A Note of Gratitude on Montessori’s Birthday

Dear Dr. Montessori,

Tomorrow, August 31, 2021, marks 151 years since you were born.

The world is a very different place today than it was then. I wonder if you ever contemplated your own early days and how your world shaped you. You once said: “The greatness of the human personality begins at the hour of birth.” Would anyone have guessed that baby Maria would eventually become one of the most influential educators of all time?

Your own life stands as an example of what a person can achieve under the right circumstances. Your work created a foundation on which others have been able to support generations of children finding their own unique paths through life.

So this is a letter of gratitude.

Thank you for having the courage to do what your heart pulled you to, even if it meant being the first and traveling down an uncomfortable and challenging road. During a time when women were largely expected to stay at home, and were certainly not permitted to attend medical school, your persistence changed the system.

Thank you for having the wisdom to blend your scientific perspective with the empathy that all humans deserve. You noticed that children discarded by society had far more potential than they were given credit for, and you worked tirelessly to prove your theories and change yet another system.

Thank you for investing in communities that had high needs. Your very first school was opened in a poor neighborhood in Rome, and your work with the children and families there had amazing ripple effects that no one would have predicted.

Thank you for showing children the respect they so deeply deserve. It was completely novel at the time, and still is in many communities. But your ideas spread quickly and effectively, especially once people saw what life could be like if we just shifted our perspectives a bit.

The sole purpose of the teacher used to be to stand before their students with a definite air of authority, lecturing prescribed information that the students were meant to memorize. You changed all that. Your teachers are not enforcers and information dispensers, they are guides. They stand beside children and lay a path out before them that the child may willfully wander down and gather information for themselves. You created a system of empowerment for children, and a more meaningful (and much more effective) way of learning.

You were not a perfect human being (as none of us are). Your flaws lie in the memories of the people who knew you as well as in the pages of biographies about you. They are a good reminder that even the most positively influential people can make mistakes. We can all make mistakes, and hopefully, we will grow and change with time and experience. This is a lesson we must all share with our children.

You taught us to observe and to stay curious. We encourage children to do this with the world around them, but as adults it’s our responsibility as well. Learning should never end, and we should observe to learn about the children in our lives, but also continue to stay curious about the world ourselves. It takes a lot to unlearn previous assumptions we have gained over a lifetime, but it’s a worthwhile endeavor.

In Education and Peace, you said: “An education capable of saving humanity is no small undertaking; it involves the spiritual development of man, the enhancement of his value as an individual, and the preparation of young people to understand the times in which they live.” The timelessness of this idea is just as applicable today as it was then.

It seems fitting that your birthday happens to fall right around the beginning of a new school year. Right around the time when we all find ourselves reflecting on what we have learned in the past and also on what lies ahead. Just as with the history lessons we teach our elementary students, it’s helpful to honor those who have paved the way for the work we are doing now.

So once again, thank you. Your work continues on, touching the lives of people all around the world, generation after generation. We imagine it will continue to do so long into the future.

With deep gratitude,

The Montessori community

22 Important Montessori Terms

Montessori education can feel like a whole separate world of its own sometimes. The classrooms look different, the methods are definitely different, and even the language is a whole lot different from what you might hear elsewhere.

We decided it might be helpful to highlight some terms that may sound foreign to folks who aren’t very familiar with Montessori. Some of the terms are completely unique to us, and some are just used in unique ways in the context of Montessori. Are there any you think we’ve missed? Let us know!

albums: A series of binders filled with lessons and illustrations that are created by Montessori guides during their training. They are typically organized by subject and contain all of the specifically-prescribed steps and methods for presenting materials and lessons to children. Even the most experienced guide refers back to these, and they are invaluable.

Casa dei Bambini: In Italian, this translates to Children’s House. This was the name of Dr. Maria Montessori’s first school which opened in Rome in 1907. Casa is also the name sometimes used to describe the Montessori program of education for children aged 3-6 years.

concrete (versus abstract): This refers to a type of learning and thinking experienced by younger children. When a child explores a skill by using specially designed materials, they are likely understanding the skill concretely. As they deepen their understanding and are able to comprehend the skill without the use of materials we refer to this as abstract. For example, a six-year-old using the stamp game to add numbers into the thousands is working concretely, but an eight-year-old who completes the same calculation on paper without materials is working abstractly.

control of error: Montessori materials are usually autodidactic, meaning the child is able to teach themselves. Most materials are designed with a control of error, or some type of mechanism that allows the child to recognize on their own whether they have made a mistake. This allows for immediate correction and a sense of empowerment for the child. Your child’s guide can show you many examples of this.

 cosmic education: The Montessori elementary curriculum is based on the concept of cosmic education. Based on the developmental needs of children aged 6-12 years, as well as the Montessori aim to develop citizens that are more deeply connected with the earth, many of the lessons and units of study teach the interconnectedness of all things. This allows children to have a framework in which they may discover themselves and their place in the universe.

cultural subjects: This refers to the studies of science, history, and geography.

Erdkinder: A German word meaning children of the land, Dr. Maria Montessori coined this term as a name for the adolescent program, as she recognized their need to engage in physical work and envisioned the program taking place on a working farm.

false fatigue: While anyone observing a Montessori classroom during the morning work cycle (see work cycle for more) will notice deep engagement by the children, there is often a noticeable shift around 10:30. At this time it appears that the children have lost all focus and the room becomes a bit more noisy. Rather than redirecting the children, if the adults allow this period to occur, the children are usually able to independently re-engage after a short time.

grace and courtesy: A specific area of study during the primary (ages 3-6) years, this aims to teach children how to appropriately interact with others. While they receive formal lessons during these years, the work is continued (although utilizing a more flexible format) throughout their Montessori education.

guide: the term used for a Montessori educator, as it more accurately describes their role.

indirect (versus direct) preparation: Learning activities that lay a foundation for future skills without explicitly teaching them are considered indirect preparation. For example, three- and four-year olds in our programs use a small tool for pin punching (perforating pieces of paper into specific shapes) that allows them to develop their fine motor skills and finger grip in preparation for the physical act of writing.

isolation: Isolation of a skill means that the child is meant to focus solely on one specific goal. If a five-year-old is asked to write a story, the guide’s focus would not be on correcting for conventional spelling, but rather to encourage their expression of ideas in written form.

Nido: In Italian this means nest, and it is the traditional Montessori name given to an infant program.

normalization: Once a child has had time to adjust to a Montessori environment, they begin to joyfully select their own work, stay engaged, and interact peacefully with others. When they achieve this state we refer to the child as normalized.

parallel play: Children under the age of six tend to be more focused on their environment than on their peers (which shifts dramatically during the elementary years). When young children work or play beside one another while actually focusing on their individual pursuits, we call this parallel play.

planes of development: After years of observing children with the perspective of a scientist, Dr. Maria Montessori noticed clear patterns and characteristics. While acknowledging the definite variation between individuals, she organized her findings into four planes of development, and based her educational methods on them.

practical life: This subject is given just as much weight in Montessori schools as we give to traditional academic subjects like math and language. Practical life can include teaching children to care for their environment, others, and themselves. Lessons are wide ranging; our students nurture plants, wash dishes, practice greeting others, sweep spills, and prepare food.

prepared environment: The term we often use in lieu of “classroom”, our guides dedicate hours of careful and intentional adjustments so that the space serves as a teacher for children. In Montessori education, one way independence is achieved is by preparing an environment in which the children are able to care for and learn by themselves, with less direct dictation from adults.

sensitive period: Dr. Montessori noticed and theorized that there are certain periods during a child’s development during which they are primed to engage in specific skills. Once that time has passed, learning such skills is not impossible, but the natural drive to do so declines, making mastery much more challenging.

sensorial: An area of study during the first plane of development (newborn to age six), in which children work to refine a wide variety of senses. There are Montessori materials that have been specifically developed to aid in this process.

work: In Montessori environments, the lines between play and work are blurred. We tend to view a child’s actions through the lens of development and learning, so that even the most seemingly mundane of tasks serves an important purpose and is considered work.

work period/work cycle: This is the term given to a dedicated period of time during which Montessori students work independently and receive individual and/or small group lessons with a guide. Depending upon the school and the age of the children, it can range anywhere from two to three hours. Dr. Montessori believed such a lengthy stretch of time was critical to allowing children to become deeply engaged in their work.

New Class? Here’s What to Expect

Welcome! Whether your family has been part of our community for years or you’re just joining us for the first time, we look forward to spending the school year together. After the past year and a half, everyone is looking forward to a fresh start, with a return to some semblance of normalcy.

Some children will be Montessori students for the very first time. Others are moving up to a new level. Either way, it’s helpful to know what’s coming, and to have a little information regarding what to expect. Scan through the headings below to find which section or sections apply to your child.

If you’re brand-new to Montessori

During the application process and through your own personal research, you’ve probably learned a bit about what makes Montessori schools different from more conventional settings. The journey you find yourself beginning will be awe-inspiring, as many seasoned Montessori parents will tell you.

Montessori education has been around for more than a century, and so much of what we do is grounded in what works and what has worked for generations. Still, as a rule, educators are curious people who never stop learning. We are always seeking out new ways to make the experience more enriching for the children in our care. We observe, we ask questions, and we try out different methods that have worked well for others.

We encourage you to try the same. There is so much to learn about this amazing educational approach, that it can’t possibly be done all at once. This blog is a great place to check-in and read helpful information. Your child’s guide, as well as other Montessori parents, are excellent resources to turn to. As a school, we do our best to facilitate community-building events as well as parent education offerings that will help answer your questions - although this type of learning usually leads to even more curiosity!

Thank you for joining us. We are so glad to have you with us.

New to Children’s House?

Montessori primary environments are magical places. This is, after all, where it all began with the opening of Casa dei Bambini in Rome in 1907. Just how is this setting any different than other preschools or kindergarten classes? 

Right away you will notice the emphasis on personal independence. We encourage even our youngest primary students to walk to their classroom by themselves (once they settle into the routine), remove and hang their coat by themselves, and change their shoes by themselves. You’ll notice the work continues in subtle ways as their teacher meets them at the door, makes eye contact, greets them warmly and intentionally, and guides them to do the same.

In the classroom, your child will be free to explore and learn on their own terms. Many folks are surprised this does not translate into children running wildly around the room. The reason is that the freedom we offer is bound within carefully constructed limits. Yes, a child may choose their preferred work from the shelves, but we only put out work that we want them to be doing. Yes, they may stop to have a snack whenever their body tells them it’s time, but they are taught to clean their own crumbs and wash their own dishes.

Some new-to-Montessori families wonder what we do if a child wants to focus on the same work or area of the classroom over and over again. Short answer: we let them. Our belief, which has been confirmed countless times with experience, is that if a child is repeatedly drawn to something it’s because they have something important to learn from it. Once they have exhausted that need, they will eventually move on. We have learned to remove our own expectations of how long it should take or what trajectory an individual’s learning should follow.

One important Montessori mantra to keep in mind: follow the child. We let this guide so much of what we do, and it leads to amazing results.

New to Lower Elementary?

There is a definite shift in children around age six, which is why Dr. Montessori determined this to be the beginning of the second plane of development. You will notice your child is suddenly more imaginative, social with their peers, physically a bit clumsy, and so very eager to learn everything they can about the world (and universe) around them.

So, we keep all these things in mind in the lower elementary environment. Some highlights:

• Lessons are more often given in small groups (as opposed to individually when children are younger).

• Learning and work is based on teaching important basic math and literacy skills as well as a globally-focused foundation in science, geography, and history.

• The classroom is arranged so that children may work together with their peers.

• New expectations are established to ensure that children are engaging with academic content in all areas. Teachers meet and converse with students to share tools, strategies, and give suggestions to help them achieve goals.

• We give children BIG work, which is what they crave. Projects stretch out over days and weeks, and materials stretch across the classroom floor.

New to Upper Elementary?

Sometimes, upper and lower elementary classes are combined, as children aged 6-12 are all within the second plane of development. When schools are able, they do tend to separate this age group into two subgroups, as there are enough differences to make this worthwhile.

Sometime during the upper elementary years, your child will begin to stop using the gorgeous wooden Montessori materials. This is because after years of work, they have made their way to abstract learning. They no longer need concrete items to manipulate with their hands in order to understand concepts. This isn’t to say they never do anything hands-on, it just starts to look a bit different.

Upper elementary children have also had a few years to navigate social structures with their peers. They have had practice forming friendships and working through conflict. They have a better sense of who they are and how to interact with others. This brings a new sense of calm that was not seen when they were younger.

New to Middle and High School?

As with lower and upper elementary, all adolescents (middle and high school) are considered part of the same plane of development but are separated when a school is able or only offers middle school.

During this first half of adolescence, learning is still very much integrated. There are differentiations between subjects of course, but there are a multitude of ways in which the learning overlaps.

At this age, children begin to crave independence while also leaning heavily into peer relationships. They want their parents to be there but they also push them away. They crave new experiences but aren’t always able to make sound decisions due to their developing brain. To allow for all of these tendencies while also supporting growth, adolescents often meet together as a whole group with their teachers to discuss work, social dynamics, and a multitude of other important topics.

Social justice becomes more important to children at this age, and so our curriculum supports growth and learning that allows them to become active and engaged members of their communities.

One last very important element to note is that Dr. Montessori emphasized children at this age needing to work with their hands on something real and of value. This traditionally was working on a farm, but sometimes translates to microeconomy experiences, guiding students through running a business of their own.

Other aspects of Montessori middle and high school programs include:

• Academics are studied more in-depth, and sometimes without quite as much integration as adolescents delve into more specialized content.

• Service to the community is emphasized, and students take on powerful roles in this work.

• Sometimes students are able to explore individual interests and participate in internships or similar programs.

• Lengthy and complex culminating projects are completed over time, giving students a way to show their learning and a sense of what may lie ahead. This is an opportunity to practice practical life skills that are truly applicable to adult life.

Questions? Comments? We’d love to hear from you. Please feel free to reach out with your thoughts.

150 Years: The Planes of Development

This article is part of a series that we’ve shared throughout the 2020-2021 school year to celebrate the 150th birthday of Dr. Maria Montessori. This marks our final post of the year that reflects on the past, present, and future of Montessori education.

“I have found that in his development, the child passes through certain phases, each of which has its own particular needs. The characteristics of each are so different that the passages from one phase to another have been described by certain psychologists as ‘rebirths’.”

— Dr. Maria Montessori

Throughout her years of observing children across a wide variety of settings, Dr. Maria Montessori noticed certain undeniable patterns in their development. She fully recognized that there are many variances among individuals but stated that there were certain traits that could generally be relied upon as children grow and age. She believed that these traits and characteristics could be used not only as a marker to determine a child’s developmental phase, but also as a guide for the adults who serve the child.  

As Montessori educators, we still use her scientific findings in our work today. Dr. Montessori recognized that childhood development is divided into four main phases, or planes. Each plane builds upon what was learned in those previously, and each plane has both an active and passive phase. By fully understanding the developmental needs of a child — wherever they happen to be on this continuum — we are better able to create an environment that will be optimal to support their further development.

There is so much to say about Montessori’s planes of development; we will keep it brief and highlight the main points. Just as we utilize this information in our learning environments, we encourage parents to consider how your child’s developmental traits might inform your own decisions at home. Is there anything you’re already doing that supports their growth? Is there anything new you might try?

The First Plane of Development

Newborn-Age 6

During the first plane of development, children learn primarily through experiences they have with their environment. The personal growth during this period is unlike anything we see for the rest of our lives. This is a time of tremendous physical growth, but also the development of the personality. Some of the most important traits to be aware of:

• The need to feel safe and secure

• A desire for physical autonomy

• Exploration and refinement of the senses

• Development of gross and fine motor skills

• Desire to work independently or beside peers (as opposed to with them)

• Concrete thinking

• A tendency toward neatness and order 

From birth to about age 6, the child’s motto is essentially: “Help me to do it myself.”

The Second Plane of Development

Ages 6-12

Around age 6, there is a definitive shift in the child. There are a series of physical growth spurts, as well as an insatiable need for knowledge about the world and universe. The child’s world begins to expand beyond the narrow perimeters of themselves. This  means they are more social, but also curious about everything beyond what they already know. Keep the following characteristics in mind:

• This is a time of big imaginations!

• The child’s thinking moves from concrete to abstract

• The cultural subjects (science, geography, & history) are of great interest

• Kids often prefer BIG work at this age

• They crave social interactions but are still learning how to navigate them appropriately

• They aren’t always aware of their growing limbs and often fall/knock things over

• Neatness and order are not important, and often forgotten

• Justice and fairness become critically important

Kids at this age just want to devour all the information they possibly can. It is our job to help them learn to “think for themselves”.

The Third Plane of Development

Ages 12-18

The third plane is a magical time. Adolescents find themselves in the developmental stage in which they are learning who they are as individuals. Although we change continuously throughout our lives, who we are at our core, and what drives us is usually anchored in the discoveries we make during our teen years. The onset of puberty brings enormous physical and emotional changes, and the variability between peers during the first half of this plane is obvious. Important points to remember:

• Teens are thinking about their futures

• They need nurturing and emotional support much like first plane children

• Having information about puberty will help them as they experience it

• They rely heavily on peers, but still need adult support (even as they seem to reject it)

• Emotions will fluctuate dramatically

• Adolescents need respect

• Physical work is often more important than intellectual pursuits

Adolescence can be a challenging time for teens and the adults in their lives. There is a constant pushing away and pulling toward one another, and as adults we can work to stay consistent and support their growing independence. This is also an important time to remember that teens are developing their sense of who they are and what they will become; their ideas for their future may look different from what we may have envisioned for them, and that’s okay!

The Fourth Plane of Development

Ages 18-24

Yes - Montessori considered ages 18-24 the final stage of child development! Perhaps you are still in this plane yourself, or not that far out of it. Perhaps you have children approaching this plane. Late adolescence into early adulthood is the bridge that connects our childhood selves to the rest of our adult lives. The rapid growth and learning that goes on during this time period is critical to supporting our future selves.

People in the fourth plane of development are striving toward full independence. This may mean moral independence, financial independence, and emotional independence. At this age we tend to evaluate our own personal place in society. We think about how we will contribute to the greater good, and what our path will look like moving forward. We develop personal interests, start our careers, and sometimes even begin families of our own.

Dr. Maria Montessori stopped writing about human development at the fourth plane. One has to wonder, what would it look like if she had continued? How might human development be classified and defined as it moves through the years? How could Montessori philosophy be applied to adult life?

Want to learn more? Take a look at any one of these helpful resources.

Association Montessori International - The Child's Development

The Four Planes of Development by Camillo Grazzini

Association Montessori Internationale - Planes of Development Quotes

Montessori Myths and the Importance of “Real” Montessori

We are accustomed to hearing folks discuss a variety of Montessori myths, and it’s most often that these misunderstandings come from people who haven’t spent time in a high-fidelity Montessori environment that applies the methods as they were originally intended. The truth is, anyone can call themselves “Montessori”. There’s no trademark on the name, and so it can be pretty misleading to people who are trying to discern what is real Montessori and what isn’t. 

You can imagine our surprise, however, when we came across this article [Being a Montessori Teacher Made Me Decide Not to Raise My Kid That Way] written a number of years ago in which the author professes to be a Montessori teacher who chose not to raise her own child that way because of its supposed abundance of downfalls.

Wait, what?

We were so confused. That is, until we read our way through the article and things became a little more clear. We’d like to address some of the main points and criticisms in the article, because we feel these are some of the more common misconceptions.

What first struck us in the second paragraph was this statement: “They (the children) aren’t beholden to any sort of classroom structure”. This is simply false. Montessori classrooms thrive on structure, and we know that children need it to succeed. One of our most repeated mottos is “freedom within limits” and we believe the limits are just as important as the freedom. Children do need choice and we do advocate for building independence, but in our environments they are required to do so within the carefully constructed boundaries created by adults.

Another point made by the author is that she doesn’t understand why parents of three-year-olds would want to pay tuition for their child to just engage in practical life activities all day. Our response is twofold: three-year-olds often prefer to engage in practical life activities for much of the day because it correlates with their development, and practical life is far from all that is offered to young children. Three-year-olds in a high-fidelity Montessori program receive extensive lessons and are presented with materials in the areas of sensorial learning, mathematics, language, biology, geography, and more.

Moving along, the author later states that she feels the child-led model takes things too far. She tells of a seven-year-old who is unable to write their own name because the teachers didn’t make him. Now, we don’t know exactly what was going on here. We suspect this particular school was very unlikely to have been AMI recognized or AMS accredited. In a true Montessori program, children are guided. This means that while they have lots of autonomy, there are expectations, especially as a child enters the elementary years. They are not allowed to simply avoid doing the work they don’t enjoy as much; they are given respect and taught a wide variety or time management skills to meet specific goals. They may move at their own pace, but they are still expected to engage in their own learning.

We’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating. Choosing the right Montessori school for your child is critical. Unless the teachers are trained through very specific programs, and unless the school is either recognized by AMI or accredited by AMS, you can’t be sure that it’s an actual Montessori program.

The author goes on to share her thoughts on Montessori’s approach to feedback and positive reinforcement. She talks about having to literally sit on her hands to keep herself from interfering with the children’s work. She talks about how Montessori teachers are expected to encourage, redirect, and to reserve judgements like praise and grades. This is all very true. The author doesn’t give an explanation as to why she believes this to be a negative approach, other than it appears that it just doesn’t align with her personal beliefs and inclinations.

It’s true. Many new Montessori educators find themselves consciously avoiding interrupting the children’s work. Our society typically views teachers as the center of the classroom and expects that they are constantly engaged with the children directly. In reality, sometimes the children just need us to get out of their way. They need to discover answers without having them fed directly. They need time to explore and engage with materials in their own way to discover what they cannot when an adult is filtering the experience through his or her own expectations.

The beauty of this approach is that the adult may sit back and observe. We aren’t just doing nothing, rather, we are actively behaving as scientists. The information we gather from observing our students is then used to guide our own future work with the children. It allows us to see their understanding in ways much deeper than we would be able to by administering a test or asking the child to complete a worksheet.

Lastly, we would like to address the assertion that there are no Montessori high schools or colleges. This is false. Is there a need for more Montessori education in the higher grades? Absolutely. The good news is parent interest is increasing, and we are hopeful that the demand will lead to the opening of many new schools. There are Montessori high schools across the United States and internationally. There are also Montessori colleges. One excellent example is TIES.

We know this is just one article of many that perpetuate false ideas about Montessori education, but we hope that by addressing some of those ideas here, we can help to clear things up a bit. Our hope is that high-fidelity Montessori is what will define Montessori of the future, as it is certainly what defines Montessori of the past.

Still have questions? Please reach out and ask! We are always happy to have a conversation.

The Timeline of Life: A Quintessential (and really cool) Montessori Material

For children in Montessori elementary classrooms, the Timeline of Life is an incredibly exciting material. It’s equally as awe-inspiring for their teachers, and parents who learn about it as well. That’s why we’d like to take a little time to share a little bit about it, and why we all love it so much.

Montessori educators know that children (and even many grown-ups) learn more effectively when they can see and touch whatever they are learning about. If a learning material is visually stunning, we cannot help but get sucked in, and find ourselves driven to discover whatever we can about it.

The Timeline of Life is exactly what it sounds like: a visual timeline that displays the evolution of life on Earth. There are all manner of exotic and familiar creatures, as well as lines showing their rise and fall across the eras, moments of geological significance that served to alter evolution, and notations of periods of mass extinctions. The earliest versions of this material were created by Montessori educators while in their training; they meticulously colored each organism with the hopes of making something beautiful that would last throughout their careers and inspire hundreds of children.

Today trainees receive a gorgeously color-printed copy which they laminate and take great care of over the years. There are several companies that produce the timeline as well. As you might imagine, it is not the type of material that totally stands the test of time; as new archaeological discoveries are made our understanding of evolution changes. This means that every so often, the timeline is remade to reflect the most current scientific understanding.

At the very least, an elementary classroom will have the timeline displayed with lessons each year explaining its contents. Some classrooms have various supporting materials, including blank timelines with laminated organisms that the children can arrange, or real fossils that correspond to each period of time the students are learning about.

Curious about what the timeline covers, exactly? Here’s a quick summary:

• As mentioned above, bold lines arc their way across the timeline demonstrating lineage and the rise and fall of prominence of certain major species.

• Icicles illustrate moments of great ice ages that spread across the planet.

• Mountains perched at the base of timeline, as well as small illustrations of continent formation, show how the shifting of the earth’s crust contributed to evolution.

• Also mentioned above, the timeline documents the numerous mass extinctions that have occurred.

Across the top of the timeline we see the significant periods of time in which life has evolved on Earth.

The Paleozoic Era includes the Cambrian Period, the Ordovician Period, the Silurian Period, the Devonian Period, the Carboniferous Period, and the Permian Period. This all took place between about 544 and 245 million years ago. It included significant organisms such as the earliest vertebrates, the trilobites, and a wide variety of ocean-dwelling invertebrates. Plants slowly began to form in, and eventually out of, the water, doing the important work of filtering carbon dioxide out of the air and preparing the atmosphere for different types of life that were to come. Fish ruled the seas and amphibians came into being. Toward the end of this time, insects developed the ability of metamorphosis, which allowed for much greater chances of survival.

The Mesozoic Era was between 245 and 65 million years ago, and included the Triassic Period, The Jurassic Period, and the Cretaceous Period. Of course, this is the much-beloved time of the dinosaurs. These enormous ancient reptiles capture the fascination of most children, and to gain a deeper understanding of how and why they changed over time opens new worlds. During this time conifers developed, and by the end of the era Earth had flowering plants. The very first birds and mammals came into existence during this time, although they were quite different from modern species.

As amazing as the previous two eras were, it’s often the Cenozoic Era (65 million years ago to the present) that makes the biggest impression. Children are able to look back at the timeline and understand that this is only a small portion of Earth’s history due to other lessons and materials they have experienced previously. Across the span of this evolutionary record, it quickly becomes clear that humans occupy a very small portion. To imagine all of humanity throughout time, and then to realize that it has been but a speck in the larger picture, is an incredibly humbling and eye-opening revelation to children.  

So, you might be wondering: what is the purpose of teaching children about all of this.

There are the more obvious goals such as an understanding of history and the scientific discoveries we’ve made. Having a historical frame of reference makes our botany and zoology curriculums all the more relevant to children. But perhaps the most important learning we hope our students glean is what we mentioned above.

The absolutely marvelous manner in which living things have evolved alongside the earth is a powerful concept to understand. It is just one more way we can impart the idea that everything is interconnected, that our history is one to be celebrated and revered, and that it will be fascinating to watch as our future unfolds.

Who Was Mario Montessori?

This article is part of a series that we will share throughout the 2020-2021 school year to celebrate the 150th birthday of Dr. Maria Montessori. Check back often for more posts that reflect on the past, present, and future of Montessori education.

Obviously you’ve heard of Dr. Maria Montessori, but did you know that her work was a family affair? Her son Mario Sr., and his son, Mario Jr. (as well as numerous other relatives) have worked hard to carry on the Montessori education tradition.

In 1898, Maria Montessori gave birth to her only child, Mario Montesano Montessori. She had been involved in a romantic relationship with the boy’s father, Giuseppe Montesano, a fellow medical doctor. The couple never married, and due to familial and societal pressures of the time, young Mario was sent to live with another family. His mother visited him often, although she didn’t reveal she was his mother until later in his childhood. As an adolescent, he realized the truth and went to live with her, although the general public recognized him as an adopted son or other relative for years.

After traveling with his mother while she worked around the world, he eventually stayed in the United States and, at age 18, got married. He opened a well-known Montessori school in California, and with his wife Helen and his children, eventually moved to Spain to live with his mother. Although he and Helen eventually divorced, they had four children together: Marilena, Mario, Rolando, and Renilde.

Mario and his mother worked together closely for the rest of her life. Their relationship was fascinating, and his daughter Marilena wrote about him with great affection and respect (link below). He worked hard to support Dr. Montessori as she explored and furthered her methods, and at many times he contributed to them as well. He worked alongside her to train teachers, handle logistical matters, and nurture her ideas.

Mario is well-known for having contributed many ideas and creative elements to the elementary and cosmic education portions of the Montessori approach. He became the director of AMI (Association Montessori International), the organization he and his mother formed in an effort to preserve the integrity of Montessori education. Upon Maria’s death, she appointed her son as the heir to her work, a role which he embraced fully and worked on with dedication for the rest of his life.

While he was never formally trained as a teacher, it was recognized that Mario Sr. was a born, intuitive educator. He spent his life dedicated to supporting children and refining the education methods that are still in use by thousands around the world, even today.

Mario Sr. married a second wife, Ada Pierson, who was also a devotee of Montessori education. The couple supported his mother and her work both during her life and after her death, with Pierson continuing after Mario Sr. died in 1982.

Mario Jr. was not an educator, but he made major contributions to his father and grandmother’s work nonetheless. He originally studied agriculture, but went on to specialize in psychology. This is the field he dedicated much of his life work to, but he always remained a staunch supporter and defender of high-quality Montessori education.

Mario Jr. spoke out against the injustices of a law in the Netherlands that prevented three-year-olds from attending school, therefore preventing them from benefiting from the first year of a Montessori primary education. He also created an organization for Montessori quality control in the Netherlands after observing misuse of the methods in his son’s classroom. He felt strongly that the methods must be used as originally intended in order for children to benefit from them.

Mario Jr. and his wife had five children, some of whom are also involved in the family’s educational work.

To learn more about Mario Sr., Mario Jr., and the rest of the Montessori family, check out the following links:

Highlights Mario Montessori

Mario Montessori | Montessori Australia

The Montessori Family

150 Years: How Montessori Has Shaped History

This article is part of a series that we will share throughout the 2020-2021 school year to celebrate the 150th birthday of Dr. Maria Montessori. Check back often for more posts that reflect on the past, present, and future of Montessori education.

For more than a century, the work of Dr. Maria Montessori has affected the lives of countless children and families, but the ripples of her ideas and educational methods have reached far beyond that. Her work, and the work of the many Montessori guides who have carried out her methods, have influenced individuals who have gone on to change the course of history.

These are just a few of the many stories that show how a Montessori education can prepare a human being to make a difference.

How Montessori has shaped storytelling and literature

Montessori education has a unique way of introducing children to the universe. At a time when they are already seeking answers, cosmic education introduces them to concepts and important scientific and historical information that strikes a sense of awe. This deep understanding and wonder last a lifetime.

Two particular authors come to mind when considering the many who were Montessori students: Gabriel García Márquez and Anthony Doerr.

“With his stories, Gabriel García Márquez has created a world of his own which is a microcosmos. In its tumultuous, bewildering, yet, graphically convincing authenticity, it reflects a continent and its human riches and poverty. Perhaps more than that: a cosmos in which the human heart and the combined forces of history, time and again, burst the bounds of chaos…” -NobelPrize.org

García Márquez won the 1972 Neustadt International Prize for Literature and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982 for his novels and short stories. Author of renowned titles such as One Hundred Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera, his work has been translated extensively and appreciated by readers worldwide, with many considering him one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century.

Not one to shy away from tackling important political and social topics, it’s clear he had a deep sense of social justice, perhaps unsurprising considering his background. He once said, “I do not believe there is a method better than Montessori for making children sensitive to the beauties of the world and awakening their curiosity regarding the secrets of life.”

Anthony Doerr spoke of attending a Montessori school where his mother was a teacher.

“She was always teaching us all kinds of things. I remember very clearly geologic time being one of the big lessons she taught us. She even had us take toilet paper rolls and unroll them and had us map out the various eras, like Cambrian, and figure out where humans would fit on this toilet paper timeline of the Earth.

You realize, of course, that human life goes in the last square—and really goes in the last quarter of the last square. And your life can't really even fit if you draw this microscopic line down the final edge of the final square of toilet paper. I remember those lessons make you feel small. Then they make you feel—what an amazing thing we get to be on this Earth...So I think that's part of everything I work on.”

Doerr’s 2014 book All the Light We Cannot See has been widely revered. Perhaps most notably, it won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. It was also a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction, runner-up for the Dayton Library Peace Prize for Fiction, the 2015 Ohioana Library Association Book Award for Fiction, and was a New York Times bestseller and notable book of 2014.

How Montessori revolutionized the way we cook in our homes

It is well known that Julia Child was a Montessori student. She has credited Montessori with her love of working with her hands, but one has to wonder if it didn’t perhaps inspire her in other ways as well.

Child began her career in copywriting, but eventually ended up working as a research assistant for secret intelligence in Washington, D.C. She helped to develop shark repellents in order to prevent accidental detonation of underwater explosives. Her work there was valued immensely, and it was later that she turned to cooking and discovered her passion.

As we all know, Child became famous for her cookbooks and television shows, making complicated French dishes more accessible to the average American home cook. One of her most endearing qualities was that she often made mistakes during filming, but her ability to embrace these errors and incorporate them as a normal part of cooking made those watching feel more at ease.

How Montessori found its way into public service

“I'm a Montessori lifer, Pre-K and all the way through. I attribute everything I've accomplished to Montessori.”

One Maryland State senator credits Montessori with being a major force in the powerful work he has been able to do for his constituents. Some of the work he has done includes ending certain housing discrimination practices, prohibiting suspension and expulsion of children from pre-k through second grade, and defining race in order to protect people of color from being discriminated against based on culturally significant hairstyles.

How Montessori inspired a new type of video game entertainment

“Montessori taught me the joy of discovery,” Wright told me. “It showed you can become interested in pretty complex theories, like Pythagorean theory, say, by playing with blocks. It’s all about learning on your terms, rather than a teacher explaining stuff to you. SimCity comes right out of Montessori—if you give people this model for building cities, they will abstract from it principles of urban design.” 

Will Wright, creator of The Sims, is considered one of the most influential video game creators of all time. Learn more about how he credits Montessori for his success in his TED talk. 

How Montessori transformed the way we find information

“I do think that some of the credit for the willingness to go on your own interests, you can tie that back to Montessori education.” -Sergey Brin

Sergey Brin and Larry Page co-founded Google in 1998. Since then, the company that began as a search engine has foundationally changed the way humans around the world find and share information. It has expanded to cover countless areas of technology and is synonymous to many as a hub of innovation.  

Both Brin and Page attended Montessori schools as children, and both credit that time as hugely influential on their professional work. Hear more in this clip of Brin discussing his experiences:

With so many influential figures and important work coming straight from those who were Montessori educated and credit those successes with their education, one has to wonder: where might the next generation of Montessori alumni take us?

What Kind of Learning Do We Value?

Human beings are creatures of habit. Habits are comfortable, and it is generally easier to continue doing things the way they have always been done. Change is messy, confusing, and often pretty challenging.

At our school, we believe in the importance of examining our habits periodically. We think it’s critical to ask ourselves: “Why are things done this way?” “What is our motivation for taking this particular path?”

We think it’s vital to stop, recognize our values, and make sure that our actions align with those values.

So, this brings us to today’s question: What kind of learning do we value?

In many ways, our current conventional education system reflects one that was created long ago, and to satisfy the needs of a culture that has changed drastically since then.

Let us pause to consider what learning is, what our goals and values are, and what we might do to align the two.

Defining and categorizing education and learning

Let’s get right to the point:

learning: 1. the act or experience of one that learns 2. knowledge or skill acquired by instruction or study 3. modification of a behavioral tendency by experience

education: 1. a. the act or process of educating or being educated  b. the knowledge and development resulting from the process of being educated 2. the field of study that deals mainly with methods of teaching and learning in schools

Long ago, the original goals of schools were to provide children with the knowledge they would need to successfully enter the workforce. This is still largely the case, although as a society we have begun to recognize the importance of inspiring a love of learning and developing the child as a whole person. There are many schools and educators who have worked hard to develop new methods and adjust old ones to meet the needs of today’s students.

Have we come far enough?

What are our values?

What do we, as a society, consider to be important? As we have all realized in recent years, values can be highly personal and they also have the potential to be incredibly polarizing.

We believe there is a way to blend the desires of various groups and viewpoints. We think it’s not only possible, but critical for us to all consider the importance of both individual liberty as well as empathetic support of those around us. The following are some of our most important values; we encourage you to reflect and consider your own:

• Equity

• Justice

• Freedom

• Truth

• Innovation

• Empathy

• Individuality

• Environmental Stewardship

What do we hope our children will gain?

If our children are spending the bulk of their waking hours at school, of course we want that time to be valuable for them. In generations past the goal was to impart knowledge from adult to child. While that idea remains in a sense, the way we access and share knowledge has shifted dramatically. So what should we want from our children’s education?

Instead of memorizing dates and historical figures, could we instead draw lessons from our collective mistakes and triumphs? Could we honor the work of those who have come before us, while also acknowledging what hasn’t gone well?

Do we want to administer extensive amounts of predetermined courses, or might we ensure children have a solid understanding of basic information, as well as the motivation and skills to pursue deeper studies of their own interests?

Might we acknowledge that learning is not linear, nor does a room full of children progress at the same pace? Could we utilize a system of mathematics education that allows each individual child to progress incrementally as they master specific skills?

Are we prepared to teach our children how to differentiate between fact and fiction? Do they know what sources to look to and which ones they should question?

Are we directly teaching soft skills regularly and with as much reverence as we give academics?

Do we want school to prepare our children for the workforce, or do we want school to prepare our children for life?

Does our system of education reflect these goals and values?

We are sure you can see where we’re going with this. We believe Montessori does, indeed, meet our shared goals and values for children’s learning and education. Our approach is dramatically different from that of many of our conventional counterparts. Conventional schools are making changes, and we are hopeful that the pendulum will continue to swing away from rigid learning approaches and toward more modern ones.

Montessori is ready to tackle the challenges of today’s students and their learning needs, and we’re ready to do it right now.

We honor each child as an individual who deserves to be heard and respected.

We recognize that individuals move at different paces and have different interests, talents, and needs.

We believe in nurturing a society based in deep empathy - empathy for other humans, for other living things, and for the earth itself.

We know there needs to be a balance between solitude and cooperation.

We think it’s critical to help children master the basics. Still, at a certain point, they must learn how to find high-quality information, rather than memorization of endless facts deemed important by someone else.

We want children to find joy in their learning, to feel compelled to explore, and to regard their education as a foundation that will carry them throughout their lives. 

We hope this article, at the very least, gave you a chance to pause and consider. We would love to hear your thoughts.

7 Major Ways Montessori is Different

There’s no doubt about it: Montessori is different. From the moment you step foot into our school, you know it’s unlike any conventional school.

We like it that way. We know what we’re offering is special, and the families who seek out our school are usually looking for something different.

What, exactly, makes Montessori special? Read on to learn just a few of the many ways.

1. Freedom Within Limits

One of the greatest Montessori misunderstandings is that either a) the children in our care run amok with no direction whatsoever, doing whatever they please, or b) our methods are so rigid they allow for little (if any) variation. 

As you may have guessed, neither is accurate, and we lie somewhere in between these two extremes. Generalizations tend to come from misinterpreted truths, however.

Montessori does value the child’s independence and choice. Children get to choose their work, where they sit, the order in which they get things done, when to have a snack, when to use the restroom, etc. To help them make these choices successfully, Montessori guides created carefully crafted boundaries for the choices to nestle within.

For example, children get to choose their work because the only options available to them are all work we want them to focus on. They can only select something off the shelf that we have put there in the first place. They are required to use the material correctly. And if they spend 3 days straight working on the same thing? Well, we believe if they’re doing that then they are getting something important out of the experience. When a child has learned everything they can from a material, they will become bored with it and happily move on to something else.

This doesn’t mean we never guide children who are resistant to try certain things or who avoid particular subjects. It just means we strike a balance between choice and limits.

2. Multi-Age Classrooms

It’s not very common elsewhere to find classrooms that serve children of more than one grade level. We think multi-age classrooms better serve the children, and we’ve been doing it that way for more than a century - successfully.

Multi-age classrooms allow us to blend the lines between skill levels. The older child who still needs extra help with reading won’t feel left out - there are plenty of others in the class who need the same help they do. The younger child who excels at math and craves more of a challenge can have that, because the structures to do so are already built into the environment.  

Our younger students have an abundance of role models and our older students have plenty of opportunity to practice leadership skills and display mastery of their own academic skills by showing the ability to teach others.

Our teachers, students, and families have three years to get to know each other. This allows a lengthy list of positive outcomes.

3. Teachers as Guides

In most places, the teachers are the focus of the classroom. They stand in the front, delivering information that is meant to be consumed. This is not the case in Montessori schools.

We believe the most impactful learning is that which involves self-discovery. We want to guide our students to ask and then answer the questions, rather than dictating a pre-scripted version of what we determine to be the most important.

Do we have a set curriculum? Absolutely! Do we ensure our students master core subjects and become well-versed in a wide variety of information about our world? Of course. We just do so in a way that is more about leading them to learn for themselves.

4. Individual Pacing

We have said it before and it is definitely worth repeating: learning is not linear. No child learns at the same pace and we all move in starts, stops, and plateaus.

We don’t believe it makes sense to teach to the whole group (in most instances). We think we should honor the individuality of learning, which means allowing each child to progress at his or her own pace.

We have developed helpful systems to support this work, so it’s not only possible, it’s built into the core of everything we do.

No child has to wait for the rest of the group to catch up, feeling bored and restless and wishing they had more. On the same note, no child needs to feel like they’re falling behind and not getting the support they need.

5. Emphasis on Formative Assessment

We don’t give grades in Montessori schools, but we do document progress. We don’t give tests but we absolutely keep records of where student understanding is. We would argue that our methods allow us to have an even deeper understanding of student progress.

Once a grade is on a report card, it’s a done deal. We don’t see the finality in learning, nor do we think comparisons between children are necessary or helpful. We want each child to reach certain goals, but we want them to be able to do so at their own pace.  

We carefully monitor progress on a daily basis, and our observational forms of assessment allow us to change our teaching strategies in the moment; we can adjust our teaching mid-lesson to make sure kids get what they need.

We look at assessment more as a means to review goals and make a plan moving forward.

6. Focus on Independence

As we mentioned earlier in this article, Montessori focuses heavily on the independence of children. We believe children, even very young children, are capable and eager to do much more than is typically expected of them.

It’s important to note that we are realists. No child will walk through the doors of our school being able to do everything for themselves. Our job is to give enough guidance and support to allow them to progress in that direction.

Infants in Montessori environments who are able to stand and support their own weight are able to help change their own diapers in that position. Toddlers learn to put on and fasten their own coats and shoes. Elementary children learn to solve math problems without materials and social conflicts without anger. Adolescents learn the basics of running their own business.

It’s a gradual progression, but each step is just as important as the before or the one that lies ahead. 

7. Development of Global Citizens

Montessori schools operate not just with the goal of educating children in academics, but we hope to create kind, creative, and passionate global citizens.

We want to nurture curiosity and a joyful approach to learning that isn’t just about school but about how they see the world. We want to teach kids to care about one another, to celebrate the differences between people, and to feel a deep sense of justice and service.

We want them to be successful members of their own local communities, but we also want to give them a broader picture and understanding of the whole world. Knowing how we are all interconnected creates a perspective that will help to create a better planet for everyone.

Are you curious? Want to learn more about Montessori? Reach out today to chat with someone from our school or to take a look at what we have to offer.