This isn't really about Montessori, but it somehow fits so I decided to make a post about it.
I just started watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and, wow, is that some powerful stuff! For those that don't know, Jamie Oliver is a British chef who's taking on the American obesity epidemic by introducing whole foods to schools. He implemented a similar program in south London with great success. The idea is getting a bad rap in the States, which is really awful if you ask me. How is it controversial to feed kids nutritious food? Isn't that what we all strive for?
There was one part of the episode last week that really struck me as a Montessori mom. Jamie asked for knives and forks to be set out for the kids to use and it caused quite a stir. The lunch staff was appalled that anyone would let preschoolers and kindergartners use knives and forks because they are too young to know how to use them. Jamie's response? "This is school. You teach them to spell, you teach them to read, you teach them to write... you teach them how to use a knife and fork."
How easy it is to forget there are some things children need to learn that are more important, more basic, than what is in a standard school curriculum.
The clip below is very poor quality, but the only clip I could find! If you want to check out the whole episode, you can watch the series on Hulu.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
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I'm SO GLAD you posted about this! My fellow teachers and I had a great conversation about this. However, I beg to differ with you on something: The topic is TOTALLY Montessori! Montessori prepares children for life, and what is more important than independence and manners? From the looks of that episode, the public school system is raising a generation of children who eat with their hands. What a sad, sad commentary on the level of trust they have for children. Thanks for posting (oh, you can also watch the entire episodes for free on abc.com)
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