Maria Montessori

I'm immensely interested in Montessori as a form of pedagogy. Forgot how I first came across this, but have read quite a bit of the philosophy and method.

P thinks the method is not suited to C, and that he'll learn very little if left to his own devices. We do agree that theory is useless, if not implemented well. Anyway, even though we've shelved the idea of putting C in a Montessori school for now, I've still been reading materials and books on the Montessori method so that I may implement some of the principles at home. (Just discovered the joys of being able to read e-books on my new iphone. Yay! For a time-strapped mother, this is one of the greatest perks of the iphone!)

Just thought to share the following passages, which impressed me with their clarity of thought. Maria Montessori had some truly enlightened thoughts, which are advanced and relevant in the present day. (The following excerpts are taken from "Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook", which was written in the 1910s.)

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On Discipline
"The first idea that the child must acquire, in order to be actively disciplined, is that of the difference between good and evil; and the task of the educator lies in seeing that the child does not confound good with immobility, and evil with activity, as often happens in the case of the old-time discipline.

And all this because our aim is to discipline for activity, for work, for good; not for immobility, not for passivity, not for obedience."
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On Independence
"No one can be free unless he is independent: therefore, the first, active manifestations of the child's individual liberty must be so guided that through this activity he may arrive at independence.

That we have not yet thoroughly assimilated the highest concept of the term independence, is due to the fact that the social form in which we live is still servile. In an age of civilisation where servants exist, the concept of that form of life which is independence cannot take root or develop freely.

Our servants are not our dependents, rather it is we who are dependent upon them.

We often believe ourselves to be independent simply because no one commands us, and because we command others; but the nobleman who needs to call a servant to his aid is really a dependent through his own inferiority.

He who is served is limited in his independence. This concept will be the foundation of the dignity of the man of the future; "I do not wish to be served, because I am not an impotent." And this idea must be gained before men can feel themselves to be really free.

Any pedagogical action, if it is to be efficacious in the training of little children, must tend to help the children to advance upon this road of independence. We must give such help as shall make it possible for children to achieve the satisfaction of their own individual aims and desires.

We habitually serve children; and this is not only an act of servility toward them, but it is dangerous, since it tends to suffocate their useful, spontaneous activity. We are inclined to believe that children are like puppets, and we wash them and feed them as if they were dolls. We do not stop to think that the child who does not do, does not know how to do.

Who does not know that to teach a child to feed himself, to wash and dress himself, is a much more tedious and difficult work, calling for infinitely greater patience, than feeding, washing and dressing the child one self? But the former is the work of an educator, the latter is the easy and inferior work of a servant.

Needless help is an actual hindrance to the development of natural forces.
The peril of servilism and dependence lies not only in that "useless consuming of life," which leads to helplessness, but in the development of individual traits which indicate all too plainly a regrettable perversion and degeneration of the normal man. The domineering habit develops side by side with helplessness.

The man who, through his own efforts, is able to perform all the actions necessary for his comfort and development in life, conquers himself, and in doing so multiplies his abilities and perfects himself as an individual."