Montessori House of Children
Imagine a school, in the middle of a garden, where children run around the butterflies freely, and observe the tiny little worms in the sand
from light to light …
Imagine a school, in the middle of a garden, where children run around the butterflies freely, and observe the tiny little worms in the sand
Montessori Schools celebrate Graduation Days with as much pomp and grandeur as in Universities. Almost all parents will be present on the day to witness their child’s performance. However, the Graduation Day at a Montessori school is different from those of Universities and other schools. Since Montessori schools have no exams and tests, Graduation Day is an occasion for the children to showcase what they have learnt in the past three years. But the question is why there are no tests and exams in Montessori schools.
“Today’s young people disrespect their elders. They disobey their parents. They ignore the law. They ride in the streets inflamed with wild notions. Their morals are decayed. What is to become of them?” (O’Toole, 2019). This statement is not from any of our parents but from Plato, who lived 2400 years ago. Similar words are heard through the generations. Every old generation considers the younger generation to be decidedly extravagant, relentless and dissolute compared to them and declare, “We were NOT like this!”
Daniel Coyle, a journalist based in New York has written a book called, The Talent Code: the greatness isn’t born, it’s grown. I was intrigued by the similarities between his findings regarding growth of talent and Montessori principles, as I read through his very first Chapter ‘The Sweet Spot’.
The altercation of old over the young is prevalent since Socrates age. Comparing generations is as ridiculous as comparing the caterpillar to the butterfly. Instead, one could compare the people living at two different periods, like those living in 1960s Bangalore, to that of 2016s Bangalore.
English is a peculiar language. It is amazing how English has become so popular throughout the world in spite of not having its own script. Yes. English doesn’t have its own script and it uses Roman Script. It is like writing Hindi in Kannada letters.
“It takes a whole village to raise a child”
This Nigerian proverb suggests that bringing up children is not merely a family’s work but the collective effort of the whole community. However, in the present world, the communities and joint families are dissolving and parents seldom have time to prepare their children adequately to lead their life.
As a young girl, I used to get scared whenever I was asked to write an essay, a story or a letter. My mind would get blank, and my hand would not go beyond ‘Once there was a king’. Then, I came across the ‘Rhetorical Devices’ which could be applied to any writing.
Any normal child would be able to eat on his own without spilling by 3 years. Even the children of uneducated, less privileged and poor parents, who do not get the required attention and care, learn to be independent. What is the reason for this child who is the only son of educated, caring and protective parents, not independent?
Ancient Nalanda University is one of the centres of learning in ancient India. Students all over the world came to Nalanda in search of higher knowledge. It is regarded as the first University in the recorded history of the world. The University of Paris, Bologna and Oxford were much recent and were founded in the 12th Century after the destruction of Nalanda.