Montessori, With a Side of “ish” Part 1
I’ve never been the all or nothing type. I have my beliefs, values, and preferences, yes. But even when I deeply identify with an idea or concept, even when I am excited and motivated by something, I don’t like to commit to it 100%. Don’t get me wrong, I commit to people. I commit to plans. I commit to many things in life, and I do so with my whole heart. I follow through when I agree to something. What I don’t commit to is wrapping up my entire identity or way of life in one notion or philosophy.
When I found my way to Montessori over 10 years ago, I was in love. The whole philosophy just spoke to me. Measuring success not by numbers or scores, but by the contentment, creativity, and thought process of the learner. An emphasis on depth of engagement and study rather than breadth of material. Providing lessons based upon observations of the child and his readiness to learn, rather than basing them off of a model that was created for efficiency. Igniting curiosity in the child, planting seeds of interest and then stepping back and giving freedom for those little bits to flourish. Cultivating strengths, fostering true growth. Recognizing that the child is far more capable than we are inclined to give her credit for. I loved all of it. I still do.
You can love something without losing your identity to it. You can participate in a practice without being swallowed by it. I am a firm believer in moderation. Except when it comes to cookies during the time of Covid-19 & quarantine. Then I believe in full immersion.
Anyway, my point here is this— embrace the ish. I fear that Montessori is one of those things that gets a bad rap because people who aren’t familiar with it assume it’s like some kind of cult. That you have to know everything about it and promise to do everything by the books if you’re going to welcome it into your family’s life. While I believe you should be selective about the school you enroll your child in when seeking out Montessori education, I do not believe you have to be as strict about considerations when integrating it into your home life. Integrate is the key word there! It means to fuse, blend, and combine.
I find that practices work best for me when I integrate. Take what works and leave the rest. When we try too hard to do it all and to do it exactly by the books, it so often backfires. It creates unrealistic expectations and becomes unattainable. It makes us feel like failures. Montessori is not here to make you feel bad. No educational method or philosophy is here to do that. Most methods were created by one person or a very small group of people during one moment in time. Montessori was first developed by Maria Montessori in 1907. RIE, by Magda Gerber and Thomas Forrest in 1978. Waldorf— Rudolf Steiner and Emil Molt in 1919. Unschooling & Homeschooling, inspired by John Holt in the 1970s. The factory-model we still see in many public schools today— Horace Mann, 1850s, built for the Industrial Revolution.
All of the aforementioned methods of education were mainly inspired by one person during one time in the world. Times change. People change. To be expected to use one model in your life is not necessarily sustainable nor is it as enriching as taking bits and pieces from different philosophies and different times in our world. I like to call it the Hunter-Gatherer Method— search for what resonates, what fits. Collect it in your basket, take it home, and make something that is just right for your family.
For me, for right now, Montessori with a side of ish is what works. Or maybe it’s ish with a side of Montessori. Who knows? I’ll talk about what that looks like in my next post. Until then, start hunting. Search for the little scraps of magic you’ll need to make your perfect ish.