Hand Crafted

There are many Montessorians who believe that, had it not been for World War II, the Montessori method would have become the predominant model for U.S. schools. Unfortunately, the turn of events that led the U.S. into the second World War also led our nation farther and farther away from the basic principles of a Montessori education.

Did you ever watch Little House on the Prairie? This was my favorite television show growing up. It's one of the best views into the one room school house that was the beginning of the American education system. And what did you see in that classroom...multi-age groups, children learning at their own pace, an interwoven and integrated curriculum that was preparing children for life. It was Montessori.

With the birth of the assembly line in the early 20th century and then the factory mentality of World War II, Americans chose to do away with the one room school house for a more "effective" model. We began to streamline our schools. It became imperative that we tell teachers what to teach so that every child learns the same material. We built bigger schools and put all children who were the same age in one room to more effectively impart appropriate knowledge. We did away with learning things that interest us and focused more on memorizing things other people told us were important to know. And we began a systematic "tossing aside" any child coming down the conveyor belt who didn't fit the mold.

It saddens me that we've turned our education system into a factory line...cranking out inferior products in large quantities as fast as we possibly can. I don't know about you, but my children are special and unique. They are one-of-a-kinds and I prefer that their education help handcraft them rather than hard pressing them into a mold that doesn't fit them or throwing them out because they are different from the rest of the models rolling off the assembly line.

Think about it, when it comes to your child's education, do you want the cheap factory version or the handcrafted version? I choose Montessori.