conversation with his own dad.  (He had been at least 15 then, right?  Certainly not FIVE!)

Well son, it’s like this:  imagine the birds and the bees…….and then……umm, well, then they do this….. and….uh…. without that.……..and so forth and so on, until he felt the explanation was complete.  Whew!

“So son, that’s about it.  Do you have any questions?”

“No, not really.  I was just wondering if it was Ohio or Illinois.”

The moral of  story:  Be sure you understand the question before giving an answer! 

I learned this the hard way the other night when I launched my Homeschooling 4 Parents program  by visiting the home of a young couple I know.  

When I first walked through the door, I couldn’t imagine why they wanted help with their parenting skills!  The house was spotless and well-organized, their toddler was already sound asleep, and their three year old son was delightful.  (They told me I should have been there thirty minutes earlier…..)

No matter – I was there and well-prepared to elucidate them on the benefits of Montessori in the home.  I began by expounding on the needs and tendencies of children, the importance of order and responsibility, and the benefits of a second language for children at this age.  At one point Jenn asked if I would like to see their son’s room, but I continued on with my monologue – after all, I needed to start at the beginning and create the context before addressing the practical!  But a bit later,  Jason asked again about suggestions for their son’s room.

It was then that I FINALLY GOT IT.

Jason and Jenn really weren’t interested in theory –  at least, not yet.  What they really wanted was  simply the “nuts of bolts” of how to support their boys’ development. 

It dawned on me what a logical, linear, sequential thinker I am!  I often feel that I need to “start at the beginning” and set the stage for what is to come.

In coaching lingo, this revelation would be referred to as a “breakdown”. Breakdowns can appear as mistakes, accidents, crises, goofs – or in this case, even  embarrassing moments! 

Yes, it was an embarrassing moment, but one that provided me with a wonderful learning.  I learned to listen more to what clients want to know rather than thrust my own agenda on them.  I  learned that linear thinking certainly has its place, but isn’t always appropriate!

I noticed that the way I’ve approached this blog has also been very linear:  the history of Montessori, some of the basic philosophy, etc. – when maybe what people really want are simply practical ways to raise healthy, happy children and build strong families.

So, I’m putting aside the strictly linear, sequential approach for awhile, and plan to blog about whatever comes to mind.  What fun!  There will be Montessori philosophy woven throughout the posts, but the emphasis will usually be on the more practical and mundane aspects of family life.  

So to keep this blog interesting and relevant to you, please feel free to submit your comments and ask your questions!

Through my school consulting work, I’ve had the privilege of meeting  a number of teachers – better known as Guides or Directors/Directresses –  who themselves attended Montessori schools as children.  It’s fascinating to hear them describe something I can “know” only intellectually!

When I ask them how they benefitted from their experience, their answers are almost always the same:

• self confidence
• independence
• responsibility
• critical thinking skills
• tolerance
• adaptibility
• global awareness                                  

I happened to observe an example of “critical thinking” one day at a school in California:  while the teacher read a story to the rest of the class, a group of five and six year olds were setting tables for lunch.  This included putting out placements, dishes, napkins, etc. and also pouring milk.  Apparently, everyone sat in the same seat each day, because one of the “servers” suddenly noticed that milk may have been poured for someone who wasn’t supposed to get milk.  The children gathered around to discuss what to do.  

Should we pour it out?  That would be wasteful!  

Do you think he’ll drink it anyway?  No!  He’s allergic!

Should we offer it to someone else?

On they went, discussing possibilities.

I’m very sorry to say that I do not remember the outcome of the children’s discussion! What impressed me the most was the fact that not once did anyone seek the advice of an adult. By working together, they were able to solve the problem themselves and carry on with their work.

The Montessori Environment provides many  opportunities each day for the children to problem-solve, whether it’s one child trying to figure out which cylinder fits into the hole, or a group of children seeking the best solution for an extra glass of milk.  

Remember when Jay Leno hosted the Tonight Show and one of his funniest routines (in my opinion) was to ask people on the street random geography questions:  Where are the Hanging Gardens of Babylon?  How many oceans are there?  What is the third planet from the sun?  Sadly, people were often clueless when it came to the right answer.  Such is often the case with Montessori.  The name itself continually gets misspelled and mispronounced.  Those who can say it and spell it often misinterpret it:  ”Oh, Montessori is too rigid!” or, “Montessori is way too permissive for my child!” or – my favorite – “Montessori, isn’t that a religious cult?”  So, here I am to help set the record straight; to share what I know about something I am passionate about.  My information may not always be 100% correct and, for that reason, I welcome your comments and questions so that, together, we can reach Montessori Mastery.

For starters, here is a brief introduction to the woman behind the name. For more detailed information, I encourage you to read “Maria Montessori:  Her Life and Work” by E. M. Standing.

Maria Montessori was born in the province of Ancona, Italy, in 1870.  Ironically, she never intended to create an educational system that would endure for more than a century and continue to expand worldwide even today.  She actually refused to follow the path of most women of her time and place – teaching – and became instead the first female medical doctor in Italian history.  But Fate stepped in, and after a series of “stepping stones”, Dr. Montessori found herself in charge of a small group of “defective” children in the Roman slums know as San Lorenzo.  Equipped with keen powers of observation, a strong scientific mind, and loving compassion for life, Dr. Montessori began to discover the “secret of childhood” and used this as the basis for what we know today as Montessori education.

A master is someone who has become very proficient at something; who has a deep and thorough understanding of a subject.  The purpose behind Montessori Mastery is two-fold:  (1) to provide information about Dr. Montessori’s philosophy and teaching methods to parents, teachers, and anyone else wanting to become more proficient in their work with children, and (2) to illustrate how interacting with children within the context of Montessori  can ultimately lead to a deeper understanding of Self. 

Who am I to be blogging about Montessori?  

For starters, I am a former AMI Montessori Primary Directress with over 20 years of classroom teaching experience.  My two daughters both attended Montessori schools, so I have experience as a Montessori parent.   Currently, I work as an AMI Primary Consultant, visiting schools to support them in earning and maintaining AMI Recognition.  Most recently, I became a certified Life & AD/HD Coach.  I am passionate about Montessori and its potential to change the world for the better.  It is my wish that this blog will contribute in some small to creating that change.  If you share my wish, please jump into the conversation!  I welcome your questions and comments.