I think of what the world could be
A vision of the one I see
A million dreams is all it's gonna take
Oh a million dreams for the world we're gonna make
Dr. Maria Montessori was a pioneer whose ideas were ahead of her time. Her methods and philosophy pushed boundaries as she refused to accept the strong social norms of her time.
I am most interested in studying ways in which her methods and ideas push for a reshaping of the traditional educational system.
First, Dr. Montessori believed that children should be respected and allowed the opportunity to go through a self-discovery transformation. For this to happen, traditional classroom expectations and norms would have to change. The adults must step back and become guides rather than the keepers and distributors of all knowledge.
In addition to reshaping and changing societal norms, the adults are no longer the deliverers of knowledge but instead hold the position of a guide responsible for preparing a rich environment conducive to inspiring the children's curiosity. Not only must the environment be prepared, but the adults must also be prepared to deliver lessons to follow the child as they work to discover their potential.
Finally, Dr. Montessori believed that in a Montessori environment, the child will flourish and discover their cosmic task if they are allowed to enjoy freedom and agency. Only through a reshaping of societal norms and a prepared environment can this occur. This is where I am most interested in learning more about Dr. Montessori, her ideas, and her methods and how they can transform the public education system into a better place for children to learn.
Here are some quotes that I grabbed from the internet (reference below) that fit with these three ideas.
Reshaping and Changing Societal Norms
"There is a great sense of community within the Montessori classroom, where children of differing ages work together in an atmosphere of cooperation rather than competitiveness. There is respect for the environment and for the individuals within it, which comes through experience of freedom within the community."
"...we discovered that education is not something which the teacher does, but that it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being. It is not acquired by listening to words, but in virtue of experiences in which the child acts on his environment. The teacher's task is not to talk, but to prepare and arrange a series of motives for cultural activity in a special environment made for the child."
"Education should no longer be most imparting of knowledge, but must take a new path, seeking the release of human potentialities."
"The development of the mind comes through movement"
"The whole of mankind is one and only one, one race, one class and one society."
"Praise, help, or even a look, may be enough to interrupt him, or destroy the activity. It seems a strange thing to say, but this can happen even if the child merely becomes aware of being watched. After all, we too sometimes feel unable to go on working if someone comes to see what we are doing. The great principle which brings success to the teacher is this: as soon as concentration has begun, act as if the child does not exist. Naturally, one can see what he is doing with a quick glance, but without his being aware of it."
Considering the Shaping of the Environment:
"The social rights of children must be recognized so that a world suited to their needs may be constructed for them. The greatest crime that society commits is that of wasting the money which it should use for children on things that will destroy them and society itself as well."
"To assist a child we must provide him with an environment which will enable him to develop freely."
"The child has a different relation to his environment from ours... the child absorbs it. The things he sees are not just remembered; they form part of his soul. He incarnates in himself all in the world about him that his eyes see and his ears hear."
"The first aim of the prepared environment is, as far as it is possible, to render the growing child independent of the adult."
Freedom and Agency
"Let the children be free; encourage them; let them run outside when it is raining; let them remove their shoes when they find a puddle of water; and when the grass of the meadows is wet with dew, let them run on it and trample it with their bare feet; let them rest peacefully when a tree invites them to sleep beneath its shade; let them shout and laugh when the sun wakes them in the morning."
"The essence of independence is to be able to do something for one’s self. Adults work to finish a task, but the child works in order to grow, and is working to create the adult, the person that is to be. Such experience is not just play... it is work he must do in order to grow up."
"The greatest sign of success for a teacher...is to be able to say, 'The children are now working as if I did not exist.'"
"The first duty of the educator, whether he is involved with the newborn infant or the older child, is to recognize the human personality of the young being and respect it."
"We must help the child to act for himself, will for himself, think for himself; this is the art of those who aspire to serve the spirit."
"Only through freedom and environmental experience is it practically possible for human development to occur."
A-Z Quotes. (n. d.) Maria Montessori quotes. https://www.azquotes.com/author/10291-Maria_Montessori
Atlantic Records. (2018, October 24). P!nk & Willow Sage Hart (P!nk's daughter) - A million dreams/A million dreams (reprise). [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1weVGUmNTA