A Montessori Moment with MamasteFit
Let’s start with introductions, shall we?!
Welcome! My name is Laura Sayles and I am a certified Montessori guide (aka teacher) of grades first through sixth, ages six through twelve. I am also the mother of a fiercely independent and hilarious toddler, with a second baby on the way!
After dedicating the last decade of my life to teaching full-time at an accredited Montessori school that spans the ages of 15 months to 18 years, I took the opportunity last spring to join the amazing team here at MamasteFit, making a bit of a pivot from working with children to working with parents!
How did I join MamasteFit?
I met Gina and Roxanne in 2019 while preparing to bring my first child into the world, and was so in awe of their monumentally important work that I jumped at the chance to be a part of their mission in educating and empowering mothers and families.
Though it seems like a non sequitur to go from classroom teaching to prenatal/postpartum fitness and birth education work, I actually feel like it makes more sense than one might think.
See, a key component of the Montessori philosophy, an approach to education (and child-rearing in general) that has truly changed my entire life, is exactly in line with what MamasteFit is preaching– respectfully empowering others through thoughtful and inclusive education.
So, if you’ve made it to this blog you are most likely familiar with MamasteFit by way of preparing for a child to enter your family, or possibly recovering and reconnecting in the postpartum.
Congratulations!
I would now like to share with you some of the most important elements of an innovative, child-centered approach to education and parenting, developed a century ago by a woman/doctor/anthropologist well ahead of her time.
Today we will begin with: Why Montessori?
What are the benefits of a Montessori approach to parenting/education?
In no particular order, I feel some of the most important reasons to implement Montessori in your home are:
1. Independence
What parent doesn’t want their child to be able to do for themselves, as well as contribute to their family and community?
2. Confidence
We all want our children to be confident and feel successful in a world that often seems to be going out of its way to make us feel quite the opposite.
3. A Love of Learning
How much easier is it to tend to a task or concept because it is something that you WANT to do, not just something that you HAVE to do? Learning doesn’t feel like work when we find love for what we are doing.
4. Intrinsic Motivation
Tired of negotiating, bartering, and flatout begging your kid to do something they are “supposed” to do? Montessori offers ways to encourage a child to embrace an innate desire to want to work, participate, and contribute to their surroundings.
5. Respect
Were you one of the lucky few who felt genuinely respected by the adults in your life when you were growing up? How much more would you trust and respect yourself, if you had been? How much more would our children trust and respect themselves and others if they were treated that way?
6. Capable, Accountable, Knowledgeable Humans
Every parent just wants their kids to be good people, right? Montessori children are often referred to as “global citizens” and it is not something that has to be inherently taught or explained.
7. Actually takes a lot of the stress out of parenting
Once you understand and start living by some of the major principles of this philosophy, you begin to see how many of the societal pressures just fall away.
You don’t have to TEACH your kids anything.
You don’t have to hover, explain, or demand.
You just have to prepare yourself to see your kid for who they truly are and what they’re truly and immediately capable of, and then, as Maria Montessori said, “Follow the child.”
You are responsible for much less than you think you are when it comes to the intellectual development of your child.
So, let’s begin with what Montessori ISN’T.
I’m guessing if you have heard of Montessori at all, you have fallen prey to these common and unfortunate myths and misconceptions about Montessori…
Let’s explore 6 myths of what Montessori is NOT.
Myth #1: It’s some kind of religious thing, right?
No.
Ironically, though Dr. Montessori herself existed at a time and place where it was practically the law to practice religion (Roman Catholicism, to be exact), and she had to literally go to the Pope for permission to even attend college and begin her incredible life’s work, there is NOTHING overtly religious about this philosophy.
It neither belittles nor requires prayer or even a belief in a higher power. The only power you are required to believe in here is your own, and the inherent and inexhaustible powers of your child.
Myth #2: Oh, that’s the school where it’s just total chaos, and there are no rules!
Wrong again. And if you have ever been lucky enough to spend time observing a truly Montessori environment, even an untrained eye can detect the respect, tranquility, and clear sense of structure built into the community.
Myth #3: That hippy dippy school where everyone is super gentle and there is absolutely no discipline.
If you have ever seen a picture of Maria Montessori, then you already know this lady didn’t play around!
It almost seems ironic to see photo after photo of this icon in the field of development of children often dressed in all black with a very stern expression on her wildly intelligent face.
We will definitely discuss how that ugly rumor came to be in later posts, and in another post, I will define the VERY important difference between:
- Discipline: something not only found but required when navigating the Montessori curriculum
- Punishment: an ineffective and outdated technique that is counterproductive to a child’s development and therefore rarely ever seen in a Montessori setting
Myth #4: A philosophy that only works with fancy wooden toys.
This one has slowly become a huge pet peeve for me, as parent after parent quickly decides they “can’t be Montessori” because they have too many plastic toys, or just lack a perfectly curated playroom that looks like a classroom filled with beautiful, hand-crafted, themed lessons and works.
Though I agree that there is a particular aesthetic (and reason for the aesthetic) in a Montessori classroom, absolutely none of this is required at home and I will tell you proudly as a trained, experienced, passionate Montessorian, even my own home doesn’t look like this!
Myth #5: This is a philosophy that, like most other educational theories/practices, belongs in a classroom and isn’t really relevant at home or in the real world.
First of all, why are we still collectively tolerating any kind of classroom setting that isn’t constantly and completely relevant to the real world?
Isn’t that what education is supposed to be preparing us for?!
Saving that rant for another day, the most incredible part of the Montessori philosophy and the reason it has become a core part of who I am as a human and a mother is that in Dr. Montessori’s work she often specified that this approach begins at the moment of conception, and is meant to be practiced in every moment, of every setting, creating a philosophy that is actually more important and relevant when applied outside of the classroom walls.
Myth #6: Montessori is only meant for the rich and privileged few.
Possibly the most heartbreaking of all misconceptions, as it *FEELS* predominantly true in the United States.
At a later date we will discuss how this came to be a reality in this country, but in the meantime, I do agree that Montessori education has been relegated to private school settings, funded by groups of parents who discovered the true value in this approach and banded together to provide an alternative to the traditional, and free, public school system.
More likely than not, if you live in the US and you have a Montessori school near you, it is very small, very expensive, and not very well known, even to its closest neighbors.
It may be arguable to say that misconception #4, the need for a specific quality and costly setup, has largely contributed to this one.
However, I must clarify that Dr. Montessori never intended it to be this way and spent years of her life touring the globe in an effort to make this philosophy a household name and truly accessible to all.
So, to recap the the truth about Montessori, as I see it:
- Montessori does not belong to any one religion, it is universal, and it is timeless.
- It is not a free-for-all. Yes, there is much more freedom of movement and interest for the children, and it is ALWAYS within a framework.
- Montessori instills and encourages discipline into the very nature of a child. Montessori homes and classrooms are child-centric which does in fact include instilling discipline, not punishment.
- Montessori works regardless of the cost or composition of materials. This philosophy works because it is based in science and rigorous studies of human beings and how they actually learn (let’s not forget, Dr. Montessori was also an anthropologist with a passion for understanding human beings, not just educating them).
- Montessori belongs in the home (and in every aspect of a child’s life). Montessori is a philosophical approach to raising human beings that begins at the moment of conception and is meant to be practiced outside of the walls of a classroom, more so than within.
- Montessori is for everyone. Period.
Like what you’re hearing? Want to know more?
- Subscribe to our blog! I will be posting a couple blogs each month covering various elements of the Montessori philosophy and how these play out in the home. I promise to always be realistic about some of the more idealistic goals we strive for as Montessorians, keeping this a judgment-free zone where anyone who is even so much as interested in this approach to parenting is already winning!
- Check out my podcast, Montessori Moms in the Wild! Together with two of my closest mom friends and fellow trained Montessori guides (the three of us cover birth through age 12), we have created a blatantly honest and nonjudgemental show where we share tips and tricks for how we implement this massively important philosophy in our own homes, in real life!
- You can do a little more research via the two major accreditation organizations that train and educate Montessorians, The American Montessori Society (AMS) and/or The Association Montessori Internationale (AMI).
These links can help you dive a little deeper into the who, what, and why, as well as help locate a school near you if you would like to know what your local options may be!