Tim Seldin & Paul Epstein Ph.D. An Education for Life

THE MONTESSORI WAY
10
My educational method has grown from these,
as well as from many other revelations, given by
the children. You know, from what I have told
you, that all the details included in the method
have come from the efforts to follow the child.
The new path has been shown us. No one knows
exactly how it arose; it just came into being and
showed us the new way.
It has nothing to do with any educational
method of the past nor with any educational
method of the future. It stands alone as the
contribution of the child himself. Perhaps it is the
first of its kind, which has been built by him, step
by step.
It cannot have come from an adult person; the
thought, the very principle that the adult should
stand aside to make room for the child, could
never have come from the adult.
Anyone who wants to follow my method must
understand that he should not honor me, but follow
the child as his leader.”
Maria Montessori discovered that when
young children concentrate and investigate a
set of purposefully designed activities, they
tend to develop self-control; their movements
become ordered, and they appear
peaceful. Their demeanor towards others
becomes kind and gentle.
These characteristics and other discoveries
made with the children of San Lorenzo in
1907 were quickly replicated, as new
Montessori schools opened throughout
Europe and around the world. Children in
Elementary and Secondary Montessori
schools displayed tremendous enthusiasm as
they explored and studied topics in great
detail. Their learning achievements were profound.
The overall Montessori experience,
however, is deeper than an academic course
of study. Because the Montessori process fully
engages children’s natural learning potentials,
Montessori students learn about themselves,
develop self-confidence, communicate
effectively, and work well in groups.
Today’s Montessori schools incorporate the
discoveries of Maria Montessori as well as
recent understandings of how learning and
development take place. Montessori schools
are now found in private, public, and homeschool
settings in the United States and
abroad. The educational programs located in
these schools range from infant care to
high school students.
Many of these schools are affiliates of,
or are accredited by, one of a dozen national
and/or international Montessori organizations.
Teachers receive Montessori teacher certification
after completing rigorous courses of
study. Many teachers describe their own experiences
of personal transformation as they,
too, witness in children astounding capabilities.
From a family’s perspective, becoming
part of a Montessori school could be thought
of as adopting a natural lifestyle we call The
Montessori Way.
(Below) Students at the Montessori School in the Convent of
the Franciscan Nuns, Rome, c. 1912.