Illuminating Montessori

Montessori education has been around for 117 years, yet it still feels like our goal of world peace through education is out of reach. Anyone who has studied the Montessori philosophy and has any amount of faith in humanity should recognize that there is only one reason Montessori education has not taken over as the mainstream philosophy around the world. No, it’s not politics or religion, though it is convenient to blame these two scapegoats.

The reason the rest of the world doesn’t embrace Montessori is because we hide it from them.

There, I said it. We are our own worst enemy. The truth is that it feels good to hold the keys to a secret universe. We feel proud and even self-important knowing about this “alternative” education. It feels good to be better than everyone else, doesn’t it? We climb up on our pedestals to look down on teachers and their sticker charts, their time-out chairs, and their worksheets. We preach to each other about our morals and we sign our emails with all of the letters beside our names so we can code-check each other. We go to our exorbitantly priced conferences and buy exorbitantly priced materials and we pay our exorbitantly priced memberships to the Montessori club and then we all clutch our pearls when an “un-trained” (are we dogs?) person describes their school as “Montessori-inspired.” We roll our eyes at parents who buy wooden toys and furniture and call it “Montessori.” Do we really think that we’re the only ones capable of understanding the method that Montessori herself described as an ongoing experiment? Are we helping our cause by denying these well-meaning educators access to our community? Is some Montessori really worse than no Montessori at all? No. No. No.

“It is not true,” says Dr. Montessori, “that I invented what is called the Montessori Method. I have studied the child, I have taken what the child has given me and expressed it, and that is what is called the Montessori Method.” Montessori herself admitted that we can only truly guide children by letting them lead us. We can’t let our egos get in the way if we are truly to do the work we claim to want to do.

“It is impossible to fix a priori, a detailed programme for study and work. We can only give a general plan. A programme can only be drawn up gradually under the guidance of experience.” Dr Montessori didn’t give us a rule book - that was intentional. She wanted us to go out and learn, to experience it, to observe and to continue to grow and change with each child and group of children before us. She explicitly stated over and over that spiritual preparation is the most important part of learning to guide children through their discovery of the world.

"The real preparation for education is the study of one's self. The training of the teacher is something far more than the learning of ideas. It includes the training of character; it is a preparation of the spirit.”

I opened my first Montessori classroom over 10 years ago. Since then I have employed many people; some of these educators attended the most prestigious Montessori training programs when they came to me and some of them had never heard of Montessori before. Some had wild misconceptions about what Montessori schools are and many of them were simply curious and open-minded people who were interested in the cloudy concept of Montessori education. I have observed in many Montessori classrooms, my children have gone to 4 different Montessori schools (including my own!) and I have known and been in community with many people who call themselves Montessorians. I have also worked in more traditional settings with a diverse range of individuals and have developed close connections with many parents who understand Montessori and use it at home either as a way of life and/or as a homeschooling framework. I’ve even had guides and mentors in my own educational experiences who have never heard of Montessori but who understand it more deeply than some highly trained Montessori leaders.

While my experience is anecdotal, I’d like to share what I’ve learned throughout my time within these spaces. First and foremost, I learned very early on that Montessori training is a VERY small part of what can make someone an incredible teacher or Montessori guide; in fact (and this will be seen as blasphemy, I know!), I’m not even convinced that official Montessori training is necessary for some people. Now before you nail me to the cross, hear me out.

Are there things that Montessori educators need to know to be effective guides? Of course. If we abandon the requirement of Montessori training for our schools, are we saying that this knowledge is unimportant? Of course not. We’re simply opening a door…or a gate ;)