These flip flops remind me of The Number Rods in a Montessori classroom!!! You can see Claire's bite marks on them

Preparation of The Spirit

"It is not about learning of ideas but the preparation of the spirit....... A teacher who is to help life has to deeply understand the child...." These were Dr. Montessori's words. 

Handicraft Exhibition on Beach Road

I have been discovering how true these words are.  I am often filled with thoughts of students working and some not working in the classroom.  It is a beautiful experience.  Today we designed small tables and chairs and shelves for the classroom.  The carpenter is so very amazed, he has never made such small furniture.  He is equally eager to see our classroom, he has no idea what is going to be the use of his creation.  I told him that it will give him immense joy when he actually sees what the children will do and accomplish.

I bought three trays that looked beautiful from a craft exhibition yesterday, I kept trying to place one on the table and pick it up very carefully several times.  I totally forgot that people were watching me and ended up receiving some strange looks.  But I was only trying to see if the little hands will be comfortable grasping these trays.  And this is not new for any Montessori teacher out there.

Sunrise Early Monday Morning

I have a great desire to do good in the field of education.  I have the certitude that it is possible and that I am not the only one with such hope. 

Total Freedom Leads to Chaos

Montessori

I have been having a lot of discussions on education as I am meeting people and sharing my ideas.  When I mention 'Montessori', most people think its a new idea of letting the child be free in the classroom, let him do whatever he wants and the teachers are very open minded.  This allows me to speak of the very beginning of Early Childhood Education of which Dr. Montessori was one of the founding and defining authors.  I was very happy to tell the story of how Dr. Montessori came up with the new scientific method of educating the young child in which the child's natural desire for learning is nurtured.  And this method is widely used in various ways in all educational institutes through out the world.

Freedom Vs Structure

Dr. Montessori spoke of an environment which is student driven and not merely teacher driven.  Students are the engine of the classroom not the teacher.  I have always tried to understand the fine balance between freedom and structure.  I have been in classrooms that were totally teacher driven and classrooms that were student driven.  It is difficult to find a classroom that is perfect but however a balance between the both can be brought through maintaining a structured environment.  When the child experiences total freedom his life becomes chaotic which is the result of lack of concentration, coordination, order and independence.  This affects the child's ability to form judgements, make decisions and think critically in the long run.  Structure means freedom within limits.  The young child needs structure, structure in daily routine, structure in the classroom, structure in the playground.  This structure is created in a Montessori classroom through a prepared environment which reduces the chance of experiencing chaos.  Experiencing chaos can be good sometimes in order to appreciate structure and order, but not all the time.  The child between the age of 0-3 experiences an immense amount of information entering into his brain but does not have the ability to sort it out or categorize it, this is when the child is a bit chaotic but once the child is three years old, he begins to practice logic and reasoning and is able to categorize information.  Often external order helps the child to have an image of the internal order and structure and thus it is essential that education to be imparted to nurture inner order.

Acquisition of Language in The Developing Child

I have recently met some parents and relatives who are concerned that their toddler  is not talking and so I happened to explain the Language Acquisition sequence to some but have decided to make it available here so everyone can make use of this great tool for understanding the development of language in the young child.

Dr. Montessori’s Language Acquisition sequence shows that acquisition of language is a sophisticated method of communication, verbal as well as written acquired over a length of time.  Dr. Montessori humorously termed this process of learning as the machinery of speech. She believed that the possession of language is just not enough, it is the possession of the mechanism that each human being has and that enables him to make language his own.  The Language Acquisition chart describes the natural progression of the development of language.

Dr. Montessori's chart describing Acquisition of Language, I have two typing errors here; in utero, the fetus responds to external 'stimuli' and by 6 years of age the language is 'complete'

According to this sequence of development, the fetus responds to external stimuli even when he is in his mother’s womb. From birth to 3 months of age the infant turns his head towards the sound. From 3 to 6 months the infant begins to babble, occasionally repeating sounds. At 10 months the child becomes conscious of language and discovers that words have meaning.  He also begins to grasp that words are directed towards him. Between 12 -15 months, he uses his first intentional words. At 18 months the child realizes that every object has a name and finally between 21 months - 2.5 years the child explodes into the use of words and phrases and possesses a vocabulary of more than 250 words. The slow and steady development appears in a vigorous outburst. From the age of 2.5 years to 6 years is the time when the child constantly learns grammar syntax, refines his verbal skills and continuously strives to perfect his language.

Indian Welcome And Talking About Montessori

Indian Welcome

Claire and myself under a mango tree

Our long airplane journey finally ended in homeland in Chennai.  It still feels very much like a dream.  A very good friend came to pick us up at the airport.  Baby and I were exhausted and dehydrated when we got to Pondicherry.  We stayed at the Carmel Convent's guest house.  This convent was built in the 17th century,  a significant piece of the history of this coastal town.  The sisters welcomed us and we were comfortable. We visited with sisters while they busily made hosts for the whole archdiocese here.  I recalled my retreats here when I was a student at the Pondicherry University.  Ever since I have landed here I have been feasting my eyes with the view of the Bay of Bengal, coconut trees,  fresh mangoes and  the joy of being around family members fills my heart up to the brim.  People just consider any baby as their own here, often strangers passing by stop to tickle Claire.  Everyone here is very warm and although the daily struggles of life are amplified there is still peace and certitude of a better tomorrow.

Talking About Montessori

I have been meeting a lot of people among who are many parents and their children are in schools.  It seems that there are many playschools in the area and all of them say they are either Montessori or Montessori inspired.  Although these schools are doing good work there is room for a Montessori school dedicated to Dr. Montessori's principles.  When I expressed my ideas to my father he told me the story of the island where nobody wore shoes and how all the salesmen from a shoe making company failed to sell any shoes until one salesman came along.  This salesman said "The market is here, I just have to teach them how to wear shoes and the benefits of wearing shoes!!"  I feel the same, however it is so different from wearing shoes to bringing awareness about early childhood development and an education that will lay foundation for the rest of the life of the child.  I visited one of the prominent schools in the town and found that a huge classroom of four walls and a few fancy tables defined the child's environment where he is to learn and discover.  I am evermore eager and impatient to have a classroom ready.

We are in the process of finding a building suitable for our needs for a classroom and an outdoor space.  The town is pretty compact and to dream of a garden space is a lot but there is no harm in dreaming.

So much for now! I will be able to write more often now, as I finally have internet.

Dr. Montessori's Time in India Part 1

There is not much information about Dr. Montessori's time in India.  Recently, I stumbled upon an article on the web written by Dr. Gardner.  The article is in two parts and I have read them both.  It made me recall my experience of visiting a school that was founded by Leena Sarabhai under the guidance of Dr. Montessori who stayed with her for many years.

Leena Sarabhai and Myself

In 2008 when Stephen and I were in India, we made several phone calls to find out if there were any Montessori Institutes or schools in the area where we were staying.  Fortunately someone from Bangalore gave us the name of a Montessori school in Ahmedabad.  Stephen and I decided to go there for an observation.  It is called the Shreyas Foundation.  We were taken by surprise to see a beautiful wooded campus in the middle of the daily hub of Ahmedabad.  We were greeted by a pair of peacocks as we walked towards the sparingly visible building. 

"I have been here before!" I said to Stephen and he laughed saying, "In your dreams."  No, I really had been here in 1996 with a classmate of mine, Deepali, who had attended this school.  She took me there to show me her school and in particular meet her teacher who still teaches here.

Leena Sarabhai and Stephen

We received a very warm welcome by the office staff and were told that 'Madam'(Dr. Montessori), herself had designed the school building and the campus.  We were given the opportunity to visit two classrooms that were set up by Dr. Montessori.  Observations from these two classrooms are recorded in her books, The Absorbent Mind and The Discovery of The Child. It was an amazing experience and we were eager to meet the founder of the school,  Leena Sarabhai.  We took an auto ricksha to her residence and were fortunate to spend some time with her.  We sat by Leena Sarabhai and listened to fabulous stories of Dr. Montessori and her venture of starting  the Shreyas Foundation.   She held our hands and told us to come to India and that there was much to be done.  

Leena Sarabhai invited us to join her at the school the next week for a cultural program.  Stephen and I took a seat with little students in one of the open air auditoriums where young students won our hearts by their performance.  Stephen has a recording of our conversations with Leena Sarabhai. 

Leena Sarabhai's Garden

It has been four years since we visited Shreyas and hope we will have another chance to visit again.  I am confident that we will be able to respond to this invitation towards serving little people who need us the most and truly there is much to be done.

Dr. Montessori's time in India.... to be continued in Part 2

The Black Outlines

Teen Board Box with a black outlined lid

We have found that all of the boxes containing Montessori materials have black outlines.  I find it very interesting and assume that it is for tracing the box before presentation, giving the child a visual parameter of the shape and size of the box.  I remember when Sr. Anita told us the secret behind using mats in the classroom.  It is to give the child a visual sense of his work area and research has proved that the young child does not have the ability to use peripheral vision until much later.  I doubt if any manufacturers still make these boxes with black outlines.