Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Organic Education

Maria Montessori called education a natural process that unfolds naturally as the child constructs knowledge through experiences and interactions, rather than espousing the then-current idea that children were empty vessels waiting to be filled.   In her writings and speeches, Dr. Montessori compared teaching with the idea of planting seeds that will naturally grow in the child’s consciousness.  The gardening analogy is often used for teaching and many people call Montessori teachers “organic” in nature as teachers often allow knowledge to develop spontaneously through the child’s choices, with careful use of supportive structures that allow for the growth of responsibility through choice and accountability. As an avid gardener and consumer of products from farms, I cannot resist the urge to compare organic gardening and teaching to those more conventionally used methods found in most schools and farms today.

In conventional farming methods, the goal of the farmer is output.  It's not as much the quality of the product as it is the quantity.  Chemicals are often used to maximize those outputs; the soil is pumped up with fertilizer, systemic pesticides are used, and some people even choose seeds that are genetically modified to produce more fruits.  We seem to be moving to more conventional ways in education as the factory model of education, with its heavy reliance on data and output in certain areas, is becoming more widely used in the US, while other countries such as Finland, achieve high success with a more holistic approach.

Conventional methods often look at the land from the shorter-term perspective whereas organic farming might look at the land more long-term as far as cultivating the soil from the inside out: Creating nutrients that sustain things, rotating crops to help preserve the land and the farm and everything around it. Today, most schools have gone to an ideology akin to these mass production gardening methods. Many schools are looking for short-term gains rather than long-term ones in the follied “Race to the Top”.  Rather than being interested in producing a fruit that is tasty and desirable, many farmers are more interested in producing crops that are mass produced and profitable. Plant cultivars with a longer shelf life and resistance to bugs are selected by farmers over those that have a better flavor or nutritional value.  As more farms switch to factory farm methods, there is a domino effect that causes some family-owned farms to lose profitability if they do not follow the lead of the factory farms.

We see this in education as well: Rather than producing children that are well-rounded and prepared for life in all areas, we are tending to focus more on "growing" a child with high test scores in a narrow range of skills because that is the measure the policy makers of the state and nation give us to use. Education is seen by most as something that is constructed much like a car in a factory assembly line because that is how most were educated themselves.  Unfortunately, times have changed from when we adults were in school, where teachers had more time to be part social engineer, part scientist and part artist in order to more fully develop the unseen curriculum necessary to master life.  Today’s children need to learn twice as much information that we had to learn as children, and the emphasis on those test scores is in the forefront of many teachers’ and parents’ minds as the most valid measure of growth and teacher effectiveness.

Many people say if they had the money that they would buy organic food because they know that it tastes better and it is healthier for them. However, people will buy conventional food because it is much cheaper and fits their budget.  No one can resist the pineapples for a dollar that look so nice or the GMO corn on a cob that becomes an appealing addition to a barbecue because those conventional vegetables and fruits are also more beautiful on the outside.  Similarly, a traditional approach to education is comforting to parents who were raised with those very same lessons and drills and don’t want to leave the development of their child up to chance.  Just as less than perfect organic produce can be shunned by the consumer in favor of those fruits whose success depended on chemicals and genetic modification, so too, are parents more likely to choose a school where learning is bound with rewards, competitions, controlled whole group activities, and comprehensive, fail-safe curriculums that place an emphasis on content at the expense of developing the intrinsic motivation needed to succeed in life.

This is the challenge with public Montessori education. We have a choice to make: Are we going to put fertilizer on the field and kill "pests" with synthetic cocktails because we think other teachers are doing it or because we're worried about test scores?  Or are we going to get down on our hands and knees and weed the garden with the children and our experienced hands and add manure to the soil? Are we going to throw worksheets out for children that may or may not cover the necessary standards or give explicit lessons and individualized instruction
based on what each learner needs?  Children may be required to learn more today, but Montessori done well covers every standard with greater depth than what is required.  The question is this: Are we Montessori guides doing it WELL?   

Even good teachers in the public realm know that masses of worksheets and whole group lessons don't work for the majority of children; intervention groups and individualization must be nurtured for the success of all.  One of my first experiences as a student teacher as part of my public school teaching degree, was working with students who had not yet begun to read as their peers had.  I sat next to one little girl, sounding out words in a book to her and getting nowhere.  My mentor wisely pointed out that because she was not developmentally ready; it was to her as if I were speaking a completely different and unknown language.  She was not reading because she could not hear the sounds and needed more activities with phonemic awareness to be able to later decode. It was then that I learned that even simple and small steps cannot be skipped in favor of outcomes.  Foundational skills must be developed before a subsequent skill can be truly mastered because learning is very much developmental in nature.

 When a necessary skill is skipped, it can have repercussions in later learning as a child learns to adapt to the demands of life without that skill. Montessori recognized that children developed at different rates and went through sensitive periods with specific needs that if not met, would cause learning challenges in the future.   Special education is designed to help those learners who need more time and more direct instruction, but every child on one level or another is in need of individualized instruction where growth and learning is tailored to their unique level of understanding and mastery.

The idea that children are empty vessels which can be filled equally with the same knowledge at the same time and grow the same way is just as false as the idea that humans can completely control nature.  Even conventional farmers are learning the limits of the new farming methods, as GMO crops bred with pesticide inside each leaf intended to kill pests are beginning to be ineffective at warding off those very pests.  This is because even the lowly insects have the capability of adapting in order to survive.  As the awed scientist in Jurassic Park said, "Nature will always find a way." A good farmer and a good teacher both have a healthy respect and understanding of the work of nature since we both rely on new scientific input in order to gain a valid understanding where we can help and where we cause unseen hindrances.

So, where do we compromise to produce a high-yield while preserving a farm that has good soil and also the ability to produce wonderful fruit?  Must we compromise? Since we are going with farming analogies, perhaps we can use some examples from the farm.  A lot has changed in the hundred years since Maria Montessori began her discoveries of how children learn by educating children in asylums and later opening a daycare center for low income families. A lot has also changed in farming methods and how scientists know what plants need for optimal growth. We have learned from over-farming mistakes such as the Dust Bowl.  A long time ago a horse and plow was still a common way to plant seeds; now we have more efficient machines to do that. Similarly, we have computers today and methods of communication that are vastly different then even when we went to school as children. These kinds of tools for farming have made farming more efficient and yet if used properly, considering the needs of the plants, do not change the quality of the resulting fruit.  

Just as the basic needs of plants (soil, sunlight and rain-showers) have not changed over the centuries, so the needs of our children have not diminished because of increased technology.  Now we find ourselves needing to remember those fundamentals as the availability of instantaneous communication on a global scale means that the concepts of tolerance, peace, personal responsibility, and respect are even more important.  These basic tenets of civilized discourse in the classroom and in preparation for life are not covered by any state standard.   So it begs the question: In practicing Montessori education, how do we incorporate this into our daily classroom activities?  And, if we choose to scatter endless worksheets instead of learner-centered 'works-in-progress', what responsibility do we bear for the outcome?

We use greenhouses so that we can grow fruits and plants in different climates at different times of the year.  However, we also
know that taking a plant straight from a greenhouse and planting in our yard will result in certain death for the plant as it tries to adapt itself to a new environment so suddenly. Tending a classroom of children can be like tending a greenhouse—The goal is similar, to prepare the plants for successful growth beyond those clear and sunny walls.  Each cultivar is like a child, some children have varying needs from others.  Some need more social skills or written language just like some plants prefer afternoon shade, or acidic soil. And so our work in the classroom should look at all needs and decide what each child requires for the next step in growth.  Plants in successful greenhouses are actually repotted and moved to different environments during the process of maturation as a preparation to the ultimate result of being planted outside.  We see this in Montessori as the child’s human tendencies are fulfilled in different ways depending on age and readiness.  Children are grouped in multiple ages to account for this natural discrepancy and to use the strengths of individuals to benefit the group in various learning activities.  If we segregate more by age or grade than by readiness, opportunities for optimum growth are missed, much like a plant that is plucked from the hothouse too soon or too late—both cases can be a barrier to successful adaptation into the next level and eventually in life itself.

Many Montessori teachers give up these labor-intensive organic methods too soon, looking to the prepackaged, teacher-proof programs so widely advertised and used by most other public schools in one way or another.  Some teachers, particularly new ones, believe they cannot be effective without such programs to rely on.  I would like to think of the curriculum being used as the fertilizer for the classroom and there are many varieties that can have short and longer term benefits.   (I could go on, since I was in the master gardener program, but I will let you research the details if you wish). We know that synthetic fertilizer, while promoting plant growth, can also cause buildup and runoff that are not always best for the environment. Too much fertilizer can be more harmful to a plant than too little, and even organic fertilizing methods can come with salts that build up in the soil.  And so, all decisions should be made carefully, based on the unique earth of that region.

 Quality educators recognize that every community is different, every child comes from a family with different expectations and cultural habits, so these decisions will vary with each teacher, school, and location. We also know as teachers that we do the best we can to connect all learning to real life examples that will become habitual, but some lessons are more synthetic in nature than real.  The fact that the basis for learning to read in a Montessori classroom hinges on synthetic phonics, shows that even Maria Montessori recognized the need for teaching direct and explicit lessons to promote growth while later on giving the child the holistic foundation of language needed to take off.

The standards and expectations can be thought of as a guide for the seeds (knowledge) that are sown in the hearts of the children.  We are told by Maria herself to give as many lessons as possible and to understand which are impressionist and which are required to build mastery of necessary skills.  Many schools have eliminated music, art and even history and science from their programs because of test-taking concerns.  Is building a monoculture of learning a wise cultivation in our classrooms? We can look to farming history for examples of planting a narrow variety of seeds.  We have learned from the Dustbowl and the potato famine that farming too much of one variety of plant can have disastrous results both economically and environmentally in the long-run.  In short, while technology and research has improved many ways for the farmers and made life easier in how we get our food there are still many things about nature that we must obey or risk results that are negative. 


Even with all we know about botany, nothing can replace the work of the simple honeybee.  No machine that is able to pollinate flowers to produce the kind of result that farmers truly need to succeed in their work.   (in fact, the honeybee is responsible for the success of a 16 billion dollar industry and the decline of the honeybee has caused great economic loss). While it is prudent  to use many  modern methods,  we still must respect the rules of nature.  We must listen to the needs of the child.  And despite all this automation in the field of education, we must understand that the growth and development of children is a natural process that unfolds in a unique timetable for each individual.

So where do we compromise as old wisdom meets newer progress?  We cannot make the children change their natural process of development, but we can find ways to better track the learning and growth of each child by creating and using assessments that are the least intrusive.  My assessment teacher in my traditional teaching program said that you do not pull the carrots out of the ground each week to measure how well they are growing, just as you don’t let assessment take the place of the meaningful learning and growth that must occur on a daily basis.  Unfortunately, a lot of public school administrators believe that success on high stakes tests is dependent on weekly tests and drills and many parents and politicians, ignorant of the science of the learning process, go along with this notion. 

But, we Montessori teachers have always been required to assess and observe frequently and take those notes.  The gardener can examine the stems and leaves of  to gauge the full size without uprooting the entire carrot plant.  Pests and diseases are noticed in leaves, just as good assessment uncovers learning deficits before it is too late. We may have more work as we collect data in the form of checklists, real time assessments, informal assessments and more, but we also understand the lovely relationship of assessment and instruction as we learned and employed  the three period lesson as the backbone of instruction for those important concepts. 

We also know it is not enough to merely collect data, but to examine it and ponder on our effectiveness with each child.  As more lessons are given at the proper level to be received, those seeds will sprout and it will start the chain reaction of spontaneous growth and learning that is unforced and unlimited.  When this spontaneous learning happens, the joy is contagious and the work of the teacher seems less necessary.  In the end, while children can be forced to learn their skills at the grade levels determined by the state, it is a much more enjoyable process when learners are treated as individuals with the capability to exceed every standard put forth by adults.  Maria Montessori experienced this spontaneous joy as four-year-olds learned to write and then read.  Young toddlers become potty trained willingly without force or bribes. I see it in my classroom when a child or small group take a lesson and runs with it, spreading their learning to others as if they were an explorer discovering the new world.  After a while, we may forget that it started with one child and one lesson and one material. 

So while we have tools to help the children adapt to our technological society, children still need concrete and real experiences before they abstract.  They still need to repeat lessons through multiple senses and multiple activities, and teachers must realize that placing growth too heavily on another person's timetable is akin to a department of agriculture cabinet member who once said that lambing season should be changed to make it occur during different parts of the year.  When learning is forced, it is not true learning, just as when a plant is staked too early, the stem becomes weak.  


To build a stronger plant as well as a stronger brain, the same principle applies:  Freedom and resistance.  A plant will grow stronger with wind, or even a fan blowing periodically at its stem.  A brain will grow stronger as it responds constructively to the challenges set before it.  Too much challenge and a child gives up,  fakes it, or becomes a behavioral challenge while too little challenge results in growth that is stunted just as plants will warp their structures as they try to gain more light from a dim room.  We can learn the magic balance by treating our classroom like a farm--observing, nurturing, waiting, and making the necessary course corrections (however challenging they may be), to produce future sustainable growth in the classroom community, the school, and beyond.

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Coming soon: Montessori and Modern Technology

I cannot wait to post my thoughts of how I believe Maria would have handled our new technology.  Stay tuned this weekend!

Practical Life in an Era of Helicopters

I began my journey as a Montessorian when my 17 year old was a little one in primary.  It was amazing to me, an experienced teacher, to see a classroom of thirty 3-6 year-olds choosing work independently, working with great concentration, and cleaning up their works on their own.  At his school, I was allowed to observe a complete morning work cycle as well as lunch.  It delighted me to see this hyper little son of mine beg his teacher to mop the floor.  It amazed me to see him take such delight in cleaning tables and polishing furniture at school, but puzzled me as to why he did not clean up so readily at home.  So I asked his teacher. My question was answered with a question of her own. "What sort of prepared environment are you creating at home?" 

I realized then, that I did not expect my son to do any cleaning at home, nor did I invite him to work alongside me. Soon after, I found ways to incorporate his help with meal preparation, including packing his lunch, as well as basic chores such as emptying the dishwasher or setting the table.  By third grade, he was happy to scrub the toilets, wash and fold his clothes on his own, and follow recipes with little assistance.   Being a Montessori teacher helped me realize how much my children could do when I created an environment where their help was needed and wanted.  It did take more time in the beginning, but I was grateful that I kept stepping back and let my sons do their work, however imperfectly, because I knew he was going to eventually master those tasks and become enabled and empowered to master bigger challenges in the future.

Practical life in the Elementary Montessori classroom looks very different than in the primary environment. The foundation for practical life is laid at home and in the Children's House.  While in the 3-6 classroom, children learn practical life skills by working with individual works on the shelf, in the 6-9 or 9-12 classroom, these skills are integrated with all subject areas.  Because of the careful preparation laid in earlier years, children in the elementary are expected to be able to clean up after themselves in the classroom, manage their time and task completion on a daily basis, take care of plants and animals, and when they are ready, plan their own excursions outside the classroom. 

Sometimes developing these skills needs extra guidance at home, particularly for those who may not have attended Montessori programs at that young age. Sometimes this means stepping back to let a child gain the practice of doing his work on his own, even if it is not as perfect as it could be.  Sometimes it means giving a needed lesson on a specific task, such as cleaning the bathroom, or using the washing machine.  Maria Montessori did not believe in doing everything for the child, but helping the child to do for themselves. 

I usually begin the year in upper or lower elementary by asking children to complete practical life homework because often children do not realize how responsible they can be.  I ask students to pack their own lunches because I have noticed that children who pack their own lunches, not only eat all the food they bring, but they also gain a greater sense of responsibility. (In my own case, my second son, the picky eater, expanded his repertoire as he packed his lunch and planned and prepared meals.) Additionally, I sometimes ask students to get extra sleep for homework, when I notice they complain of fatigue or aches and pains during the work cycle.  Many do not realize what a big difference adequate sleep makes.  
 
When students tell me that it is their parent's fault that they did not return a permission slip, or slept in late, or didn't eat their lunch, I help them remember what they are capable of doing.  Even as a traditional kindergarten teacher, I was trained by a highly gifted master teacher to never tie shoes, button clothing, read the clock when asked, or spell out words they were trying to write because they were capable of learning ways to do it themselves. Unless there was a special need, they usually learned more quickly with time and opportunity for gaining these adaptive life skills, but even those with special needs are capable with strategic instruction.  Often I could encourage independence by asking them to ask a friend, or reminding them of a strategy that was previously taught. 

This year, I have noticed that many members of our learning community lack a a great deal of these practical life skills.  I have seen 4th, 5th, and 6th graders who do not know how to tell time, write or count quantities of money, memorize their address or phone number, or even tie their own shoes.  While these things may seem like little things, in  a classroom of 30, lack of these skills makes a big difference in the amount that is learned and the free time that is available for enrichment.  Many students are quite capable, but would rather ask an adult to spell a word for them, than make the effort to sound it out for themselves, ask a friend, or look in a spelling dictionary.  Some students have told me they would rather take work home because their mom or dad will do a better job for them. Without gaining these valuable adaptive life skills through personal experience, learning is stunted.
 
Some parents have expected that school to provide all the instruction in these valuable life skills, and while we do cover them in class, the lessons can fall flat when those expectations are not present at home.  Often parents (and this even includes me!) don't realize that their child is being helped too much at home for their developmental level.  I remember being approached by my sons' teachers and being just as guilty of impeding my children's development without even being aware that it was happening.  Maria Montessori spoke of the importance of not doing too much for a child because of the learned helplessness it can create.  She said, “Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.” 

 

HERE ARE SOME TIPS TO HELP YOU CREATE GREATER INDEPENDENCE IN YOUR CHILD:


  • Create a home environment with expectations of independent work and participation.  This can include daily chores and opportunities to earn and spend money, and practice practical life and grace and courtesy skills on a smaller scale.

  • Give practical life lessons as needed, such as telling time, counting money, understanding how to double a recipe, interest rates, etc.  At the same time, it is important to also ask leading questions to help your child construct their own meaning and learn and practice on their own, rather than just providing all the answers.

  • Talk with your child about their work at school, and your work in the real world.  Help them take responsibility for confronting any challenges they may have with friends, homework, or other situation.  Ask them what they can do to help find a solution.

  • Help children organize for themselves by allowing them to carry their backpack, unpack and organize its contents with a minimal amount of guidance.  While some parents may feel they are doing their child a favor by organizing their backpack or cleaning their child's room, too many students have told me things such as, my mom didn't put my work plan, permission slip, etc, in my backpack and it is lost.  These same students often lose things in the classroom and because they lack practice in organizing.

  • Please remember the importance of natural consequences.  Maria Montessori also knew the importance of learning through the experience of natural consequences.  For example, she wanted most items to be breakable in the classroom so that the children would realize the need to be careful.  If plants were not watered by the children, they would die.  If a child does not complete the minimal required work, they may have to wait to get to do extra enrichment activities in the classroom.  When adults create a world for the child without natural consequences, it does the child no favors for his or her independence. 

  • When children bring work home, please allow them to complete it with the greatest independence possible.  It is a sad experience for a child to bring completed work to school that was done by a parent more interested in perfection than experience.  Imagine the message that is being sent to the child who is not allowed to do it for him or her self!  Self esteem is not built built by shielding children from challenges, but by enabling them to conquer them at their own level.

  • When children make mistakes, respond in as neutral a way as possible, without excessive criticism or blame.  Constructive questions mixed with empathy help build problem solving skills.

Why Montessori Education is Better

Why Montessori Education is Better

Originally posted by me on FB, May 11, 2009 at 12:39am
Some years ago, I read a newspaper article about the life story of a child prodigy. Apparently as a young teenager, he was attending a nearby university. The accompanying photo showed his mother standing behind him, putting books into the backpack he was wearing. The article went on to explain how well this teen was doing in college and how his mother would wait in the hall during classes and support him in his studies.

It made me wonder how we define success and intelligence. Was this child really successful academically if he depended extensively on his mother to organize himself? I remembered my first year in college, after struggling through high school. I watched other students, who arrived with better grades than me, drop out or lose their scholarships because they were not able to independently schedule their time to do homework, housework, and attend classes.

Learning that encompasses all aspects of growth
In Montessori, our main goal is not academic intelligence, but educating the whole child. This means we expect a lot more than a typical Elementary school. We expect your child to take initiative in learning. We expect the children to clean up after themselves and keep their classroom environment clean and orderly. We expect the children to set goals and reflect on their progress. This makes a lot more work for the teacher, who must monitor every child’s individual plan and give lessons and guidance as needed to support each child for success, but the work pays off later as the child takes control of those things and learns those life skills through personal experience.

As a teacher, I never cease to be amazed by the power of the child on a daily basis. Yesterday, some children were interested in counting and sorting marbles and turned this activity into works in fractions, graphing and area. Last week a child independently figured out how the algebraic patterns built into the materials can be used to solve calculations involving reducing fractions to their lowest terms. She later learned even more as she taught other children her discoveries.

Freedom and responsibility
This year, I have had the satisfaction of watching students make plans and learn further lessons as they carried them out, like a scientist testing her hypothesis. Whether a child has a plan to earn money, present literature, or establish order, all children learn most deeply when given a structure for success within a safe learning environment that allows choice and accountability. Higher level thinking skills mix with basic skills as children follow their ideas to fruition. Over the years I have watched students make plans for trips, meeting with adults or calling businesses on their own, creating lesson plans to teach other students, making product or business plans and other types of student-initiated work that becomes the child's own cherished possession.


Cooperative and collaborative improvement vs. coercion
No child is perfect, not even in a Montessori system. Perfection is a process we continue to refine even as adults. Borrowing a line from my voice teacher, I tell my students that “practice makes permanent,” meaning that the habits we have now will stay unless we make corrections. As problems arise, we strive to help each child find his own way to solve them. We encourage cooperative learning and collaborative conflict resolution. It is our goal that our children will be prepared to handle greater challenges that will come later . This happens through all the lessons we teach not only in the content areas, but also the social areas in our daily interactions.

Cooperative learning takes guidance in the beginning to become successful. Lessons are given initially in simpler settings that we hope will transfer into the larger world; we will never know until we step back and let the children practice. Sometimes it is hard to do this when we see children doing things incorrectly. Will they figure it out on there own, or do I as a teacher need to provide further guidance? As adults, it seems easier to correct children's mistakes as they are happening rather than approaching them as an opportunity to empower and enlighten. 

I am still learning the difference between correction and empowerment everyday in how I choose to respond to such opportunities for improvement. For example, after sitting at lunch with my upper elementary children, I discovered their table manners fell far short. My first response would have been to “constructively” criticize at each wrong turn, but instead I turned it into a lesson. At the end of the lesson, the children were so proud of knowing things like how to properly butter a roll, that they continued supporting each other in this, even when were not given butter knives at future meals! 

Failure can foster growth
A favorite line from the secret garden musical, says, “getting lost, is how you learn” That is exactly what happened when during our class trip as I watched 2 children having a disagreement that seemed impassable because one child would not budge. At one point, I stepped in, which only made things worse. The next day, this child didn't follow directions and her camera fell into the rocks of the jetty and completely disappeared. That was a lesson in and of itself! But it got better as the other girl she saw as her enemy came to her aid; burying her hands in the grimy rocks until she found it for her. A conflict resolved, and the bonds of friendship and respect tightened. This group cohesiveness would never have come about if I had enforced all the rules strictly to prevent any such mishaps.

Creating a climate for the child's will to grow beyond our expectations
Future habits are built from the lessons and experiences unfolding today, within the learning community and beyond. A child who understands the importance of setting realistic goals and accomplishing them as he uses his planner to record, reflect and readjust, will find college life a joyful journey of further learning. A child who learns through positive experiences to respect other children and refuses to take part in gossip, will not find himself losing friendships or job opportunities in the future. A child who has come to appreciate diversity and work with children of a variety of ages and learning styles, will not feel the need to demean those who are different to feel better about herself. Children who practice and utilize grace and courtesy as it is modeled on a daily basis will possess skills that are valuable in all aspects of healthy and happy living. Of course all children are different in how they learn, how they work, and how they respond to their environment, but these differences are a strength when all members of the classroom community learn to come together to discover, create, and enhance their environment.

As parents, the most valuable lessons at home are things that prepare your child for success in daily living. This could mean allowing your child to carefully make her own lunch, even if it takes an hour. This could also mean stepping back as your child makes a less than ideal choice and allowing him to deal with the consequences of his decision. Sometimes one of the hardest things is to let go, when our child is in the midst of finding a solution to a problem. 

But we can be patient. Through practice and personal experience each child will grow stronger. As a parent and a teacher, I understand that we all try our best and that one good way to learn is to evaluate the past in order to improve the future. By allowing our children to become reflective learners, we are empowering them early on as they learn from their choices for themselves. 

Standards aligned with the child's agenda
Each year the majority of children in the US demonstrate their mastery of language, math and science by participating in high stakes testing. Few people seem to question the validity of such tests and even fewer realize that the tests cover such a narrow range of thinking skills. Testing is a reality and test-taking and important skill, but hopefully more people will realize that true success results from mastery in a variety of areas, only one part of which is academic. Ironically, colleges are starting to notice that today's successful children are not as prepared as those from previous generations.

How often we forget that many of the leaders and innovators of society did not do well in schools that adhered to the factory model of education, with its strict scope and sequence; check marks along every step. History is replete with stories of leaders who succeeded in spite of a less than ideal education. The power of the child cannot be held back. 

While many parents worry about tests, what I discovered this year was that the children who had low test scores improved only after the adults stepped back in such a way that the children were able to take charge of their learning. The children did not need more drills and forcefulness, but works that connected with their sense of purpose. In the case of two children, their ability to retain information increased after they started taking better care of choosing works, planning their time, setting goals, and organizing themselves on their own. 

In Montessori, learning is a natural state of being. We strive to give lessons at that crucial time when the child is ready to learn more. Since the vast majority of traditionally delivered group instruction is neither fully retained, nor appropriate for every student's current understanding, we find that individualized instruction is far more effective. And when students teach each other, the learning continues to increase exponentially. 

These techniques are slowly being implemented by progressive educators nationwide, but have been part of the Montessori method of education for one hundred years. Just as Maria Montessori did when she opened her first children's house, I try to watch and see what the children need. Building on their interest, my job is to create an atmosphere where learning happens joyously and spontaneously, where lessons are given to enhance and guide rather than to complete my checklist within a predetermined time frame. 

I have often wondered about the genius who needed his mother to pack his backpack. Was he able to clean his room, record goals and follow them in his own planner, or write a thank you note spontaneously? If he were a Montessori child, I wouldn't worry about his preparation for real life. In my classroom I see children willing to take risks, ask questions and try new things, not afraid to fix their mistakes; children not only prepared for real life and taking part in it, but more able to make the world a brighter place along the way. This is why being a Montessori teacher is one of the most satisfying jobs on earth.