The question I always ask myself is, why have we not noticed these amazing traits? Why do we think children have short attention spans and are always into mischief? It comes down to the simple fact that as a scientist, Montessori wanted to see what children would spontaneously show her about their true nature. They love to engage in their very own work, which is nothing less than their own development! Why have we not noticed? Their needs for mental nourishment are being met. It is truly the unfolding of spontaneous development. When the materials are there for the children, laid out in logical sequence as inviting lessons that lead to mastering one step at a time, the children progress. The level of accomplishment in academics, in reading, writing and math is as it should be. The level of focus, the kindness and camaraderie are amazing. I see these characteristics vividly at work as I visit Montessori schools.

Sense of joy and strength from appropriate work.

Spontaneous interest in writing and reading at about age four.

Indifference to rewards and punishments.

P reference for work with learning materials rather than play with toys.

Desire and ability to restore order and put things away.

Amazing ability to concentrate and repeat activities that are of deep interest at specific levels of development.

Among the chief characteristics she cited: True characteristics of the childĪs a result of many years of scientific observation, and perhaps more importantly the astute interpretation of what she saw, she discovered what she believed were the true characteristics of the young child. She did not invent a method of education she had discovered the true nature of the child, when left free to develop naturally. She said she was merely an interpreter for the child. Despite international acclaim for her work, she protested against being called an important educator. Maria Montessori brought to the world, through her years of work with children, a new vision of the importance of the early childhood years in the formation of man. It refers to the spontaneous force of life itself unfolding in natural cycles of development. There is no reference to pouring fixed amounts of information into the child, which the child must then spit out on tests, but rather drawing out what is already within. It is based on the Latin word, educere, which means to lead out from within. Educere – leading out from withinĪ deeper appreciation of Montessori’s great love and concern for the child and all of humanity, and a deeper analysis of her ideas leads to a completely new conception of education, which we may want to call the education of the heart. It is a profound view of the role of childhood in human life, a largely unknown vision of the deepest, most powerful force in man, a force of spontaneous soul development most readily observable in childhood. Yet in a very real sense, her greatest contribution is not really education at all.

Maria montessori the formation of man