Friday, August 31, 2012

Happy Birthday Maria!

Happy 142nd birthday Dr. Maria Montessori!



From Google (whose founders credit you with their success)

To these innovative individuals who have given so much back to society:

Alice Waters
Julia Child
Helen Keller
Alexander Graham Bell
Thomas Edison
Henry Ford
Mahatma Gandhi
Buckminster Fuller
Leo Tolstoy
Ann Frank
The Dalai Lama
Yo Yo Ma

We have been taught to think independently and to strike out on our own.  To love nature and to respect others.  To grow based upon your teaching principles.

We have been nurtured in a class that allows you to select your own work and complete tasks at your own pace.  This has allowed us to excel and grow and move far beyond those of traditional school.

It's been 30 years since I was first exposed to the wonder that is a Montessori classroom and since I fell in love with my favorite work, the Pink Tower.


It is with joy that I send my own children to Montessori in hopes that they will also have a love of learning that knows no boundaries.

If you've never experienced a Montessori classroom please view the video below to get just a taste of what it is all about.

5 comments:

  1. What a wonderful tribute to so many great minds. We are all indebted to those dreamers and thinkers that went before us. Thank you for sharing with me. And thank you for your kind words and continued support. They mean more to me than I can express! Have a wonderful weekend!

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  2. I love your list. I've heard of these schools but really don't know anything about them. I'll watch the video as soon as my husband fixes the volume.

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  3. I love the tribute to Maria! I'm so glad that long ago I read a magazine article that had me intrigued and then later helped me decide to put you and Matt in Montessori!

    Love always,
    Mom

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  4. I love love love this tribute!! I hadn't known that you were a Montessori Mama, but I am not surprised. :) I dream of being more fully immersed in the Montessori method. When my older children were young I got a few great books on the subject and did my best to follow the Montessori way at home...then I sort of fell off the wagon. With my youngest now (age 15 months) I am trying again. We have a wonderful book that was suggested by an acquaintance who is a Montessori teacher. My friends thought I was crazy when we ditched our crib in favor of a mattress on the floor so she could "explore her environment" but I know we have lots more to learn...and lots of saving up to do so that my dream of sending at least one of my kids to a real Montessori school can come true! I have such respect and such a warm spot in my heart for Maria Montessori and all that she had to share. I would love to see more posts about this and how you implement her methods at home. Thank you so much for sharing!!!
    XO,
    Tamar

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  5. What an incredible legacy Dr Montessori left behind. She truly is a leading light in the field of education. You are so lucky to have a Montessori school nearby. If we had one here in Bath, I would have sent Lil' L there without a shadow of a doubt.

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