We say children learn differently from adults. Why? How?
To answer the question:
Their minds are what we call “absorbent”.
Take a step back and look at how the child developed in the womb.
From simple cells to a complex functional organism.
Development here followed a pattern, step by step, supported by the special environment inside the womb this miracle of creation was unfolding.
Nature collaborated to the point that it even determined the time at which this being was to be ‘born’.
Consider the young of other mammals. As soon as they are born, many of them are already physically independent. The giraffe calf walks within minutes of being born.
In man however , we have a seemingly dependent being- it needs
“looking after” .We must feed clothe
And protect it for it to survive.
What is not visible to us however is that the miracle of creation is still at work- all the more powerfully in this period. These first six years are ‘formative’ in a very profound sense.
This is what Montessori understands and this forms the basis of our philosophy.
Which is why many of you may have heard the phrase Montessori education is an “aid to life .
We all love children – they bring joy , the destress us , they are ‘lovable’ .
If you stop a moment and ask yourself why , the answer is, in them you see a reflection of everything that the word “human” denotes.They have love, enthusiasm, they are non judgemental to the extent that till about a year and a half, the child will trust anyone as a friend.
The child comes with this capacity because the work of creation now all the more ( as in the womb) depends on a supportive environment.
So what is being created?
Science has proved that the brain at birth is not fully developed. In this initial stage, from experience , from newer and newer neural pathways, the brain is actually building itself.
What we cannot see is that this human being is bringing his personality into being at this stage, from his interaction with...