 |
Montessori 101—An Introduction
to Montessori for Parents
The Many Faces of Montessori in America
by Tim Seldin
President of the Montessori Foundation
Information provided
by: www.montessori.org
It is difficult to determine precisely how many schools in
the United States follow the insights and strategies developed
by Dr. Maria Montessori 89 years ago. The Foundation's computers
show the names and addresses of almost 4,000 schools; yet
each time we visit a new community, we discover dozens more.
In 28 years of traveling on behalf of Montessori, I've had
the opportunity to visit, work with, and observe more than
650 Montessori schools. The diversity is astounding. Montessori
schools are often found in charming homes; the outcome of
an individual hobby of the owner/director. These hearty souls
live and breath their work, creating wonderful intimate communities
that radiate a sense of personal attention and family.
Most Montessori schools begin with three-year-olds and extend
through the elementary grades. Every year many more open middle
school programs at one extreme and programs for infants and
toddlers at the other. Montessori schools are often found
in affluent communities, but just as many serve working-class
neighborhoods and the poor. You can find Montessori in Head
Start, the inner cities, migrant workers camps, and on Indian
reservations, as Montessori schools offer a wide range of
programs. Many are focused on meeting the needs of the working
family. Others describe themselves as college-preparatory
programs. Public Montessori programs pride themselves on serving
all children, while many independent schools work hard to
find the perfect match of student, school, and family values.
The diversity within Montessori is tremendous. Despite widespread
beliefs and misunderstandings about what Montessori is or
is not, no two Montessori schools are the same. Some pride
themselves on remaining faithful to what they see as Montessori's
original vision, while others relish their flexibility and
pragmatic adaptation. Each school reflects its own unique
blend of facilities, programs, personality, and interpretation
of Dr. Montessori's vision.
The International Montessori Community
Montessori schools can be found all over the world. Montessori
schools are found throughout Western Europe, Central and South
America, Australia, New Zealand, and much of Asia. The movement
is widespread in countries like India, Sri Lanka, Korea, and
Japan, and it is beginning to mushroom in Eastern Europe,
the former Soviet Union, and China. No accurate count of the
total number of Montessori schools has ever been made, but
a reasonable guess might be a hundred thousand.
Why is there so much variation among Montessori schools?
There are more than 5,000 Montessori schools in North America,
but every one is unique. Even within the same school, each
class may look and feel quite different from the others, reflecting
the interests and personalities of the teachers; however,
certain characteristics will be found in all classes that
are honestly following the Montessori approach. Dr. Montessori
was a brilliant student of child development, and the approach
that has evolved out of her research has stood the test of
almost 90 years in Montessori schools around the world.
The Montessori approach has two great qualities: replicability
(it can be translated successfully into all sorts of new situations)
and sustainability (Montessori programs don't tend to self-destruct
after a few years, as do many other educational reforms).
However, the only truly authentic Montessorian was Dr. Maria
Montessori herself. The rest of us have been forced to interpret
and reinterpret her ideas and methods through the filter of
our personalities and experience.
Many people assume that "Montessori" schools are
essentially alike, perhaps a franchise like McDonald's or
Pizza Hut. In reality, they can differ dramatically, in size,
facilities, programs, and emotional climate. At the conceptual
level, Montessori schools share a common philosophy and approach,
but there will always be tremendous variation among schools
that use the name "Montessori."
How can a parent know if she's found a "real" Montessori
school? Although most schools try to remain faithful to their
understanding of Dr. Montessori's insights and research, they
have all, to some degree, been influenced by the evolution
of our culture and technology. Perhaps the a more relevant
question in selecting a Montessori school is to consider how
well it matches your sense of what you want for your child.
Before we established the Montessori Foundation, I served
for 22 years as the Headmaster of the Barrie School outside
of Washington, DC. In that role, every year I met with hundreds
of families who were interested in enrollment. I always began
each open house by reminding these bright, eager, and sometimes
overly anxious parents that no one educational approach can
be right for every child. The wisest goal is to seek out the
best fit, not only between the child and the school, but also
between parents' values and goals for their child's education
and what a given school can realistically deliver. I believe
that finding the right school for mom and dad is as important
as finding the right school for the child.
In the end, the selection of a Montessori school comes down
to a matter of personal style and preference. If you visit
a school and find yourself in harmony with its ambiance and
practice, it will represent at least one example of what you
define to be a good school. In determining which school is
best, parents have to trust their eyes, ears, and gut instincts.
Nothing beats personal observation. The school that one parent
raves about, may be completely wrong for another's child.
Conversely, another parent may have decided that "Montessori
doesn't work," while it clearly is working very, very
well for your family. Rely on your own experience, not hearsay
from other parents. There is probably no clear cut answer.
Often one sign of a school's commitment to professional excellence
is their membership in one of the professional Montessori
societies, such as the Association Montessori Internationale
(AMI) or the American Montessori Society (AMS). Both organizations
also offer schools the opportunity to become accredited. There
are several dozen other smaller organizations. It is important
to remember, though, that many excellent schools choose not
to affiliate with any national organization. They are independent.
What makes Montessori different?
The Montessori approach is often described as an "education
for life." When we try to define what children take away
from their years in Montessori, we need to expand our vision
to include more than just the basic academic skills.
Normally, Americans think of a school as a place where one
generation passes down basic skills and culture to the next.
From this perspective, a school only exists to cover a curriculum,
not to develop character and self-esteem. But in all too many
traditional and highly competitive schools, students memorize
facts and concepts with little understanding, only to quickly
forget them when exams are over.
Recent studies show that many bright students are passive
learners. They coast through school, earning high grades,
but rarely pushing themselves to read material that hasn't
been assigned, ask probing questions, challenge their teacher's
cherished opinions, or think for themselves. They typically
want teachers to hand them the "right answer." The
problem isn't with today's children, but with today's schools.
Children are as gifted, curious, and creative as they ever
were, when they're working on something that captures their
interest and which they have voluntarily chosen to explore.
Montessori schools work to develop culturally literate children
and nurture their fragile sparks of curiosity, creativity,
and intelligence. They have a very different set of priorities
from traditional schools, and a very low regard for mindless
memorization and superficial learning. Montessori students
may not memorize as many facts, but they do tend to become
self-confident, independent thinkers who learn because they
are interested in the world and enthusiastic about life, not
simply to get a good grade.
Montessori believed that there was more to life than simply
the pursuit of wealth and power. To her, finding one's place
in the world, work that is meaningful and fulfilling, and
developing the inner peace and depth of soul that allows us
to love are the most important goals in life.
|
|
