Secrets of Montessori

Gentle Hands, Quiet Voices: Secrets of Montessori 

By Randi Lynn Mrvos
Issue 118, May/June 2003

Time was running out. My husband and I had to make a decision: Should we keep our three-year-old daughter, Abby, in daycare, or enroll her in a preschool? My sister had received an extraordinary education at a Montessori school from 1974 through 1980; however, I wasn't sure it would be right for my daughter. Perhaps visiting a classroom would help us decide.

We brought Abby to an open house at Providence Montessori, in Lexington , Kentucky . Like the interior of a home, the classroom was warm, inviting, and comfortable. Desks in rows of five were absent. Instead, small tables and chairs were neatly arranged near work trays that rested on low shelves. I gazed at the bright posters and Van Gogh prints, then peeked outside at the snow-dusted benches and birdfeeders. Even though I was impressed with the beauty and the meticulous organization, I wondered if Montessori would be right for us. Would my daughter be prepared for high school, college, and life?

Before visiting the classroom, I had bought two books: Lesley Britton's Montessori: Play and Learn and Cam Gordon's Together With Montessori. I learned that Maria Montessori was born in 1870 in a place called Chiaravalle , Italy . Rather than following her parents' wishes to become a teacher, she graduated as the first woman physician in Italy . Her interest, however, lay in working with special-needs children. Because she had also trained as an anthropologist, she was able to study and to work with these children in hopes of finding a way to educate them. Through her observations she developed a successful method, which was introduced to classrooms of more typical students.

Montessori became convinced that children develop in three-year intervals. In keeping with her theories, most Montessori schools offer Primary (ages 3-6) and Elementary (ages 6-9 and 9-12). Each class usually consists of 25 to 30 children taught by two or three teachers. The Primary curriculum includes practical life exercises such as pouring, washing, and sweeping. In addition, mathematics, language, geography, science, music, and art are taught. In Elementary, the same subjects are taught, but in more depth and with more individualized lessons. Children in Elementary learn zoology and botany, go on more field trips, and listen to guest speakers.

Through my reading, I discovered some secrets of the Montessori Method. Maria Montessori believed that the classroom should be furnished with child-sized tables and chairs. The work should be placed at levels accessible to children. In addition, teachers should encourage a child to repeat an activity until it is perfected. Montessori believed that intellectual capacity increased when children learned through sensory exploration. For example, in the teaching of geography, on some world globes the shapes of the continents are made of sandpaper. Items to be studied are sometimes placed in cloth bags to give the children practice in identifying objects through their sense of touch.

Reading books helped me partially understand Maria Montessori's principles, but observing the classroom let me see them in action. This was a special place--a child-friendly environment. Every square foot of the classroom offered educational choices. My husband and I liked the classroom, but what about Abby? At first, she shyly clung to my leg. Then, she slowly disengaged and walked over to a shelf. She lifted a puzzle, placed it on a table, and plopped on a chair to piece it together. When--four puzzles later--it was time to leave, we had to pry her away. Abby's reaction, and positive feedback from friends who have chosen Montessori, made our decision easy. We enrolled her in Providence for the fall.

Eight months later, we noticed that Abby had made huge progress in verbal, dexterity, math, and social skills. Her accomplishments were so impressive that I made arrangements to observe her class and see how she learned. On a brisk April day, Abby and I walked, hand in hand, to her classroom. She and other children laid their jackets on the floor, placed hangers inside, and zipped or buttoned their coats. After they'd hung up their jackets, they quietly found a project. What independence! Half an hour later, pupils and teachers gathered in a circle on the floor. Abby wasn't sure she wanted me to stay for Group Time, but as the class sang the cheery "Good Day" song, she pulled a chair up for me and sat pressed against my shins.