While reading about Dr. Maria Montessori’s life, I became curious about her relationship with America. Her initial interactions with the presidential elite suggested that she was poised to provide the blueprint for the American education system. Then, it fizzled out. So, what happened? As an African American and as a woman, my suspicion was that someone wanted to take credit for her work and/or exploit her work in some way and she was not going for it.
A (little) research…
My research (limited to the internet and took less than 1 hour) turned up very little but I was able to find references to her and two men: Dewey and Kilpatrick. These two white men were the leading authorities on education in the US during her time and their practice was different from hers. In addition to the war at hand, I suspected that the “full stop” on Montessori had something to do with them. I was able to find one article: Maria Montessori, John Dewey, and William H. Kilpatrick (https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1284&context=eandc) that pretty much confirmed my suspensions. Thankfully, Montessori had a home base in Italy and a global (largely European) following group that allowed her to walk away from the “American Situation” (my term) without any real cost to her or the Montessori Method. A hundred years later, the American (public) education system is broken and the Montessori Method is thriving.
Her Impact on America’s Education System:
Although Montessori walked away, her impression remained. True to American greed, the educational “powers that be” (Kirkpatrick, Dewey, and their crew) were able to incorporate many of Montessori’s approaches into our modern-day teaching methods without giving her credit. She also influenced the minds of great thinkers like Piaget and Anne Freud (Freud’s daughter). Her direct impact on our current education system includes:
- recognizing early childhood (preschool age) as a unique time of development
- the creation and use of child-size furniture and artifacts
- the idea of open classrooms and student work choice
- the idea of students being actively involved in their learning
- interesting and engaging student work materials
- schools as an appropriate and ideal place for the development of a child’s potential.
These are just a few. Her work is a foundation for our Head Start programs, which many seem to view as a fundamental right of all children. That is how important her work is, yet many have no idea who she is. Even as I write this, I know of two public schools that are trying to replicate what they think are the most beneficial features of the Montessori approach (multiage classrooms and a strong lead teacher with an assistant). Yet, they refuse to properly learn the Montessori Method. Sadly, this is not uncommon. Just as sadly, I have not learned of any quasi-programs that have yielded the outcomes of an authentic Montessori classroom. One reason is because the Montessori approach is based on scientific observations of the child. It is not based on achieving a specific end. This seems to be the opposite approach of our public school system.
I am reminded, again, of the gift that God provided humanity through…dare I say it…His prophet Maria Montessori. For a prophet is one that speaks to the people for God and it seems that God used Maria Montessori to help man more clearly see the honor of being human. In response, I have recommitted myself to reread and re-examine her work, her lessons, my albums, and my practice to better understand her intentions and vision. Hopefully, this will help me develop a more true practice and better serve the children I am honored to guide.
You can learn more about the Montessori approach to education and teacher training opportunities at the following websites:
Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) – https://montessori-ami.org/
American Montessori Society (AMS) – https://amshq.org/
