“Circle time” is not authentic Montessori practice
(Me with Margot Waltuch, Sydney, Australia 1993. Baby platypus on her shoulder)
Margot was my AMI primary and elementary consultant. She was Dr. Montessori’s official translator and fellow researcher for teaching materials in Holland. Also my primary and elementary consultant when I was teaching. Here is a quote about her visit to my primary class from the book Montessori For Family and Community) Continue reading
Speaking, Writing, and Reading
This blog posts contains excerpts from these two books.
CLICK: The Joyful Child: Montessori, Global Wisdom for Birth to Three+
CLICK: Child of the World: Montessori Global Education for Age 3-12+
At all ages, the adults and older children are the most important models for the young person’s developing language. Do we speak well and clearly and with good manners and joy to each other? Do we understand what might be the result of modeling cell phone use rather than reading books? Do we actually read and enjoy fiction and non-fiction books? Do we go to a library regularly? Are we writing with pens and pencils in the presence of young children who are going to want to imitate everything they see going on around them—in the home and in the community—as soon as they are able? Learning to be a good language model like this is part of becoming a Montessori teacher, and it is something we can provide at home. Continue reading
Romania: Third Consultation
In October 2023 I returned to Romania as a consultant for the Montessori School of Iași. Five of my books have been translated into Romanian and as a result our communication is deep and successful. There is so much to learn in an AMI diploma course and the observation, creation of the environment, observation and meeting the needs of each individual, goes on forever. Some of what we focused on in the last two visits was protecting concentration by more work being done on the floor (less eye contact), having only one chair per table (less interruption), and abolishing “trained” afternoon napping, allowing sleep only when needed and the possibility of a full day of Montessori work. The improvement at all levels was obvious.
Infant Community, Age 1-2.5
In this environment an order of the day must be kept unchanged so the children know where everything is and what comes next. And, just as with the older children, individual presentations and freedom to choose an activity that meets a need allows for more and more intelligent choice, independent work, and concentration. I watched this little girl approach the music shelves, place a floor mat and a small xylophone on the mat, and play as she hummed along. Continue reading