We hear so many wonderful stories. Not only from children, as they learn to navigate their world, so new and wondrous, but also from parents, as they observe their children, with such pride and amazement. One of our very favorite recent accounts involves a former student of ours, and an amazing description of her independence, […]
Maria Montessori had so many original and wonderful insights into early childhood education. One of the most under appreciated, and subsequently misunderstood, is the idea of mistakes – of having the space, confidence and ability to make them – and the power of determination that comes from within. When you overcome your mistakes to accomplish […]
We’ve been puzzling over a little bit of a paradox, one in which we occasionally find ourselves entangled. It goes something like this: As adults, why are we so surprised when a child accomplishes a task we didn’t think they could accomplish? Or, conversely, why are we so unsurprised when they fail at that exact […]
Everyone has a different idea of what Montessori is. For some, Montessori is a radical new approach to learning, to following the interests of the child, knowing that everyone learns independently and at their own pace. For others, Montessori is one of the few educational systems that adopts the importance of social success, where children […]
Everyday we witness something that just blows us away. Today, as we were observing the classroom in action, we happened upon a three year old student, working on a sewing exercise. Immediately, we were struck by her concentration, and this seemingly inherent sense of drive, purpose, and determination. As we watched, she carefully, methodically, and […]