Pause beside a busy playground on a sunny afternoon and listen. “Look at me!” children shout as they run and swing, climb, slide, and hang from monkey bars. For kids, knowing someone is watching is affirming, motivating, and restorative. Observation is the foundation of Maria Montessori’s educational method, an essential habit of good teachers and parents. Continue reading “Thoughts on Attention”
Tag Archives: montessori education
Why Wait?
Education cannot be effective unless it helps a child to open up himself to life.–Maria Montessori, The Discovery of the Child Anna Many years ago I had a student who was an unintentional and most unlikely source of great inspiration. Where Anna is now, I couldn’t say. I suppose she is in the midst ofContinue reading “Why Wait?”
Montessori’s Second Period
No matter how old a mother is, she watches her middle-aged children for signs of improvement. It could not be otherwise for she is impelled to know that the seeds of value sown in her have been winnowed. She never outgrows the burden of love, and to the end she carries the weight of hopeContinue reading “Montessori’s Second Period”
What Would Montessori Do?
Because we are opinionated and sentimental, my family subscribes to both the Chicago Tribune and The New York Times. I grew up with the Tribune and we remain Chicago sports fans, but the paper is in decline, a thin relic of its former self. We subscribe to the Times because the quality of the writingContinue reading “What Would Montessori Do?”
Ordinary Miracles 