Www.miaworld.org - July 2003

Montessori Institute of America 3410 S. 272nd St Kent, Washington 98032 Phone: 253-859-2262 Fax: 253-859-1737 Email: [email protected]

MIA

Visi ns in a Changing World

MIA Conference Perspectives from Attendees What Can We Say? By Carol Codd After attending the first night of the MIA annual conference, I left with that sinking feeling that all words I have used, use now, or will use in the future are not the “right ones!” (I had already been struggling with this particular dilemma while working on my panel discussion for the conference dealing with rewards and punishments and their effects on one’s learning paths.) After listening to dynamic and passionate Alfie Kohn, I felt—initially -–that I was a terrible teacher! But as I listened more, I realized that I was evolving as a person, and my teaching skills were evolving as well. As a first year Montessori teacher, I am always looking to improve the skills that work with the children, and change or remove the ones that do not work. I try to let the children be the guide, but sometimes this approach is lost in the overall climate

of the classroom setting. Mr. Kohn was not criticizing –he was challenging us to use positive, critical thinking. By doing that, we will know what we “can say.” I do not think it is something we just “know’ how to do. It is knowledge that is gained through development of self, a system of checks and balances, and the guidance of our Montessori backgrounds, and our commitment to our children. Carol took the MTP of WA course in Kent, WA, and her internship in West Seattle. She is now pursuing the 6-9 certificate in Seattle, and is a new member of the MIA Board.

What I Gained From the Conference By Michael Tarnowski Sharlet McClurkin posed a question: “Do we still use behavior modification in the classroom?” The Continued page 3

Summer, 2003

MIA ANNUAL CONFERENCE HELD MAY 16-17 The annual MIA conference was held May 16-17 at Shoreline Conference Center in Shoreline, WA, Friday evening and Saturday. Nearly 400 people attended the lectures by Alfie Kohn Friday evening. Approximately 120 Montessorians attended the Saturday conference, and 250 participants from The Heritage Institute. The date and place set by the MIA Board for the next conference is Hilton Head, S.C. in October, 2005. The MIA Board thanks all participants for their help in making the conference a success!

Inside From the Editor.......................... 2 MIA Annual Conference Perspectives ........................3-7 The Meaning of Montessori ...... 8 MIA Board Members ............... 10

From the Editor, Sharlet J. McClurkin The June 11, 2003, EDUCATION WEEK newspaper resuccessful with our children at Montessori Plus School. ported that full-day kindergarten boosts reading achieveRarely is there a child who leaves us for first grade who is not ments in 5-year-olds. (For a copy of the report, go online to reading. Parents and educators in the public schools are http://nces.ed.gov/) surprised and impressed with the learning skills, level of It is interesting to me to remember the views of many ability and maturity of our “graduating” children. Children we early childhood educators when I first became a Montessori have viewed as the usual Montessori child are often placed teacher thirty years ago. At that time, it was thought to be into gifted programs. inappropriate for 5-year-olds to be in “school” all day. If they It is also fascinating to see the older children eagerly were in child care, that was acceptable, but not in a learning choosing academic work in the morning class. The younger environment. Those of us who were Montessori teachers children watch them and admire the work they do. Soon and parents of children in the 2-1/2 to 6 age range knew they, also, will be ready for the upper third of the materials. that our own “older” children benTeachers do not have to say,“Please efited greatly from staying in class all choose challenging work,” or some day. They were reading at 4-1/2 years other onerous phrase that demeans and loved to stay in the afternoon children’s choice-making and the very class to continue their work. work itself. L ast year it was fascinating The Association Montessori to see my 4.75 year old grandson Internationale coined the term, laying out the birds-eye view of the “extended day,” to describe the decimal system (and putting it away) afternoon class for 4- 1/2 to 5 year four days in a row! olds who stay and primarily work with Now that a federally-funded, longthe academic materials. The foresight term study offers evidence that fullof AMI in the Montessori movement day kindergarten gives children a set the pace for other organizations to Riley Mc Clurkin (age 4.75) laying out the head start, we must examine the kind “bird’s eye view” of the decimal system consider this plan for the older of all-day learning that our children children. are doing. In this study with more than 17,000 children, it In the last twenty-five years, the majority of Montessori was found that schools I have visited in the U.S. have “extended” their hours • Early exposure to books and literacy lessons can boost to provide child care as well as school for children. Unfortureading achievement for most students. Most children tend nately, many schools that I visit do not provide an afternoon to master basic reading by the time they leave 1st grade, and class for the older children. Instead, the children may be nearly all of them know letters and letter sounds; some can given a one-hour class after nap time, and then extended recognize some words outdoor play or block and art time. • Children who attended full-day kindergarten had the In a majority of the classrooms I observe, it is unusual to ability to demonstrate greater reading knowledge and skill see the 4-1/2 to 5 year olds dedicated to the upper third of than their peers in half-day programs did. the materials. In their social stage, they often are drawing • The study was conducted by the National Center for and socializing, playing with blocks or other non-Montessori Education Statistics and was conducted on kindergarten materials in the afternoon class. children in the class of 1998-99. More information from This child care plan is not to be equated with “extended these children who are now in 3rd grade is expected to be day” in which older children continue working with their released later this year. math, language and cultural materials from the morning According to Lesley Mandel Morrow, a professor of session. Without the distraction of the younger children, the education at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, and 4-1/2 ‘s and 5’s soon learn to go straight to their “big” work. the president of the International Reading Association Larger and more advanced art or cooking projects are states,“This gives us some more data that proves to us that available, but the majority of art and practical life is “off what happens to kids (when they’re) young is critical in their limits.” Blocks, art and other “play” is available to all-day success later on…But I would argue that it happens children after class ends at 3 p.m. younger than this.” She continues,“We need to start in Throughout the years this plan has been extremely preschool…By kindergarten, it’s almost too late.” 2

MIA Conference Perspectives (continued from page 1) question stayed with me during the research of observing classroom behavior from early February into May, and throughout the conference. I left the conference with a clearer understanding and stronger conviction that: yes, we do use behavior modification and should continue to do so. We should do so in a qualitative sense of understanding that behavior modification is simply dealing with habitual patterns of behavior, which are the results of previous mental structures. I left the conference with the conviction that behavior modification is essential to the adult in the classroom. The adult who, for example uses the constant phrase of saying “good job” to a child, the adult who incessantly states to a child that “you need to go find a job”, the adult who withdraws love from a child and ostracizes children, the adult who habitually utilizes means of control over children and for whom any of

retraining and rethinking so that there is a true sense of humility, detachment and constructive guidance. Adult patterns of control and manipulation to get an immediate response are areas where the adult in the classroom can and should utilize behavior modification. By restructuring our own attitudes and thought processes through sublimation and replacing negative patterns with positive ones we are indeed creating new habits. That is the sense I left the conference with.

“The Montessori Method” pg. 21

the “Roadblocks to Learning” are a part and parcel of her/his speech and behavior in the classroom. That is where behavior modification is essential. The adult mind requires constant

ENVIRONMENT AND BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION:

“It can modify in that it can help or hinder, but it can never create…The origins of the development both in species and in the individual, lie within. “The Montessori Method” pg. 105

REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS:

“…such prizes and punishments are…the instrument of slavery for the spirit…The prize and the punishment are incentives toward unnatural or forced effort, and therefore we can never speak of the natural development of the child in connection with them.

them to convey the message of the work being done at that school. It was a message that spoke of the value of true cooperation, on the part of many people, including the work by Sharlet and Don and MIA as a training facility. “Caritas” is aptly named and both speakers represent the epitome of that term. Sharlet’s calm and pervasive

It did my heart good to be present at a conference with so many persons dedicated to the principles of assisting children in the Montessori fashion. It was obvious that Sharlet and Don McClurkin and others spent many, many hours of preparation over a period of months. Hearing all of the speakers, chosen by Sharlet and the MIA Board, their concern, humility and gratitude left me with the sense of knowing that the commitment to “following the child” and the great experiment initiated by Dr. Montessori is alive and well. When Julia Pane and Cathie Bernstein of Caritas Training Center spoke about the Brooklyn School, it was (to me) as if time stopped, for 3

demeanor was very beneficial to the whole conference, including her introduction to Saturday’s speech by Alfie Kohn. I thought it was ingenious that Sharlet asked Dr. Patricia Feltin and Dr. Page Carter to be the “silent observers” during the entire conference, (i.e. the Montessori portion and the Alfie Kohn lecture) so they might offer the summary statements. Those summary statements were indeed profound and calming. While Alfie Kohn’s remarkable research has led him to seemingly almost only give examples of what not to say to children, I also heard within his message what should be given in the classroom. He mentioned Paulo Frieire as an example of how to dialogue with children. Frieire recommends what he calls the “Dialogical Method” of teaching for children from the pre-logical age through university. Kohn showed an example of that type of dialoguing through videotape of a classroom in action. In that video, the teacher is Continued page 4

MIA Conference Perspectives (continued from page 3) facilitating with the children what subject matter they might study in the classroom as the next unit. Alfie Kohn also agreed that the work of Dr. Thomas Gordon’s “Parent Effectiveness Training” was a good example of what should be present in the classroom. Both the works of Dr. Gordon and Pablo Frieire are part of

tion) I ask, what is the source of that love and that motivation? As I read and re-read Dr. Montessori’s work I am reminded over and over that the source is spiritual. The great experiment of Dr. Montessori as she introduced it to the world, as she stood on the speech platform at the opening ceremony of the “Casa de Bambini” and as she read from the scriptures the words of the THE SPIRITUAL TRAINING OF Epiphany, told more about her inner THE TEACHER: “The real motivation than any intellectual preparation for education is a discourse could. When she looked at study of one’s self. The training the children and said,“Who are you, of the teacher who is to help who are you…” and implied through life is something far more than her own soul searching that if you are the children of the Lord ‘I will follow a learning of ideas. It includes the training of character; it is a you’. In that alone, she presented the source of that so called unconditional preparation of the spirit.” love and inner motivation. That The Absorbent Mind, pg. 120 platform set the stage for the long enduring and continuing experiment the reading list we have from our MIA carried on by all Montessorians. training. Mr. Kohn’s message is to stop Mr. Kohn also stressed the imporbeing a controlling adult. It includes tance of “unconditional love” for dialoguing with children as Paulo children in the classroom as well as at Freire presents it. We may also home. His other recommendation include the great findings of neurowas that we work toward assisting biologists such as Dr. Lise Eliot and Dr. the method of inner motivation in Derek Bickerton to assist us in the students. Rewards and punishments classroom; it is still the message are, in Kohn’s opinion, part and parcel underlying the motive, which is of of the same side of the coin. External singular importance. If we attempt to motivation is the result of rewards stand in the light of what Dr. and punishments and pales in Montessori discovered, the source is comparison to the lasting and spiritual, and that it comes down to propitious effects of inner motivation. serving God. Then, perhaps, the There is something about simplis- continued experiment in our own tically telling people about uncondiclassrooms will stay on track. tional love and inner motivation, Michael took his academic course which seems to fall flat. If one were to through MTP of WA in Kent and his write the words “unconditional love” internship in his and his wife’s school in and inner motivation” on a chalkForest Grove, OR. He is the author of the board 100 times, what would you new booklet, FARM CAMP. have? The words, written 100 times, that is all.To those two statements, (unconditional love and inner motiva4

Thoughts on the MIA Conference By Paula Ilami I recently returned from the MIA Conference in Seattle. The conference was held in collaboration with the Heritage Institute, an organization that provides educational courses for public school teachers. The keynote speaker, Alfie Kohn, had much to say that provoked his audience. Mr. Kohn criticized many educational programs concerning their use of “packaged” discipline programs that focus on “handling” or “training” children. These programs only offer ways to out smart the children, according to Mr. Kohn, as well as methods for

INNER MOTIVATION:

“Children use the environment to improve themselves; adults use themselves to improve the environment. Children work for the sake of process: adults work to achieve an end result….The adult must follow a law of exerting minimum effort to attain maximum productivity. He will look both for gain and assistance. The child seeks no assistance in his work. He must accomplish it himself. Montessori, a Modern Approach, Polk Lillard, pg. 38

establishing consequences that ensure mindless compliance and control. Does such an environment, he asks, really promote meaningful learning? Kohn’s alternative is to make the classroom a community where students feel valued and respected, Continued page 5

MIA Conference Perspectives (continued from page 4) where care, trust and respect have taken the place of restrictions and threats. Alfie Kohn challenged traditional classrooms by suggesting that the adult’s first question should not be “ How can we make them do what we want ?“ but rather “What do they require in order to flourish, and how

ous and thought provoking. He left me wondering, however, if he had ever read one of Dr. Montessori’s books. She, too, had strong views concerning the harm of rewards and punishments. Dr. Montessori stated that prizes and punishment are “the bench of the soul, the instrument of slavery for the spirit.” Continuing in the same thought, she said prizes and punishments do not lessen the child’s ENGAGING THE CHILD IN THE deformities but tend to provoke CLASSROOM: “…too much them. Prizes and punishments are novelty or incongruity, the incentives toward unnatural or forced child will feel overwhelmed, effort, and, therefore, we certainly too little, he is bored. Finding cannot speak of natural development the problem of the match of the child in connection with them. was done by Montessori in She used an analogy to make her point: “The jockey offers a piece of giving freedom of choice sugar to his horse before jumping from a wide variety of mateinto the saddle, the coachman beats rials, graded in difficulty and his horse that he may respond to the complexity.” signs given by the rein and, yet, Montessori, a Modern neither of these runs so superbly as Approach, Polk Lillard, pg. 22 the horse of the plains.”º Mr. Kohn’s concepts are not new to Montessori teachers. In fact, we will can we provide those things?” soon celebrate the centennial of her At this point his lecture sounded ideas, as well the 100th birthday of very similar to “preparing the environ- Montessori classrooms around the ment” so that the child can be sucworld. It is good to be reminded cessful. (As we know, preparing the again that we can help children reach environment is nothing new to toward real liberty and independence Montessori trained guides.) Time in our classrooms.º Magazine recently described Mr. Paula is currently a trainer for Kohn as “perhaps the country’s most Montessori Teacher Preparation of the outspoken critic of education’s Southeast in Hilton Head, GA. fixation on grades (and) test scores.” I wonder if the editors of Time have ever spoken to anyone in the Montessori community on this topic? I think they would be surprised to learn how long we have been fighting these injustices to children! º I found Mr. Kohn to be an excellent speaker. His lectures were packed By Carol Codd with stories from real classrooms When I was first asked to particiaround the country. He was humorpate on the panel discussion at the

Reflections on My Research Re: Rewards and Punishments

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2003 annual MIA conference, I was filled with both joy and apprehension. As I started the process, I realized that it was joy, apprehension, and a whole lot more! Documenting dialogue between adults-teachers, assistants, parents-and children in Montessori classrooms was interesting and revealing, but what was more revealing was my reaction to what I heard, recorded, and ultimately transferred to my own teaching style. When considering the twelve roadblocks to learning-either positive or negative-in context of any given situation, I found myself compelled to analyze many of my personal teaching skills and styles. At first I thought my observations of adult’s interactions with children within a Montessori school setting would be more positive than negative. I was very surprised! In general, my observations showed a very controlling and directing pattern. I

THE SPIRITUAL TRAINING OF THE TEACHER: “The real

preparation for education is a study of one’s self. The training of the teacher who is to help life is something far more than a learning of ideas. It includes the training of character; it is a preparation of the spirit.” The Absorbent Mind, pg. 120

included my own comments and actions as part of my observations and findings. I realized that I needed to re-evaluate my teaching and my communication styles. This is not to say that everything I (and others) am doing is “not as Montessori-like as it should be.” I feel that as educators and mentors, we try to do our very best each and every day. We do, Continued page 7

MIA Conference Perspectives (continued from page 5) however, tend to fall back on what we ourselves were taught, often failing to push ourselves to the next level of personal and professional development. It is hard at look at ourselves as less than excellent in our role as educators to such precious individuals, the children we guide and teach. Having said that, I think being able to admit that we all have areas that need re-evaluation, we are on a lifelong path of growth and change. Re-evaluate: “It’s not what you say but how you say it.” A possible alternative: “What you say is really what you are saying.” What do we really want and mean to say? How will it be perceived and what are the effects on others and our selves? Overall, I feel the results of my research were instrumental in not only making me a more aware and ultimately better teacher, but also a more caring and effective person.

A Few Concluding Thoughts about the MIA National Conference By Dr. Page Carter To some degree, this year’s conference provided us with a view of many of the problems that education faces today. Alfie Kohn provided us a picture of the problems that result from the use of many traditional methods and how the more we attempt to control students, the less control we have. Cathie Bernstein and Julia Pane from the Caritas Training Center in Brooklyn, New York, did an outstanding job of making us aware

of the challenges we are already beginning to experience from the application of inane performance standards. The overall objective of the conference was to bring to us awareness and understanding of methods that can better help us in the education the whole child. One point I would like to interject here is that I find it interesting that the conference’s first presenter was

INNER MOTIVATION AND THE FUNDAMENTAL LESSON:

“The child not only needs something interesting to do, but also likes to be shown exactly how to do it. Precision is found to attract him deeply, and this it is that keeps him at work. From this we must infer that his attraction toward these manipulative tasks has an unconscious aim. The child has an instinct to coordinate his movements and to bring them under control. The Absorbent Mind, pg. 72

Michael Tarnowski, and the final presenter was me, and except for Alfie Kohn we were the only men on the program. This was, of course, reflective of the fact that there were only about a half dozen men registered for the conference. I would suggest that having too few men involved in teaching is just as big a problem as having too few women teachers. We should be doing more to attract men into becoming Montessori teachers and into teaching overall.

This is the fifth national MIA conference that I have attended but only the second where I have participated in the visitations to local schools. The result of this experience has led me to the conclusion that this is one of the most valuable parts of the conference. I am sure I will always attend that part of the program in the future and highly recommend that every participant take advantage of that offering at future conferences. I was particularly impressed with the visit to the Eton School in Redmond. Dr. Patricia Feltin, the director, along with the faculty, staff, and students, has created a remarkable school. For the past two years I have spent most of my time working with students in public middle schools and high schools. In our visit to Eton School we were able to observe third and fourth grade students doing mathematics and science course material comparable to the work of the high school students I have been working with. While observing these children at the Eaton School, I wasn’t sure whether I should be inspired or depressed. We concluded our tour at Eton School with a visit to a sixth grade class where we interrupted a lively discussion among the students and their teacher. The really remarkable thing about the discussion was that it was being conducted entirely in Latin. When one realizes that the average tuition being charged students at the Eton School is comparable to the amount spent per student by the public schools, it doesn’t take much to understand why public schools appear so threatened by charter schools. I am sure that what most people will remember about this year’ s conference will be the presentations by Alfie Kohn. In talking to quite a few of the conference attendees, I was struck by the reservations many of them had regarding his presentations Continued page 7

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MIA Conference Perspectives (continued from page 6)

they learn. and, in particular, his style of criticizAdmittedly, Mr. Kohn is weak on ing just about everything teachers do. My hope is that those who heard him providing suggestions on how to intervene with students who have will not let his style get in the way of already experienced extended dysfunctional behavior modification. That, however, should not discourage METHODS OF TEACHING: your providing environments that “We admit every lesson inallow children to make real choices. fringes the liberty of the child, You, too, should avail yourself of the and for this reason we allow it follow-on resources that he makes to last only a few seconds…It available. First of all there are his is in the subsequent free choice published books (about nine of them). After that, there is his web-site and the repetitions of the (http://www.alfiekohn.org) that exercise, as in the subsequent contains a wealth of material includactivity, spontaneous, associaing copies of seminar follow-up tive and reproductive, that the material and copies of published child will be left free.” articles that greatly amplify what he Spontaneous Activity in has presented at this conference. Take Education, by Montessori, pg. 43 advantage of all of these resources. They will provide you with added value for this conference and likely the ideas he is putting forth. Since the the reinforcement to better understand and apply the lessons of this advocacy of educators like Maria conference. Montessori and John Dewey, Alfie In conclusion, a thought: When Kohn is one of the few authors who each of us was a child, the thing most have stood up and challenged what is often seen as conventional wisdom. of us wanted was to be like and possibly achieve more than our He rightly points out that although rewards and punishment can accom- parents. As adults, if we have children, what most of us want is to have our plish short- term behavioral change, children respect the things we in the long term they have the respect and, hopefully, achieve more opposite effect, and in an effort to control human behavioral change, in than we have. None of those goals or the long term they have the opposite desires was ever fostered or achieved by being controlled or by controlling. effect. An effort to control human They are achieved through mutual behavior usually results in less control and more dysfunctional behavior. He respect and the opportunity to grow. Why should it be any different in our recommends that parents and learning communities? educator support our children’s Dr. Page Carter is a former professor natural curiosity about themselves of education at City University and now and their environment and encourage them to search for and overcome teaches in the public schools in Olympia, WA. challenges that relate to their interests. He proposes that we involve the Thanks to Michael Tarnowski for children in their own curriculum providing the conference-related development and allow them to quotes used in this article.. create their own ownership in what 7

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The Meaning of Montessori HOW MONTESSORI HAS CHANGED ME By Elaine Pruett Zapopan, JAL, Mexico Probably the biggest influence Montessori training has had on my life is in the area of my children. I now have a much more observant eye when looking for educational choices for my three boys. This year I have had the opportunity to teach in a traditional school that has incorporated a time for the children to experience a Montessori environment for three one-hour sessions each week. This opportunity has allowed me to observe first-hand the differences between the two systems. The most dynamic difference is in the area of discipline. Trinkets, special events, and prizes are the usual motivating force for good behavior or even learning in traditional education. There are several reasons for this, in my opinion: 1) Classroom size hinders children from freedom to move and explore. Their personal space is extremely limited and presents obstacles from working without interruptions causing problems socially between classmates and focused concentration in their work. 2) Inactivity between scheduled activities waiting for others to finish or clean up causes boredom. This boredom then leads to behavior problems. 3) Repetition of activity does not occur because of the scheduling of so many different activities and events during the day. This hinders any development of calmness that could be accomplished when the brain is satisfied with a successful cycle of activity. Because of these three major reasons, behavior modification

becomes a necessary tool to maintain control of the traditional classroom. With the Montessori training I have received and the experience that I now have, the main thing I look for in schools for my children has changed. I now look for a school that encourages the child to educate himself in a peaceful environment that supplies the child with a motivation from within himself. That can best be accomplished in a well prepared Montessori environment. Elaine took the MTP of WA course and internship in Kent, WA, and now teaches English and modified Montessori in classrooms in Mexico where she and her family are missionaries.

MY PERSONAL VIEW OF MONTESSORI

By Karin Haworth Elk, WA When my three children were born, growing and developing, we lived with wood heat and wholesome foods. Home schooling was wonderful yet challenging as anything in the natural world is. Now that I know of Montessori, I am convinced that natural education is more than old fashioned. It is sacred and holy. It is more than a privilege. It is the inherent right presented on a silver platter intended for all. My life with children is more complete having experienced the grace, beauty and logic of Maria Montessori’s philosophy and teachMONTESSORI TRAINING HAS ing method. She so kindly passed on TRANSFORMED ME to all who choose to accept. I am By Ayfen Haryono grateful to be one to choose accepKent, WA tance of her gift. I understand her Montessori training has meant so reference to becoming a ‘priestess’ much to me. (Spontaneous Activity in Education; First, it led me to a teaching world 1972, page 140) and the honor of that that I love. Teaching with the realization. Yet I must say my training Montessori method has given me will never end. Each day I seek guidmore confidence to teach children up ance so that I may learn from the to their optimum ability. I have children what it is they need from me. observed 4- year-old children who I want to be that perfectly unique are able to read simple words. Some individual teacher so the children I of them are also very good in math. I work with are free to grow and have realized that every single child develop as the unique individuals has to be encouraged according to they truly are. I am honored to receive his/her ability and interests. a child’s honest smile for that honesty Second, I now believe that I can assures me of my direction. help children by using the Montessori Karin took the MTP of Spokane method. I can be a useful learning course and has begun her own school tool for children. near Spokane, WA. Third, I have been transformed to become more patient and calm with MONTESSORI SHOWED ME the children. THE CHILD! Ayfen took the MTP of WA course By Stephanie Kidman and internship in Kent, WA. She is from Tulsa, OK Indonesia and now plans to take the 6By taking the Montessori training I 9 course in Seattle. have increased understanding, 8

The Meaning of Montessori (continued from page 8) enlightenment and opportunity in my life. My understanding of self, including increased self-acceptance, has occurred. I have also gained increased enlightenment concerning human nature, especially that of the child. I enjoy sharing this new understanding and enlightenment with others. By teaching me that it is O.K. to make mistakes and that there is actually a purpose in making mistakes, Dr. Montessori philosophy has increased my acceptance of myself. My two favorite quotes are from “The Absorbent Mind, “I am not perfect. I am not omnipotent…I can make mistakes and correct myself, thus finding my way.” (p.249). “So it is well to cultivate a friendly feeling toward error, to treat it as a companion inseparable from our lives. As something having a purpose, which it truly has (p.246). By shedding light on the child’s nature, Montessori has helped me to understand the child and to confirm some aspects of his nature that I had already suspected. So many people see a child’s curiosity and busyness as rebellion and hyperactivity, when really he is following his natural instincts to explore which thus brings about his own development. When an adult impedes these instincts a conflict naturally occurs. “…a child’s tantrums and rebellions are nothing more than the aspects of a vital conflict between his creative impulses and his love for an adult who fails to understand his needs… “ (The Secret of Childhood). This understanding can change the way we treat our children and help others understand and thus foster proper treatment and development of the child. Having absorbed so much in the

training concerning the child’s nature and how he develops, I have been able to share this with others and thus help bring about one more aspect of the child’s total health. (One of my purposes in life is to help foster the integral health of the child.) As a missionary and an educator, the training has giving me not only increased knowledge and enlightenment but also the platform on which to stand while sharing this knowledge and enlightenment with others. It was a worthwhile investment of time, finances and effort and I am grateful that I had this opportunity. Stephanie took the MTP of WA course and internship in Seattle and Tulsa, OK. As a fluent Spanish speaker, she has provided missionary services in many Latin American countries. She is married to a physician and is a new mother of a baby girl.

up; rather, it is the resulting order and clarity of the mind which will lead the child to the power of logical reasoned thought which will ultimately develop into the power to make judgments – a skill which will remain with the child throughout his life. The training has given me an exciting hands-on learning for children. It has given the best alternative way of presenting the material or lesson to children. The training has taught me to be calm, gentle, and have a rhythmic approach to life. It has enhances grace, style and precision on each lesson I presented. The training has helped me to function as a designer of the environment, resource person, role model, demonstrator, record-keeper, and meticulous observer of each child’s behavior and growth. The “whole child approach” helps each child to reach his full potential MONTESSORI & MY in all areas of life. I remember that the training has taught me to – “Respect SELF-ESTEEM for child’s individuality is the core of By Raquel Gina Repique Baumbach Montessori’s philosophy.” The training Lancaster, PA has helped me to see that the chilDr. Maria Montessori defined dren should be respected, and there education as self-development in a prepared environment. She became is respect for the environment as well. aware that abstract concepts related The training has help me understand that the children are free to work at to the qualities of objects, as understood by the child, could serve as keys their own pace with materials they have chosen, either alone or with for him in his exploration of the others. The children are problemenvironment. The materials she solvers themselves who can make designed she called “materialized abstractions” through which the child choices and manage their time well. The training has meant to me to have could arrive at clear impressions of these abstract concepts by using his a positive sense of self-esteem. Raquel took the MTP of the U.S. in natural form of learning: sensorial the Philippines, training in Quezon City, exploration allied to manipulation. Philippines, in September, 2002, and her Having a clear idea of these internship there. She completed her abstractions will then enable the child to explore this environment at a competency exam in Kent, WA, and is more and more refined level. It is not currently teaching in Lancaster, PA. simply the process of finer and finer perceptions that is important to build 9

MIA Board of Directors 2003-04 President Christine Brasier [email protected] Vice President & Treasurer Paula Ilami [email protected] Secretary Kris Goodman [email protected] Educational Director & Ex-officio Board member Hope Caprye-Boos [email protected] MACTE Representative & Conference Committee Paula Ilami [email protected]

MIA Board, 2003-2004: Front row, left to right, Paula Ilami, Kris Goodman, Normi Son, Heidi Tessier. Second row, left to right: Chang Sook Moon Kim, Sharlet McClurkin, Carol Codd, Rhonda Gear, Christine Brasier.

Newsletter & Ex-officio Board Member Sharlet McClurkin [email protected] Nominating Committee Heidi Tessier [email protected] Web Site Normi Son [email protected] Korean General Member Chang Sook Moon [email protected] International Trainers Jane Suchen Wang, Taiwan [email protected] Debbie Young Sook Lee, Korea [email protected]

MIA Teacher Education Committee (MIA Trainers), Left to right: Donald McClurkin, Paula Ilami, Julia Pane, Normi Son, Cathie Bernstein, Sharlet McClurkin, Elizabeth White, Chang Sook Moon Kim.

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