Educating the Whole Child in the Montessori Environment
The essential thing is to arouse such an interest that it engages the child's whole personality. —Maria Montessori The Absorbent Mind, p. 206. We hear a lot about how Montessori focuses on educating the whole child. But what does that mean? How is whole child education different from that of mainstream contemporary education? Whole Child Education and the Montessori Environment A child’s mind must be educated before he is instructed that the true purpose of education is the cultivation of the intellect rather than an accumulation of facts. —John Locke, Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1693) Dr. Maria Montessori was a woman ahead of her time. During the industrial age, the role of the school was to create workers who would work for the betterment of the state. In fascist Italy, children were taught to be citizens of the state, with each gender having very specific roles to fulfill. Obedience to authority was demanded without opposition. Dr. Montessori refused to allow the governm...