"Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows."
--Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dr. Maria Montessori would have agreed vehemently with this statement. She believed that "Establishing lasting peace is the work of education," that changing the way we educate children is the key to a peaceful future. Peaceful problem solving will probably never be on The Test, but it will be evident in the citizens we raise to shepherd our future.
This afternoon, I sat on the stoop outside our building with a child who had dissolved into loud, angry tears. Angry feelings are OK, but loud, disruptive noises in the classroom are not. I quietly reminded him that I was ready to listen to words when he was ready to use them--and then waited. A fifth grader came out to empty a bucket of dust rags and dirty water from their Friday classroom cleaning. He asked what was wrong with the child, and I explained that he was angry and why.
The fifth grader nodded knowingly and said to the child, "Come here. I have something that will help you with your anger." (No kidding: those words.) My second grader walked over, and the fifth grader gently and patiently instructed him to take one of the wet rags and squeeze as hard as he could, dripping the water into the bucket.
This simple scene illustrates so much of what we're trying to accomplish in Montessori programs. This is why we group the children together with multiple ages--so that the older children can serve as role models, providing wisdom and leadership for the younger children. This is why we work so hard at peaceful problem solving--because one day they get it! And that will make all the difference.
--Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dr. Maria Montessori would have agreed vehemently with this statement. She believed that "Establishing lasting peace is the work of education," that changing the way we educate children is the key to a peaceful future. Peaceful problem solving will probably never be on The Test, but it will be evident in the citizens we raise to shepherd our future.This afternoon, I sat on the stoop outside our building with a child who had dissolved into loud, angry tears. Angry feelings are OK, but loud, disruptive noises in the classroom are not. I quietly reminded him that I was ready to listen to words when he was ready to use them--and then waited. A fifth grader came out to empty a bucket of dust rags and dirty water from their Friday classroom cleaning. He asked what was wrong with the child, and I explained that he was angry and why.
The fifth grader nodded knowingly and said to the child, "Come here. I have something that will help you with your anger." (No kidding: those words.) My second grader walked over, and the fifth grader gently and patiently instructed him to take one of the wet rags and squeeze as hard as he could, dripping the water into the bucket.
This simple scene illustrates so much of what we're trying to accomplish in Montessori programs. This is why we group the children together with multiple ages--so that the older children can serve as role models, providing wisdom and leadership for the younger children. This is why we work so hard at peaceful problem solving--because one day they get it! And that will make all the difference.
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