Maria Montessori by Michael Pollard
As you can see, I picked it up from a library book sale a couple months ago. It's an oldie, published in 1990, but a goodie (goody?) as they say. I'm pretty sure it was geared for children, but it had just the right amount of information in it for me - more than Wikipedia but less than a biography.
The story of Maria Montessori's life is fascinating! I love how the observations, ideas and experiences of one woman have made a huge difference in the way we see our children and how we teach them. She took the road less traveled and it really did make all the difference. I really think someone needs to make a Hollywood movie of her life.
I like the idea of allowing children to direct their learning. I believe that kids have an innate desire to discover. All they need is the opportunity and for adults to get out of the way. I'm also intrigued by Montessori's observations that children have their own desire for order and quiet. Right now, my child does not exhibit those behaviors; she does not clean up after herself and she is rarely quiet. In fact, she is talking or singing all day long. And she doesn't like doing things on her own. She is a typical three-year-old so she definitely likes to be the one to pick out her clothes and put on her glasses, but she does not like to play alone. Maybe it's because she is an only child and can have more/all of my attention? I definitely need to find out what Montessori's trick was.
I have always loved watching children discover new things. Lately, I have been thinking more and more about what Emily's education, both now and in the future, should look like. I definitely want to do more research into the Montessori method and look into homeschooling and un-schooling philosophies. I'm sure you'll be hearing more about my discoveries.
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