Montessori Parent/Teacher Communication and Collaboration: An Education for Life

I recently participated in a parent conference where a parent argued that a teacher’s purpose is to educate his child, not to teach the child to be responsible. I was quite taken aback! After all, one of the basic tenets of Montessori education is to “foster competent, responsible, adaptive citizens who are lifelong learners and problem solvers”. (American Montessori Society)

For me, it was a difficult moment. As a Montessori teacher, I am dedicated to my commitment of the education of the whole child. This tenet goes beyond the idea that the curriculum in my Montessori manuals is the only thing to be taught in the classroom. Indeed, so significant is the well-being of each child, that my preparation of our Montessori environment takes into consideration the development of social skills, emotional growth, physical coordination, as well as cognitive preparation of each child on a daily basis.

I somehow had to relay to this parent that although it was true enough that his child was here to acquire knowledge in the general curriculum areas, the responsibility to learn and do the work lies with the child. If we take this away from his child, and place the responsibility on the parent, what life skill is the child learning? Would this lead to the happy, [emotionally] healthy, and productive adult we want this child to be? What the father was proposing was a short-term goal, a bandage, if you will, to a long-term process. The father wanted immediate results and was not focused on the lifelong learning goal of developing inner discipline.

As I shifted the focus to the adult values we wanted to see his child develop, this parent became more amenable to our discussion. He shared with me that he, too, wanted to see his child become a responsible, confident, capable, and independent adult. He began to understand that we needed to work together, and that the classroom was indeed a place to learn these life skills.

As the tension cleared, we were able to reach a compromise. My student will now come to me after school two days a week. During this time, I will have an increased opportunity to check in with him about his progress in a safe and supportive way, away from his peers. He will then use this extra time to complete lessons and work that were not completed during the day. At home, the parents will continue to monitor his planner on a daily basis. Together, we will use this planner as a means of open communication about their son’s progress.

I left the conference with a sense of peace. Without compromising values or the integrity of the Montessori philosophy, we were able to reach an agreement where the needs of the child were the focus and purpose.

A quality Montessori classroom has a busy, productive atmosphere where joy and respect abound. Within such an enriched environment, freedom, responsibility, and social and intellectual development spontaneously flourish! (NAMC)

Further insight and guidance with respect to the Montessori philosophy, methodology, and cooperative planning with parents are provided in the NAMC Classroom Guides.

Montessori Teachers: Reflections on Purpose

Every useless help given to the child becomes an obstacle to his development this is not merely philosophy but a fact to which we attach fundamental importance.

- Maria Montessori, Creative Development in the Child, Volume One

I grew up in a family of two children. As the oldest, I kept a watchful eye on my younger sister. When she was learning to speak, I was the one who understood what she was saying. When she started biting everyone, I took it upon myself to bite her back to give her a taste of her own medicine, so to speak. Of course, that one landed me in a lot of trouble. (Truth be told, she never bit me again.)

As she grew older, I became more protective. After all, I had already gone through those aches and pains of growing up. Shouldn’t she benefit from my experience and wisdom? I remember time and time again, my mother telling me that my sister had to experience things herself if she was really going to learn. If I kept fighting her battles and telling her what to do, she would never grow to be a competent adult.

I mention this because I recently read a paper titled, A Change Within: Removing Obstacles to Development, by Lynne Lawrence, written in 2005 for the 25th International Montessori Congress in Sydney, Australia. Lawrence reminds us that to truly help the child, we must remove all obstacles to the development of the child. Oftentimes, that obstacle is the teacher.

As Montessori educators, we realize the importance of following the child and working on behalf of the child. We realize that children are precious and that they are “a hope and a promise for mankind.”(Montessori, Maria. Education and Peace. 1949). As we studied and trained to become Montessori teachers, we relished the words of Dr. Montessori and promised to become faithful observers in the classroom.

We come to the classroom eager to nurture and help children discover the pathways of learning. However, this eagerness often impedes our purpose of creating self-reliant, responsible citizens.

In The Absorbent Mind, Dr. Montessori states that “It is necessary for him (the adult) to learn restraint towards the child. We preach moderation and patience as a basic preparation for the teacher and moderation and patience to all mothers and fathers and to all those who come into contact with children.” Upon one of my first visits to a Montessori classroom, I observed a group of 3-to-6-year-old children who were coming in from recess where they had been playing in the snow. As one young boy came in, it was obvious that he was in desperate need of a tissue. Rather than hurriedly wiping his nose for him, the directress quietly, calmly and respectfully suggested he might wish to find a tissue. I watched this young child slowly find a tissue and proceed [messily] to wipe his nose. I later commented to the directress that it would have faster and certainly more hygienic if she had helped him. Her comment was eye-opening. She told me that her purpose was to teach the children to be self-reliant. She said that often, an adult offers help to a child when they don’t need it. This impedes the development of the child, making him reliant on adults. He begins to see himself as unworthy and incapable. So, in fact, we may be doing more harm when we are offering help.

I have tried over the years to develop my awareness of this. I no longer rush in to rescue a student who appears to be struggling with work. I may quietly ask if she is in need of assistance, and when told no, thank you, continue on my way. Lynne Lawrence states that we must find practical ways in which to be effective in the classroom. She suggests a three-fold approach when looking for direction:

• Pay closer attention to what naturally motivates and guides the child.
• Extend our understanding of the principles and practice the ‘tools’ we have at our disposal (the prepared environment and the materials that we use within it).
• Develop the art of sustained observation of the children, learning to note what is meaningful and significant.

She further states that in order for our best intentions to be fulfilled, we must reflect inward and

• Pay closer attention to what motivates and guides our thoughts and actions.
• Debate our understanding of the principles and practice (the prepared environment and the materials that we use within it).
• Develop the art of observing our own actions and interactions with the children and adults within our daily lives.

To develop this sense of self-awareness, ask yourself what your intent is before acting. For example, watching a child intently working in the Practical Life area pouring water, you notice a puddle on the table. You take the cloth to mop up the spill. The child, no longer interested in the work, puts it on the tray and back on the shelf. As a fellow adult, I understand that you were trying to help. To the child, it may have been seen as a criticism and decided not to pursue that work any longer. Dr. Montessori said, “Yet, in the environment, the child may find certain obstacles, usually placed there by adults who do not understand the needs of the child. The child, on account of these obstacles cannot develop those things that he needs to develop. Then an adult comes along, who instead of trying to remove the obstacles faced by the child, tries to correct the faults which have arisen in him. This is the eternal story.” (Montessori, Maria. Creative Development in the Child, Volume One. 1939)

So, then, how do we help children? It is difficult to sit aside and watch children struggle. Dr. Montessori says it best:

“The teacher’s skill in not interfering comes with practice, like everything else, but it never comes very easily. It means rising to spiritual heights. True spirituality realizes that even to help can be a source of pride.” (Montessori, Maria. The Absorbent Mind. 1949)

“Not to interfere (when a child begins to concentrate) means not to interfere in any way……If the teacher merely says ‘Good,’ it is enough to make the trouble break out all over again.” (Montessori, Maria. The Child in the Family).

Montessori also gave clear directions not to do for the child what the child is capable of doing herself. She stressed repeatedly the need to observe first and act second. She also recommended observing how children offer each other help, as they are often the best teachers and role-models for the adults.

There are some who will argue that this freedom found in the Montessori classroom means that the children are free to do what they want. But it is the embracing of responsibility that brings freedom. According to Montessori, freedom is defined as the ability to be the master of one’s self. When the child can grow by his own inner laws and direct himself toward meaningful and constructive activities within an ordered environment, then he experiences freedom.

NAMC’s Classroom Guides include Montessori theory, administration, and classroom management, stressing the value in personal preparation of the Montessori teacher and the Montessori environment to encourage and nurture independence and confidence in the child.

Montessori in the Home: Through the Eyes (Ears, and Nose) of the Child

Growing up, I remember my grandmother cautioning “Little pitchers have big ears”. I always wondered why “pictures” needed ears! When I was older, I understood she meant that the children were listening, but I wondered again why she called us pitchers. After all, none of us played baseball. It wasn’t until I was an adult when I learned that the adage refers to the large handles or “ears” that are sometimes attached to small vessels, such as a pitcher. Ah ha! At last I understood the connection.

Maria Montessori would have cautioned that children not only hear everything, but they also see, imprint, and even mirror our behaviors. The child is watching the adults around him from birth. Everything we do, everything we say is locked away in her/his memory. In her book, The Child in the Family, (1956) Montessori makes her point very clearly:

The child is sensitive and impressionable to such a degree that the adult ought to monitor everything he says and does, for everything is literally engraved in the child’s mind. (p 40)

As a Montessori teacher, I’ve been in the uncomfortable position on a few occasions where I have had to call parents to inform them that their child had shared information of a personal and inappropriate nature at school. The response is usually “I don’t know where she heard that!” It is very difficult to be the bearer of this news. It is a delicate situation and not one I relish.

Parents in your Montessori school need to understand how important behavioral modeling is for their children. Discrepancies between home and school environments can be challenging for students and for your Montessori program. From the beginning of your Montessori Parent Education Program, which usually begins as soon as a prospective parent enters the doors of your Montessori school, you should clearly communicate that the role of parents is to put their beliefs in what their children should do and say into action. This means becoming an active role model for their own children.

A few years ago, I was teaching at a Montessori school which was experiencing a problem with parents talking on their cell phones at pick up time. They drove through the parking lot deep in conversation. As teachers, we were worried that their full attention was not on their driving. All our efforts at reminding parents about parking lot safety seemed to go unnoticed. But more than that, we were watching children who were eager to share their day with their parents, only to be waved into the car while the parents were engaged elsewhere. The body language of the Montessori students was pronouncedly dejected: shoulders slumped, smiles vanished, book bags and lunch boxes dragged on the ground. We asked parents to look at it from the child’s perspective. How would they feel if they had been away from their loved ones all day, only to be ignored as soon as they came home? Talk about an “Ah-ha” moment! Many parents said they had not thought of it that way. They were in such a hurry to get from one place to another that they neglected to see the situation through the eyes of their children.

Virtues play a key role in the Montessori philosophy. A Montessori teacher knows that even though she/he may have the Montessori curriculum at the ready and a thoroughly prepared Montessori environment, unless the intent is for the good of the child and the adult that child will become all the preparation in the world will be for naught. In fact, Montessori said “Not words but virtues are her [the Montessori teacher’s] main qualifications” (Discovery of the Child, p. 151). And since the education of the child occurs both in and out of the Montessori classroom, all adults in the child’s life play a vital role in the education and development of the personality of the child.

In the years when my husband I were dating and first married, we tried very hard to hide from our son the fact that my husband was a smoker. To my knowledge, he never once saw my husband with a cigarette. However, on the day we had to rush my son to the hospital emergency room, he readily and matter-of-factly told the ER nurse that his stepfather smoked. When I asked how he knew, he said, “Because his jacket always smells of smoke when he comes home”. We felt horrible! My husband vowed then to “walk his talk” and made a very conscious effort to quit. Again, Dr. Montessori’s words rang through my head “Not by words, but virtues…”. My husband and I accepted the responsibility of our actions. Even though our intention was to protect him, we had lied, by omission, to our son. We had not seen the world through the eyes (or nose) of our child.

The next time you have the opportunity for parent education, either through a class or a program or through your newsletter, ask parents to do a little self-reflection. Remind Montessori parents that although you are not expecting them to be perfect, they should make a very conscious effort to be a positive role model for their children. Ask them to think about what they value and if their behavior demonstrates that value to their children. Here are examples of a few questions to keep in mind:

• Are you living your daily life in such a way that you would want your child to follow your example?
• When watching television, movies or listening to music, are you making conscious choices to screen what is not appropriate for your child?
• Do you tell “little white lies”?
• Do you turn off the radio (TV, computer, cell phone) and truly listen when your child speaks to you?
• Do you use the language of respect, not just with your child, but with everyone you interact with?
• Do you express rage when you are driving?

When parents and teachers work together and act in the best interest of the child, the child is free to develop his own path and his own future.

African American History Month: Honoring Diversity in the Montessori Classroom

The needs of mankind are universal. Our means of meeting them create the richness and diversity of the planet. The Montessori child should come to relish the texture of that diversity.

- Maria Montessori

One of my favorite aspects of the Montessori curriculum is the integration of peace education and tolerance. I have noticed this is often a daily work in my Montessori classroom. Helping the students embrace each other's differences, however minor they may be is a vital role for the educator. Sometimes a special occasion, historical or cultural celebration, or holiday can be a useful tool to assist in building these skills.

African American History Month (also known as Black History Month) provides a unique opportunity to integrate a number of disciplines across the Montessori curriculum, such as History, Geography (physical and cultural), Language Arts, and Peace, reinforcing Dr. Montessori’s philosophy relating to Cosmic Education. (See previous NAMC blog on Cosmic Education.)

Celebrated in February in the USA and Canada, and October in Britain, African American History Month is an opportunity to recognize the accomplishments and contributions of African Americans and those of African descent. This month of reverence and acknowledgement is the perfect opportunity to honor history and cultural diversity with students.

History

First named Negro History week, this event was organized in 1926 by Harvard-trained historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson to raise awareness of African Americans’ important contributions to society. The week was selected to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass (the first African American nominee for Vice President, abolitionist and author) and Abraham Lincoln (the American president who declared the freedom of slaves in the Emancipation Proclamation of 1862-3). In 1976, in conjunction with the 200th birthday of the US, the week was expanded to become Black History Month.

Montessori Activities about Diversity

This month is a wonderful time to teach tolerance, respect and practice acceptance in the Montessori school. There are some wonderful ideas for increasing multicultural awareness at EdChange Multicultural Pavilion. My favorite is the “Who I Am” poem. Students write poems and the only requirement is that each line must begin with “I am…” When students share their poems, they are able to embrace each other’s differences and find new connections and similarities among themselves.

Montessori teachers can help students to visualize diversity by giving each student about half a cup of colored sand. Try to give each student a different color. Ask students to take turns layering their sand in a large jar. When everyone has added their sand, discuss the different layers and how they could represent different groups of people based on ethnicity, gender, beliefs, etc. Ask what might happen if you shake the jar. After shaking the jar, have each student look closely. Students will notice that the sand is no longer layered by color, but each grain of sand has still retained its individual “identity”. This activity is a great way to jumpstart discussion. Montessori students will come up with lots of their own ideas for doing this activity with other materials.

Montessori Classroom Research Activities

Festivals, parades, special church services and other events honor the achievements of African Americans during the month of February. In the Montessori classroom, students and teachers can read books about famous African Americans, abolitionists, the Civil War, the Civil Rights Movement, and so on. These books can stand alone, foster discussions or be adapted to dramatic performances. Students may want to read books in small groups and share with the class what they have read. A student may be inspired to make a civil rights timeline or research a historical figure.

Reading Material

The following books are suggested for reading to a group in the Montessori classroom and/or using as a discussion starter for older students:

• John Henry, by Julius Lester
• Under the Quilt of Night, by Deborah Hopkinson
• Through My Eyes, by Ruby Bridges
• White Socks Only, by Evelyn Coleman
• Rosa, by Nikki Giovanni
• The Sneetches, by Dr. Seuss

The following list is just a small sample of African Americans and organizations that Montessori elementary students may want to research and write about:

• Harriet Tubman

• Phillis Wheatley
• Frederick Douglass
• The Little Rock Nine
• Martin Luther King, Jr.
• NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)
• Colin Powell
• Barack Obama
• Maya Angelou
• Rosa Parks
• Malcolm X
• Bill Cosby
• Wilma Rudolph
• Billie Holiday
• Mae Jemison
• Toni Morrison

For an interactive timeline of African American History, visit Biography.com.

Additional Resources for inspiring Montessori lessons and activities:

• The National Civil Rights Museum.
• African American History Month at the Library of Congress.
• Smithsonian Education.

Black History Month in Britain (October)

Celebrating Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial February 12, 2009

As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.

- Abraham Lincoln

On February 12, 2009, Americans (and no doubt many others around the world) will celebrate the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln, who is considered by many to be one of the greatest American presidents. Young Abraham Lincoln feared that he would achieve nothing during his life to make him remembered. On the contrary, in September of 1862, President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation declared freedom for all slaves in the Confederacy. The American Civil War that ensued lasted for four years (1861-1865) with a loss of over 620,000 lives. These casualties exceed the nation's loss in all its other wars, from the Revolutionary War through the Vietnam Conflict. The Confederate States of America (the Confederacy) lost to the United States of America (the Union) in 1865, ending slavery in America. Lincoln is remembered and celebrated for this historic human rights achievement.

As a child, what fascinated me most about Lincoln was his lack of formal schooling. Attending school less than two years, he became one of the most eloquent of all American presidents.

I was born Feb. 12, 1809, in Hardin County, Kentucky. My parents were both born in Virginia, of undistinguished families—second families, perhaps I should say. My mother, who died in my tenth year, was of a family of the name of Hanks.... My father ... removed from Kentucky to ... Indiana, in my eighth year.... It was a wild region, with many bears and other wild animals still in the woods. There I grew up.... Of course when I came of age I did not know much. Still somehow, I could read, write, and cipher ... but that was all."

- Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln was dedicated to becoming a lifelong learner and stated “I view [education] as the most important subject which we as people can be engaged in."

Montessori students know that a peacemaker is one who helps to make peace or settle a dispute. Lincoln himself thought lawyers, of which he was one, should serve as the peacemakers of the people. While trying his cases, he often took advantage of opportunities for mediation and compromise, repairing clients’ reputations along the way. When seeing injustice done in his own nation, he warned “In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. The government will not assail you.... You have no oath registered in Heaven to destroy the government, while I shall have the most solemn one to preserve, protect and defend it." He was willing to use force to defend the Federal law and preserve the nation, while liberating those most defenseless. He never let the world forget that the fight for human rights was the greater cause.

As Montessorians, we are constantly on guard for “teachable” moments. I believe that this 200th birthday is one of those moments. Here are a few ideas for celebrating this year:

• Have a birthday party for Mr. Lincoln. Serve cake and tea in china cups and tell the children how Mr. Lincoln’s hands were so big, he often crushed the tiny teacups in which his wife served tea. Children can make stovepipe hats from black construction paper. (Did you know Lincoln kept notes, bills, and important papers under his hat?)

• Plant a special tree or dedicate part of your peace garden in Abraham Lincoln’s name.
• Listen to Aaron Copeland’s Lincoln Portrait. Afterwards, encourage the children to write a journal on their thoughts during the piece.
• Hold a wreath-laying event at your flag pole and have an older child recite the Gettysburg Address or the Emancipation Proclamation.
• Ask the children to design a new monument for Lincoln.
• Ask the children to write and act out a dramatization of the life of Abraham Lincoln.

One of the first things I think about when preparing to discuss history with my Montessori elementary students is a timeline. Introduced during the lower elementary years, students are already familiar with the format of a timeline – the presentation of facts in a linear progression. Upper elementary students are able to take timelines one step further. That is, they are able to construct their own timelines by researching and choosing the information that appears on a timeline.

While researching the life of Abraham Lincoln, I came across a remarkable timeline, where else, but on the Lincoln Bicentennial webpage. There are actually three timelines; one is interactive and the other two have to deal with his personal and professional life separately. The information could easily be made into a Montessori timeline with either the teacher (for lower elementary classrooms) or the students (for upper elementary and middle school classrooms) researching photographs and constructing and presenting the timeline.

Lincoln was assassinated at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. by Confederate sympathizer, John Wilkes Booth. Lincoln’s death had a long-lasting impact on the nation. His greatest legacy is still alive today, his dream of freedom, equality, and opportunity.

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

~ Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865

February 16, 2009 is President’s Day. Following is a link for craft ideas to celebrate this special occasion: President's Day Craft Projects.

See NAMC's new US History manual !

Has your Montessori elementary school ordered its own free copy?

Eco-friendly Valentines: Montessori Practical Life

As Valentine’s Day approaches each year, I find myself eagerly anticipating the handmade Valentines cards. I enjoy seeing the creative artwork of my students. You can truly see how much hard work, effort, and time went into each card, making it that much more special than simply signing your name to a pre-printed, packaged card. I feel that it is a wonderful Montessori teaching moment as children realize the more of yourself you put into something, the more reward you will get out of it.

Each year…

• Globally, about one billion Valentines are sent.
• Valentine’s Day is the second largest card-sending holiday. (Christmas is first.)
• More than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of candy are bought.
• More fresh flowers, especially red roses, are bought on Valentine’s than on any other holiday.

I started thinking about the above statement and realized, even though we are making our own Valentines, maybe we still aren’t doing enough to encourage good eco-stewardship. I started thinking “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”. Random thoughts kept popping in my head: How many Valentine's cards end up in landfills each year? Do people really eat all that heart-shaped candy? How sad that fresh flowers are so short-lived. Boy, the paper recycling bin needs to be emptied. Then it dawned on me! Instead of recycling that paper, we could reuse it to make our own paper, and make our Valentines from that!

Since I haven’t made my own paper in close to fifteen years, I started digging through some of my craft books. Sure enough, making paper isn’t difficult, just messy. That aside, it’s a fun, hands-on activity that children can really get into. Besides that, there are so many wonderful Montessori lessons that can be taught through this experience. What about the Great Lesson on the Story of Writing? Remind students that the Ancient Egyptians made papyrus by pounding flat the inner part of the papyrus stem. The Ancient Chinese made the first paper that resembles what we use today. They mixed hemp, bark, and rags. Then they mashed it into a pulp, making sure to squeeze all the excess moisture out. It was then hung in the sun in sheets, to dry. Europeans, experiencing a great demand for paper with the invention of the printing press, used old rags, recycled clothing, and eventually, wood pulp.

Modern papermaking is not much different from the techniques honed by the Ancient Chinese. The most important thing to remember is to leave enough time for the drying process, which can take three or more hours depending on the environment.

Many types of paper scraps can be used when making homemade paper. Be sure to use scrap paper which contains a minimum of writing and ink on it. These could tint the paper unevenly. Additionally, the use of newspaper will turn your paper a grayish tint.

Types of Paper Scraps to Use

• Egg cartons.
• Old cards (for heavier paper).
• Paper bags.
• Non-waxed boxes (pre-soak in warm water).
• Office paper.
• Tissue paper (for finer paper).
• Construction paper.
• Envelopes/junk mail.
• ***Avoid ‘shiny’ paper (magazines).

Additional “Ingredients”

• Lint from the dryer lint trap.
• Liquid starch (a little added to the pulp mixture prevents ink from running while you’re writing on your handmade paper).
• *Small flowers, leaves, glitter, threads (be sure to use these items sparingly as the paper will not hold together otherwise).

Hardware

• A kitchen blender (I found my blender that I use exclusively for paper at a secondhand store for $5).
• A plastic wash basin or bowl.
• A simple (and inexpensive) frame can be made by placing screen or a nylon stocking between two embroidery hoops.

Making Paper Pulp

• Tear the paper scraps into pieces about 1 inch (2cm) square. (If you are using different kinds of scraps, it’s best to keep them separate for now.)
• Fill a blender about 3/4 full with water. Take about a cupful of scraps and put them into the blender. Replace the lid and blend on medium-high for a few seconds. The water will start to look like very watery oatmeal. (*A very Montessori-idea would be to have the children ‘grind’ the paper and water in small batches with a mortar and pestle.)
• When finished blending, you can add your special items (flowers, glitter, etc). Do not add these to the blender as they will get chopped up and ruin the blender.
• Fill a wash basin about halfway with water. Add 3 blender loads of pulp. (The more pulp you add the thicker the finished paper will be.) Stir to make a homogeneous mixture. (Wait a minute. This sounds like it’s from the Upper Elementary Montessori Science Curriculum!)
• Add 2 tablespoons of liquid starch for sizing.
• Place the frame into the pulp and then level it out while it is still submerged. Gently wiggle it around until the pulp looks even. Slowly lift the frame up until it is above the level of the water, waiting for most of the water to drain off.
• To dry, leave the pulp to dry directly on the frame. Wait until the paper is completely dried; then gently peel.
• When you are finished making paper, collect the leftover pulp in a strainer and throw it out, or freeze it in a plastic bag for future use. Do not pour the pulp down the drain.

Your homemade paper can be used to make beautiful Valentine’s Day cards for friends and family that will be cherished for years to come. And your Montessori students will be able to say “I made it, all by myself!”

Valentine's Day can be a memorable celebration in your Montessori classroom. See our last year's blog: Valentine's Day in the Montessori Classroom .

Montessori and Cosmic Education

Since it has been ... necessary to give so much to the child, let us give him a vision of the whole universe. The universe is an imposing reality, and an answer to all questions.... All things are part of the universe, and are connected with each other to form one whole unity. The idea helps the mind of the child to become focused, to stop wandering in an aimless quest for knowledge. He is satisfied having found the universal centre of himself with all things.

- Maria Montessori, To Educate the Human Potential.

This, simply stated, is Montessori’s statement and reason for her idea of Cosmic Education. Cosmic in this sense means comprehensive, holistic, and purposeful. “Cosmic Education” differs from traditional education as it goes far beyond just the acquisition of knowledge and developmental growth, to encompass the development of the whole person. Montessori believed that children who are given a Cosmic Education have a clearer understanding of the natural world and, thus, themselves. She believed that those children who receive a Cosmic Education in childhood are better prepared to enter adolescence as independent, confident, responsible, emotionally intelligent individuals, balanced in physical, intellectual and social achievements. They are also prepared to make responsible decisions and act on them in a responsible way; to recognize limits and give, ask for, and receive help, as needed.

To better understand the basis for Cosmic Education, it is necessary to understand Montessori’s vision of human development. She believed that the world was a highly ordered and purposeful place; that war and poverty, ignorance and injustice were deviations from that purpose. She believed that the way back to harmony and order was through children, as it was the children who were innocent of corruption and carried with them the imprint of normalcy.

Maria Montessori believed that there were two things necessary for raising peaceful human beings: an awareness of interdependence and the sense of gratitude that comes from that awareness. By providing a holistic, therefore Cosmic education, children receiving these lessons learn to be grateful to previous generations so that they may benefit from their knowledge. Children are also exposed, not just to humans, but all the elements and forces of nature, the plants, the animals (extant and extinct), the rocks, the oceans, the forests - even the molecules and atomic particles. These subtexts of gratitude echo constantly in the Montessori elementary classroom and children gain a sense of importance, purpose, and responsibility, which they carry into adulthood while seeking a joyful vocation.

Montessori saw the second plane of development (ages 6 to 12) as a time to open up the universe to the child in the form of the epic story or “the Great Lessons of Cosmic Education”. Rather than teaching the curriculum as separate parts, abstractly and disconnected, the Great Lessons provide an all-encompassing, holistic vision of various disciplines combined. Children are able to draw connections as the narrative unfolds naturally from the whole to the part and back to the whole again. The Great Lessons tell of how each particle, substance, species, and/or event has a purpose and a contribution to make in development of all others.

Above all, Cosmic Education does not present the universe as random or objectified, but rather constantly stresses the interconnections between all content areas and, in the study of history and culture, seeks to go beyond superficial racial and cultural differences to show how all human beings are driven by the same set of fundamental human needs.

It is therefore necessary that we, as Montessorians, not lose sight of this vision. It is our duty to present our Montessori lessons in such a way to bring the child not just to concrete and abstract knowledge of content area, but to a higher plane of appreciation for the beauty of knowledge itself. By stressing the gratitude that we feel toward past generations in their search of knowledge, we also teach our children to respect the studies of the past, thus encouraging them along their path for knowledge, academically, personally, and spiritually.

For more on Cosmic Education, please see NAMC's curriculum.

Work/Play Balance – a Montessori Perspective

I recently read an alarming article from Michael Conlon of Reuters, entitled, U.S. school children need less work, more play: study. Conlon contends that there is a growing trend in U.S. public schools of reducing free time "because many school districts responded to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 by reducing time committed to recess, the creative arts, and even physical education in an effort to focus on reading and mathematics". In addition, there seems to be "fear of lawsuits if children become injured, a concern over children's safety from strangers around school grounds, and a shortage of people to supervise the children during recess" (Johnson, Dirk. 1998, April 7. Many schools putting an end to child's play. New York Times, p. A1, A16.) Some school districts are even going so far as to build new facilities that do not have playgrounds.

As Montessorians shake their heads at this sad trend, studies are now showing that there are extreme ramifications. Just as adults need to take periodic breaks away from their work in order to re-focus, so do children. Is there any wonder, then, as to the rise in behavior and attention problems in the classroom? Taking away the physical outlet and activity also contributes to the rising obesity problem facing young children.

It made me glad, once again, that we are followers of Dr. Montessori. We know the importance of being outside, communing with nature. Montessori knew that children were fascinated by nature and encourages us to take the children out to experience it as often as possible so that they might enjoy and delight in the world around them.

Montessori also believed that children are inherently good and that “bad” or misbehavior comes from a poorly prepared environment that is not meeting the needs of that child.

They are merely his reactions to an environment that has become inadequate...But we do not notice that. And since it is understood that the child must do what adults tell him, even though his environment no longer suits his needs, if he does not comply we say that he is "naughty" and correct him. Most of the time we are unaware of the cause of his "naughtiness." Yet the child, by his conduct, proves what we have just said. The closed environment is felt as a constraint, and that is why he no longer wishes to go to school. He prefers to catch frogs or play in the street. These seemingly superficial factors prove that the child needs wider boundaries than heretofore.

- Maria Montessori, From Childhood to Adolescence

Time and time again we’ve seen that children learn best through experience and when given opportunities for choice, experimentation and problem solving. Learning and problem solving through play and social interactions enhances critical thinking skills. Children learn that in order for a game to continue, certain interpersonal life skills must be developed and practiced: cooperation, taking turns, sharing, teamwork, sportsmanship, and compromise. It also enhances self-control; if I want my friends to play with me, I need to learn to control my temper. It is a safe place to practice conflict resolution, as well.

As a Montessori teacher, I have enjoyed the freedom of being able to observe when my students need a break. Whether it is that first warm day of spring or just a case of extreme restlessness, I can quietly ring the bell and suggest a break. Even a quick fifteen minute break to run around and “get the wiggles out” often provides enough time to re-energize and refocus. There are numerous studies that prove active students perform better on tasks requiring concentration and have higher achievement scores on tests.

The students are not the only ones who benefit from physical activity breaks during the day. My Montessori students love it when I play with them. I enjoy watching the young ones learn how to catch and throw a ball. I have taught many children to jump rope or play non-competitive games. And all of my students know that when that first warm day of spring comes, Miss Michelle will be the first one to the swing set, challenging them to swing as high as the birds, feeling the warm sun on our faces, giggling as we all delight at the child within us.

All three of NAMC’s Classroom Guides discuss preparing the environment, indoors and outdoors.