Pre-Birth Education Decisions

Ridiculous. Thinking about education decisions at 11 weeks preggo.... Well, not so ridiculous for a Dad the 2nd time around, as I have 3 kids worth of experience and the related indoctrination/education. And as I wandered upon this article headlining Slate - which is one of the best "street discussions" I've read about Montessori - I thought it is worth a post.

Yes, my three existing kids are Montessori educated. I am a Montessori parent, in my style and understanding of development. I believe the majority of the time children need to learn "for themselves" - and words (ie, "Don't do that", "Please do this", "Great job!") without meaning, explanation, and action behind them are pretty much worthless and can distract a child from getting their job (development!) done. I've practiced this for 10.5 years - since D was 18 months old and we went to our first Montessori toddler class together.

And all throughout my kids lives, I have been surrounded by comments about how they are such great kids. The reason - in my opinion - is what and how they (AND I!) have learned from Montessori. In the end, it is all about respect. Respecting them as children and respecting that their development path is primarily determined by themselves - and we are only here to guide that.

Or so I say... Cause all my six-year-old wants to do is to learn more about everything: