Eissler has long been frustrated by the fact that most parents (and even many educators) are unaware of the Montessori method. While each of us may promote Montessori to our own friends and family, think of how many more people could be reached by a commercial during the biggest TV event of the year.

After trying out the idea in front of 100 Montessori administrators at the AMI conference in Jacksonville, FL, to a hugely positive response, The Montessori Super Bowl Ad Project was born.

At his website, Eissler is asking for pledges from schools, individuals, and organizations. While a 30-second Super Bowl ad costs $3 million (an eye-popping sum), that works out to just $6 per Montessori student in the United States.

His reasoning is simple: more publicity for Montessori means more students; schools who might buy expensive ads in newspapers and other media can easily put some of that money towards the Super Bowl ad, with much more potential for increased visibility.

After just two weeks, the Montessori Super Bowl ad campaign has raised over $20,000 in pledges. Says Eissler, “We have had pledges from a Montessori school with five children operating out of the teacher’s basement; we’ve had pledges from Montessori homeschoolers; we’ve had pledges from parents, teachers, individuals, and corporations.”

He continues, “We have a branding problem in Montessori. We have not defined who we are and what we stand for. Mainstream parents have either never heard of Montessori, or they get it wrong. That is our failure, not theirs. The Montessori Super Bowl Ad is our opportunity to have thirty seconds to brand Montessori and set the perception for people about this method.”

He also mentions that students at The Montessori High School at University Circle will be managing parts of this project: social media, website design, and collecting and producing videos, one of which might become the Super Bowl commercial. It seems fitting that these students partake in this real-life chance to spread the word about Montessori.

There you have it. An idea whose time – hopefully – has come. A chance to bring Montessori to millions. What do you think? Eissler is happy to take suggestions, from marketing the project to the production of the commercial itself. You can reach him at info[at] montessorisuperbowlad.com.

Thanks to Trevor Eissler for graciously answering my questions and providing information and pictures. Please check out Montessori Super Bowl Ad for more information or to make a pledge. You can also follow him on Twitter (@montessorisuper) or become a fan on Facebook.

I began to read Bill Gates’ annual letter, one that he wrote in January of 2009, and was immediately intrigued. In it, he talks about the successes (and some failures) that the Foundation has experienced since it began. He talks about what they would like to accomplish in the future and how they will reach those goals.

Since two of the main areas of focus for the Foundation are poverty and disease, they have funded many programs that are targeting those afflictions. They have scientists who are working to develop crops that can grow in regions of Africa that do not receive much (if any) rain. They have scientists who are working on vaccinations and treatments for diseases like HIV/AIDS and rotavirus.

The Gates Foundation is having an amazing impact on infant/child mortality and quality of life in 3rd world countries. But what intrigued me most about his letter is how he describes himself and the people who work for his foundation. Let me explain.

Gates begins his section on education (another area that is receiving significant funding from the Gates Foundation, especially in the US) by talking about his own education. Listen to what he says (emphasis mine):

“I was lucky enough to accumulate the wealth that is going into the foundation because I got a great education and was born in the United States, where innovation and risk-taking are rewarded.”

and a little later:

“The private high school I attended, Lakeside in Seattle, made a huge difference in my life. The teachers fueled my interests and encouraged me to read and learn as much as I could. Without those teachers I never would have gotten on the path of getting deeply engaged in math and software.”

In another section of his letter, on eradicating malaria, he talks about the various tools used to fight malaria, including better bed nets, better drugs, and better insecticides. Here’s the ground-breaking way they decide which tools to use where:

“We brought in an expert in mathematical modeling who is applying a technique called Monte Carlo Simulations. This modeling work, which will show where we can eliminate malaria and where we can just reduce the disease burden, is a wonderful use of advanced mathematics to save lives…”

Why did these quotes stand out to me? And what is their connection to Montessori? (Great questions, glad you asked!)

Here’s what I got out of Gates’ letter.

Children today are entering a world that is complex and scary. Fighting disease and poverty on a grand scale requires money, yes, but more than that. It takes creativity, logic, reasoning skills, and the courage to use resources on the poorest of the poor.

Where will we find leaders like that for the next generation? I believe that the Montessori Method – implemented in so many countries, homes, and schools around the world – is producing children who will be, as Gates himself is, innovative risk-takers.

Montessori children have teachers and parents who will, as Gates’ teachers did, encourage them to pursue their own interests and to read and learn as much as possible.

As I was reading, I imagined my own children using their privileged upbringing as a springboard to helping those less fortunate. Perhaps they will fund charitable projects, do research in a lab, apply mathematical models to diseases, or practice medicine in a country filled with desperate need.

As I said in my article entitled Why Our World Needs Montessori,

“In today’s crowded world of power struggles and ego trips, the Montessori method serves as a guide to raising unselfish, self-regulated, caring human beings who are problem solvers and have the self confidence to lead successful lives by their own efforts, rather than at the expense of their fellow citizens.” These words were true three years ago and are even truer today.

Stand firm, Montessorians! The world needs Montessori.

A quick footnote: I don’t want to make it sound like the Gates Foundation is perfect; it has been criticized most notably for having investments that directly contradict the charitable work it performs. This article at the LA Times does a good job of reporting that story, although since it was written the Gates Foundation may have changed their policies about investing.

Also, you may note that Gates himself is not a Montessori child (although other technological innovators are). He did, however, attend a private prep school in Seattle, WA. According to the research of John Taylor Gatto, prep schools encourage leadership skills and creative thinking, in direct contrast to traditional public school education, which generally does not.

Tables and chairs were shrunk to child-size, children were given real tasks to do, and observation (not testing) became the key to knowing how a child was progressing.

Another change that occurred was that children were grouped in multi-age classrooms, rather than having one age per class.

Generally, Montessori age groupings are as follows:

• Infant: birth – 18 months
• Toddler: 18 months – 3 years
• Preschool: 3-6 years
• Lower Elementary: 6-9 years
• Upper Elementary: 9-12 years
• Middle School: 12-14 years
• High School: 15-18 years

Because traditional schooling generally groups children of just one age together, mixed age groups is a striking difference between Montessori and traditional educational programs. There are pros and cons to the idea of mixed age groups, but I believe that the benefits definitely outweigh any possible negatives.

What Do Mixed Age Groups Bring to Montessori?

1. Interaction: The mixed age group environment creates an atmosphere where children learn to help and be helped by other children, because they interact consistently with children whose age and abilities are varied. Children gain an appreciation for their achievement and the accomplishments of others, and are naturally challenged by the achievements of others.

2. Learning from Each Other: Older children learn to be patient and tolerant, and serve as role models and teachers for the younger children. When an older child teaches a younger one, it reinforces previously learned concepts and is actually an aid in complete mastery of concepts. Younger children learn about courtesy, manners, and conflict resolution by watching the older children in the class.

3. Work at Child’s Own Pace: Because teachers do not have to set the instruction pace by a whole group, each child is given the ability to learn at his or her own pace. This is a striking difference from traditional education, where everyone turns to page 33 of the book and stays there until every child understands the concept.

4. Community: By staying in a classroom for a three year period, children develop a strong sense of community and stability, with 2/3 of a class returning every year. This community aids the development of students as role models for one another.

5. Familiarity: Being in the same classroom year after year allows a teacher to truly learn each individual child’s learning abilities, style, and developmental level to better be able to set the learning agenda as well as build on strengths and work on weaknesses.

6. Homeschooling: Since homeschooling is naturally multi-aged, it’s a natural fit with the structure of Montessori. Siblings have a built-in support community for education and play, and benefit in the same ways that mixed age peers do as described above.

Is There a Downside?

1. Isolation: One major criticism for the Montessori mixed age group classroom is that children tend to work in isolation at their own tasks, with little social cooperation among students. In any classroom that allows children to work at their own pace, mixed age or not, this could potentially be the case.

2. Overburdened Older Students: Some people feel that a teacher should be the one to help a child when he or she needs help with a particular concept. There is always the possibility that older children are unreliable sources or ineffective teachers who may further confuse a peer. If older students are teaching or helping younger ones, they may be missing out on part of their own education.

3. Harder for Teachers: As well, there is a burden on the teacher to essentially teach three grades (or more) instead of one. This is definitely a challenge. Balancing it out, though, is the fact that the teacher understands clearly what the child needs to master to move to the next level.

Is It Worth It?

Once, early on in my Montessori teaching career, I asked my husband to be honest with me. “Do you think that Montessori is truly the best way to educate children?” I asked him. “Yes,” he said, “but the quality does depend on the person doing it.”

I feel similarly about the mixed-age group paradigm. Many teachers can juggle the different levels successfully. Some struggle with it. Sometimes older students sense the teacher’s weaknesses and capitalize on them, making it difficult for them to balance the needs of the classroom. I have seen this happen before.

If the classroom contains the materials needed for each age group, and the teacher knows how to blend and weave the lessons for each age group, the pros of mixed ages will likely be much greater than any cons.

As always, I love to know what you think. Are mixed-age groupings a good idea, and why or why not?

But we can watch all of that and not actually know how the Montessori method achieves the results that it does. Is it just a happy stroke of luck that Montessori materials seem to promote brain development?

It’s more than just a coincidence. Pediatric neuropsychologist and Montessori parent Steve Hughes believes that Montessori curriculum triggers specific brain functions that greatly aid cognitive development. In fact, he refers to Montessori as “the original brain-based method of learning.”

Dr. Hughes completed his Ph.D in clinical psychology at the University of Minnesota and his post-doctoral fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology at the University of Minnesota Medical School, where he joined the faculty of the Division of Pediatric Clinical Neurosciences in 2001.

In his clinical work, he has studied the neurodevelopmental benefits of classical Montessori education. He gives presentations at Montessori and educational conferences on the connection between Montessori and brain development. At his website, Good at Doing Things, he shares information from his lectures. He has a lot to say about Montessori and the brain.

The Hand-to-Brain Connection

In this article from Public School Montessorian, Hughes gives an example the task of learning to read, a basic building block of education for all children regardless of schooling method. Reading requires three separate brain functions: capturing visual symbols, decoding each symbol’s sound, and assigning each symbol meaning. While each of these brain functions can be taught separately, Montessori materials such as the Sandpaper Letters and Moveable Alphabet encourage simultaneous use of each function, resulting in neurological networks that coordinate reading.

Hughes also focuses on the tactile methods of Montessori as they relate to brain development, asserting that the hands are a child’s strongest link to the brain. When motor movements are repeated they become templates in the brain that serve as a starting point for new experiences.

Because Montessori emphasizes hands-on learning, children are able to master information more quickly and easily than when conventional educational methods are used. The repetition of activities, multisensory materials, and self-guided learning common to the Montessori classroom create the perfect “recipe” for human brain development.

It is interesting to note that much of Maria Montessori’s early work in education lay in the treatment of special needs children. Today, intervention methods for special needs students closely resemble Montessori methods, suggesting perhaps that what Montessori has been doing for over 100 years is extremely effective in creating and strengthening neural pathways.

Mirror Neurons

Physical movements are not the only method of brain development supported by Montessori education. Maria Montessori spoke of the “absorbent mind” of a child being like a sponge literally soaking up what they see and do. Although at the time she had little actual neurological research to back up her claim, a new discovery in the area of neurology, called mirror neurons, goes hand in hand with her hypotheses.

Mirror neurons are found in the frontal lobe of humans and other species, including primates and birds, and fire when an animal or human performs an action or when that animal or human observes another animal of the same species performing the same action.

While research in the area of mirror neurons is ongoing, scientists believe that they show the importance of learning by example or imitation. The Montessori classroom, with its presentations, its multi-age groupings, and repetition of work is the perfect place for children to observe as well as act.

A child who watches another child move the Pink Tower blocks is having neural pathways strengthened even though they are not moving the blocks themselves. There is also evidence that mirror neurons come into play in a social context, teaching response to emotions and appropriate ways to solve social problems.

Where does that leave us?

I’m extremely excited about Dr. Hughes’ work. In my conversations with people who are skeptical of the Montessori method, one of the first things they mention is a desire to see scientific proof that Montessori is beneficial. I am now going to point them towards Dr. Hughes’ research. According to his website, he is in the process of authoring a book on Montessori and the brain and I am eager to read it.

It is amazing to me that Dr. Montessori was able to develop her materials without the benefits of today’s technology. She could not view a child’s brain to see which areas lit up when they were using the Cylinder Blocks, and yet through observation she knew that a child’s fine motor skills, shape and size discrimination, and hand/eye coordination were being strengthened through this work.

Dr. Hughes’ work is a reminder that Maria Montessori was herself a scientist before she was an educator. She didn’t guess at the materials she created; she observed, made changes based on her observations, and observed some more. She let the children teach her rather than pushing her own ideas on them.

The fundamental touchstones of educating through Montessori – preparing a natural and supporting environment, and adapting that environment for a child to fulfill his or her greatest potential – have proven to be more than helpful educational theory. The Montessori method holds a proven place in creating neural pathways that facilitate cognitive development.

Picture courtesy Montessori Greeting Cards.

Option 1: Basal Readers

These are the thick, hardback books that so many of us remember from grade school. They are basically textbooks, with stories that teach reading and reading skills in a sequential way. Companies that publish Basal Readers include Scott Foresman and Harcourt Publishers (also known as Houghton Mifflin Harcourt or Harcourt Brace Jovanovich). Used Basal Readers can be found on eBay; just be sure to check shipping costs and seller feedback (stick with 98% positive & up) before buying.

Pros:

1. They usually contain many kinds of literature, like fiction, non-fiction, poetry, fairy tales, and folk tales.
2. They often contain discussion questions and background information for the teacher or parent
3. You only have to purchase and store one book per child
4. Children can read in a group (round-robin) since each child has a copy of the same book

Cons:

1. They can be really, really expensive
2. Many times they can only be purchased in bulk, making it difficult to buy for a home, or school with only a few children per grade
3. They can be too traditional and formulaic, and they don’t allow for a child to choose reading materials based on his/her interests
4. Because they are organized by grade, they don’t provide flexibility for children who are reading slower or faster than other kids
5. They often contain stories written specifically for Basal Readers; many times the quality of literature is low

Are Basal Readers anti-Montessori? They are so inextricably linked to traditional education that it might feel strange to use them in Montessori. However, several of the (very excellent) Montessori schools I’ve taught at used these kinds of readers in elementary. One of the main reasons was because the parents found them reassuring.

Since many Montessori teachers don’t like to give homework but parents often want their children to get homework, it was easy to assign a few pages per night to each grade level. Also, since the readers teach skills systematically, there is little chance of having “gaps” where the students haven’t covered important information.

Verdict: This type of reader won’t be an option for everyone. They are expensive and difficult to replace if lost. The kinds of stories featured may not match with an individual child’s reading level or interest. The quality of writing is often low, and the stories included may not fit with the values of the Montessori curriculum.

Option 2: Leveled Readers (individual books)

Leveled readers are smaller, shorter books that are specific to a certain grade or reading level. Books that fit this category include BOB Books, Dorling Kindersley Readers, ‘I Can Read’ Books, Welcome Books, and Scholastic Time-to-Discover Books. They dovetail nicely with a phonics reading approach, since the writing increases in phonetic difficulty as the reading level goes up.

These types of readers can be found through Scholastic Book Clubs, or at major vendors like www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com. You can also find new & used readers at eBay, and of course, these books can be checked out at your local library.

Pros:

1. Children can choose books that fit their own interests
2. It’s easier to adjust for variances in reading levels among children in the same grade; each child can be reading a different book at the same time
3. Books usually contain high-quality photos or drawings and text that is carefully chosen for reading-level appropriateness

Cons:

1. You may end up purchasing and storing dozens of books to cover many interests and reading levels
2. Children can’t read stories in a group, since you’ll generally only have one of each book
3. The quality of the writing may be less than excellent, since writing specifically for one reading level limits the choice of vocabulary words that can be used

Verdict: This is a nice option if you can find books for a wide range of interests and reading levels.

Option 3: Junior Great Books

The Junior Great Books program is a research-based K-12 reading program that stresses reading comprehension and critical thinking through guided discussion. Many Montessori schools use JGB as their main reading curriculum, or as a supplement to another reading program.

Pros:
1. The literature choices are excellent – only high-quality writing is chosen
2. All stories come with in-depth questions to be discussed
3. Each grade level also comes with optional workbooks, to be used as homework or classwork
4. Promotes reading comprehension and analytical skills

Cons:

1. JGB can be expensive, especially if the workbooks are purchased as well
2. The literature selections can be difficult, since they are not written for a specific grade level but are “real-world” stories and excerpts. A child struggling with reading may find JGB too challenging.

I remember being in Junior Great Books when I was in grade school. It was often led by a parent volunteer, not a teacher, and we met once a week. There was a relaxed, “there is no wrong answer” feel to our discussions, and since we weren’t graded on any aspect of JGB, it was freeing and inspired some excellent discussions.

Verdict: JGB fits very nicely with Montessori; the quality of stories is high, and the open-ended questions inspire lots of critical thinking and “give-and-take” discussions. Children should still receive some phonics instruction; learning words simply by sight recognition has it weaknesses.

Option 4: Classic Literature

In this approach, children use selections from classic literature as the basis of the reading curriculum. There are many curriculums that use classic literature as a basis, including the popular Charlotte Mason program. Using classic literature is part of the whole language approach, which focuses on content over reading skills or phonics.

Pros:

1. The quality of the selections is unparalleled
2. Children often read the entire work rather than just an excerpt, giving them context and a broader understanding of the work
3. Children are exposed to the authors and works that form the basis for culture; they will be able to recognize famous quotes and spot literary allusions with ease

Cons:

1. Parents and teachers may not always be sure about the appropriateness of certain selections, both for reading level and content. There are some nice tools available, including this book finder at SimplyCharlotteMason.com where you can search by topic, keyword, or grade level.
2. It may be hard to find true classical literature for the beginning reader

Verdict: This approach has numerous advantages, and is definitely in line with the Montessori curriculum. In some ways, it overlaps with Junior Great Books, which also uses classical literature for many of its selections. However, JGB may use excerpts rather than entire works.

In Conclusion

Sister Mary, my Montessori trainer, always said that the Montessori language curriculum should be a balance of phonics and whole language. In other words, children should be taught the specific sounds that letters and groups of letters make, and should also be exposed to quality literature. Since many programs embrace one approach or the other, I really like that Montessori attempts to use both.

The debate about the best reading methodology has raged for decades and there is still no universal agreement. I encourage everyone to do a little reading about the different approaches before choosing one, or do as Sister Mary recommended and combine them together.

There is no one perfect reading solution for every home or school; budgets differ, as do the expectations of teachers and parents. I’ve tried to present each option without bias, so that you can make the decision that’s right for you and the children in your care. Regardless of the reading approach you choose, it is important to put thoughtful care into the kinds of books young children read.

Almost immediately, I found that tears were running down my cheeks as I read about the continuing devastation there. Most people, already living in poverty, have lost everything they own and have no place to go. The situation is dire; because of the uncooperative government and logistical problems, most of the survivors have yet to receive any aid and might not for a long time. The desperation and despair must be crushing.

And it is always the children who suffer the most. It’s almost easier not to think about their suffering because it’s so painful to contemplate. As someone who has loved and served God my entire life, situations like this lead me to wonder just what God is up to. I have no answer for the suffering of the innocent, and no one I know has ever given me a satisfactory one.

But this I do know: when these kinds of disasters happen, we must do something. This morning at church, my dad (who is a pastor, as most of you know) prayed that God would show mercy to the people of Myanmar. If God answers that prayer, he will most likely decide to work through people who care enough to do something about this tragedy.

Most of us have been blessed beyond belief. We are spoiled and comfortable. It’s easy to forget that there are millions of children around the world who live in unspeakable conditions of filth and hardship. Our own children find it even harder to contemplate. They never have to worry where their next meal is coming from or whether or not they have a safe place to stay at night.

Maria Montessori had an enormous amount of compassion for children who were on the fringes of society. Whether they were erroneously labeled “retarded” by the government, or whether they lived in the slums of Rome, she saw the need they had to be treated with respect and dignity.

I think Montessorians (i.e., anyone who follows the teachings of Maria Montessori) has an even greater obligation to help out than the average person. You see, we know so much about the delicacy and worth of each human being – each “miraculous being”, to use Maria’s own words. We are called, by our very adherence to Montessori, to be kind, generous, and helpful.

Recently, I spent some time talking to one of my customers on the phone. She runs a Montessori school in Pennsylvania. About 20 years ago, she decided that she wanted to get back to the roots of the Montessori philosophy by opening a Montessori school in a poor area and keeping tuition low so any child who wanted to could attend.

Today, 20 years later, her tuition remains the same: $150 per month for an all-day program. Her school stays afloat through donations from friends and the community. She asks wealthier Montessori schools in the area to give her any materials or equipment they don’t need any more. And naturally, she spends quite a bit of her own money to make or buy materials for the school.

What a great calling she has! Would that many more at-risk children could attend a Montessori school. A quality education can make a huge difference in the life of a child. It can seem like the needs are too great and too vast for us to have any measurable impact. But as I talked to her, I was reminded that even helping one child can bring about change. Like ripples in a stream, touching one life can touch other lives.

As always, I highly encourage you to talk with children about world events. Tell them as much as they can handle for their age. Most likely, you will not say much, if anything, to children five and under. But above that, children are ready to learn about their less fortunate counterparts. Engage them in the act of giving. Have them run a bake sale, donate their allowance, and write letters and cards. Let them research the affected areas of the world and learn about different countries and people groups.

I am always amazed how compassion comes pouring out of children when they know about others in need. They are so creative at thinking about ways to help, and generous beyond measure. I would go as far as to say that children are in a sensitive period for generosity; if you encourage it now, it will carry over into adulthood.

Here are some ways to help, both for the Myanmar tragedy and at-risk children in general:

Give:

Make a donation to a worthy, reputable charitable organization that is offering relief efforts to Myanmar. My favorite is Samaritan’s Purse, but there are many out there. Visit Charity Navigator to evaluate and compare charities.

Pray:

Take a few minutes to pray for the people of Myanmar, and for the governments of the world who are willing to help. The greatest barriers seem to be the hostile Myanmar government and the lack of existing infrastructure (airports, hospitals) needed to provide aid directly to the people. You can pray for safety for aid workers and for shipments of supplies. One boat carrying supplies sank on the way to Myanmar. It’s dangerous work. Pray for the children, especially those who have lost their families and who are terrified and alone.

Educate:

Let children find Myanmar on the globe. Read up on the country and its history. Consider doing a project on Southeast Asia along with fundraising. Make sure kids know where the money they raise is going.

Sponsor:

Choose a needy child to sponsor at Compassion International. You’ll be able to learn about and correspond with your child. I also recommend visiting their new blog; it’s really eye-opening – especially their posts about children in poverty.

Volunteer:

While it is unlikely that any of us will be able to go to another country to provide aid, right in our own neighborhoods there are people with needs. One of my friends volunteers for a shelter for homeless women, taking the women shopping to help them buy clothes and food. Another volunteers for an inner city children’s club that provides tutoring and mentoring for at-risk kids living in the housing projects of Chicago. There’s really no limit to the ways we can help.

Link:

Link back to this post from your own blog, or forward the link to this post to friends and family who are looking for a way to help.

One last thing: when you read posts like this, don’t you always wonder how much the author of the post is personally donating, if anything? I know I do. I want to be credible and practice what I preach. So, here’s the deal. I will donate 10% of my total sales for May to my favorite charity, Samaritan’s Purse, specifically for the relief efforts in Myanmar. I’ll let you know in June how much that turns out to be. If you’ve always wanted to buy anything from me, this would be a great time!

What Does ‘Normalized’ Mean in Montessori?

The dictionary defines ‘normalized’ this way: To make normal, especially to cause to conform to a standard or norm. None of the references I consulted defined it the way Montessori does, probably because Dr. Montessori borrowed the term and made it her own. Because there is more than one meaning, someone unfamiliar with Montessori might assume that we are attempting to make all Montessori children fit into a narrow box where everyone is perfect and perfectly behaved. This is definitely not true.

Rather, the term ‘normalized’ refers to special characteristics that Maria Montessori observed when children were allowed to work freely in a prepared environment. This quote from the North American Montessori Teacher’s Association sums it up nicely:

Dr. Montessori observed that when children are allowed freedom in an environment suited to their needs, they blossom. After a period of intense concentration, and working with materials that fully engage their interest, children appear to be refreshed and contented. Through continued concentrated work of their own choice, children grow in inner discipline and peace. She called this process “normalization” and cited it as “the most important single result of our whole work”.

What are the special attributes that Montessori observed in normalized children? Here they are, as enumerated by E.M. Standing in his book Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work: love of order, love of work, love of silence and working alone, spontaneous concentration, obedience, independence and initiative, spontaneous self-discipline, attachment to reality, and joy.

As you can see, within that list is the freedom for a child to see be him or herself, with all the variances of personalities and abilities that we know exist in the human race. If these traits sounds somewhat familiar, it’s because they’re very similar to the characteristics of an authentic Montessori experience. Let’s take a look at each:

Love of Order

From infancy onward, Montessori children discover that everything has its place. Our attention to providing a special place for favorite learning materials creates a sense of stability that honors children’s natural love of order.

My children went to a neighborhood Easter-egg-hunt this past Saturday. Basically, a giant field is strewn with small chocolate eggs and all the kids run around seeing how many they can gather. After the hunt was over, the kids ate a few eggs and asked for more. “No,” I said. “We’ll have some more tomorrow.”

“Oh,” said my daughter. “If I can’t eat anymore, I know what I can do with my eggs! I can sort them!” And she sat down and began to sort them according to color. It was lovely to see the characteristic of ‘order’ manifest itself in this way.

A Love of Work, Silence and Working Alone

Most people experience those pleasing times when you become so involved in something that interests you, time slips away unwatched. You don’t want to be interrupted. You’re attending to your mind’s call for a peaceful time of focus; in common psychological vernacular, you’ve entered flow.

Montessori children are provided with interesting work to do, but along with the activity of doing the work, they are partaking of the activity of building-the-self. I cannot overstate the importance of giving the students plenty of time to work uninterrupted. You cannot enter flow when you feel like a bell, timer, or buzzer is going to ring any minute, or that someone else is going to impose a pre-determined ’schedule’ upon you.

Profound Spontaneous Concentration

Walking through a friend’s beautiful garden, your attention is suddenly caught by a stunning flower. It isn’t enough just to look at it. You must inspect how it grows, touch it with your hands, smell it with your nose. The rest of the pretty garden seems to fade into the background in that spontaneous moment of learning about the wonder of that blossom.

This is the experience Montessori instructors attempt to promote in students by engaging their focus on important, absorbing learning materials. If the materials have been skillfully presented, they will be worthy of the child’s concentration and rapt fascination will happen naturally.

Obedience

In the Montessori classroom, obedience is never blind or abusive. Traditional education focuses on the principle of children being unquestioningly obedient to a teacher with punishments employed to persuade children away from ‘doing things their own way.’

Instead, Montessori children are encouraged to be obedient to the internal voice that indicates to them what they need to learn next, and when they need to learn it. Additionally, Montessori children come to respect their fellow students, their teacher and their classroom so that they are obedient to the goal of promoting a peaceful place to live and learn.

Independence and Initiative

Happiness for the child is the golden objective of every Montessori instructor and parent. In order to be happy, children need to learn how to work independently, discovering and caring for their own needs to grow emotionally, spiritually and academically.

Pop-psychologists agree that depending on others for happiness is a dangerous modus operandi, and the independent work that goes on in the Montessori classroom gives children the confident skills required to undertake proper tasks at a self-determined time and engage in these tasks with a sense of being able.

Spontaneous Self-discipline

The great genius in Montessori learning materials is that they contain built-in controls that tell students when they have mastered a skill, or when more learning is required. This removes the need for an outside person telling students they’ve ‘failed’. In a system where shaming rebukes are used to correct children in public, the fear of humiliation takes center stage, rather than the desire for skill mastery.

Think about it. When you work a crossword puzzle on a Sunday afternoon, it’s a private engagement for your own satisfaction. If you get a word wrong, the puzzle tells you so because other words begin not to match up – it has a built-in control of error! You go back and correct the initial error to make the puzzle work. All of this goes on inside your own head, and you enjoy the pursuit. It would be a lot different if every time you hit on a wrong word, all of your neighbors announced it, some of them snickered and you got a community reputation of being a real dunce. The zest would certainly be gone from the activity!

Because Montessori children learn to self-correct much of their own work, the discipline of getting things right for one’s own satisfaction is developed. This leads to solving moral dilemmas in future life with the thought that one should act for good, not because one fears discovery of wrong-doing, but because one is eager to do one’s level best.

Attachment to Reality

The Montessori method strives to steer children away from the fantastical so that they develop real skills and habits for living in a real world. Dr. Montessori would not have been a fan of a fairytale which teaches children that if your foot fits in the correct shoe, you’ll be lifted out of poverty, marry the handsome prince and live in a castle for the rest of your life.

She would have been better pleased by a story about a boy reading learning to read by firelight in a log cabin, dedicating himself to a life of public service and eventually, by dint of his energetic efforts, becoming President of the United States and putting an end to slavery. Fantasy teaches children that actions have unreal consequences and Maria Montessori felt it was vital for children to understand the truth of cause and effect in life.

Joy

This is the best of all gifts the Montessori students discover because they are made free to do so by the effort of the adults who care for them. The world’s greatest art, greatest music, literature, scientific achievements, humanitarian triumphs are works of hope and joy. We live on a stunning planet, from the treasures of the rain forest to the mysteries of the deeps. A person can live for a century and only see a small percentage of all of the wonders our world holds for the seeker of joy.

What Does It All Mean?

As they grow, Montessori children, given a free and beneficial environment, learn to approach challenges with gusto and find true joy in acquiring knowledge. A spirit of vivacious activity pervades the Montessori classroom as the students undertake the ongoing work of self-revelation. In addition to this being a wonderful planet, it can be a tough place to live, but ‘normalized’ Montessori traits cultivated early in life will carry a child far in the future.

Most of her writings are still relevant today. There are a few ideas here or there that can be left behind. For example, Dr. Montessori warns in this book that children must never eat fresh vegetables. When one realizes that this advice is given at a time when people didn’t even bother to wash much of the produce they ate, her edicts make good sense. But today, we understand that properly prepared, well-washed vegetables are essential to health. Modern Montessorians will have to take this kind of advice with a grain of salt (literally). See picture: Dr. Montessori during a radio interview in London, 1950.

The First Children’s House

Life was not easy in the late 20th century in Italy. Maria Montessori herself faced prejudice and hardship all through her school years as she became the first woman doctor in Italy. The children she worked with in the Children’s House were dirty and neglected. Not much was yet known about the spread of disease. The world was small for the average person: they probably would not have traveled much, and certainly didn’t have the kind of global awareness that most of us do today. All of these circumstances contributed to the shaping of the first Children’s House.

This last part of the book focuses quite a bit on the specific materials and lessons that comprised the Children’s House. It’s wonderful to read about how the color tablets came to be, or to see the sandpaper letters used for the first time. Even now, when I use those materials that are some of the first ones she made, I get chills when I picture the little ones in the first Children’s House, using the very same materials. In this final section, Dr. Montessori talks about the different curricular areas of the Children’s House and describes the materials and concepts that are covered in each area. The following areas may be of interest to the modern teacher or parent:

Sensory Training

Chapters 6-14 focus primarily on the important concept of the training of the senses. Dr. Montessori begins by emphasizing the importance of offering children learning materials with built-in controls that tell them whether they have mastered a skill or not (control of error). The Montessori instructor must never shame or depress a child by drawing attention to his efforts of trial and error as mistakes. Rather, the process of exploration is seen as the good work of the child, to be controlled by his own interest and internal schedule – not by a traditional concept of curriculum.

All of the senses – sight, smell, sound, taste and touch – are addressed by Montessori methodology. The stimuli of real objects found in the didactic materials of the Montessori classroom enable a child not merely to memorize facts, but to experience concepts that are crucial to development. An example given in the book involves a child’s introduction to the visual perception of colors. For this purpose, Montessori developed a set of 64 tablets wound with beautiful, colored silk threads. The child begins by working with only two sets of the three primary colors – red, yellow and blue.

The child sorts the tablets into matching pairs. When this is mastered, more tablets are presented until the child can sort all 64. Dr. Montessori joyfully notes that by the time the exercise was fully mastered, the Children’s House youngsters were able to take a mixed-up set of 64 different colors and perfectly organize them by fine degrees of gradation. It is easy to imagine how a ‘game’ like this would be tremendous fun for any child, and how keenly the sense of sight would be honed by the activity of manual labor. The following quote makes sense of this activity:

“It is exactly in the repetition of the exercises that the education of the senses consists; their aim is not that the child shall know colors, forms and the different qualities of objects, but that he refine his senses through an exercise of attention, of comparison, of judgment.”

Nutrition

There is an interesting chapter in the The Montessori Method devoted to diet. The modern reader will get the most out of reading this portion of the book by recalling what daily life in 20th century Europe would have been like for common people. It’s an interesting coincidence that The Montessori Method was published in the same year that vitamins were first discovered. People had very minimal concepts of nutrition or sanitation, and Dr. Montessori advocates that tremendous care be taken in providing children with sanitary, cautiously-prepared foods.

The Natural World

One of the most inspiring subjects dealt with by The Montessori Method is Maria Montessori’s belief in the importance of a child’s relationship to the natural world. By caring for plants and animals around the Children’s Houses, children developed the following skills and perceptions:

1) The power of observation – they watch their subjects’ progress with interest and wonder.
2) The power of foresight – they know they must water or feed the subjects for their health.
3) The virtue of patience – they confidently expect that blooms and fruit will reward their efforts over time.
4) A love of natural life – they discover a part of the chain of life and union with the universe.
5) A sense of the place of humankind – they walk the historic path of agriculture which eventually leads to civilization.

These big, harmonious concepts are all absorbed and assimilated by Montessori children through the simple act of caring for living things, and in today’s world, Montessori educators strive to promote care for the larger planet and its problems by beginning with the care of a single plant or animal and moving on to larger projects (like gardening) when the child is ready for more responsibility.

Language

Maria Montessori’s original plans for her Children’s Houses were modest. Her goal was to provide children with a place to develop their own abilities and senses of identity unhindered. It was only when the mothers of the houses began to plead with her to teach their children reading and mathematics that she turned her attention to such subjects. This effort resulted in the development of many of the didactic language and math materials you will find in Montessori classrooms today.

There’s the thrilling story of the children, who were using the sandpaper letters on a daily basis, spontaneously beginning to read without being taught to read. The movable alphabet is another early material that made writing easy and fun for young children. Putting out the pre-printed letters enabled them to write stories phonetically without having to actually know how to form letters.

In reading Dr. Montessori’s thoughts on the concept of spoken language, the modern reader must recall that The Montessori Method was published at a time when most people viewed dialectical differences as defective. In America, there are unfortunately still prejudices against differences in dialect. One example would be Mountain Speech of the inhabitants of the Appalachian Mountains. People who talk this way are portrayed in popular culture as being ignorant and backward. However, modern philologists have brought to light the fact that Mountain Speech is actually a rather wondrous surviving example of proper Elizabethan English, preserved into modern times because of the relative isolation of the speakers.

When an Appalachian highlander says he is going a-hunting, he is speaking the language of William Shakespeare, and to call his patterns of speech ‘incorrect’ is to misunderstand how living languages alter and grow over time. Dr. Montessori’s attitude toward dialectical deficiencies will strike the modern reader as antiquated. Today’s children need to understand that our world is a global one with many wonderful languages and dialects.

The Triumphant Results

The Montessori Method is rounded off with some of Dr. Montessori’s final observations on her experiences with the Children’s Houses. She had the pleasure of seeing her children triumph when cared for with her revolutionary method. She watched them develop grace, courtesy, self-reliance and a love of knowledge that would serve them well throughout life. She found herself beloved by the families amongst whom she worked so tirelessly, and she has left a legacy to the world of lasting importance.

In conclusion, it’s very important to draw attention to the fact that Dr. Montessori did not consider this book, nor even her whole life’s work, as a fait accompli. Her belief and earnest hope was that others would pick up where she had left off, using the discipline of scientific pedagogy to continue to observe children and refine upon the methods she had developed. Because of this, it is vital that we Montessori parents and instructors avoid viewing The Montessori Method as an infallible rule book for the classroom and home. If we are committed to the guidance and nurturing of children, we will carry on the work and methods of Dr. Maria Montessori, sharing what new things we learn with others and with the generations to come.

History of Methods

In chapter 2, we are introduced to the concept of scientific pedagogy – basically, the art of being a teacher who observes and experiments in order to arrive at optimum methods of education. Dr. Montessori saw herself as carrying on the great work of two predecessors: Itard and Seguin. Jean Marc Gaspard Itard became known to the early 19th century world as the physician who worked with the so-called Wild Boy of Aveyron – an abandoned youth who had lived for years in the wilderness. Itard developed methods of sensory training and individualized education in the process of attempting to civilize his patient.

In turn, his methods were taken up by Dr. Eduard Seguin who wrote extensively about
the development of self-teaching materials for children considered to be mentally deficient. Maria Montessori highly regarded the discoveries of these men of science, and put their theories to work when the opportunity arose for her to begin working amongst children classed as ‘defective’. Eventually, she concluded that, if applied to ‘normal’ children, the findings of scientific pedagogy would produce amazing results.

Inaugural Address

Chapter 3 is, perhaps, the most emotionally moving section in The Montessori Method. We have the opportunity to read Maria Montessori’s complete inaugural address on the opening of one of her Children’s Houses. Her depiction of the intense destitution and despair encountered in the slums of Italy is haunting, and sets the stage for her stirring introduction to the purpose and power of the renovated, communal homes being erected to offer poor families the chance of a better life. The responsibility for the upkeep and harmony of these revolutionary homes rested on the shoulders of the residents, and one of the key benefits they offered was the presence of interior Children’s Houses for the care of children too young to attend school.

The industrial revolution and economic pressures made it imperative for poor Italian women to work outside the home, often leaving their babies and young children locked in empty, dangerous dwellings. By living in one of the new communal homes, each mother had the tremendous relief of knowing her child would be beautifully cared for by the Children’s House directress and attendant physician while she was away at work. Little by little, this arrangement led to Montessori’s development of her methods of teaching language and math skills, in addition to all of the modes of helping little children to become self-reliant and considerate community members. These Children’s Houses are the models upon which today’s Montessori schools are based. (See picture: Dr. Montessori in Rome giving a lesson in the Brown Stair. The year is 1911).

Discipline

Chapters 4 and 5 further explain Montessori’s devotion to a methodical study of individual children. Careful records were kept for each child, ensuring that the directress, physician and the parents would have ample documentation of the child’s health, growth and progress. Of particular interest is Montessori’s description of the ideal Montessori directress:

From her scientific preparation, the teacher must bring not only the capacity, but the desire to observe natural phenomena. In our system, she must become a passive, much more than an active, influence, and her passivity shall be composed of anxious scientific curiosity, and of absolute respect for the phenomenon she wishes to observe. The teacher must understand and feel her position of observer.

This was a revolutionary concept. Here, the child, not the teacher, becomes the focus of the learning environment. This is the untraditional arrangement you will find in today’s Montessori classrooms and homes, and it all began with Montessori’s love of both science and the phenomenal potential of the individual child’s mind.

Montessori advocates the abolishment of both prizes and shaming punishments. The Montessori Method gives memorable examples of the dangers of crushing a child’s first expressions of self, as well as the foolishness of making trinkets the reward for learning, rather than knowledge being its own reward.

Montessori’s great goal of the peaceful child and the peaceful community shines through in these chapters. Her depictions of the early struggles, failures and triumphs of the Children’s Houses will be highly instructive for anyone considering Montessori education.

The final post in this series will cover the remaining chapters of the book which put Montessori methodology into action. I’d like to end here with a quote from these early chapters in which the respect for the individual child is emphasized as crucial to the method:

It is remarkable how clearly individual differences show themselves, if we proceed in this way; the child, conscious and free, reveals himself.

.

One of Maria Montessori’s best known beliefs revolves around the absorbent human mind. Taking my cues from this, I believe it is vital to understand the environment in which this famous educator grew up and lived in order to completely comprehend the fundamental teachings of The Montessori Method.

The World of Maria Montessori

The very first chapter of The Montessori Method, entitled ‘A Critical Consideration of the New Pedagogy in its Relation to Modern Science’ introduces us not only to the spirit of Montessori thought, but also to a remarkable woman. Maria Montessori was ahead of her time in so many ways, and yet also a product of what she had absorbed in her environment. As we read the first chapter of this book, a number of important themes give us a very clear picture of how the Montessori method came into being. In reading this book, you will encounter the following influences and strongly held beliefs:

Christianity

Born in 1870 in Italy, Maria Montessori’s Catholic upbringing had a profound effect on her outlook on life. At the heart of Christianity is a deep belief in the dignity of humankind; the Bible teaches that we were all created in the image of God. The Judeo-Christian ethic of ‘love for the poor’ certainly informed Dr. Montessori’s efforts to create a Children’s House in the slums of Italy. Moreover, Montessori believed, “the first idea the child must acquire is that of the difference between good and evil.” The Christian principle of discernment between good and evil is everywhere present in her work.

Respect for Science

As Italy’s first female physician, Dr. Montessori faced down extreme societal odds in order to take her place among the gifted ‘men’ of science. The early 20th century saw enormous industrial and scientific strides, and Dr. Montessori approached her work with children from the scientific method. Rather than viewing herself as a teacher, she saw herself as a careful observer of her subjects. Montessori instructors to this day are trained in the arts of observing and respecting the mind of the child. However, Dr. Montessori brought a special quality to her observation that is not typical of scientific observation and can be explained by the biblical quote about children:

Whosoever shall become as one of these little ones, he shall be greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

To observe the mind of the child was, to Maria Montessori, to witness God’s perfect intentions. Because of this belief, Montessori advocated minimal adult interference in a child’s natural development.

Love of Nature and Natural Man

Within the first chapter of The Montessori Method, there are no less than 5 reverent references to the wonder and power of the natural world. Here are some examples:

We must instead make of them (children), worshipers and interpreters of the spirit of nature.

The scientist is not the clever manipulator of instruments, he is the worshiper of nature.

While Dr. Montessori was enough of a realist to understand that the trade off for settled civilization is the renunciation of the simpler joys of natural man, she firmly believed that the study of nature would lead children not only a vital understanding of themselves, but also to a devout love of God.

Socialism and Individualism

We see in Montessori thought an interesting combination of the principles of Socialism and Individualism. In traditional schools, teachers strive to produce homogeneous human beings who are dependent upon the expertise of others. In the Montessori school, the individual child is encouraged to discover and perfect his own expertise. Individualism is celebrated, and Maria Montessori had a very evident and hopeful belief in the brilliance of free-thinking individuals.

Yet, Socialist thought was also on the rise during her formative years, and when the first Children’s Houses were instituted in Italy, they functioned on a Socialist or Communist model. The equal contributions of all members of these beautiful homes for the poor were what enabled the homes to exist. Dedication to the maintenance of communal life and well-being was what, according to Montessori’s work, made possible the environment in which the individual could thrive.

Classism

Many modern readers of The Montessori Method will be somewhat taken aback by references to society that come from a caste-based mentality. During Montessori’s early life, Italy was a constitutional monarchy with extreme divisions between rich and poor. This is one of the reasons why it is so important to view both The Montessori Method and its author within the context of the times. Until recently, it was commonly thought that intelligence and moral refinement were the special properties of the wealthy, and that the poor were somehow lesser beings.

When reading The Montessori Method, you will encounter references that clearly play into this idea, and it is necessary to view them from a historical perspective. It is important to add that poor Italian men were not allowed to vote until 1913, and Italian women didn’t receive the right to vote until the 1940’s. In contrast to this, Dr. Montessori was a lifelong proponent of human rights.

Love of Peace

The Montessori Method was published in the year that Italy engaged in the Italo-Turkish War, a precursor to World War I. Soon afterward, Italy fell under the evil of Fascism, and Dr. Montessori was exiled by Benito Mussolini for refusing to train children to be soldiers. The first and second World Wars devastated Europe with their airplane combat and bombings. The atrocious violence can only have strengthened Maria Montessori’s urgent need to instill children with the ability to be peaceful within themselves and non-violent towards others.

Modern surveys continue to show that the Montessori methodology of courtesy and respect for others, grounded in a strong sense of self-respect, produces children with a heightened concept of social responsibility. In the words of Dr. Montessori, ‘establishing lasting peace is the work of education’.

The first chapter of The Montessori Method presents us with a wealth of concepts and ideals, and being able to identify and reflect on these prepares the reader for the subsequent chapters which show Montessori thought in action. I’ll continue this series after the first of the year with a post that will cover chapters 2-5 of this amazing and revolutionary book.