Recommended Reading Material

One of my favorite things about the internet is the way it allows me access a wide array of articles and ideas, along with sharing my own.  I’m constantly bookmarking and sharing the treasures I dig up during my web wanderings.  With this in mind, I’ve created a “Recommended Reading” section on the right side of this blog, which I’ll be updating regularly with blog posts and articles related to Montessori education.  

The articles I refer to here are just a few examples of the great ideas being shared about Montessori education. Each holds an important message that I encourage you to pass on to your friends, family and colleagues to aid in their understanding of the Montessori philosophy. 

Do you have any recommendations?  Please post them in the comments section.  

• “Montessori: The Missing Voice in the Education Reform Debate” by Laura Flores Shaw
  This blog post, written by a fellow Montessori head of school, refers to the ongoing conversation about school reform in the United States, how the solutions being sought are right in front of our noses – rather than in other countries or in digital models of education.
• “Clara Lazen, 10, may be the youngest in history to discover a new molecule” published in Belle News
  This article offers a perfect example of what happens when you are in a school that allows you to follow your interests, imagine, think innovatively and gives you the time and freedom to concentrate.  Ten-year-old Clara Lazen was piecing together over-sized atoms from an educational model in her Montessori classroom when she composed something her teacher had never seen before.  The teacher reached out to a chemistry professor who determined that the formation looked real, just previously unheard of. Now, Clara is a co-author on a major scientific journal article, and scientists are working to synthetically create “her” molecules.  Children enter school with limitless imaginations, believing that anything is possible.  Montessori schools encourage children to explore what others might deem “impossible” ideas, which results in amazing discoveries like this one.
  
• Steve Denning’s blog on Forbes.com
  Steve Denning, whose blog “Radical Management” focuses on innovative and creative leadership and management, has had a lot to say about Montessori education and how it prepares children to be the leaders of the future.  Here is just one of many posts I particularly enjoyed:
  
  Is Montessori the Origin of Google & Amazon? In this post, Denning refers to the Montessori Mafia – i.e., the creative elite spawned by a Montessori education – including Google’s founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, videogame pioneer Will Wright, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, cook Julia Child and rapper Sean “P.Diddy” Combs, and the ways in which Montessori education creates lifelong learners who lead their organizations in creative and innovative ways from those with a more traditional educational background. 

Happy reading!

Montessori-Inspired Bedtime Stories

During my time as Head of Wilmington Montessori School, I’ve been happy to see Montessori education grow throughout the state of Delaware and the United States. At WMS, we’ve established the Center for Montessori Advancement to support this growth in the state of Delaware and beyond.

Despite the increasing accessibility and visibility of Montessori education, there are many people who simply don’t understand what it is and how it transforms children into creative, kind, open-minded and confident adults. A simple description can’t do it justice – one has to see it in action.

Trevor Eissler, creator of the popular Montessori Madness YouTube video, brings the essence of Montessori education to life in his new children’s book, 4,962,571.

JuneBooks.com describes 4,962,571 as “the story of a boy suddenly captivated by the idea of counting to a very large number. He sets a goal for himself, and through self-discipline, creativity, insight, and hard work, he...well, you will have to see whether he reaches it or not.”

The story demonstrates the Montessori goal of nurturing children’s natural curiosity and encouraging them to find answers through their own exploration – rather than simply asking an adult for the answer. In 4,952,571, the boy’s creativity and curiosity, as well as his joy in exploring the world around him, demonstrate Montessori learning at its best.



I encourage you to share this video or a copy of the book with friends who haven’t been introduced to Montessori education, as well as the children in your life, who will be inspired by the boy’s imagination and mathematical mind.  Visit the June Books website to see other books by Eissler, all written with the goal to “delight and inspire children, while introducing families to Montessori education.”

The best way to learn about Montessori education is to visit a Montessori classroom, and I hope this book will encourage families to do so. Eissler envisions a world in which Montessori education is the norm, and I also look forward to a day when high-quality Montessori education is accessible to all.

“One day we won’t call it Montessori school,” Eissler said. “We’ll just call it school.”