Grace and Courtesy in the Montessori Classroom
“The first assistance we can give to the child is to serve as a model for self-control and order within our own lives.” – Dr. Maria Montessori You may have heard the term “Grace and Courtesy” in reference to Montessori classrooms. This is, in fact, something we work on every day in our classrooms, and […]
Sensitive Periods
Besides being the first person to discover the unconscious absorbent mind, Dr. Maria Montessori was also the first to discover the sensitive period. During a child’s sensitive period they show a very keen interest and are ready to learn a particular trait or skill. Children can be observed to repeat this activity over and over […]
Excerpt from a letter translated and written by Maria Montessori in 1947, sent to all governments in the world after World War II
My life has been spent in the research of truth. Through the study of children, I have scrutinized human nature at its origin both in the East and the West and, although it is forty years now since I began my work, childhood still seems to me an inexhaustible source of revelations and – let […]
1946 Maria Montessori Lecture on Behavior and Purpose
This is such a profound fragment taken from Maria Montessori’s 1946 London lectures. I would love to share it with you today: “When we speak about the behaviour of men and animals, we refer to their purposeful movements. This behaviour is the centre of their practical life. It is not just the practical life in […]