Re-visiting Authentic Montessori: Education For Peace

To love a beautiful sunset or to look with wonder on a tiny insect does not necessarily awaken a greater feeling of affection towards humanity; nor does a love for art in a man beget a love for his neighbor. What is necessary is that the individual from the earliest years should be placed in relation with humanity.What is first wanted is no patronizing charity for humanity but a reverent consciousness of its dignity and worth. (Montessori, 1967)

Dr. Maria Montessori was the first female physician in Italy. She is renown for her philosophies on a child-centered approach to education, that bears her name. It is through her efforts and the work of her followers that Montessori education was adopted worldwide.   
Over the past couple of decades the word, “Montessori” has become a household term in Sri Lanka, used almost as a synonym for a nursery or a pre-school setting for young children. Many institutions that employ methods that are in no way similar to the Montessori method, have mushroomed around the island in recent years claiming to be “Montessori’s, using this synonymy to their advantage.   

The Montessori philosophy is a carefully constructed scientific method, and those institutions that are not following those methods, by using the term Montessori, mislead susceptible parents into believing that their child is receiving a Montessori education. Even though it is understood that the name Montessori is being used in place of terms such as nursery, playschool or kindergarten, this erroneous usage of the term is not to be taken lightly. It is vital that the parents ensure the credentials of institutions and the training of teachers before enrolling their children, to avoid being manipulated.   
Among the institutes that offer Montessori training to teachers, the Association International Montessori Training Centre at St. Bridget’s Convent Colombo 7, is the only AMI training Centre in Sri Lanka. This centre had been visited and inspected by Dr. Maria Montessori herself, in the early 1940s, while living in India. Dr. Montessori had also conducted lectures at this institute at times.   

"The beauty of the Montessori method is that children of all age groups can benefit from it, as well as children with special needs, as this method caters to the development milestones of each and every individual child"

USA-based educational consultant Ms. Chandra Fernando, is one of the exemplary Montessorians produced by this institution. Upon completing her Montessori training at St. Bridget’s Montessori Training Centre, Colombo, she went on to complete degrees in early childhood education in the USA. The USA still has a shortage of Montessori trained teachers, Ms. Fernando noted. However in Sri Lanka, the demand for Montessori teachers is being consistently met.   
Ms. Chandra Fernando is an advocate for peace, and she believes peace begins with the innocence of children and the Montessori method of education is the key to instill those values at an early age. Among other publications, she has authored a children’s book, “A Little Book of Peace” where the content is written in all three languages, Sinhala, Tamil and English. This book is available at the Barefoot outlets, and the proceedings are donated to the Foundation of Goodness.   
During her visits to Sri Lanka, Ms. Fernando involves herself in voluntary peace-building work. During her most recent visit to Sri Lanka on December 3 she addressed teachers at the St. Bridget’s Convent Montessori Training Center on “re-visiting authentic Montessori” and “sustainable development goals of the United Nations”. While the basic philosophies of Montessori education remain unchanged, and are uniform globally, region-specific cultural nuances, are incorporated into education. Re-visiting Montessori methods is a timely reminder not to deviate from the ultimate goal which is achieving peace.   

As Ms. Fernando further explained, “Dr. Montessori did not start off as a teacher, she was a doctor who worked with children dealing with learning problems. She went on to read many theories and philosophies put forward by educationists on methods to help children with learning problems. Upon experimenting those methods, it was found to be effective, thus the “Montessori” method was created. It is a scientific method, based on educational psychology and experimentation, and its also a philosophy. Since different children learn in different ways and paces, this method is child-centric, and it focuses on the child. When applied in its true essence, the Montessori method is tailor made for each child, where instead of competition, cooperation is being encouraged. Especially in settings with multi age grouping, younger children learn from older children or vice versa. The children are brought up in a way that they care for one another.”   

The beauty of the Montessori method is that children of all age groups can benefit from it, as well as children with special needs, as this method caters to the development milestones of each and every individual child. She also remarked that contrary to popular belief, the Montessori method of teaching is not limited to early childhood education, but can be applied to children of any age group. It is not unusual for children in the UK and USA to receive “Montessori” education even beyond their primary years.   
The Montessori Method is a prepared educational environment where children can live and work independently, and involve themselves in hands-on activities and collaborative play. The physical, social, cognitive and emotional aspects of the child are addressed, instead of graded progress and competitions.   
At this highly competitive, fast paced era, one must not lose sight of what is truly important for human development, because no amount of individual economical or material success can make the world a better place. Revisiting authentic Montessori ensures the values stay intact and the true purpose of education is fulfilled, as the destination should always 
be peace.   

Montessori Teacher Training Course

Applications are being called for the Montessori teacher training course scheduled to begin in mid-May. Those interested in becoming future AMI Montessori teachers can collect their application forms between 9 am and 4 pm on any week day from the AMI Good Shepherd Maria Montessori Training Centre at St. Bridget’s Convent Colombo 7

Pic by Kushan Pathiraja