4 ©T o m o r r o w ’ s Child Magazine Montessori 101: Special Issue • www.montessori.org t’s the beginning of a new school year for thou- There are more than four thousand Montessori schools in the United sands of Montessori students around the world. States and Canada and thousands more around the world. Montessori For some, it will be their first experience in a schools are found throughout Western Europe, Central and South IMontessori classroom; for others, it will be a re- America, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, and much of Asia. turn to the learning environment that they have The movement is widespread in countries such as the Netherlands, known for years. the United Kingdom, Ireland, India, Sri Lanka, Korea, and Japan, and it is D r. Maria Montessori opened her first school, beginning to expand into Eastern Europe, the republics of the former Casa dei Bambini, in Rome, Italy more than a Soviet Union, and China. c e n t u ry ago. There is tremendous diversity within the community of Montessori A fter one hundred years, the Montessori ap- schools. Despite the impression that all Montessori schools are the same, proach has proven that it is still vibrant and perhaps a franchise, no two Montessori schools are alike. Across the United States and Canada, we can find Montessori schools adaptive to the challenges of the 21st century. in almost every community. They are found in church basements, con- As parents and educators, who have spent verted barns, shopping centers, former public schools, and on expansive years around Montessori children, we know campuses, with enrollments of t h a t Montessori works! Despite the proof of hundreds of children and the more than one hundred years of positive re- air of stature and stability. The sults, questions remain: We can find them in subur- ban and inner-city public- Many school systems. Montessori What is Montessori? schools are often found in Faces of How is it different than traditional education? charming homes — the out- come of the individual vision Mo n t e s s o r i Will it work for my child? of the owner/director. Many are found in affluent commu- in North Isn’t Montessori a very structured environ- nities, but just as many serve m e n t ? w o r k i n g - c l a s s Am e r i c a n e i g h b o r h o o d s Do Montessori classrooms have stru c t u r e ? and the poor. We can find N o rmalize my child? Montessori in Head Start pro- Are we crazy to enroll our child in a grams, child-care Montessori school? centers in our in- Is Montessori just for young children? ner cities, migrant- worker camps, Can our child adjust to a traditional educa- and on Native tion after years in Montessori? American reserva- tions. How can we find/create an elementary or sec- S o m e o n d a ry Montessori program for our children? M o n t e s s o r i schools pride themselves on re- For more than forty years, I’ve tried to help par- maining faithful to ents sort all this out, so they could reassure them- what they see as selves that Montessori isn’t going to leave their Dr. Maria children academically handicapped and unable Montessori’s origi- to make it in the ‘real’ world. It’s still not easy to nal vision, while others appreciate flexibility and pragmatic adaptation. put Montessori into context, when the rest of the Each school reflects its own unique blend of facilities, programs, personal- world seems so completely committed to a very ity, and interpretation of Dr. Montessori’s vision. different approach to raising children. Montessori Most Montessori schools begin with three-year-olds and extend through the elementary grades. Every year, more schools open middle- 101 was written to help parents begin to discover school and infant-toddler programs, and Montessori high schools are be- and reconfirm what Montessori children know ginning to appear more frequently. — Montessori works! Montessori schools offer a wide range of programs. Many are focused on meeting the needs of the working family. Others describe themselves — Tim Seldin, Pr e s i d e n t as college-preparatory programs. Public Montessori programs pride them- The Montessori Fo u n d a t i o n selves on serving all children, while many independent schools work hard c o-author of The Montessori Wa y, to find the perfect match of student, school, and family values. The The World in the Palm of Her Hand, Montessori Foundation and The International Montessori Council (IMC) and Celebrations of Life; author of How to celebrate the diversity to be found among Montessori schools. Just as Raise an Amazing Child. each child is unique, so are the schools.

©T o m o r r o w ’ s Child Magazine Montessori 101: Special Issue • www.montessori.org 5 ■ Montessori students learn through hands- on experience, investigation, and re- What Makes search. They become actively engaged in their studies, rather than passively waiting to be taught. Mo n t e s s o r i ■ Montessori challenges and sets high ex- pectations for all students, not only those considered ‘gifted.’ Di f f e r e n t ? ■ Students develop self-discipline and an in- ternal sense of purpose and motivation. Montessori schools are not completely After graduation from Montessori, these values serve them well in high school, col- different from other schools. Over the lege, and in their lives as adults. last century, Dr. Maria Montessori’s ■ Montessori schools normally reflect a ideas have had a profound and grow- highly diverse student body, and their cur- ing influence on education around riculum promotes mutual respect and a the world. However, while individual global perspective. elements of her program are finding ■ Montessori assumes that children are ■ Students develop a love for the natural their way into more classrooms every born intelligent; they simply learn in dif- world. Natural science and outdoor educa- year, there is a cumulative impact ferent ways and progress at their own tion is an important element of our chil- pace. The Montessori approach to educa- dren’s experience. that we see when schools fully imple- tion is consciously designed to recognize ment the entire Montessori model, and address different learning styles, help- ■ The Montessori curriculum is carefully which creates something quite dis- ing students learn to study most effective- structured and integrated to demonstrate ly. Students progress as they master new the connections among the different sub- t i n c t . skills, moving ahead as quickly as they are ject areas. Every class teaches critical ready. thinking, composition, and research. ■ Montessori schools begin with a deep History lessons link architecture, the arts, ■ Montessori students rarely rely on texts respect for children as unique individu- science, and technology. and workbooks. Why? Because many of als. They work from a deep concern for the skills and concepts that children learn ■ Students learn to care about others their social and emotional develop- through community service. m e n t . are abstract, and texts simply don’t bring them to life. Also, in the case of reading, ■ Montessori teachers facilitate many reading series fail to collect first-rate ■ Montessori schools are warm and sup- learning, coach students along, and come and compelling stories and essays; in- portive communities of students, teach- to know them as friends and mentors. ers, and parents. Children don’t get lost stead, Montessori relies upon hands-on in the crowd! concrete learning materials and the li- ■ Students learn not to be afraid of making brary, where children are introduced to mistakes; they come to see their mistakes ■ Montessori consciously teaches chil- the best in literature and reference mate- as natural steps in the learning process. dren to be kind and peaceful. rials. ■ Montessori students learn to collaborate ■ Montessori classrooms are bright and ■ Learning is not focused on rote drill and and work together in learning and on ma- exciting environments for learning. memorization. The goal is to develop stu- jor projects. They strive for their personal dents who really understand their school- ■ Montessori classes bring children to- best, rather than compete against one an- w o r k . gether in multi-age groups, rather than other for the highest grade in their class. classes comprised of just one grade lev- el. Normally, they span three age levels. Children stay with their teachers for “When the children had completed an three years. This allows teachers to de- velop close, long-term relationships absorbing bit of work, they appeared rested and with their pupils, allows them to know each child’s learning style very well, and deeply pleased. It almost seemed as if a road had encourages a strong sense of commu- opened up within their souls that led to all their latent nity among the children. Every year, more non-Montessori schools adopt powers, revealing the better part of themselves. They this effective strategy. exhibited a great affability to everyone, put themselves ■ Montessori classrooms are not run by out to help others and seemed full of good will.” the teachers alone. Students are taught to manage their own community and develop leadership skills and indepen- d e n c e . - Maria Montessori

6 ©T o m o r r o w ’ s Child Magazine Montessori 101: Special Issue • www.montessori.org To aid life, leaving it free, however, to unfold Maria Montessori i t s e l f, that is the basic task of the educator. is as controversial Ours was a house for children, rather than a real school. We had prepared a a figure in place for children, where a diffused cul- ture could be assimilated, without any education today “need for direct instru c t i o n . . . Yet these children learned to read and write be- fore they were five, and no one had giv- as she was more than en them any lessons. At that time, it seemed miraculous that children of four a century ago. and a half should be able to write and that they should have learned without the feeling of having been taught. We puzzled over it for a long time. Only a fter repeated experiments did we con- clude with certainty that all children are endowed with this capacity to ‘absorb’ culture. If this be true – we then arg u e d – if culture can be acquired without ef- fort, let us provide the children with other elements of culture. And then we saw them ‘absorb’ far more than read- ing and writing: botany, zoology, mathe- aria Montessori is as controversial a figure in matics, geography, and all with the same education today as she was a half century ago. EX C E R P T E D F R O M The Montessori Way ease, spontaneously and without getting Alternately heralded as the twentieth century’s B Y TI M SE L D I N & PA U L EP S T E I N, PH. D . t i r e d . leading advocate for early childhood educa- A V A I L A B L E A T W W W.M O N T E S S O R I.O R G tion, or dismissed as outdated and irrelevant, And so we discovered that education is her research and the studies that she inspired helped change the course of education. not something which the teacher does, Those who studied (her ideas and methods) and went on to make their own con- but that it is a natural process which de- tributions include Anna Freud, Jean Piaget, Alfred Adler, and Erik Erikson. Many ele- velops spontaneously in the human be- ments of modern education have been adapted from Montessori’s theories. She is ing. It is not acquired by listening to credited with the development of the open classroom, individualized education, ma- words, but in virtue of experiences in nipulative learning materials, teaching toys, and programmed instruction. In the last which the child acts on his environment. forty-five years, educators in Europe and North America have begun to recognize the consistency between the Montessori approach with what we have learned from re- The teacher’s task is not to talk, but to search into child development. prepare and arrange a series of motives Maria Montessori was an individual ahead of her time. She was born in 1870, in for cultural activity in a special environ- Ancona, Italy, to an educated but not affluent middle-class family. She grew up in a ment made for the child. country considered most conservative in its attitude toward women, yet, even against the considerable opposition of her father and teachers, Montessori pursued a scientif- My experiments, conducted in many dif- ic education and was the first woman to become a physician in Italy. ferent countries, have now been going As a practicing physician associated with the University of Rome, she was a scientist, on for forty years (Ed. note: now more not a teacher. It is ironic that she became famous for her contributions in a field that than one hundred years), and as the she had rejected as the traditional refuge for women, at a time when few professions children grew up, parents kept asking were open to them other than homemaking or the convent. The Montessori Method me to extend my methods to the later evolved almost by accident, from a small experiment that Dr. Montessori carried out ages. We then found that individual ac- on the side. Her genius stems not from her teaching ability but from her recognition tivity is the one factor that stimulates of the importance of what she stumbled upon. and produces development, and that As a physician, Dr. Montessori specialized in pediatrics and psychiatry. She taught at this is not more true for the little ones the medical school of the University of Rome, and, through its free clinics, she came into frequent contact with the children of the working class and poor. These experi- of preschool age than it is for the junior, ences convinced her that intelligence is not rare and that most newborns come into middle, and upper-school children.” the world with human potential that will be barely revealed. Her work reinforced her humanistic ideals, and she made time in her busy sched- — Dr. Maria Montessori ule to support various social-reform movements. Early in her career, she began to ac- The Absorbent Mind cept speaking engagements throughout Europe on behalf of the women’s movement, peace efforts, and child labor-law reform. Montessori became well known and highly

©T o m o r r o w ’ s Child Magazine Montessori 101: Special Issue • www.montessori.org 7 regarded throughout Europe, which un- Itard’s experiment was a limited suc- This first Casa dei Bambini, or Chil- doubtedly contributed to the publicity cess, for he found the ‘wild boy’ unco- dren’s House, was located in the worst that surrounded her schools. operative and unwilling or unable to slum district of Rome, and the condi- In 1901, Montessori was appointed learn most things. This led Itard to pos- tions Montessori faced were appalling. Director of the new Orthophrenic tulate the existence of developmental Her first class consisted of sixty children School attached to the University of periods in normal human growth. from two through five years of age, Rome, formerly used as the asylum for During these ‘sensitive periods,’ a child taught by one untrained caregiver. The the ‘deficient and insane’ children of the must experience stimulation or grow up children remained at the center from city, most of whom were probably of di- forever lacking the adult skills and intel- dawn to dusk, while their parents minished mental capacity. She initiated lectual concepts that he missed at the worked. They had to be fed two meals a reform in a system that formerly had stage when they can be readily learned! day, bathed regularly, and given a pro- served merely to confine mentally hand- Although Itard’s efforts to teach the gram of medical care. The children icapped youngsters in empty rooms. ‘wild boy’ were barely successful, he fol- themselves were typical of extreme in- Recognizing her patients’ need for stim- lowed a methodical approach in design- ner-city poverty conditions. They en- ulation, purposeful activity, and self- ing the process, arguing that all educa- tered the Children’s House on the first esteem, Montessori insisted that the tion would benefit from the use of care- day crying and pushing, exhibiting gen- staff speak to the inmates with the high- ful observation and experimentation. erally aggressive and impatient behavior. est respect. She set up a program to This idea had tremendous appeal to the Montessori, not knowing whether her teach her young charges how to care for scientifically trained Montessori and lat- experiment would work under such themselves and their environment. er became the cornerstone of her conditions, began by teaching the older At the same time, she began a metic- Method. From Edouard Seguin, children how to help with the everyday ulous study of all research previously Montessori drew further confirmation of tasks that needed to be done. She also done on the education of the mentally Itard’s work, along with a far more spe- introduced the manipulative perceptual handicapped. Her studies led Montes- cific and organized system for applying it puzzles that she had used with the men- sori to the work of two almost forgotten to the everyday education of the handi- tally challenged children. French physicians of the eighteenth and capped. Today, Seguin is recognized as The results surprised her, for unlike nineteenth centuries: Jean Itard and the father of our modern techniques of the other children, who had to be prod- Edouard Seguin. Itard is most famous special education. ded to use the materials, these little for his work with the Wild Boy of From these two predecessors, ones were drawn to the work she intro- A v e y o n, a youth who had been found Montessori developed the idea of a sci- duced. Children, who had wandered wandering naked in the forest, having entific approach to education, based on aimlessly the week before, began to set- spent ten years living alone. The boy observation and experimentation. She tle down to long periods of constructive could not speak and lacked almost all of belongs to the ‘child study’ school of activity. They were fascinated with the the skills of everyday life. Here apparent- thought, and she pursued her work puzzles and perceptual training devices. ly was a ‘natural man,’ a human being with the careful training and objectivity But, to Montessori’s amazement, the who had developed without the benefit of the biologist studying the natural be- young children took the greatest delight of culture and socialization with his own havior of an animal in the forest. She in learning practical everyday living kind. Itard hoped from this study to studied her mentally challenged young- skills, reinforcing their independence. shed some light on the age-old debate sters, listening and carefully noting Each day, they begged her to show about what proportion of human intelli- everything that they did and said. them more, even applauding with de- gence and personality is hereditary and Slowly, she began to get a sense of who light when Montessori taught them the what proportion stems from learned be- they really were and what methods correct use of a handkerchief. Soon the h a v i o r . worked best. Her success was given older children were taking care of the widespread notice when, two years after school, assisting their teacher with the she began, many of Montessori’s ‘defi- preparation and serving of meals and cient’ adolescents were able to pass the the maintenance of a spotless environ- standard sixth-grade tests of the Italian ment. Their behavior as a group public schools. Acclaimed for this ‘mira- changed dramatically, from street cle,’ Montessori responded by suggest- urchins running wild to models of grace ing that her results proved only that and courtesy. It was little wonder that public schools should be able to get dra- the press found such a human-interest matically better results with ‘normal’ story appealing and promptly broadcast children. it to the world. Unfortunately, the Italian Ministry of Montessori education is sometimes Education did not welcome this idea, criticized for being too structured and and she was denied access to school- academically demanding of young chil- aged children. Frustrated in her efforts dren. Montessori would have laughed at to carry the experiment on with public- this suggestion. She often said, “I stud- school students, in 1907, Montessori ied my children, and they taught me jumped at the chance to coordinate a how to teach them.” Montessori made a day-care center for working-class chil- practice of paying close attention to dren, who were too young to attend their spontaneous behavior, arguing public school. that only in this way could a teacher know how to teach. Traditionally, Montessori child carrying soup in classrom, c. 1912

8 ©T o m o r r o w ’ s Child Magazine Montessori 101: Special Issue • www.montessori.org schools pay little attention to children as individuals, other than to demand that they adapt to our standards. Montessori argued that the educa- tor’s job is to serve the child, determin- ing what is needed to make the greatest progress. To her, a child who fails in school should not be blamed, any more than a doctor should blame a patient who does not get well fast enough. It is the job of the physician to help us find the way to cure ourselves and the edu- cator’s job to facilitate the natural A Montessori classroom in a Franciscan Convent c. 1912 process of learning. Montessori’s children exploded into stantly experimented with the class. ing the results that she had observed. Not academics. Too young to go to public For example, Montessori tells of the wanting to use school desks, she had car- school, they begged to be taught how to morning when the teacher arrived late penters build child-sized tables and read and write. They learned to do so to find that the children had crawled chairs. She was the first to do so, recog- quickly and enthusiastically, using spe- through a window and gone right to nizing the frustration that a little child ex- cial manipulative materials Dr. Montes- work. At the beginning, the learning ma- periences in an adult-sized world. sori designed for maximum appeal and terials, having cost so much to make, Eventually she learned to design en- effectiveness. The children were fasci- were locked away in a tall cabinet. Only tire schools around the size of the chil- nated by numbers. To meet this the teacher had a key and would open it dren. She had miniature pitchers and interest, the mathematically inclined and hand the materials to the children bowls prepared and found knives that fit Montessori developed a series of con- upon request. In this instance, the a child’s tiny hand. The tables were light- crete mathematical learning materials teacher had neglected to lock the cabi- weight, allowing two children to move that has never been surpassed. Soon, net the night before. Finding it open, them alone. The children learned to con- her four- and five-year-olds were per- the children had selected one material trol their movements, disliking the way forming four-digit addition and subtrac- apiece and were working quietly. As the calm was disturbed when they tion operations and, in many cases, Montessori arrived, the teacher was knocked into things. Montessori studied pushing on even further. Their interests scolding the children for taking them the traffic pattern of the rooms as well, ar- blossomed in other areas as well, com- out without permission. She recognized ranging the furnishings and the activity pelling an overworked physician to that the children’s behavior showed that area to minimize congestion and trip- spend night after night designing new they were capable of selecting their own ping. The children loved to sit on the materials to keep pace with the children work and removed the cabinet and re- floor, so she bought little rugs to define in geometry, geography, history, and placed it with low, open shelves on their work areas, and the children quickly natural science. which the activities were always available learned to walk around them. The final proof of the children’s inter- to the children. Today, this may sound Through the years, Montessori est came shortly after her first school be- like a minor change, but it contradicted schools carried this environmental engi- came famous, when a group of well in- all educational practice and theory of neering throughout the entire building tentioned women gave them a mar- that period. and outside environment, designing velous collection of lovely and expensive One discovery followed another, giv- child-sized toilets and low sinks, windows toys. The new gifts held the children’s ing Montessori an increasingly clear low to the ground, low shelves, and attention for a few days, but they soon view of the inner mind of the child. She miniature hand and garden tools of all returned to the more interesting learn- found that little children were capable of sorts. Some of these ideas were eventual- ing materials. To Montessori’s surprise, long periods of quiet concentration, ly adapted by the larger educational com- children who had experienced both, even though they rarely showed signs of munity, particularly at the nursery and preferred work over play most of the it in everyday settings. Although they kindergarten levels. Many of the puzzles time. If she were here today, Montessori were often careless and sloppy, they re- and educational devices now in use at the would probably add: sponded positively to an atmosphere of preschool and elementary levels are di- Children read and do advanced mathemat- calm and order. Montessori noticed that rect copies of Montessori’s original ideas. ics in Montessori schools not because we the logical extension of the young However, there is far more of her work push them, but because this is what they do child’s love for a consistent and often-re- that never entered the mainstream, and when given the correct setting and opportu- peated routine is an environment in educators, who are searching for new, which everything has a place. more effective answers, are finding the nity. To deny them the right to learn because Her children took tremendous de- accumulated experience of the we, as adults, think that they shouldn’t is il- light in carefully carrying their work to Montessori community to be of great in- logical and typical of the way schools have and from the shelves, taking great pains terest. been run before. not to bump into anything or spill the Maria Montessori’s first Children’s Montessori evolved her Method smallest piece. They walked carefully House received overnight attention, and through trial and error, making educat- through the rooms, instead of running thousands of visitors came away amazed ed guesses about the underlying mean- wildly, as they did on the streets. and enthusiastic. Worldwide interest ing of the children’s actions. She was Montessori discovered that the environ- surged, as she duplicated her first school quick to pick up on their cues and con- ment itself was all important in obtain- in other settings, with the same results.

©T o m o r r o w ’ s Child Magazine Montessori 101: Special Issue • www.montessori.org 9 Montessori captured the interest and imag- ination of national leaders and scientists, mothers and teachers, labor leaders and factory owners. As an internationally re- spected scientist, Montessori had a rare credibility in a field, where many others had promoted opinions, philosophies, and models that have not been readily duplicat- ed. The Montessori Method offered a sys- tematic approach that translated very well to new settings. In the first thirty-five years of the twentieth century, the Montessori Method seemed to offer something for everyone. Conservatives appreciated the calm, responsible behavior of the little chil- dren, along with their love for work. Liberals applauded the freedom and spon- taneity. Many political leaders saw it as a practical way to reform the outmoded school systems of Europe and North America, as well as an approach that they hoped would lead to a more productive and law-abiding populace. Scientists of all disciplines heralded its imperical founda- tion, along with the accelerated achieve- ment of the little children. Montessori rode a wave of enthusiastic support that should have changed the face of education far more dramatically than it has. Montessori’s prime productive period lasted from the opening of the first Children’s House in 1907 until the1930s. During this time, she continued her study of children and developed a vastly expand- ed curriculum and methodology for the el- ementary level as well. Montessori schools were set up throughout Europe and North America, and Dr. Montessori gave up her medical practice to devote all of her energies to ad- vocating the rights and intellectual poten- tial of all children. During her lifetime, Dr. Montessori was acknowledged as one of the world’s leading educators. Modern ed- ucation moved beyond Montessori, adapt- ing only those elements of her work that fit into existing theories and methods. Ironically, the Montessori approach cannot be implemented as a series of piecemeal re- forms. It requires a complete restructuring of the school and the teacher’s role. Only recently, as our understanding of child de- velopment has grown, have we rediscov- ered how clear and sensible was her in- sight. Today, there is a growing consensus among psychologists and developmental educators that many of her ideas were decades ahead of their time. As the move- ment gains support and continues to spread into the American public school sec- tor, one can readily say that Montessori, be- gun more than one hundred years ago, is a remarkably modern approach.

1 0 ©T o m o r r o w ’ s Child Magazine Montessori 101: Special Issue • www.montessori.org What Montessori Is Not

Mo n t e s s o r i In my twenty-five years in Montessori education – as a parent, school employ- ee, volunteer, trainee, teacher, school My t h s founder, and school director – time after time, I’ve come to fresh and deeper un- derstandings of Montessori philosophy by and the process of human development and education. Maren Schmidt & My first encounter with Montessori Dana Schmidt was less than positive. As a college stu- dent, I frequently visited my family after my four younger siblings’ school day Each year, during the start of school, teachers and had ended. Our family tradition was to have a snack together after school. administrators try to explain to new parents the Friends and neighbors were always wel- c o m e d . essence of the term M o n t e s s o r i . In this article, we’ll The neighbor girls, ages four, five and try to explain what Montessori is and is not, dis- six, frequently joined the group. They would barge into my parents’ home and pelling, we hope, a few misperceptions about head straight for the refrigerator. No knock on the door, no h e l l o. They in- Montessori education in the process. haled huge amounts of food with nei- ther manners nor thanks. Their lack of decorum appalled me. What Montessori I s Montessori philosophy is a school’s The neighbor girls’ grandmother biggest challenge. There are many fac- chatted with me about how wonderful In its simplest form, Montessori is the tors to consider when putting theory the girls’ Montessori school was and philosophy of child and human devel- into practice, for example: the individ- how much the girls learned there. I at- opment as presented by Dr. Maria ual children in the classroom, their tributed the girls’ little savage conduct Montessori, an Italian physician who ages and emotional well-being; parent to their Montessori school. If a school lived from 1870 to 1952. support and understanding of would put up with that kind of behavior, In the early 1900s, Dr. Montessori Montessori philosophy; and the train- I figured it couldn’t be any good. built her work with mentally challenged ing and experience of teachers, assis- A few years passed, and I had chil- children on the research and studies of tants, and administrators. These are dren of my own. Our friends and co- Jean Itard (1774-1838), best known for only a few of the elements that create workers recommended the local his work with the “Wild Boy of Aveyron” a Montessori school. Montessori school to my husband and and Edward Seguin (1821-1882), who Because of this, Montessori me. Because of my experiences with the expanded Itard’s work with deaf chil- schools come in all shapes and sizes neighbor’s children, I responded nega- dren. In 1907, Dr. Montessori began us- including the small in-home class for a tively to my friends’ suggestions. I began ing her teaching materials with normal few children to schools with hun- to notice, though, that our friends’ chil- children in a Rome tenement and dis- dreds of students, from newborns dren were well mannered, articulate, covered what she called “the Secret of through high school. and a joy to be around. Hum? So what Childhood.” While schools come in many was up with Montessori? The Secret? Children love to be in- shapes and sizes, all successful My mother helped clear up my mis- volved in self-directed purposeful activi- Montessori classrooms require three perceptions. The neighbor’s girls, even ties. When given a prepared environ- key elements: though they lived in an expensive ment of meaningful projects, along with 1. Well-trained adults; home, were suffering the effects of a the time to do those tasks at his or her 2. Specially prepared environ- newly divorced and stressed mother at- own pace, a child will choose to engage ments; and tending law school. The girls were in activities that will create learning in 3. Children’s free choice of activity starved for food, attention, and adult personal and powerful ways. within a three-hour work cycle. guidance. Their behavior was a reflec- Over the past one hundred years tion, not of their Montessori schooling, Montessori classrooms all over the Finding the right school for your but of the turmoil in their home. world have proven that, when correctly family – whether it’s Montessori, pub- This experience showed me that implemented, Dr. Montessori’s philoso- lic, parochial, alternative, traditional or what we may think are the effects, nega- phy works for children of all socio-eco- home school – requires a bit of inves- tive or positive, of a Montessori school, nomic circumstances and all levels of tigative work and an understanding of may be something quite different. ability. In a properly prepared the needs and concerns you have for Let me use my twenty-five years of Montessori classroom, research shows your family. Being clear about what Montessori experience to help dispel a that children learn faster and more easi- Montessori education is and what it is few misconceptions about Montessori ly than in traditional schools. not can help you make an informed schools, some of which I’ve held myself. However, the implementation of decision. ❦ ❦ ❦

©T o m o r r o w ’ s Child Magazine Montessori 101: Special Issue • www.montessori.org 1 1 ❋Myth #1 ❋Myth #3 Mo n t e s s o r i is just for Mo n t e s s o r i rich kids. is for learning- Many Montessori schools in the di s a b l e d United States are private schools, begun in the early to mid-1960s, a ch i l d r e n . time when most public education didn’t offer kindergarten and only 5 percent of children went to preschool, compared with the 67 percent reported in the 2000 census. When many Montessori schools were established, private preschools might have been an option only for those in urban well-to-do areas, thus giving the impression that only wealthy families could afford Montessori schools.The first schools that Montessori established were in the slums of Rome, for children left at home while parents were out working, and certainly not for rich kids. Today, in the United States, there are over 300 public Montessori schools and 100 charter schools that offer taxpayer-financed schooling, along with thousands of private, not-for-profit Montessori programs that use charitable donations to offer low-cost tuition. Montessori education, through these low-cost op- tions, is available to families interested in quality educa- tion. Many private, high-dol- lar schools offer scholarships, and some states offer child- care credits and assistance to low-income families.

Montessori is for all children. Since Montessori preschools begin working ❋with three-year-olds in a prepared learn- Myth #2 ing environment, Montessori students learn to read, write, and understand the world around them in ways that they can easily express. To the casual observer, Mo n t e s s o r i Montessori students may appear ad- is just for vanced for their age, leading to the as- sumption that the schools cater to gifted gi f t e d children. In reality, a Montessori school offers ki d s . children of differing abilities ways to ex- press their unique personalities, through activities using hands-on materials, lan- guage, numbers, art, music, movement and more. Montessori schooling helps each child develop individuality in a way that accentuates his or her innate intelli- gence. Montessori schools can help make all kids ‘gifted’ kids.

1 2 ©T o m o r r o w ’ s Child Magazine Montessori 101: Special Issue • www.montessori.org It is true that Dr. Montessori began her ❋ work with children who were institutional- Myth #5 ized, due to physical or mental impair- ments. When using her methods and mate- rials with normal children, Montessori dis- In Montessori covered that children learned more quickly using her teaching methods. cl a s s r o o m s , There are some Montessori schools and programs that cater specifically to children children run who have learning challenges. In many around and do Montessori schools, however, children with special needs are included, when those re- whatever they quirements can be met with existing school resources. wa n t .

❋ When looking at a Montessori classroom you may see 25 or more children involved in Myth #4 individual or small group activities. It is possible that each child will be doing some- thing different. At first glance, a classroom can look like a hive of bumblebees. If you take the time to follow the activities of two children, over the course of a three-hour work period, you should observe a series of self-directed activities. The Mo n t e s s o r i children aren’t running wild. They are each involved in self-selected w o r k, designed to is affiliat- build concentration and support independent learning. Choosing what you do is not the same as doing whatever you want. A well-known ed with anecdote, about Montessori students doing what they like, comes from E.M. th e Standing’s book, Maria Montessori – Her Life and Work: “A rather captious and skeptical visitor to a Montessori class once buttonholed one of the children – a Ca t h o l i c little girl of seven – and asked: ‘Is it true that in this school you are allowed to do anything you like?’ ‘I Ch u r c h . don’t know about that,’ replied the little maiden cautiously, ‘but I do know that we like what we do!’”

Like many preschools, some Montessori pro- grams may be sponsored Myth #6 by a church or synagogue, but most Montessori ❋ schools are established as Montessorians are independent entities. Conversely, a school might be housed in a church building and a selective clique. not have any religious affiliation. Since Montessori refers to a philosophy, and not an organization, schools are free to have One definition of a clique is: an exclusive circle relationships with other organizations, in- of people with a common purpose. Many cluding churches. Montessori teachers could be accused of this Some of the first Montessori programs because of their intense desire to be of service were sponsored by Catholic or other reli- in the life of a child, coupled with the teacher’s gious organizations. Dr. Montessori was knowledge of child development. And while Catholic and worked on developing reli- many schools have tight-knit communities, they gious, educational, hands-on learning ex- are not exclusive. You should look for a school periences for young children. The where you and your family feel welcomed. Montessori movement, however, has no For many years, Montessori training pro- religious affiliations. grams were only available in a few larger cities. Montessori schools all over the world Becoming certified required prospective teach- reflect the specific values and beliefs of the ers to be determined and dedicated, as relocat- staff members and families that form each ing for a year of study was often required. Now school community. Around the world, Montessori teacher’s training is mainstream and there are Montessori schools that are part more accessible, with colleges and universities of Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and other re- offering graduate programs in Montessori edu- ligious communities. cation, in conjunction with Montessori training

©T o m o r r o w ’ s Child Magazine Montessori 101: Special Issue • www.montessori.org 1 3 centers. Loyola College in Maryland, New York University, and Xavier University are only a Myth #8 few of the many institutions of higher learning that include ❋ Montessori teacher’s training. A Montessori Dr. Montessori’s books, full classroom is too of Italian scientific and psycho- logical terminology, translated un s t r u c t u r e d into the British English of the early 1990s, can be difficult for for my child. the modern reader to follow. To parents the use of Montessori-specific terms and The Montessori classroom is very struc- quotes may at times take on esoteric tones of an elusive inner circle. The enthusi- tured, but that structure is quite differ- asm and dedication evident in the work of many Montessorians might be misinter- ent from a traditional preschool. preted as excluding to uninitiated newcomers. Montessori observed that children natu- My experience with Montessori teachers and administrators has been that they rally tend to use self-selected, purpose- are eager to share their knowledge with others. Just ask. ful activities to develop themselves. The Montessori classroom, with its prepared activities and trained adults, is struc- tured to promote this natural process of human development. Students new to the Montessori classroom, who may or may not have been in a traditionally structured school, learn to select their own work and com- plete it with order, concentration, and attention to detail. Montessorians refer to children, who work in this indepen- dent, self-disciplined way as ‘normal- ized,’ or using the natural and normal tendencies of human development. Many traditional preschools work on a schedule where the entire classroom is involved in an activity for fifteen min- utes, then moves on to the next activity. This structure is based on the belief that young children have a short attention span of less than twenty minutes per ac- t i v i t y .

Myth #7 ❋ Montessori classrooms are too structured.

Parents sometimes see the Montessori dren how to use the materials by giving as Jedi light sabers. Obviously, sword concept of work as play as overly struc- individual lessons. The child is shown a fights with the Red Rods are a danger tured. The activities in the classroom are specific way to use the materials but is to other children, as well as damaging referred to as w o r k, and the children are allowed to explore them by using them to the rods, which cost over $200.00 a directed to choose their work. However, in a variety of ways, with the only limita- set. the children’s work is very satisfying to tions being that materials may not be In cases where materials are being them, and they make no distinction be- abused or used to harm others. abused or used in a way that may hurt tween work and play. Children almost For example, the Red Rods, which others, the child is stopped and gently always find Montessori activities both are a set of ten painted wooden rods up and kindly redirected to other work. interesting and fun. to a meter long and about an inch thick, Unfortunately, some parents see Each Montessori classroom is lined are designed to help the child learn to this limitation on the use of the materi- with low shelves filled with materials. perceive length in ten centimeter incre- al as ‘too structured,’ since it may not The teacher, or guide, shows the chil- ments. The Red Rods aren’t to be used allow for fantasy play.

1 4 ©T o m o r r o w ’ s Child Magazine Montessori 101: Special Issue • www.montessori.org Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do.

Play consists of whatever a body is n o t obliged to do.

~ Mark Twain

A typical morning might look something like this:

Traditional Preschool Schedule Montessori Preschool Schedule 8:30 to 8:45 Morning circle and singing 8 : 3 0 Arrive, hang up coat, and greet teacher 8:45 to 9:00 Work with Play Dough™ 9:00 to 9:15 Letter of the day work 8:35 to 9:00 Choose puzzle. Work and rework three 9:15 to 9:30 Crayon work times. 9:30 to 9:45 S n a c k 9:00 to 9:15 Return puzzle to shelf. Choose sandpaper 9:45 to 10:15 Outside time n u m b e r s . 10:15 to 10:30 Story time 9:15 to 10:00 Trace sandpaper numbers. 10:30 to 10:45 Work with puzzles 10:45 to 11:00 Practice counting to 20 10:00 to 10:15 Return numbers to shelf. Prepare 11:00 to 11:15 Craft project: cut out a individual snack. Eat snack with friend. paper flower 10:15 to 10:30 Choose and work with scissor cutting 11:15 to 11:30 Circle time to dismissal l e s s o n . 10:30 to 11:15 Choose and work with knobbed cylinders. The above schedule reflects structure created by and de- 11:15 to 11:30 Clean up time and group time with singing. pendent upon the teacher.

In the Montessori classroom each child creates his or child selecting his or her activity, doing it, and returning the her own cycle of work based on individual interests. This activity to the shelf. After the successful completion of a task, cycle of self-directed activity lengthens the child’s attention there is a period of self-satisfaction and reflection, then the span. The teacher, instead of directing a group of children child chooses the next activity. in one activity, quietly moves from child to child, giving in- Montessorians call this rhythm of activity a work cycle. dividual lessons with materials. The teacher or assistant Stephen Covey, in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, may lead a few small-group activities, such as reading a refers to the habit of a work cycle as creating an upward book out loud, cooking, or gardening with two to six chil- spiral of growth and change. Covey describes a spiraling dren. process of learn – commit – do that empowers us to move The Montessori classroom is a vibrant and dynamic toward continuous improvement, both as children and learning environment, where structure is created by each adults.

©T o m o r r o w ’ s Child Magazine Montessori 101: Special Issue • www.montessori.org 1 5 regard everything they do as ‘just’ play. With our adult eyes, we can observe the Myth #9 child’s ‘joyful work’ and expressions of deep satisfaction as the child experi- ences “work as play.” ❋ Consider this. You start a new job. Mo n t e s s o r i You arrive the first day, full of enthusi- asm, and ready to contribute to the suc- schools don’t cess of your work group. You’re met at allow for play. the door by your new boss and told, “Go outside and play. We’ll let you know when it’s time for lunch and time to go h o m e . ” O u c h ! Montessorians refer to the child’s activi- But that’s exactly what we do to our ties in the classroom as w o r k . The chil- children when we dismiss their desires dren also refer to what they do in the to contribute to their own well-being classroom as t h e i r work. When your and to the common good of home or three-year-old comes home from school school. Montessori schools create envi- talking about the work he did today, he ronments, where children enjoy work- can sound way too serious for a kid you ing on activities with grace and dignity. just picked up at preschool. Montessori children often describe feel- What adults often forget is that chil- ings of satisfaction and exhilaration dren have a deep desire to contribute upon completing tasks that we might meaningfully, which we deny when we have considered as only ‘play.’

❋Myth #10

Mo n t e s s o r i doesn’t allow for cr e a t i v i t y .

Creativity means “to bring something into existence.” First we have an idea. Then we use our imagination, thoughts, and skills to bring these ideas into being. The Montessori classroom nourishes the creative skills of writing, drawing, painting, using scissors, modeling clay, gluing, etc. to enable children to express their thoughts and ideas in genuine and unique ways. When I was in kindergarten, we were all given a coloring sheet of a caboose. I colored my caboose green. My teacher told me that cabooses were red. As I looked around, all the other children’s cabooses were red. My classmates laughed at my green caboose. I felt the tears in my chest. Twenty-four years later, I saw another green caboose, attached to the end of a Burlington-Northern train. “Yes!” I wanted to shout back to my kindergarten class. “There a r e green cabooses.” What does a green caboose have to do with creativity? I wasn’t trying to be creative with my green caboose. I was trying to express my- self, because I had s e e n a green caboose. Montessori classrooms allow for safe self-expression through art, music, move- ment, and manipulation of materials and can be one of the most creative and satisfy- ing environments for a child to learn to experiment and express his or her inner- self.

1 6 ©T o m o r r o w ’ s Child Magazine Montessori 101: Special Issue • www.montessori.org ©T calmly, talking in low voices to each oth- er, carrying glass objects, reading and Myth #12 working with numbers in the thou- sands, you might think the only way this ❋ behavior can occur is by children being regimented into it. I remember observ- If Montessori is ing Dana, then fifteen-months-old, mov- so great, why ing serenely around her infant Montessori classroom. She sure didn’t aren’t former act that way at home. As I observed Dana’s infant-toddler students better class in action, I saw the power of this child-friendly environment. As the chil- known? dren moved from activity to activity, day by day their skills and confidence grew. Most of us associate our career success with Lessons in grace and courtesy helped our colleges. Not too many people come out the children with social skills, as p l e a s e , and say, “When I was three years old I went thank you, and would you please b e- to Hometown Montessori School, and that came some of these toddlers’ first made all the difference.” words. Here are a few well-known people who When Dana was three, one of her fa- remember their Montessori school connec- vorite activities was the green bean cut- tions and consider their experiences there ting lesson. After carefully washing her Myth #11 vital. hands, she would take several green ❋ Julia Child, the cook and writer, who beans out of the refrigerator, wash taught Americans to love, prepare and pro- them, cut them into bite-sized pieces nounce French dishes, attended Montessori Kids can’t be with a small knife, and arrange them on school. a child-sized tray. She carried the tray kids at Peter Drucker, the business guru, who around the classroom, asking her class- has been said to be one of the most impor- Mo n t e s s o r i . mates, “Would you like a green bean?” tant thinkers of the 20th century, was a As they looked up from their work, the Montessori student. other children would reply, Yes, please, Alice Waters, the chef of Chez Panisse Somehow, our expectations as parents, or No, thank you. fame and creator of The Edible Schoolyard having witnessed temper tantrums in Dana, now in her mid-twenties, still project, was a Montessori teacher. restaurants and stores, create a view of remembers that work with deep satis- Anne Frank’s famous diary was a natural children as naturally loud, prone to vio- faction. Children show us, when given a extension of Anne’s Montessori elementary lent behavior, disrespectful of others, prepared environment, a knowledge- school experience. clumsy, and worse. able adult, and a three-hour work cycle, Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller’s teacher, In a well-run Montessori classroom, the natural state of the child is to be a corresponded with Maria Montessori about though, one might be prone to think happy, considerate, and contented per- teaching methods. that kids aren’t being kids. son. A kid is most like a kid when he or Larry Page and Sergei Brin, founders of When you see twenty-five to thirty she is engaged in the work of the Mon- G o o g l e , Jeff Bezos founder of Amazon, and children acting purposefully, walking tessori classroom. Steve Case of America Online all credit Montessori schooling to their creative suc- cess. Montessori schools are focused on help- ing children become self-directed individu- als, who can, and do, make a difference in their families, in their communities and in their world – famous or not. And that’s n o t a myth.

Maren Schmidt is an award-winning teacher and author. Over the past 25 years, Maren has been a Montessori parent, teacher, school founder and di- rector. She holds elementary teaching credentials from the Association Montessori Internationale and a M.Ed. from Loyola College (MD). This article is ex- cerpted from an upcoming book for Montessori parents she is currently co-authoring with her d a u g h t e r , Dana Schmidt, a Montessori student from age one to fourteen. Dana is a graduate of Dartmouth College and resides in San Francisco. Read Maren’s weekly newspaper column at w w w . K i d s T a l k N e w s . c o m ©T o m o r r o w ’ s Child Magazine Montessori 101: Special Issue • www.montessori.org 2 2 1 7 M o n t e s s o r i Vo c a b u l a r y Made Clear

b y M a ren S. Schmidt & Dana C. Schmidt

very discipline has its specific A d o l e s c e n c e Mneme A p p a r a t u s Montessori Materials jargon. Lawyers, doctors, car A u t o - E d u c a t i o n N i d o C a s a mechanics, computer techni- N o r m a l i z a t i o n Casa Dei Bambini Normalizing Events cians, nurses, gardeners, and Children’s House Cosmic Education Parent Education gymnasts, each have vocabu- Pedagogical Principles lary that is unique to their Didactic Materials Practical Life D i r e c t r e s s Prepared Environment area of expertise. Elementary Community Primary Community Elementary Environment Primary Environment So it is with Montessori ed- Environment Psychological Characteristics ucation. Here is a handy ref- E r d k i n d e r Four Planes of Development Respect for the Child erence for the language that Freedom within Limits Responsibility Freedom and Responsibility Self-Construction is used in Montessori writ- Sensitive periods ings and discussions, which, Going Out Sensorial Materials Guide S t r u c t u r e we hope, will help you un- Guido Human Tendencies derstand what goes on in Three-Hour Work Cycle H o r m e T o d d l e r your child’s Montessori class- I n f a n t / T o d d l e r Upper Elementary Inner Teacher Whole Child r o o m . Lower Elementary Work Cycle

1 8 ©T o m o r r o w ’ s Child Magazine Montessori 101: Special Issue • www.montessori.org A d o l e s c e n c e Instead, the term cosmic education, or nect and form a society of his or her time connecting the child to the idea of the cosmos, and place. This vision of E r d k i n d e r e n c o m- Adolescence refers to the ages of twelve to was used. Back in the 1970s and 80s, the term passes the idea of a working farm and much eighteen years. There are two sub-stages of de- seemed a bit ‘out there’ for mainstream use. more. For the past ten years, the farm-school velopment during this period (ages twelve to fif- Now there is more of a cultural awareness that concept, or E r d k i n d e r, is being successfully teen and fifteen to eighteen), with each sub- everything is, indeed, connected to everything implemented in the United States. stage having different learning requirements else, and the term cosmic education seems to and environments, distinct from elementary better communicate the idea of giving the Four Planes of Development and each other. child a vision of the cosmos. Dr. Montessori saw human beings going A p p a r a t u s Didactic Materials through four planes, or stages, of develop- ment, with each plane having unique charac- The word a p p a r a t u s is used interchangeably See Montessori Materials. teristics and opportunities for learning. with the terms Montessori materials, or d i d a c- tic materials. D i r e c t r e s s First Plane: From birth to 6 years Second Plane: From 6 to 12 years A u t o - E d u c a t i o n See Montessori Teacher. Third Plane: From 12 to 18 years Fourth Plane: From 18 to 24 years Sorry, gentlemen, this has nothing to do with Elementary Community cars. The idea of auto-education is linked with the concept of self-construction in Montessori The elementary community is comprised of all Freedom and Responsibility philosophy, and some people view it as the the children, teachers, parents, and adults in a same idea. There is a nuance though that with school’s elementary classrooms or environ- The idea that freedom follows responsibility auto-education a person consciously takes re- ments. As community relationships are estab- is an important concept in Montessori phi- sponsibility for his or her learning. Self-con- lished, other people involved in strategic rela- losophy. We give opportunities to “respond struction has a connotation of activities, or tionships with the school, such as museum do- with ability,” and corresponding freedoms work, being unconsciously performed by chil- cents, librarians, storekeepers, and master gar- are given. For example, if you remember to dren to build foundational skills before the age deners are considered part of the community. bring your coat, then you will be given the of six years. freedom to go outside when it is cold. If you Elementary Environment act responsibly in the elementary classroom, C a s a or Casa Dei Bambini then you can be granted the freedom to go The elementary environment is designed for outside of the classroom into the larger Casa Dei Bambini is n o t the name of a popular children ages six to twelve years. There may be community. See going out. Mexican Restaurant. C a s a, or h o u s e in Italian, a lower elementary, made up of six- to nine- refers to the environment for children ages year-olds, and an upper elementary, com- Freedom within Limits three to six years. Dr. Montessori referred to the prised of nine- to twelve-year-olds. Elementary first schools as Casa Dei Bambini, or Children’s classrooms for six- to twelve-year-olds are also The concept of allowing freedom within lim- Houses. Many schools use the term C a s a , o r found. The elementary environment includes its is a crucial idea in Montessori philosophy. Children’s House, to refer to the classroom for an outdoor component but also expands to To the casual observer, or new teacher, free- children ages three to six years. Some schools encompass the children going out to explore dom may appear to allow a child to do any- may also refer to this age group as the their local community’s museums, libraries, thing he or she would like. preschool or primary group. and other facilities outside the school campus. Freedom is limited by the level of ability and responsibility a child has. We give the Children’s House E n v i r o n m e n t child the freedom to move freely about the classroom. This freedom may be taken away, See above. The term e n v i r o n m e n t in Montessori terms is if the child uses the freedom to go around used to describe a prepared environment that hitting other children, disrupting other’s Cosmic Education meets the learning needs of the age group it work, damaging materials, or otherwise not serves. choosing a purposeful activity that will lead Dr. Montessori saw the use of the imagination You will hear the words e n v i r o n m e n t a n d to a normalizing event. The child is free to as the key to learning for children ages six to c l a s s r o o m used interchangeably. A Montessori act within the limits of purposeful activity. twelve . Montessori urged us to give the child a classroom, or environment, does not look any- “vision of the universe,” because within this thing like a traditional classroom, though. A Going Out view, there would be something that would fire primary environment for three- to six-years- each individual child’s imagination, and, there- olds is different than an elementary environ- The idea of going out is very different than fore, set the child on a path of true learning. As ment, which differs from an adolescent envi- the typical field trip that traditional elemen- children pursue areas of interest, all subjects of ronment. tary students take. Students in a Montessori learning are touched upon, due to the intercon- elementary classroom will go out in small nectedness of everything in the cosmos. E r d k i n d e r groups of two to perhaps six students into Dr. Montessori may have preferred to use the community to gather information or ex- the term universal education, but that phrase Dr. Montessori envisioned an E r d k i n d e r periences in areas of interest. For example, was already in use in the United States at the (German for child of the earth) environment some schools are able to let students walk a time, relating to educator John Dewey’s idea of for the young adolescent, ages twelve to fifteen few blocks to the city library. Other schools free public education for everyone. years, to fulfill a developmental need to con- allow students to take public transportation

©T o m o r r o w ’ s Child Magazine Montessori 101: Special Issue • www.montessori.org 1 9 to go to museums, or college campuses to use our imaginations. We work at exactness. by remaining in the primary environment of visit with experts in their field of study. We learn using repetition. We yearn for per- the Casa. Others have a system of parent volunteers fection. that drive and chaperone going-out stu- Montessori pedagogical principles use M n e m e dents. and are based on the knowledge of the hu- A going-out program is possible due to man tendencies. Mneme was the Greek Muse for memory. Dr. the child developing freedom and responsi- Montessori used this psychological term to bility over a period of many years. Students I n f a n t / T o d d l e r express the idea of memory being created must earn the right to go out. and retained in the child by sensorial experi- Infant/toddler refers to the age span from ences. The idea of neuro-muscular memory Guide birth to around age three. The infant/toddler follows this concept. communities are divided into two areas – See Montessori Teacher the Nido, for ages two to fourteen months Montessori Materials and the Young Children’s Communities for G u i d o children ages fourteen to thirty-six months. Montessori materials were designed or incor- Not every Montessori school offers an in- porated into the work with the children by See Montessori Teacher fant/toddler program. Many infant/toddler Dr. Montessori, her son Mario and original programs are self-contained and feed into Montessori adherents. H o r m e schools that have students ages three to six Dr. Montessori used materials made by y e a r s . Itard and Seguin, notably the Moveable N o t ham in a can. Dr. Montessori used this Alphabet and the Command Cards from Itard psychological term from Sir Percy Nunn. Inner Teacher and the Teens Board and Tens Board from Horme means life force. (From the Greek, Seguin. Other materials are designed to re- h o r m e, meaning impetus or impulse.) If the The child’s self-construction is aided by veal certain concepts to the child through life force is allowed to develop smoothly, what Montessorians call the inner teacher, hands-on, uninterrupted exploration, after an without obstacles impairing its force, nor- or the child’s unconscious urge to connect introductory lesson from the Montessori malization occurs. When the horme is to certain activities. The outward manifesta- teacher. blocked, we see deviations in the life force, tions of the child’s inner teacher are the For example, the Pink Tower contains and the process of normalization does not child’s interest and attention. We encourage multiple concepts, including height, volume occur. If the hormic force is strong and devi- interest through the prepared environment and sequence, squares of numbers and cubes ated, we may see a child with powerful emo- and an enlightened awareness of our role in of numbers, among other abstractions. tional and physical outbursts. If the horme is the work of the child. There are dozens of pieces of Montessori- weak in a child, we may observe boredom, For example, we observe a child’s inter- designed materials that help the child in edu- laziness, and the need to be constantly en- est in music by observing his or her choice cating the senses of hearing, seeing, smelling, tertained. of playing the bells in the Montessori class- touching, and tasting. Other Montessori ma- room. The child’s inner teacher is urging the terials aid the child in acquiring skills in math, Human Tendencies child to learn to play songs. reading, writing, geography, social studies, A trained Montessori teacher in a pre- science, music, and more. Dr. Montessori saw that there were certain pared environment helps guide the child to characteristics that make us human. activities, thus aiding the child’s self-con- Montessori Teacher Depending on our individual natures, sensi- s t r u c t i o n . tive periods of learning, or different psycho- A Montessori teacher has Montessori training logical characteristics, the following activities Lower Elementary in the age level at which he or she is teach- define us as human: ing. There is training for Assistants to Infancy A c t i v i t y The elementary age group in many schools for working with children from birth to age B e c o m i n g is divided into two classes: the lower and three; Primary training for working with chil- B e l o n g i n g upper elementary. The lower elementary is dren ages three to six; and Elementary train- E x p l o r a t i o n for those children who show psychological ing for working with ages six to twelve. O r i e n t a t i o n characteristics of being in the second of the Adolescent training for working with twelve- O r d e r four planes of development. to eighteen-year-olds is now being devel- C o m m u n i c a t i o n Ages given for each plane of develop- oped. Most adolescent teachers have ele- I m a g i n a t i o n ment are approximate and are used as mentary training, with additional adolescent E x a c t n e s s guidelines to aid observation of the child’s training. R e p e t i t i o n choices for work, in order to know when the A Montessori teacher is trained to observe P e r f e c t i o n child is ready to enter a new learning envi- children in a specific age group and ronment. Montessori teachers are trained to introduce them to developmentally challeng- Human beings need to be involved in mean- offer key lessons to direct and encourage ing activities, based on those observations. A ingful activities. They need to feel a sense of growth in the child’s observable areas of in- Montessori elementary teacher, for example, becoming. Humans need to belong. They terest. is trained to work with six- to twelve-year-olds need to explore the world around them and A child who is past his or her sixth birth- and may only have fundamental, versus spe- create an orientation for that exploration. day may, or may not, exhibit the psychologi- cific, knowledge of the work with the People have a need to create order and cal characteristics of the child in the second younger and older children. Primary teach- make sense out of the chaos around them. plane of development. Until these character- ers, likewise, have general knowledge of the We need to communicate with others. We istics are observed, the child is best served work of the elementary-aged child but may

2 0 ©T o m o r r o w ’ s Child Magazine Montessori 101: Special Issue • www.montessori.org not be trained to observe and give lessons to the elementary-aged child. Many Montessorians prefer to use the term g u i d e o r d i r e c t o r / d i r e c t r e s s instead of t e a c h e r to describe their work with the child. Dr. Montessori used the term g u i d o in her writings. The Montessori teacher’s job is to help direct or guide the child to purposeful activity. The Montessori g u i d e is focused on directing the successful learn- ing and developmental progress of the child, instead of being focused on teaching. This fundamental view of how to interact with the child is one of the major principles of Montessori philosophy. The adult’s job is to prepare an environment in order to guide and direct the child to purposeful activity. When I first became a Montessori certi- fied teacher, I proudly introduced myself as a Montessori g u i d e at dinner parities, and people asked me to lead float trips down the The understanding of normalization doesn’t his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Buffalo River. Even though the word g u i d e require a leap of faith; it occurs in those mo- P e o p l e, calls a success cycle. To Montes- communicates more effectively to me about ments when you feel most alive and more sorians, this process is normalization. W h e n what role the adult plays in a Montessori y o u than any other time. When we do what was your last normalizing event? How did it classroom, I realize that most folks might we love, and love doing it because we have make you feel? think g u i d e means river rat. the skill and self-discipline to do the activity The job of a Montessori guide is to help well, those are the blissful moments of being Parent Education children learn. As a college professor of human. The activity we love might be any- mine said, “I’m a Ph.D. in chemistry. My job thing – chopping wood, singing, dancing, Parent education in Montessori terms is a se- is to present information. Your job is to writing, conversing with others, cooking. ries of ongoing lectures, discussions, and learn it.” Unfortunately, I’ve seen too many In a Montessori school, we are trying to demonstrations, designed for parents to teachers over the years that see their job as help the child attain a natural or normal de- help bridge the child’s world of school and presenting information, with no concern if a velopmental process, which is referred to as home. Montessorians want to work with the student actually learns that information. The n o r m a l i z a t i o n. This process of human de- whole child – body, heart, mind and spirit – word g u i d e to me connotes that you are velopment, or normalization, is evident in and know that what happens at school af- committed to helping someone reach a des- an observable cycle of activities, call normal- fects home life, and what happens at home tination. izing events. affects school life. I would rather be g u i d e d than t a u g h t. Parent education strives to create impor- With a guide, I’ll end up where I want to be. Normalizing Events tant home/school and parent/teacher rela- Most Montessori schools use the word tionships in order to create an optimum en- t e a c h e r , in a desire to communicate effec- In her book, The Secret of Childhood, vironment for the whole child. tively with parents, whose experience has Montessori told us of her discovery that in primarily been with t e a c h e r s . their natural state, children love to work, Pedagogical Principles Montessori teachers are guides, and that which means to be involved in meaningful is very good for your child. and purposeful activity. When we are able to Pedagogy refers to more than just teaching. give the child (or an adult, if only our bosses Montessori pedagogical principles apply to N i d o understood!) a prepared environment and teaching, as well as learning. Montessori uninterrupted time to work, the child expe- teachers teach in order to promote learning, Nido is n e s t in Italian, and the Nido is a riences a normalizing event. to fire the child’s imagination and to feed Montessori environment designed for the Children love to be busy, so we prepare the child’s heart and spirit. infant between the ages of two to fourteen their environment with activities that foster Each piece of material, with its corre- months. When the child begins to walk, he a love of work, concentration, self-discipline, sponding lessons, has been developed to in- or she enters a new environment of the and a sense of joyful accomplishment. clude the following teaching and learning Young Children’s Community. There are three steps to a normalizing p r i n c i p l e s : e v e n t : N o r m a l i z a t i o n Use knowledge of human 1. Choose an activity. tendencies The natural, or normal state, for a human 2. Complete the activity and return the Awareness of psychological being is characterized by four attributes: materials to original order. characteristics 3. Sense of satisfaction. 1. A love of work or activity Prepared environment 2. Concentration on an activity Normalizing activities in a prepared environ- Limitation of material 3. Self-discipline ment, with an uninterrupted three-hour Teacher as link between child and the 4. Sociability or joyful work. work cycle, creates what Stephen Covey, in environment

©T o m o r r o w ’ s Child Magazine Montessori 101: Special Issue • www.montessori.org 2 1 the foundation for later Primary classes in a traditional setting work, with reading and math may refer to grades one to six, or grades materials for the four- and one to three, in many parts of the coun- five-year-old. try. Montessorians see the years from three to six being the time of a person’s Prepared Environment greatest learning and view this period as the primary, or foundation, years of We live in a world of pre- schooling. To Montessorians, there is pared environments. Stores, nothing ‘pre-school’ about this time of theatres, and restaurants are children’s learning. It is the real thing. examples of places that have been prepared to meet the Primary Environment specific needs of the user. A restaurant is prepared The primary environment is the prepared to serve our need for food, environment or classroom for children our need to socialize, etc. ages three to six years. The environment Wait staff, chefs, wine stew- usually contains an outdoor component ards, are ready to serve us. as part of the classroom experience. Tables and chairs are for our comfort and aesthetic ap- Psychological Characteristics peal. Pictures, flowers, plants, and candles provide For the child from the age of six to twelve d e c o r a t i o n . years, we refer to the identifying features A good restaurant antici- of that time as psychological characteris- pates our needs. Wait staff of- tics. The child now prefers to do activities fers us drinks and appetizers with friends, instead of working alone. To to get us comfortable. Menu learn, the elementary-age child needs rep- selections are clearly given to etition of concepts through a variety of us. The restaurant is de- work. For the child in the second plane of signed to serve our dining development, learning must use the needs, be it fast food or a imagination, involve a sense of humor, in- five-star experience. volve going outside of the familiar school The prepared environ- and home, use logic and reason, and ex- ments in a Montessori school ercise the developing sense of right and Freedom of choice and development are created to meet the developmental wrong. of responsibility needs of children, based on observable be- Montessori teachers look for these haviors, in many ways, like a restaurant is psychological characteristics in a six-year- Auto-education or self-construction prepared to serve its customers. old child to see if the child is ready to Whole to the parts; concrete to There are four basic Montessori environ- move into an elementary environment. abstract m e n t s : The working of the hand and the mind Respect for the Child The infant/toddler environment from Isolation of difficulty birth to age three. Montessorians focus on the child’s needs Observation of the child at work The primary environment for ages and the child’s work of creating a unique Repetition through variety three to six years. person. We recognize that the child has a formidable task. We work to be a help to Indirect preparation The elementary environment for ages the life of the child, respecting both the Techniques that lead to mental and six to twelve years. person that is not yet there and the one in physical independence. The adolescent environments for ages front of us. twelve to fifteen and fifteen to eigh- Practical Life teen years. Responsibility Each Montessori environment is prepared The prepared environment of the primary by Montessori-trained people who under- The concept of freedom and responsibili- classroom contains activities that help the stand the developmental needs of that age ty is a key concept in working with chil- child learn dozens of practical self-care skills, group. dren using Montessori’s philosophy. such as hand washing, dusting, sweeping, Freedom follows responsibility. clothes washing, and more. Children, Primary Community around the age of three years, are extremely S e l f - C o n s t r u c t i o n interested in these activities. Working with Children age three to six years and adults the practical life exercises, children learn to (including parents) in the primary environ- The Montessori idea is that the child con- work independently in the classroom and ment comprise the primary community. If a structs the adult he or she will become by develop the concentration necessary to be school has multiple primary classrooms, the the self-selected activities that the child successful with later work that is more acad- term may refer to all the people involved in engages in with concentration, self-disci- emic in nature. Practical life activities form that age group. pline, and joyfulness.

2 2 ©T o m o r r o w ’ s Child Magazine Montessori 101: Special Issue • www.montessori.org This concept of self-construction is per- in his or her developing powers of vision, usually takes six to eight weeks for most chil- haps more readily seen with a child’s learning hearing, touch, taste, and smell. dren to begin to build the inner structure to walk and talk. In normal circumstances, we The sensorial materials engage the hand that will give them confidence in the don’t have to teach a child how to walk or and the mind to create powerful learning Montessori classroom. During this period, talk. The child self-constructs as long as the experiences for your child. These experi- parents may, again, feel that a Montessori environment is conducive to that building of ences become indirect preparation for later classroom is not structured enough. the person. For example, if a child is confined academic and artistic skills, and create Another parent of a newcomer may and not allowed movement, walking will not ‘touchstones’ in the mind for skills such as think there is too much structure in the develop. If a child doesn’t hear spoken lan- perfect pitch, color memory, figure memo- classroom, when children are asked to use guage, speech will not appear. ry, and other nonverbal accomplishments. the materials in specific ways. As long as the In a Montessori classroom, we strive to Visual discrimination of length, width, materials are not being abused or used in a create a place where children have the free- height, and color are addressed through the dangerous manner, the children are free to dom to enhance their abilities through self- work with the Pink Tower, Brown Stair, Red explore the materials after they have had an selected activities. It occurs in much the same Rods, Color Tablets, Cylinder Blocks and introductory lesson. way that they learned to walk and talk but at a Knobless Cylinders. To the parent of a child, who is accus- different level, involving reading and writing, The Geometric Cabinet, Geometric tomed to playing with everything at home, mathematics, music, science, geography, and Solids, Constructive Triangles, Binomial and without having to consider the effects on practical living activities. Trinomial Cubes help the child learn differ- other people and surroundings, the ent shapes. Montessori classroom may appear too struc- Sensitive Periods Touch is fine tuned with Rough and t u r e d . Smooth Boards, Fabric Boxes, Mystery Bag, An ‘invisible’ structure provided by the Before the age of six, human beings are in a Thermic Bottles, Thermic Tablets, Baric process of normalization allows your child unique period of learning and development. Tablets, and Pressure Cylinders. to create an internal organization. This self- At this time in our lives, certain information is Hearing is refined in the work with the construction will aid the development of absorbed by our personalities without con- Sound Cylinders and the Bell Material, self-discipline that will last a lifetime. scious effort. Young children learn to walk, along with teacher-initiated sound games. talk and do hundreds of things without for- Tasting activities and the smelling bottles Three-Hour Work Cycle mal instruction or being aware of learning. help your child distinguish a variety of tastes Montessori described these stages as s e n s i- and aromas. When given a regular three-hour period, tive periods of development, using a term Each material is designed to help your children (and adults) learn to tap into a suc- from biologists. child’s mind focus on a quality, such as col- cess cycle. After accomplishing a series of Sensitive periods are characterized by the or, and distinguish objects by their attribut- short and familiar tasks in a 90-minute time following five observable behaviors. es, which may include color, size, shape, frame, a child will often choose a task that is Children seem to be drawn to certain weight, sound, smell, taste, temperature, or challenging and represents ‘true learning.’ work and we see the following: other qualities. At this 90-minute mark, there is a period of restlessness that lasts about 10 minutes, un- A well-defined activity with a begin- S t r u c t u r e til the choice for the challenging activity is ning, middle, and end. made. The new activity may last for sixty to The activity is irresistible for the child, Some parents complain that Montessori ninety minutes. once he or she starts it. classrooms are too structured. Others say At the end of a work cycle, it is not un- there is not enough structure. usual to see a child in quiet satisfaction, smil- The same activity is returned to again Traditional preschools are structured ing both outwardly and inwardly. and again. around the group changing activities every A passionate interest develops. fifteen or twenty minutes. Snack and recess T o d d l e r A restful and tranquil state comes at occur at predictable times each day. For the finish of the activity. many parents, children being told what to Toddler refers to the children who have be- do and being constantly scheduled and en- gun to walk and are in the Young Children’s Once the sensitive period is over, children tertained by teachers is construed as struc- Communities for children ages fourteen to are not drawn to certain activities as before. ture. These parents, therefore, may see a thirty-six months. Three-year olds love to wash their hands, be- Montessori classroom as not having enough cause they are in a sensitive period for that structure. Upper Elementary activity; whereas, ten-year-olds are not. The structure of a Montessori classroom There are five sensitive periods of devel- is built on allowing the children free-choice The upper elementary is for children about opment from birth to age six: Language, activities in a prepared environment, within ages nine to twelve years of age. See e l e- Order, Refinement of the Senses, Move- an uninterrupted three-hour work cycle. mentary environment. ment. and Social Relations. Individual work is not interrupted by snack In the older child, these unique learning time, song time, or circle time. The child Whole Child periods are called psychological characteris- creates an inner structure by having ‘nor- tics. malizing events’ based on personal inter- In the process of aiding development, ests. Montessorians focus on the growth of the Sensorial Materials The child entering a Montessori class- whole child, not just academics. The para- room from a traditionally structured pre- dox of focusing on the development of the Montessori sensorial materials are self-cor- school may feel anxious, if not told by the whole child, through the process of normal- recting, hands-on materials that aid your child teacher what to do every fifteen minutes. It ization, is that academic interest and skills

©T o m o r r o w ’ s Child Magazine Montessori 101: Special Issue • www.montessori.org 2 3 bloom, as the child develops a habit of l e a r n - c o m m i t - d o , or a success cycle. As Montessorians and adults, our chal- lenge is to lead the whole person – body, mind, heart, and spirit. Our challenge is that we must model the self-discipline, the vision, the passion and the conscience that is at the heart of true learning and self-dis- covery for our children. As Montessorians and adults, we walk with our children on a path of trust, help- ing them to understand how to live their lives, how to develop their talents, how to share their love, and how to do what’s right. Corrections on our path should strive to be of loving intention to serve the needs of the whole child.

Work Cycle

The development of a work cycle is an im- portant component in the idea of normal- ization for the child. In our Montessori schools, every day we should try to protect a three-hour work period from interrup- tion. A basic work cycle involves choosing an activity, doing that activity, returning the activity to order, and then experiencing a sense of satisfaction. That defines one unit or cycle of work. This sense of satisfaction, which may last a few seconds to a few minutes, helps motivate the child (and adult) to choose the next activity, thus creating another cy- cle of work. As the child matures, his or her work cycle will grow until the child is able to maintain a three-hour level of activity. True learning occurs during the last 90 minutes of the three-hour work cycle, when a child, after experiencing satisfaction with previ- efore children enter a Montessori ous work, will choose a new and challeng- Practical Life classroom on the first day of school ing activity to master. each year, Montessori teachers This all begins with the child choosing, ❋ ❋ doing, returning to order, feeling satisfac- Sensorial have spent many hours preparing tion, then choosing again. Each activity the environment. Materials that contributes to an upward spiral of success- were carefully stored in boxes dur- ful learning within the child. Grace &Co u r t e s y Five-year-olds in a Montessori class- ing vacation time are brought out room usually begin to establish a second and unwrapped. Wooden shelves three-hour work cycle in the afternoon. by Tim Seldin, that were stacked in the far corn e r S u m m a r y Pr e s i d e n t of the room to allow for a thorough cleaning of the carpet are pulled We hope this vocabulary guide will help The Montessori Fo u n d a t i o n you feel comfortable with the Montessori into position. Plants and classroom lingo in your child’s school. Also, if there is & pets that spent their vacation at the some idea or concept you don’t under- t e a c h e r’s home are brought in stand, please contact your child’s teacher Joyce St. Giermaine, or school administrator. They are in a sen- from the car. sitive period for helping parents. E d i t o r A similar scene is repeated in ❦ ❦ ❦ To m o rr o w’s Child Montessori schools around the

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