Montessori teacher training and educational methods

¶ … admission, my experience in the Montessori classroom and why I want to pursue this training now in an age where children are increasingly viewed as a standardized product, forced to meet pre-determined standards like the output of a factory, the Montessori Method of education provides an important cultural antidote to such a point-of-view. Montessori schools do not simply assert in rhetoric that 'no child shall be left behind' because children are forced to take standardized exams and schools are penalized if the students do not meet such inflexible benchmarks. Montessori schools ensure that children are not left behind by conferring individual attention upon each child, and encouraging the child to grow, learn, and explore at his or her own pace. As the mother of four children, all of whom all attended Montessori Schools through the 8th grade; I can personally vouch for the effectiveness of the Montessori philosophy, and also its profound educational and personal benefits.

But it is not just with my own children that the system has been effective -- I have worked as a Montessori Assistant for five years and seen other children flourish under its philosophy and guidance. I believe the Montessori Method makes a vital contribution to the well-being and self-esteem of children. It is necessary that this method continue to flourish on our society, and be sustained in schools all over the nation and the world. I speak not just from a personal sense of gratification in terms of my own children's development, and from what I have seen in the children I have grown to care about during my time as an aide. I speak concern for the future of all children. This is why I wish to become a Montessori educator. Now that my own children's elementary education has ended, and I have more time to devote to my own education, and to return to school, I wish my formal education in the Montessori Method to begin, even while it has been going on, informally, for many years.

Despite the current infatuation with standardization I believe that the need to recognize all children's multiple intelligences, a philosophy stressed by the Montessori Method, will eventually become more acknowledged within the educational community as a whole. One of the most important aspects of Montessori is its effective use of multisensory learning. Learning, especially in very young children, takes place every moment of the day, not simply sitting at a desk. A child doing a science project will learn the concepts through reading, but also conducting experiments, touching, smelling, tasting, and moving around. Of course, different children learn better through different 'recipes' or balances of these multisensory elements, but no child is so one-sided that a single book can be his or her window on an entire subject matter.

That is why the individualized nature of the Montessori classroom is so important -- a child who learns best visually may not approach a history lesson in the same way that a child who learns best verbally. One child may wish to research costumes and art of the period, and see depictions of the Declaration of Independence, as well as read it. The other may want to write a play about the signing of the Declaration. But both can learn from one another's different methods.

Learning should be fun. Today, school must compete with many distractions -- the Internet, television, and all the pressures of our busy lives. Showing children early on that learning is not a compulsion, but one of the greatest joys of life is better facilitated by letting children go at their own pace, rather than pushing them ahead, as if they are trapped in a 'rat race' of knowledge before they can barely crawl. Very young children do not know that school is supposed to be boring -- and at Montessori they never learn that negative lesson. I am glad my own children take delight in going to school and look forward eagerly to writing and reading as they look forward to engaging in more conventionally 'fun' pastimes. Every time I see my children embark upon a special project for school, or take books out of the library on a new subject, just for the sheer joy of it, I know that they are reaping the benefits of growing up in a Montessori classroom.

A also like the fact that children are not segmented into age groups in the Montessori classroom, which encourages sharing of knowledge and experience, and breaks down artificial barriers of grade levels. Older children teach younger children. Children have realistic mentors this way, not just in the persona of adults, and older children gain a sense of mastery. The combined age groups are an ideal way to create communities of learners and teachers, for to teach is to learn.

The Montessori education has helped my child to become more independent because of this combining of age groups. They willingly take part in all family activities and decisions, even chores, because they know it is their responsibility to set an example for others. I do not have to shout at them to do their homework, and I worry less about the negative impact of peer pressure than some parents, because I have seen my children each develop a unique personality that is strong and resilient.

For many years I have personally observed the Montessori holistic approach work its magic as an assistant and acted as an aide to the fostering of such independence, love of learning, and personal growth. I have delighted in a classroom to see many methods of learning going on at once, and many different subjects being studied in harmony. My responsibilities include the care and maintenance of the materials. I love finding the best materials possible for the children to embark upon their learning. Having the right books, art supplies, specimens, and supplies is critical to creating an environment that fosters learning. And I have grown and learned with my own children, and the students I have worked with.