Last week, I was honored to speak at a gathering of Montessori teachers from the British Columbia Montessori Teachers Public School Association – a Montessori teachers’ union. This inspiring band of teachers is scattered far and wide across a vast province. BC public schools have an exciting traditional / Montessori dual-track system. But implementing Montessori is facing some very tough challenges. This is partially due to extreme teacher shortages across the province, with an even more critical shortage of trained Montessorians. As a result, BC Montessori teachers are isolated not only by distance but also sometimes within their own schools. There, trained Montessorians teach beside untrained teachers who are still trying to find their way.
I listened to this small but determined group talk about feeling “so alone” – a poignant sentiment from people who, despite their isolation, are passionately pursuing a more authentically Montessori practice. They long for the networking opportunities that many of us in less remote areas take for granted.
Afterward, I began to think about how this compares to guides’ experiences in more densely Montessori-populated areas. This brought to mind something that a dear friend said to me years ago, “Montessorians are a fiercely independent and opinionated bunch”; we Montessorians tend to develop strong beliefs about how to implement The Method. I must agree with her assertion. I have seen many occasions when personal paradigms and practices about The Method created barriers between otherwise like-minded individuals. If our views and practices differ significantly from those around us, we can feel like an island even when surrounded by Montessorians. Our ideological distance can be just as isolating as physical distance.
Sources of Ideological Isolation
But wait! Don’t we all train under one ideology? How can we have different interpretations? I believe that there are a number of factors at work! Here are a few:
- Montessori did not provide us with a precise implementation plan, but with a philosophy. She described, for example, characteristics of normalization without giving us a precise path to normalization. It isn’t a matter of simply creating the optimal physical environment, adding children, and shaking gently. Dr. Montessori’s descriptions of working with children, particularly those who are straying from the normalization path, reveal that normalization is a non-linear, gradual process.
- We guide, we redirect, we strike the imagination, we seduce.
- We impose limits. Montessori said, “To let the child do as he likes when he has not yet developed the powers of control is to betray the idea of freedom.”
- We are simultaneously cautioned against having unnecessary restrictions or structure- it stunts children’s growth into normalization. “Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.” (emphasis added).
- There are many decisions to be made. It is indeed a delicate and adaptive balance.
- Montessori philosophy is so vast and so deep that it is challenging to master it in a lifetime of teaching! Initially, we preferentially take in the parts of Montessori philosophy that are closest to our own beliefs about teaching and child development. We may also absorb parts that are surprisingly different from our experience because of the novelty. We hear or read about other aspects of the philosophy without fully integrating them, at least at first; there is just too much! Those aspects become a gossamer thread in our evolving philosophy tapestry. If nothing reinforces them, they drop from view.
- During our formative years of classroom teaching, we implement our understanding, within the context of the practices and structures that were given to us by our lead/mentor or school. These often include adaptations that were made long ago to successfully resolve an issue; But once the issue was resolved, the practice no longer seemed like an adaptation; everyone forgot to check to see if the scaffolding was still needed. And so, adaptations can unintentionally perpetuate.
- Additional adaptations may be adopted because of an incomplete understanding of (or belief in) the philosophy. A fairly common example of this is those who mistakenly interpret “birth of abstraction” to mean “the time when children no longer gain much from materials-based learning”.
- We can also lose sight of Montessori philosophy when trying to streamline our adult practices A Montessori friend once drew an apt analogy of our task to spinning plates. (See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zhoos1oY404&t=52s if you are unfamiliar with that dusty pop-culture reference.) Whether on the stage of The Ed Sullivan Show or in a Montessori classroom, keeping the plates spinning requires keen observation and well-timed micro-adjustments. It also takes a lot of energy. And so, we naturally try to be as effective with our practices as possible; we take seemingly small shortcuts here and there to keep the plates spinning, sometimes inadvertently undercutting some aspect of The Method.
Whatever the source, it does not take very much repetition for an adaptation to feel very much a part of a well-regulated process.
In aggregate, each one of us probably has some practices that reflect higher fidelity to Montessori philosophy than to others. It is a little like the old story about the blind men who are describing an elephant. One, who feels the leg of the pachyderm, says it is like a tree trunk. Another, who feels the trunk, says it is like a snake. A third, who feels the side of the animal, says it is like a wall. How can the blind men resolve these diverse and equally correct perspectives of the elephant? They try to “see” the elephant from others’ points of view – to experience the entirety of the animal – guided by someone who knows what parts they are missing.
How, then, do we come to see the whole Montessori elephant? How do we decrease our isolation (geographic or ideological) and discover what we are missing? First, we must find our tribe: people who are interested in graciously helping us improve our practice and who want the same assistance from us. Willingness to give and take is of paramount importance; it is what enables civil discourse that is free of blaming or judging. With these trusted collaborators, we humbly offer our practices and paradigms and listen to theirs. We remember that Montessori described the classroom as a living laboratory rather than as a manufacturing plant. We try to experience the Montessori elephant from a different perspective or with a different practice.
How do we find our tribe?
Richard Cohen, in Zen and the Art of Early Childhood Education said, “If you want to know who your tribe is, speak your truth. Then see who sticks around. Those are the people who get a spot in your blanket fort.” First, we look in our own back yard. Ask nearby teachers that you know and respect if they would be interested in examining their practices through a Montessori lens. This can be done by having an informal conversation about looking for a collaborator – someone to trade ideas.
If there isn’t the opportunity for an in-person conversation, reach out digitally. Start with those closest to your location and work out from there. Forward a link to this blog to someone who you suspect might be interested with a note asking if they think this is crazy-talk or interesting-talk. (You will likely get some of each!) Those who stick around are prime candidates for your blanket fort!
If your tribe is far-flung, remember that videoconferencing is great for staying connected, and it is right at our disposal! You might want to start with a small group (4-6 people) and see how it goes. Does everyone have an opportunity to participate? Is there enough diversity of opinion to spark meaningful dialog?
Tribal Support
If the first meeting is satisfying, continue to meet on-demand or consider setting up an informal “First Friday”, “Second Saturday, or “Third Thursday” gathering at a coffee shop or other semi-private, semi-festive location. And if your meeting is held via videoconferencing, it can be BYOCoffee, maybe even wearing pajamas! Is a monthly meeting too ambitious? Perhaps quarterly is more realistic. Whenever and wherever you meet, it will feel like an opportunity to refresh and renew if the expectation is that everyone participates only when they can – no obligations. A wonderful tradition is rotating the leadership responsibility to reduce the burden on any individual tribal member.
The goal might not be to overtly look at what needs to be changed. Change always involves the unknown, which can be scary or overwhelming. A meme that I ran across this week might help put it in a slightly different context; “That which we do not change, we choose.” The goal of the conversation might be to see what elements of our practice we would choose. What would best represent The Montessori Method if we were creating our program/classroom today? In the process, it may become evident what is in play simply because “that’s the way we have always done it”. Here is one way that this kind of gathering might play out:
- Begin each meeting by asking who tried something as a result of the previous discussion. Was it fabulously successful or abysmally unsuccessful? Hopefully, there will be some funny stories to go along with the implementation attempts. The meeting should be a joyful, judgment-free zone, designed to help participants grow in their practice.
- Open the select topic for discussion. Topics might be broad, like the uninterrupted work cycle, or narrow, like how to encourage parents and children to arrive on time. If the topic is the work cycle, we might begin with why this seemed important enough to nominate. What is going on in the classroom that suggested this topic? What did Montessori say about an uninterrupted work cycle (benefits, descriptions, etc.)? After all, she is our ultimate guide, the one who helps us see when we are only perceiving one aspect of the elephant. What are the external challenges to an uninterrupted work cycle? What are the internal challenges? Everyone might share their schedule for lesson delivery and their expectations for follow-up work. Some may share how they manage snack so that there doesn’t have to be an all-stop break mid-morning. Others may tell about ways that they encourage inspired (student-chosen) work and how that enlivens the work cycle. Through discussion of what we want to choose, we may discover practices that were bequeathed to us that might be getting in the way of uninterrupted time for work.
- End by asking if anyone wants to share something new or different that they are considering trying in the coming interval. Realize that implementing change means implicitly refusing to allow fear of the unknown to control us. Not everyone will be ready to be so courageous each time, and that is OK.
- Try to keep the meeting to the previously-agreed upon timetable. Start and end on time. If some want to stay behind and visit longer, they can do so without holding the whole group there.
Reflection for adults: Who do you know or suspect is your tribe?
Are you already connecting with them in an authentic way, formally or informally? Is this offering enough food for thought to nourish your practice? Are you allowing Montessori to be your guide? When you connect, are you sharing honestly and generously? (Remember that sometimes others may need you more than you need them, and sometimes the reverse is true.) Have you proactively proposed topics that you feel could potentially impact your practice?
Alternatively, do you feel like an island? Are you tribe-less? How can you proactively change that situation? Can you think of even two other people that you might approach to exchange ideas? When / how can you open the conversation about wishing for a collaborator?
Reflection for children: Everyone has times when they feel more at ease – like they can authentically be themselves – and other times less so. Is it more likely to happen when you are alone, with one special friend, or in a big group? When you can be yourself without thinking about how others see you, is that more related to where you are or to who is with you?
How do you know that you are being your most authentic self? Are there certain feelings that come out when you are in that time/space/company? Do you feel more peaceful? Happier? Sillier? More intentional? Less concerned about your appearance or how you affect others? Something else?
OPTIONAL: If children seem like these are easy questions to answer, consider continuing with something a bit deeper:
- What happens when you haven’t had much time when you could be your most authentic self? What about days that are filled more with time spent as your most authentic self? Does that influence the quality of your day or does it not make a tremendous difference?
- Is there someone who knows you well enough to challenge you to be your best and most authentic you? A friend who encourages you when you are in the doldrums or feeling out of sorts? Someone who grounds you when you are trying too hard to impress others?
- Is there someone who you know well enough to know when they are holding back or trying too hard? What do you do that tells them that you see and like them just the way they are?
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
– Margaret Mead, cultural anthropologist