The internet annoys me sometimes

It never fails. Any time I find myself combing the internet for some Montessori info, I run across a thread like this one.

To make that long, poorly written thread short, some people think the Montessori method only works for developmentally delayed, antisocial kids who like to work by themselves. These people, and lots of others around the net, see the Montessori method as ridged, lacking imaginative play, group work and, well, fun. There is a lot of anecdotal evidence for these claims, and I do not doubt the experiences of these parents. But there are bad schools everywhere, it has nothing to do with a specific method of teaching.

Many of these schools are not Montessori schools people have experience with. A lot of them are Montessori "style" or Montessori "inspired" and do not actually follow the whole method. Or at least the whole method as I understand it. And these schools comprise some people's only experience with the method, which is really sad.

In other cases, I think the schools may not be the problem. I think sometimes the Montessori method is too focused on real world applications for parents to see "results." There aren't enough grades or check marks or stickers or lists or rewards or punishments. One criticism in the link above was that Montessori doesn't teach vocabulary. Really?? Life teaches vocabulary. Talking about things teaches vocabulary. I really doubt the school in question never talked to the children about what was going on around them and I doubt the child's vocabulary was stagnant. More likely, there wasn't a list of words for the parent to look at or quiz about.

Montessori schools, as I understand them, don't discourage dramatic, creative play and thinking. Although, maybe because of the materials it comes across differently than in other schools. Even so, I went to a public school until 5th grade. I don't remember pretend play, drama and creativity in the curriculum. I remember in kindergarten there was a kitchen set and store "station" that I didn't play with a lot because it was in high demand and I wasn't aggressive enough to push ahead of the pack. After kindergarten I remember specifically being discouraged to pretend or, in fact, do anything the rest of the class wasn't doing. We didn't put on plays or act out stories or draw outside of art class. Maybe things have changed in the 20ish years since I was a youngster (20? Really?) but I'm just not sure most traditional schools have an emphasis on pretend play and creativity.

Lastly, the social aspect. As a former homeschooler I've heard more than enough "what about socialization??" cries from concerned parents. In my opinion, traditional schools don't offer much time for socialization between peers, the peers are often of exactly the same age and meaningful interactions between different ages rarely happens, and finally any group work usually only serves to separate the leaders from the followers and rarely shows any true cooperation. But even so, socialization is not something that you have to facilitate, people naturally bond and connect. This post from The Moveable Alphabet describes the importance of peer leadership and small groups in a Montessori classroom.

It is possible that these criticisms annoy me so much because I finally took the plunge and sent in Ryann's application to a Montessori school and am anxiously waiting to see if there is an open spot for her. After much back and forth in my mind I decided this was the perfect place for her to be -- and after much planning and number crunching, I can definitely afford tuition ;) It's hard to make a decision about a school and to know that you will be handing over a portion of raising your child. It's hard to think that I, like these other parents, might be putting my trust in a place that isn't what I expected. I'm confident, though, that I have made the right choice. If I haven't, well... she'll be out of there before she can say, "I hate school."

Montessori enough

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.

The prepared environment at home

According to the Association Montessori Internationale, there are four characteristics of the prepared environment:

	Beauty, order, reality, simplicity and accessibility.
	Children must be given freedom to work and move around within suitable guidelines that enable them to act as part of a social group.
	Children should be provided with specifically designed materials which help them to explore their world and enable them to develop essential cognitive skills.
	Mixed age groups (eg. three to six, six to nine, nine to twelve) encourage all children to develop their personalities socially and intellectually at their own pace.

All of these things are easily accomplished at home. As a family with both children and adults, you already have a household of mixed age groups that your Montessori child can learn from even though it might not be the age groups as outlined above. Sometimes you just have to work with what you have ;)

If your home doesn't already have beauty, order, reality, simplicity and accessibility for you, it should! We all want these things in our homes and we should expand this to an awareness of how our children experience the space as well. Keep your house well organized, clean and don't collect a lot of stuff that will interfere with the simplicity and beauty of your home. It should be easy for your child to understand how to run your household and to be able to emulate your routines. To be honest, this is an area I have a hard time with. I have a tendency to let things pile up (mail, work, toys) and I don't always have an orderly place for everything I use regularly. Ryann has too many toys (still, I'm trying!) and it's hard for her to understand where they all go, and there are too many to keep in an orderly fashion. The goal here isn't a minimalist household, but an organized and easy to use household that everyone can appreciate.

Freedom of movement can be a challenge depending on the age of the child. When they are young, you really must babyproof everything and not rely on restrictive playpens and baby gates to keep them away from danger. Instead of keeping toddlers out of the kitchen and bathroom, keep safe supplies down low and dangerous things up high. This will likely take rearranging over time as the child's skills change. I kept a lot of my low drawers in the kitchen and bathroom empty until Ryann got past the dump everything stage. You want to create a "yes" environment, where the child can touch and interact with everything within their reach. So if it's not dangerous, they should be able to use it. If they can't use it, teach them!

Finally, we get to the specifically designed materials. This is where the low table, child-sized brooms, little cups and saucers and the like come into play. Everything that you use every day should be accessible to your child in a size that is easy for them to manipulate. This isn't always possible at home with each and every item, but it is important to try and make it as easy as possible for your child to do things for themselves. Keep their dishes, food, toothbrushes, clothes, coats, etc. in easy to reach places. Keep a stool or two handy so the child can reach the sinks and counters without any restrictions. Ryann has a stool her Grandpa made her a couple Christmas's ago and it is used many, many times a day. Unfortunately, it is not quite tall enough for the kitchen sink and I haven't found one that is other than the Little Partners Learning Tower, which is (more than) a little out of my price range.

My house is far from perfect, but I do strive towards all these things and have even before I started researching Montessori schooling. It just seems right to include my daughter in everything I do. As a result I have a fully capable, independent child who sees accessibility problems as the highest form of injustice.

Don't sit still - the importance of movement in Montessori education

“Discipline must come through liberty. . . . We do not consider an individual disciplined only when he has been rendered as artificially silent as a mute and as immovable as a paralytic. He is an individual annihilated, not disciplined.”

If there was ever one thing I was skeptical about in the Montessori method, it would have the be the calmness of the activities I read about. Even from birth my daughter was active and not easily focused or calmed down, how was the proper activity going to keep her in one place? That always seems like the goal, right? Sit here and do this how I told you. Not only does that seem impossible, I don't even think I believe in being so ridged.

I've been reading Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook and it's really shed light on this aspect of the method for me. Maria Montessori says that the movements children make that adults see as fidgety and distracting are just the ones they need to develop coordination. It is pointless to try and keep children in check by telling them not to move, it's not going to happen. While you don't encourage your child to jump around and flit about, don't get upset when they do either. Instead, teach more controlled, useful movements that will serve them well in everyday life. This is where practical life activities such as setting the table, washing hands, dressing, sweeping, etc. come in. Montessori believed that children need and like to have a purpose for their activities and movements. This has the appearance of being ridged, but really isn't. It's just that instead of giving a child toys to pretend to do real life activities with, you give them real life to interact with and the tools to do it correctly.

So as you go through your day, model the proper way to do things through slow and controlled motions. You don't have to say anything, your child is always watching you and as they gain control of their bodies, they will emulate you. According to Montessori, "this education of the movements is one of the principle factors in producing that outward appearance of 'discipline' in the Children's Houses."

So THAT'S how they do it...