Friday, August 31

     Welcome to the Wannaskan Almanac for Friday.

     It's the birthday of Maria Montessori in 1870. Montessori was a physician and pioneering educator of young children. Montessori believed that given the right setting and guidance, children would discipline and educate themselves.
     My mother expected her children to become, if not president, then at least U.S. Senators. Since Massachusetts only has room for two senators, that meant some of the five of us would have to  move to New Hampshire or down to Rhode Island. When none of us ended up going into politics, she blamed it on the fact that she wasn't able to send us to a Montessori school. We told her not to be so hard on herself; these schools are expensive. She was a stay-at-home mom, and didn't start making real money herself until it was too late for us.
      But is it really too late? I looked up the schedule at a typical Montessori pre-school. Upon arrival, the students are greeted by their teacher. After hanging up their coats, the children sing a Good Morning song. There is a finger play, a review of the calendar and the news, the feeding of the fish and a counting of the classmates in English and a foreign language. Any new activities are introduced at this time.
     Next, the students close their eyes and think about what they'd like to work on this day. When ready, they raise their hands and the teacher sends them off to work independently. The teacher moves around the class to teach individuals and groups. The assistant is there to diffuse any issues that may arise.
     At 10:15, the noise level rises and the children appear restless. Montesori called this "false fatigue." The teacher must remain calm and carry on. The restlessness will subside and the children will continue their work until 11:30, when music signals clean-up time.
     The teacher gathers the children in a circle to reflect on their morning's work. They play a transitional game before washing their hands. Lunch is consumed with grace, courtesy, and good manners. After lunch the students tidy up and stand by the door to go out. The politest and most respectful appearing student is let out first and so on down the line.
     Outside, the children run and jump, play in the sand, water the garden. blow bubbles, pull each other in wagons, draw with chalk and if there's time, play on the slide and monkey bars. Back inside, the children sit on the story mat. The teacher reads a story, while the assistant watches for the parents. When a parent arrives, the assistant calls the child's name, helps him or her with his or her  things, shakes his or her hand, and bids him or her farewell.
      Maria Montessori was an amazing woman. She attended a technical high school with plans to become an engineer, an unusual choice in late 19th century Italy. Once in college, she switched to medicine, an even more unusual choice. She was harassed by her fellow students, and, since it was considered improper for male students to be in the presence of a woman and a nude corpse, Maria had to do her dissections after hours and alone.
     She did very well in medical school, and after graduation, she got a job at the university hospital in Rome and started a private practice. She was especially interested in mentally disabled children. She studied the theories of other educators and developed teaching methods for these children. The children responded and some were able to pass the same tests normal children took.
     The government financed special school where she could try out her methods. In her first school, she trained the daughter of the building's janitor to do the teaching while she continued her medical practice. Her methods were so successful that she quit medicine and devoted the rest of her life to spreading her message.
      I really regret that my parents weren't able to send me to a Montessori school. It might have made all the difference. Is it too late to adopt some of the Montessori methods? I have the time. Teresa can be the teacher, the assistant and my fellow student. One of our first activities will be making posters that read "Joe McDonnell for U.S. Senate."

No room for monsters to hide under a Montessori bed.