Montessori and us
I have wanted to write some overall thoughts on Montessori for a while. And now I am on somekinda Montessori wave, so it's a good moment for it.
Adelaide is going to be 17 months old next week (time flies!), and I really have to start wondering.. Where did my baby go? Where did this really smart little girl come from? That seems to understand everything and think about everything I say or do, who interacts with us like an equal family member..
There really are some big changes happening. And I start to notice some things.. I notice things, that or how she does, that not necessarily all the children do. And I am quite sure - many of those things have to do with the Montessori way of her upbringing, you could say, that I am starting to notice the first effects.
And I'm talking about a really positive list of things - her fine motor skills are amazing, I think, I keep thinking I need to find more challenging tasks for her. Her sense of order is developing - it's amazing to watch, how she takes a toy, plays with it and then puts it back. She doesn't put everything back every time, and I am not pushing it at all, but we basically never have any mess at home. She knows things have their place, she treats them respectfully and she really seems to enjoy the order. Her wish to be independent and do things for herself is growing constantly, and I try to respect it as much as possible. Her ability to choose as an activity and concentrate on it totally comes from her own initiative, I am watching with amazement, when I see those moments. The list could go on.
These are qualities that are very familiar to any parent, who is Montessori-minded. And they have not appeared from thin air, they are a result of the way, how I have been trying to interact with her.
And then I must say - wow, it truly works. It really is amazing.
And I realize, that Montessori is going to stay in our family. That this works, that this way has a huge potential, and I obviously have to dig deeper in it, slowly start preparing for the future, as she is going to need appropriate tools and approach constantly as she grows. It is overwhelming too, as following Montessori, especially as the child reaches kindergarten age and actually wants to learn, is not easy at all. It takes a lot of effort, planning, organization, money (! the materials are not cheap, of course, you can make something yourself, but still). It is a full time task.
So I feel like we definitely are making a long term commitment to Montessori.
The more I read (see my last post), the better I understand it, the more I like it, the more it makes sense.
Lets say.. For a while I had maybe some doubts, I wasn't sure, if I want to commit 100% to Montessori, as I wasn't sure if I agree completely with everything in the theory (I strongly believe in Attachment Parenting principles as well, and sometimes I felt that Montessori is somehow forgetting that part, forgetting the emotional bond between a parent and a child, the importance of it..). But then I realized.. It is not a religion. I don't have to take every word from it as a 100% truth, if I don't feel it's right or if I disagree, Maria Montessori, genius as she was, was still a human and not God, even though usually everything that she has said or written is being taken as the truth, even that might not always be the case.
As I realized it for myself, I gained peace. I think Montessori is amazing. Why? The main thing for me, probably, is the self-motivation and love of learning part. Because this is something I strongly feel that has been lost in me, has been killed off at some point.. Being actually self-driven, actually wanting to learn, to work, to develop oneself, not because of money or fame, or superficial success, but just simply because it's interesting, challenging and rewarding - that sounds like a dream. And I would love for my children to have it, to keep it..
Montessori way of learning lets every person develop their own individual way. It doesn't kill off the innovation, the personality, the motivation.. It nurtures it.
This is what today's society actually needs. See the article - Montessori method creates innovators.
And see the video that very simply explains the results of Montessori method..
I could talk and talk much about Montessori, what it means and what the philosophy holds within, but that is quite a complex subject, and one who cares, can always read on their own. But these are some good lines.. (From http://www.thekavanaughreport.com/ blog.)
Adelaide is going to be 17 months old next week (time flies!), and I really have to start wondering.. Where did my baby go? Where did this really smart little girl come from? That seems to understand everything and think about everything I say or do, who interacts with us like an equal family member..
There really are some big changes happening. And I start to notice some things.. I notice things, that or how she does, that not necessarily all the children do. And I am quite sure - many of those things have to do with the Montessori way of her upbringing, you could say, that I am starting to notice the first effects.
And I'm talking about a really positive list of things - her fine motor skills are amazing, I think, I keep thinking I need to find more challenging tasks for her. Her sense of order is developing - it's amazing to watch, how she takes a toy, plays with it and then puts it back. She doesn't put everything back every time, and I am not pushing it at all, but we basically never have any mess at home. She knows things have their place, she treats them respectfully and she really seems to enjoy the order. Her wish to be independent and do things for herself is growing constantly, and I try to respect it as much as possible. Her ability to choose as an activity and concentrate on it totally comes from her own initiative, I am watching with amazement, when I see those moments. The list could go on.
These are qualities that are very familiar to any parent, who is Montessori-minded. And they have not appeared from thin air, they are a result of the way, how I have been trying to interact with her.
And then I must say - wow, it truly works. It really is amazing.
And I realize, that Montessori is going to stay in our family. That this works, that this way has a huge potential, and I obviously have to dig deeper in it, slowly start preparing for the future, as she is going to need appropriate tools and approach constantly as she grows. It is overwhelming too, as following Montessori, especially as the child reaches kindergarten age and actually wants to learn, is not easy at all. It takes a lot of effort, planning, organization, money (! the materials are not cheap, of course, you can make something yourself, but still). It is a full time task.
So I feel like we definitely are making a long term commitment to Montessori.
The more I read (see my last post), the better I understand it, the more I like it, the more it makes sense.
Lets say.. For a while I had maybe some doubts, I wasn't sure, if I want to commit 100% to Montessori, as I wasn't sure if I agree completely with everything in the theory (I strongly believe in Attachment Parenting principles as well, and sometimes I felt that Montessori is somehow forgetting that part, forgetting the emotional bond between a parent and a child, the importance of it..). But then I realized.. It is not a religion. I don't have to take every word from it as a 100% truth, if I don't feel it's right or if I disagree, Maria Montessori, genius as she was, was still a human and not God, even though usually everything that she has said or written is being taken as the truth, even that might not always be the case.
As I realized it for myself, I gained peace. I think Montessori is amazing. Why? The main thing for me, probably, is the self-motivation and love of learning part. Because this is something I strongly feel that has been lost in me, has been killed off at some point.. Being actually self-driven, actually wanting to learn, to work, to develop oneself, not because of money or fame, or superficial success, but just simply because it's interesting, challenging and rewarding - that sounds like a dream. And I would love for my children to have it, to keep it..
Montessori way of learning lets every person develop their own individual way. It doesn't kill off the innovation, the personality, the motivation.. It nurtures it.
This is what today's society actually needs. See the article - Montessori method creates innovators.
And see the video that very simply explains the results of Montessori method..
I could talk and talk much about Montessori, what it means and what the philosophy holds within, but that is quite a complex subject, and one who cares, can always read on their own. But these are some good lines.. (From http://www.thekavanaughreport.com/ blog.)
Comments
Post a Comment