Montessori non-rant

[debetesse]

I realize that I've been primarily griping about class. I do have a lot of affection for and trust in the Montessori method, especially in its fundamental tenets.

I believe that children work best when allowed to finish work in their own time, rather than being rushed onto the next subject before they've finished what their doing.

I believe that each child's time will be different, both for doing work, and for learning things.

I believe that, if children are not inhibited from it (in whatever way), they will want to learn, and enjoy it, and will do so even more if they are allowed to follow academic interests down particular paths that speak to them.

I believe that getting knowledge from different sources and through different media and senses is good, and necessary to ensure that every child has good access to the material.

I believe that, if children are given responsibilities and the ability to carry them out, they, in general, will.

And, most importantly, I believe that it would be damn stupid to try to re-invent the world, when I could, just as easily, take what I can from someone else's work, because

I believe that Maria Montessori wasn't that much smarter than me.