Today’s Wednesday’s Woman dispels misconceptions.
One sees the words Mommy Blog
and makes assumptions. It’s a fact. Not a scientific one, nevertheless, the title Mommy Blog arouses a dramatic reaction—either for or against such internet
spaces.
Ado - The Momalog |
Ado also has a profound regard for child development,
evident in her writings about parenting and education. Today, for Wednesday’s Woman, she highlights
a cutting-edge, innovative educator who, like mommy bloggers, has a reputation
wrought with misconceptions.
Ado’s piece is an important one. The educational system in America is in
trouble. It’s antiquated in its design
and American students are falling behind the rest of the world. However, we do not need to create an entirely
new philosophy for educating the young. We
need to look no further than to Dr. Maria Montessori’s groundbreaking work beginning
in the early 20th Century—a time when children were still living under
society’s misconception that they were second-class citizens, only slightly
above the status of animals.
Montessori understood children. Ado understands children, too. I am thrilled to bring to you information
about both of these talented, strong, compassionate women today for Wednesday’s Woman.
Wednesday's Woman: Dr. Maria Montessori
"What really makes a teacher is love for the human
child."
- Maria Montessori
"Speaking of controversial women
on the cover of TIME magazine!"
|
Maria
Montessori is at the top of my list of women I admire. She founded the
Montessori method of education. My children have attended Montessori school
since they were 3, and the "work" that children do hasn't changed
much since her time. She was a forward-thinker, a genius, and a mother. But
most of all, she understood that an educated, nurtured child is our only hope
for peace in the future.
She lived
from 1870 to 1952 so she saw a huge amount of change in her lifetime. She was
born in Italy and attended medical school in Rome at a time when no women even
considered becoming doctors. (The university had initially declined her
admission because of her gender - and she took it in stride, saying, "I
know I shall become a doctor.") Being the only woman in the school wasn't
easy - she had to face all kinds of prejudices because of her gender. Despite
this, she graduated and became the first woman to become a doctor in Italy.
This was big news and probably would have made the front page of the HuffingtonPost today. She represented Italy at the International Congress for Women's
Rights, where she gave a revolutionary speech arguing that women should be
entitled to equal wages as men. When a reporter asked her how her patients felt
about having a female doctor she said, "They know intuitively when someone
really cares about them. It's only the upper classes that have a prejudice
against women leading a useful existence."
As part of
her work at the medical clinic she would visit Rome’s asylums for the insane, looking
for patients. During one visit, the caretaker of a children’s asylum told her
with disgust how the children grabbed crumbs off the floor after their meal.
Montessori understood that these children were desperate for sensory
stimulation and activities for their hands and minds, and that this deprivation
was contributing to their condition. This may sound obvious to us now but in
the late 1900s it was a revolutionary idea - and that is just what she started,
a revolution through education. She opened a small school for the poor children
of parents who had to work in the factories and who were gone all day.
Montessori work: Vintage Cylinder Blocks |
Montessori believed
if you introduced advanced math, grammar, writing, reading, science, geography,
languages and history to elementary school children, they would be able to
survive the ups and downs of learning during puberty. The most difficult years,
according to her, were what we know as the middle school years. She felt these
kids should be nurtured like a small child. These children should not be
stressed out with strenuous academics or over-scheduling.
Montessori
uses Five Great Lessons as an introduction to all topics, a "Big
Picture" that shows a child how the sciences, art, history, language, and
geography are interrelated. Through the Five Great Lessons, children become
aware that the universe evolved over billions of years, and that it is based on
the law and order through which all the plants, animals, and the rest of
creation is maintained.
The Five
Great lessons are:
1. The Story
of Creation of the Universe (she was a devout Catholic, and a scientist - and
the first day of first grade my 6 year-old came home and said, "I have big
news, Mommy. God had help creating the universe - there was this thing called
the Big Bang.")
2. The
Timeline of Life: shows a child the beginning of life on Earth from the
simplest forms through the appearance of human beings.
3. The
Coming of Humans.
4. The Story
of Language
5. The Story
of Numbers
I see these
lessons today in my own children, who love school so much that they get upset
at me if we have to miss a day. They are "turned on" - they're
engaged. My 10-year-old is doing things I didn't even start until high school,
like algebra and geometry. The first time I walked into a Montessori classroom
for toddlers, I cried. It was literally a happy beehive of productive activity.
I saw tots doing things I had no idea I could even expect them to do - like
pouring water into large bowls and carrying it over to a table and going
through all of the steps needed to wash it, and then methodically put all the
materials away - without anyone standing over them telling them to do these
things.
Maria
Montessori saw the teacher as being a guide, as opposed to an authoritarian. In
their classrooms, children can move around - they can choose to sit at a table,
or do their work on a rug on the floor, or outside in nature.
By 1908
there were 5 Children's Houses in Italy and news had spread that Montessori
children were making extraordinary progress, with 5-year-olds writing and
reading. Word of the new approach to education spread, and the Montessori
method caught on in other countries.
During the
war, Maria and her husband traveled to India where they had to remain during
the war, but she ended up spent some years there and meeting people like Ghandi
and Nehru. Being in India guided her towards her thoughts about the nature of
the relationships among all living things, a theme which became known as cosmic
education. She and her husband went on to train thousands of teachers in the
Montessori Method. She gave a speech to UNESCO, titled "Peace and
Education."
She was
nominated for the Nobel Peace prize - three times!
I admire
Maria Montessori for the breadth of her wisdom and intelligence - the apparatus
and "work" that my children use in their classrooms today were all
invented by her. She has ignited in my children a profound love of learning -
and for that I am so thankful.
Fun and informative video via Trevor Eissler, author of Montessori Madness:
Fun and informative video via Trevor Eissler, author of Montessori Madness:
Quotes by
Maria Montessori:
"Free the child's potential,
and you will transform him
into the world."
"Above all it is to be noted that the child has a
passionate love for order and work, and possesses intellectual qualities
superior by far to what might have been expected."
"If help and salvation are to come, they can only come
from the children, for the children are the makers of men."
photo credit |
photo credit: Queen of the Universe via photo pin cc
Thank you thank you for featuring me and Maria. (-: Love you, love your blog.
ReplyDeleteLove you, too. The Momalog is one of my inspirations. You keep me going and I'm grateful. <3
DeleteWow, this is great Ado! I've worked at a Montessori school for the past 9 years and incorporate much of the philosophy into my parenting and homeschooling, but Maria inspired me long before I had children.
ReplyDeleteI can see you fitting perfectly into the Montessori environment! (-:
DeleteLOVE! LOVE! One of the best posts ever. I'm also a huge Montessori advocate and see the impact it has on my children's lives as well. As a matter of fact, my post today is, in part, based on Montessori, where respect of the child is paramount. So many people don't see that - that children are human beings worthy of the same respect we give adults. Amazing post, Ado. Totally pinning this to my Montessori board.
ReplyDeleteLovely tribute, Ado, to the Montessori Method. My niece thrived in her years at a Montessori school. When they had to move out of the area she acclimated nicely to the traditional structure, her love of learning keenly intact. A few of my friends also sent their kids to Montessori and they, too, thrived. One friend, though, had to relocate her daughter from Montessori to a more structured school with minutely timed routines. I enjoyed your story of your daughter assuring you that God had help with something called The Big Bang. Cute. Terrific post. And, Sperk, hurray for you for your Wednesday Woman. An excellent theme!
ReplyDeleteBecause of you Ado, and your advocacy of the Montessori Method, I'm now looking at preschools in Malaysia that applies these principles. Yay!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I am in love with this quote about Ado - "She brings it, and even if you can’t take it, you’ll stay and come back for more." This is so true, in the most fantastic way! My husband and I have been interested in Montessori for a while now and I'm even more about it now. This is such a great piece about a truly wonderful, inspirational woman. Perfect all the way around!
ReplyDelete