Living the Montessori Way

What exactly is Montessori?

Montessori is an extremely popular educational philosophy developed by Dr. Maria Montessori in the early 1900's. Through her way of education, children receive knowledge and the ability to learn encompassing the whole child in a safe and prepared environment. She believed, with her son Mario, that children were worthy of respect. That we as humans could develop a love for learning from a very young age, provided the proper parameters; including the natural outdoor environment, music, exploration, beautiful and realistic educational materials, and peace education. Through her work with many young orphans, and countless hours of  observation she recognized that not all children are the same and delineated their development into three stages: 

1) Children in the age range of 0-6 are considered, in Montessori terms, to be in the ‘Infancy, First Plane of Development.’ The Construction of Individuality and the Absorbent Mind. This period is an unconscious time of growth, and the body is developing from head to toe. This phase is all about constructing the individual self. ‘Windows of opportunity’ open specific innate learning doors as they get older, allowing certain skills to be learned more easily than at later times during their education. 

2) Children in the 6-12 age range are in the 2nd plane of  Montessori development, called the 'Reasoning mind: Acquisition of Culture and The Cosmic Plan.' These students are very social beings developing a sense of fairness, a desire to follow rules, and experience many periods of learning. These periods can be very sudden and end as quick as they began. During these times children absorb mass amounts of information which becomes stepping stones for further learning. This is not mastery, but helps the child toward building a solid foundation.

3) 12- 18 year olds are in the 3rd stage of development; the 'Development of the personal self and earth surroundings.' The children are entering into their adolescent years and are working hard on social consciousness, this is a wonderful time for children to work in their community and to continue practical life skills building the knowledge for future independence. This would include cooking, cleaning, and also discovering artistic tendencies. 

“If puberty is on the physical side a transition from an infantile to an adult state, there is also, on the psychological side, a transition from the child who has to live in a family, to the man who has to live in society . These two needs of the adolescent: for protection during the time of the difficult physical transition, and for an understanding of the society which he is about to enter to play his part as a man[…..]This means that there is an opportunity to learn both academically and through actual experience what are the elements of social life. We have called these children the ‘Erdkinder’ because they are learning about civilization through its origin[…]they are the “land-children.” ~ Maria Montessori

Montessori is now offered all around the world for ages 6 weeks of infancy all the way through high school. Families are adopting the principles as a way of life and schools are waking up to the possibilities. Schools could be private, some public school districts are implementing Montessori values, and many charter schools. Montessori has been adapted to grow with our societal needs, remember, the philosophy is malleable, carry the principles on and enjoy the way of life!

Personal Opinion- Montessori materials are a very hot topic for young children. I personally love Waldorf style materials to help build imagination from 0-5 years. The natural materials hold a value to none other. I am not a fan of plastic, light up, battery operated items. I want quality, an earth connection, beauty, and the items to be open-ended for creativity.