Making Connections Between Montessori and Traditional School

The aim of the children who persevere in their work with an object is certainly not to “learn”; they are drawn to it by the needs of their inner life, which must be recognized and developed by its means. - Maria Montessori

As a trained Montessori teacher, I know that the first job of the teacher is to “follow the child”. If we act as guides, children will use the Montessori materials found in the prepared environment to guide their own open-ended research and follow their individual interests.

Montessori also said that:
We cannot know the consequences of suppressing a child's spontaneity when he is just beginning to be active. We may even suffocate life itself. That humanity which is revealed in all its intellectual splendor during the sweet and tender age of childhood should be respected with a kind of religious veneration. It is like the sun which appears at dawn or a flower just beginning to bloom. Education cannot be effective unless it helps a child to open up himself to life.

Being a Montessori trained teacher and believing in the Montessori method, made it challenging for me to be the parent of a Montessori student.

NAMC Proud to Donate a FREE US History Manual to Every Montessori Elementary School in the USA!

One of the reasons I love teaching history is watching the children understand their place in the world. The Great Lessons and Cosmic Education provide a way for children to really grasp the enormity of the universe and how it all fits together. Studying World History gives children the opportunity to understand that humans all have the same fundamental needs, and to recognize and appreciate how other cultures meet these needs. Learning about their own culture and heritage helps children develop patriotism and an understanding of the events that have happened, important historical figures, and historical places and objects of their own country. It provides a unifying cultural literacy that improves their cultural, environmental, and community awareness.

As a first for Montessori training centers, NAMC is donating a free copy of their new and exclusive US History manual to every Montessori elementary school in the USA.

Montessori Curriculum: NAMC US History Manual Review

Montessori teachers often find themselves required to teach subjects that are not part of the traditional Montessori curriculum. Other times, student interest drives Montessori teachers into a frenzy of research and preparation of new learning materials.

I recently received my copy of the NAMC US History manual, and as with their other manuals was once again impressed by the comprehensive nature, presentation, and beauty of the NAMC manual. At first glance, I kept turning page after page, as a child would, looking at the impressive full-color illustrations. It was refreshing to see “new” pictures of what is, for some of us, an old topic. It didn't look like any American history textbook I’d ever seen. These pictures were ‘alive’, beckoning me to find out more.

The Importance of Veteran’s (Remembrance) Day: November 11

My grandfather heroically served his country during World War II. Leaving behind a young, pregnant wife, it was years before he returned home to see his family. He carried a photograph of his little girl whom he had never met, held, or heard, in his wallet through the battlefields of Europe. He kept that wallet and picture in a box on a shelf in his closet as a reminder of what sacrifices he and thousands of other young men and women made, ensuring the freedom of others.

I was a Montessori Upper Elementary student the day he decided to share with me this precious memory. He told me how he stormed the beach at Normandy and how scared and sick the men were in the crossing of the Channel. He told me of frost bitten feet and Christmas Eve peace. What moved me the most was when he took out the photograph of my infant mother. This man, who was a hero to me simply because he was my grandfather, broke into heart-wrenching sobs and was unable to finish his story.