ENVIRONMENT

We speak of Maria Montessori preparing, for the children, an environment with materials and a method, which is what Montessori guides do for their classroom children, what parents can do at home for their young ones, especially their new born. Maria Montessori also organized classes for her teachers and for parents and adults just as special organizations like AMS and AMI and IMS certify our present day teachers, or guides as we call them, to serve our children.

I think I read recently that we have over seven thousand schools or more, worldwide, with certified teachers to use Maria Montessori’s method and materials—an enormous gift of life for our world, for our planet, Earth. We, as Montessori guides, assistants, parents, and enthusiasts are gateways to peace, thresholds to the joy and love that poets write about, because we love humanity.

But . . . there is more. Maria was a scientist, studying to understand the talents of this new being that others didn’t seem to recognize or appreciate. She brought to life the concept of the child’s intelligence to self-develop. It was her work. Her faith in the child called her to do this work for the rest of her life. She mirrored, modeled for her students what was normal for them. She knew what was normal because she lived her life for the child, for others. She not only studied and prepared the environment—she was the environment.

Parents, teachers, leaders, and young people—we are the environment that will create the new world and continue to create new beings. What we choose to do with our life, matters. Having faith and hope in our selves, matters. 

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Please read my book, Montessori—Living the Good Life. I’m blogging on my website: www.montessoritheory.com

HUMILITY

To be born with the child we have to be humble like the child. We have to be and see ourselves out of the box. A child has, knows, faith when we are their environment of God to them. They can venture out to the edge of the stair because they know we are there, watching, and will be there if they fall. That’s our work, to provide a safe environment, both physically and mentally, for the child’s creation of faith. Later, with their gift of faith, they will create their own faith environment.

Maria Montessori understood this work of the child and created materials and a method to aid children in their efforts. She had to be humble to allow them to toil independently, sacrificing her authority in telling them what to do rather than showing them the process with great humility. As parents of small children, we are their God, and we must accept this role with great awe and unpretentiousness, otherwise we risk becoming arrogant tyrants, heaven forbid, taking charge of their life.

It is no different for us as adults. We have no right to take charge of another’s life. If another should ask and benefit from our assistance, then think of the small child, and be present with them respectfully, showing faith in their potential goodness and greatness.

Please read my book, Montessori—Living the Good Life. And check out the website: www.montessoritheory.com

ORGANISMS

“No one puts new wine into old wine-skins, or else the new wine will burst the skins and be spilled, destroying the skins. New wine must be put into fresh wine-skins, and both are preserved” (Luke 5:37-38).

Maria Montessori tells us that to change a generation or nation, to influence it toward good or accentuate characteristics of a people to re-awaken religion or add culture, we must look to the child, an organic unity that is yet being born. We must be willing to be born with the child, to be an organism willing to let go of our old wine-skin, willing to taste the fresh wine of the new-one and realize and appreciate our common humanity—ready to work toward our cosmic destiny of peace. Wars happen because we don’t comprehend or appreciate our shared humanity.

Tonight I listened to a speech by Dr. Ben Carson, a neurologist, brain surgeon, and author of America The Beautiful.  He spoke of the urgency for us, as adults, to unite in “human civility” to do our work of bringing truth and justice to our nation, an essential environment for our children to manifest their potential for creating peace on earth.

How do we do our work when truth or justice is disrupted in our own lives; when our environment is not a peaceful one? Surely the child will suffer.

Part Six in my book, Montessori—Living the Good Life, speaks of the mistakes we all have made in our own lives and how to face them and put them to rest. I think the ‘twelve steps’ were created for all of us and are essential steps toward our well-being and a happy environment for our children.

Please read my book, Montessori--Living the Good Life, and my website, www.montessoritheory.com

FAITH

I watched a delightful movie last night—I Am Sam—about the bond between a retarded father and seven-year-old daughter, Annie. When authorities gave Annie to foster parents, Annie and Sam had to fight with faith to maintain their relationship. Annie never gave up and wouldn’t let Sam give up.

Faith is a natural reality for a young child who knows happiness. Annie was loved by her father since birth. She couldn’t live without him, without his being present to her. Annie’s story made me think about children who haven’t been loved, haven’t found happiness, who don’t belong; children who are disruptive at home and in school, who do not have self-knowledge or faith in themselves.

Maria Montessori was concerned about these unhappy souls and found a way to bring them to happiness just as our Montessori guides work to do in their classrooms.

How does faith come to be if not naturally, as in Annie’s case who was loved from birth? We have to work for it. Maria Montessori called this activity child’s work—the work of becoming an adult, the work of receiving the gift of faith.

Have you watched a child build the pink tower or complete the metal geometric puzzles? The child has seen it done and will work to do it herself because she has the gift of faith. Faith is not giving-up, not quitting. Maria Montessori created an environment with materials and a method to allow children a way to self-knowledge and discernment to know faith—upon this rock will a new world be formed.

Please read my book, Montessori—Living the Good Life. www.montessoritheory.com

MONTESSORI CONGRESS

I read an interesting, provocative blog today by Laureen Golden. She asks, “Might the unprecedented collaborative commitment of Montessorians throughout the nation signal the birth of the ‘Montessori Community-as-an-organism’?” Perhaps she should say, “through-out the world.” Those of you who are fortunate to attend the coming International Congress in July will have an opportunity to connect with this global Montessori community.

New knowledge and understandings of our life on earth can create movements in education, both in the home and schools, which in time cause changes in our direction for learning. Every day we learn something new about our body and brain which in turn influences our choices of behavior and causes us to reflect on our lessons to our children. We work hard as adults to learn our kids—to help them be smart or smarter than we are, when all we need is to want for their happiness.

How can we get this across to humanity’s current culture of neediness? Only an organism can effectively change a culture. The beingness of an organism can make changes in itself. Montessori education is an organism of believers in the child who is a being who makes changes in its self. The coming Congress gathers to spread this Good News.

Please read my book, Montessori—Living the Good Life. www.montessoritheory.com