Some years ago, Paul Epstein and I wrote a book called The Montessori way Our premise is that the ideas that Maria Montessori proposed did not begin with her. While they are not unique to her, they are extraordinary,
Montessori developed a replicable, sustainable, adaptable system-of-systems that you and I call that the Montessori way. It is so much more than a curriculum and method of instruction. It is a way of nurturing children’s sense of personal agency, curiosity, imagination, tenacity, and wonder.
Montessori is a way of life for us as adults, as well as for children. It should inform how we work with one another in our schools. It is a way of providing inspired leading classrooms, schools, businesses, boardrooms, and in civil life.
There is a way of living Montessori in our home with our partners, children, and extended families. It is a path toward a better tomorrow and a more fulfilling and joyful life today.
In this talk, I will explore the fundamental principles and interpersonal social norms that attract parents and great teachers to our schools and keep them engaged, how to lead a Montessori classroom or a community of Montessori educators and families as a circle of partnership and connection.
In this video
Tim Seldin looks at Montessori as a way of living for grown-ups, at school and at home. The talk speaks to parents, and to teachers and school leaders who work closely with families. It starts in the school community, with how colleagues and parents treat each other and what a real partnership with families can look like. The last part comes home: being consistent with your children, looking after your relationship with your partner, and raising peaceful kids without yelling.
Chapters
- 0:00 Why Montessori is both a system and a way of life
- 5:26 How Montessori's method grew and why it works like medicine
- 12:57 Education is not a race, it's learning for life
- 21:03 Everyone matters, from the youngest child to the assistant
- 24:25 Blind men and an elephant: nobody sees all of Montessori
- 29:03 Respect other people's training and listen to fresh ideas
- 33:28 Get to know colleagues and parents as people, not as friends
- 37:10 Build bridges with other schools instead of us versus them
- 44:11 Teamwork with co-teachers and visiting other classrooms
- 50:53 Leading a school: saying no to parents and building one team
- 56:32 What a school board should do, and partnering with families
- 1:03:10 At home: be consistent and look after your own relationship
- 1:07:14 No yelling, unconditional love, and raising peaceful kids
