Is The Montessori Method a Fad? Popular Science June 1914

[Calliope84]

http://books.google.com/books?id=xyQDAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA609&dq=popular%20science%20montessori&pg=PA609#v=onepage&q=popular%20science%20montessori&f=false Thought this was cool.

[physmom]

Thanks for posting that! It was definitely an interesting read.  I wish I could figure out how to copy and paste here because there was a nice section that warned about following the Montessori method too strictly and forgetting the conditions that the Montessori methods was formed and that it does need to be adapted to the unique culture of the US.  I wonder sometimes if that is not why we hear some compliments about individual schools that follow Montessori "too strictly" (like the example of that boy who put his horse on the roof). 

The author also mused that it was a shame that songs weren't involved in Kindergarten and I had to chuckle a bit because I know for sure the kids at DD's school do sing!  However, it's lead by the students and they teach each other their favorite songs. There's no set singing time but if a kid feels in a particularly vocal mood, well, they have at it! For instance, DD's been teaching the kids there "Happy Birthday" and "The Who Song" from the Grinch. 

Oh, and I enjoyed his question if Maria Montessori would be considered one of the educational "greats" from a list of names of people that I've never heard of (ok, I've never studied educational theory but still..).

Part of the irony is that article could still be written TODAY.  Where we live nobody understands what Montessori is and they all think I'm crazy for not just taking DD to the school down the street.  It's not a public school so I'd be paying anyways, why not pay for a school that I agree with the philosophy? 

[gcgirl]

Interesting article - thanks for posting!

I had to chuckle a bit at the "defective children" part - you don't see those words occurring together  so often in this day and age.