AMI E-Bulletin The

AMIthe e-Bulletin

Association Montessori Internationale

October | 2011

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Editorial

Educateurs sans Frontières

Annual General Meeting

and Open Forum

Meet the AMI Board

Meet our new Trainers

Catching up on AMI Courses

AMI in the Czech Republic

Students Corner

Events

Mixed Bag of News

In the Mood for Reading?

Sofia Cavalletti Remembered

Mr Nachiappan Obituary

Unesco

Back Page

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Editorial

With the start of a new school year, it is high time for a “regular” e-bulletin! In the past months we have shared with you the excitement of a few major plans: the Assembly of Educateurs sans Frontières (EsF) in Dallas and the project of developing a Montessori Museum, Open Archive and Research Centre in Amsterdam. We hope you enjoyed reading the special theme bulletins sent out on those topics. Should you have missed any of these, please drop us a line at [email protected].

And ... Educateurs sans Frontières concluded recently. More than fifty participants from around the world, and presenters spent two weeks filled to the brim with “encounters” that transcended borders, in each and every way. Plans on how to build communities that can effectively engage in outreach projects were shared and explored. The humanitarian aspects of Montessori philosophy were studied and talked about in depth, taking on truly global dimensions. Special Education, Language Development, fighting illiteracy at child and adult

level—all were discussed. Evenings were filled with reports on projects, discussions, films about current initiatives, and planning for the future. With inspiring sessions led by professionals from organizations such as Save the Children, Family Star and Hands to Hearts International, the participants found much food, and endorsement for their hopes and dreams of bringing Montessori to all corners of society, in whatever circumstances. André Roberfroid, our president, was with us all of the time and did a wonderful interview on Dallas Radio, KERA’s “Think” http://npr.vo.llnwd.net/kip0/_pxn=0+_pxK=10412/anon.npr-podcasts/podcast/77/510036/139558676/KERA_139558676.mp3

A big thank-you is due to all the volunteers in Dallas without whose quiet and invaluable help this assembly could not have managed. For her vision we must really thank Renilde Montessori, who originally designed EsF. After three assemblies, EsF is here to stay, to become an independent AMI Division. A special EsF bulletin will be created later this year. Also, a unique EsF web site is currently being developed (amiesf.org). For now, if your impatience is getting the better of you, and you “must catch” a glimpse you can do so on You Tube. Just follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI2H0XZYeGg&feature=related

With the summer making eyes at a serious spot of autumn, we are seeing another year marked by grateful excitement, beginning almost literally at the “top of the world” with an inspirational meeting of educationalists high up in the Indian mountains of Sikkim. More about this can be read on Susan

Stephenson’s web site http://susanart.net/sikkim2010.html)..... And the year’s activities and events continue to spur us on: new trainers keep on graduating from the Training of Trainers programme, requests for courses in “new” countries are increasingly finding their way to us; new groups and societies are forming, developing and collaborating. We are energized by the work and commitment of so many people that we have the good fortune to be associated with. Your work has also convinced us that ideally we should be communicating more. To that end this bulletin will undergo a slight change in set-up. You will be receiving more, and shorter, bulletins from now on! Please keep on writing to us. We love hearing from you.

Lynne Lawrence, Executive Director

the AMI e-bulletin 2011/October

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EsF participants

discussing, thinking,

reading and above all

meeting!

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The green campus of

Dallas University

where the EsF

assembly was held.

"Filling" the participants' bags: the team of volunteers from the Barbara Gordon Montessori School that helped make this EsF such a success. Thank you Brian Brooks, Larry Quade, Lucy Cáñez, Joan Veazey, Marie Miller, Tricia Miller, Pamela Pospisil, Tricia Tuscana

Many many thanks to the members of the EsF working party, who, at different stages of the

development of this assembly, helped create an unusally inspiring two weeks in Dallas.

So thank you, Victoria Barrèes, Silvia Dubovoy, Emily Green, Jules Layman, Barbara

Millington, Mary Caroline Parker, Larry Quade. Thanks also to Craig Isaacs for the bags,

hats and general help, and of course the Montessori community in Dallas that has been so

supportive and welcoming.

Mary Caroline Parker, the logistics champion of EsF, together with Lynne Lawrence, main coordinator.

Maureen Peiffer feeding back to the whole group on her group’s deliberations.


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Some highlights of a packed weekend

Participants cheered the video of “Corner of Hope”, AMI’s outreach programme of establishing a school and training on site for the inhabitants of the New Canaan Community (transit camp),

Kenya, Africa. This is truly a revolutionary way of bringing education following the “help me to do it myself” adagio.

The new parent education initiative “Aid to Life” was launched and the materials that have been developed to date were shown. Aid to Life is a joint initiative of AMI, NAMTA, MAF/MCF and MMI. Video and booklet packs were on sale during the lunch break, and they went over the counter like the proverbial “hot cakes”. The supporting web site is close to launch. Packs can be ordered from http://www.montessori-namta.org/Aid-to-Life-initiative/View-all-products.html

The AGM and the BIG ConversationCathryn Kasper’s Impressions

The AMI headquarters and three floors of the Industrieele Groote Club on historic Dam Square in Amsterdam were buzzing with excitement this year as the AGM unfolded. The AGM has evolved into much more than just a meeting; it is the pulse of AMI’s many activities, initiatives, and accomplishments. Attendance has been steadily growing and this year over 120 eager international participants came to enjoy the camaraderie, the breaking news, and to take back to their counties the enthusiasm for our newly-dynamic organization. It was my first time to attend this event—and what an inspiration was in store!

Retiring members of the AMI Executive Committee were Annette Haines, Steve Huffmann and Judi Orion. With the dissolution of the AMI Executive Committee, which has been replaced wholly by the AMI Board, the presentation of the “I am an AMI Ex ExCo” t-shirts was appropriately light-hearted. Annette and Judi continue to chair the Scientific Pedagogy Group and Training Group respectively. Retiring Board members Kamini Sundaram and Christian Schjetnan were honoured with toasts and small gifts. The AMI community knows that their work on behalf of Montessori will remain undiminished!

The AMI Annual Report over 2010 was part of the participants’ packs, and some of the highlights were discussed. If you’d like to obtain your private

digital copy, please contact us at [email protected] of the Affiliated Societies can be found on our web site.

Mrs Oppenheimer receiving a unique

gift from the Archives to thank her for

her major and continued support of

AMI initiatives.

A hearty and heartfelt appreciation was extended to major benefactors Orcillia and Nicky Oppenheimer for the generous donation which enabled the purchase of the building next door to AMI headquarters. This will make possible the establishment of the Maria Montessori House, incorporating a Museum, Open Archive and Research Centre. The hundred-year-old house needs to be stripped from top to bottom and converted into a welcoming, interactive space. Plans are underway to fund raise at least an additional 1.5 million Euro to build an exceptional centre.

“AMI Digital”, AMI is working very hard on the launch of a web shop that will give access to many Montessori products and items, such as language cards, articles and photographs. Many items are being created fresh, and it is hoped that this attractive web shop will “open” next year. As soon as the web site is live, a message will go out to all the membership.


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Following on from their work with the Montessori Intervention Program, Dr John Erhart, child and adolescent psychiatrist, and Monica Smith MS ED, explained the set-up of a new AMI training course that they had been asked to develop by AMI’s Scientific Pedagogy Group. The programme will cater for teachers working with children who may evidence special needs and will be given in two summers—2012 in New York City, and 2013 in La Jolla, California. For details see www.montessoriintervention.org.

Dr Steve Hughes presented his stunning “School 2.0” research on the trajectory of education and the potential of Montessori education to fulfill the search for education based on how the brain actually works, fulfilling the drive to

maximize human capital and educate the human potential.

Italian historian Paola Trabalzini presented a riveting account of the intricacies of the evolution of Dr Montessori’s work now known as The Discovery of the Child. Read more on this in the latest NAMTA Journal, Vol. 36, No 2, Spring 2011.

Denis Caillaux of the Article 15 Organization (taking its name from the relevant article of the declaration of the children’s rights) gave an eloquent plea for the children of Africa who are exploited and abused as workers and child soldiers. His organization is supporting the self-empowerment of adolescents that form groups offering each other protection. The current aim is to bring together 150,000 children from both Francophone and Anglophone backgrounds across Africa.

Benedetto Scoppola (r)

showing off his

Psicogeometria t-shirt,

together with Miep van

den Manakker, the graphic

artist responsible for all

the illustrations and lay-out

of the book.

The long-awaited English translation of Maria Montessori’s Psychogeometry was introduced by its editor, Professor Benedetto Scoppola. The meeting applauded his work, as well as the major contribution of Kay Baker on this title. Unfortunately, she could not be present on the day. Special numbered copies were presented to members of the “Psico” team, including Mrs Orcillia Oppenheimer, whose generous donation had been the start and continued support of this project. Copies of the title in both hard and soft cover were eagerly purchased after Professor Scoppola’s talk.

Under the umbrella title “Reaching More Children” three presentations

were given on Sunday at the Open Forum:

Famed Dutch architect Herman Hertzberger, creator of many innovative purpose-built Montessori environments, demonstrated how his experiences as a Montessori child had informed his articulation and interpretation when building school environments that support children’s development.


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The most exciting event of the Sunday was when Laura Shaw got the inaugural Big Conversation rolling during the Open Forum. Participants met in small group round table discussions on the most critical issues facing children today, exploring ways for the Montessori movement to respond and propel Montessori forward as a global leader in initiatives for

children. The Big Conversation is planned to expand into a worldwide conversation gaining momentum toward the very Big Conversation to be held in 2013 at the 27th International Montessori Congress in Portland, Oregon, USA. Presentations and feedback from the April session and ideas on how to organize your own BC locally will soon be part of a special web site. So, there’s lots out there on the Internet that is awaited eagerly to go live!

Laura Shaw “reaping the harvest” of feedback


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On the final afternoon of the AGM weekend, we were treated to an Open House at the new house—a venerable old building that is nearly the twin of the existing headquarters. For this occasion a small exhibition had been staged filled with fascinating memorabilia and the energy of new beginnings.

Visitors taking delight in the mini exhibition with focus on Montessori’s years in India,

staged during the AGM weekend.

If you have not yet attended an AGM weekend, make sure to free up your calendar next year.

This event is rapidly evolving into a “must do” for all who want to feel the pulse of AMI.

Request the Maria Montessori House

bulletin if you have

not got your copy!

SAVE THE DATE 14 & 15 April

AGM WEEKEND 2012

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Peter (USA) is the AMI

representative for affiliated

societies. Peter was the

founding board president of

the Montessori Administrators

Association (MAA) in 2007. He

is also the founding head at the

Montessori School of

Beaverton, an AMI school in

Portland. He currently serves

as a consultant for Montessori

in Redlands, an AMI school in

Southern California, and

recently became involved in a

Montessori project in Gaza.

Philip (Ireland) is a former

UNICEF Regional Director and

Senior Programme Officer in

UNICEF’s Office of Emergency

Programmes, responsible for

operational and policy support

to UNICEF offices working in

crisis situations. He is currently

Executive Vice President for

Communications Advocacy

and Development at the

Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric

AIDS Foundation. Philip has a

Master’s in Economic Science

from the University of Wales,

Swansea, U.K.

Molly (USA) is an AMI teacher

trainer, lecturer, consultant,

and international speaker. She

is Director of Training at the

Montessori Training Center of

Minnesota (MTCM) since 1996

and was a founding board

member of the Minnesota

Children’s Museum, chairing

the capital campaign to raise

funds to open a new facility.

Molly has also raised funds to

establish ‘Cornerstone’, a

school for low income families,

and her Training Centre offers

many outreach programmes.

Peter Davidson

Affiliated

Societies

Representative

Philip

O’Brien

Memberships

Molly

O’Shaughnessy

Pedagogy

Guadalupe

Borbolla

Outreach &

Development

Guadalupe (Mexico) brings a

vast Montessori experience to

the Board. She has all three

AMI diplomas: 0-3, 3-6 and

6-12 and is a trainer at the 3-6

level. In addition, she has

participated in the Adolescent

Orientation Studies offered by

NAMTA. With an MEd from

Loyola University and degrees

in political science and special

education, she is well equipped

to take a broad view of all the

current developments in which

AMI is presently engaging.

Randi Yoder (USA) advises

AMI on funds development.

Her expertise in that field is

extensive. She is SVP

Development and Chief

Development Officer at MPR/

American Public Media. She

worked at United Way in St.

Paul, Minnesota, where she

oversaw Donor Relations, and

giving and special initiatives.

Randi was president of

Yoder Henley Development

Resources, giving professional

advice and counsel to non-

profit organizations. She is a

graduate of the American

Graduate School of

International Management.

Mary Caroline

Parker

Humanitarian &

Child Advocacy

Mary Caroline (USA) is Head of

School at The Barbara Gordon

Montessori School in

Colleyville, Texas. She holds

the AMI 3-6 diploma, a BA in

Latin American Studies, a JD

from American University, and

an MEd in Montessori

Integrative Learning from

Endicott College. She serves on

the EsF Working Party, and the

boards of the Montessori

Institute of North Texas (MINT)

and Neighbors United,

operating East Dallas

Community School and

Lindsley Park Community

School, public Montessori

schools, and Bachman Lake

Community School.

Maria Teresa

Vidales

Transitional

This position is to be filled.

At the moment the previous

Treasurer, Pieter van der

Linden, continues to take care

of the most pressing issues,

until a successor has been

found.

Vacancy

Treasurer

Maria Teresa (Mexico) is an

AMI Director of Training at the

Assistants to Infancy Level.

She has directed courses in

Dallas, Texas, China and

Australia. Maria Teresa serves

as AMI examiner, consultant,

lecturer, and workshop leader.

She also co-directed the

Assistants to Infancy courses

in Japan and San Diego, and

collaborated with the course in

Denver. Maria Teresa also

holds the AMI Primary diploma.

She has operated a school in

Mexico since 1989, and has

been working with children

close to thirty years.

Meet the AMI Board

André Roberfroid, President

André (Belgium/France) is the President

of the Association Montessori

Internationale, and former UNICEF Deputy

Executive Director for Programme and

Strategic Planning. With André as

President, AMI has implemented a 10-year strategic

plan with one of the goals being the global expansion of

Montessori early childhood education programmes.

André travels widely promoting Montessori education

and is a passionate speaker.

Lynne Lawrence, Executive Director

Lynne (UK/Netherlands) has held this

position since 2007. Her background in

Montessori education spans over 35

years, which included being Director of

Training and Schools at the MMI in

London. Lynne has huge experience with outreach

projects, particularly in Africa, where she has supported

and initiated projects in Tanzania and Kenya. Lynne

holds a BA in the humanities and is a Fellow of the RSA.

Randi Yoder

Funds

Development


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Sarah Andrews, USATrainer 3-6

Jayne Arellano, Mexico Trainer 3-6

Reyna Babani, Mexico Trainer 3-6

Guadalupe Borbolla, Mexico, Trainer 3-6

Virginia Buckley, USAnow also Trainer at 0-3

Silvia C. Dubovoy, USA now also Trainer at 0-3

Cecilia Elguerro, Mexico Trainer 3-6

Carla Forster, Norway/USA Trainer 6-12

Claudia Guerrero, Mexico, Trainer 3-6

Brenda Gonzalez, Mexico, Auxiliary Trainer 3-6

Elizabeth Gutttierez, Mexico, Trainer 3-6

Merry Hadden, USAAuxiliary Trainer 3-6

Elizabeth Hall USAnow also Trainer at 0-3

Jenny-Marie Höglund, Sweden, Trainer 6-12

Gabriela Ortega, Mexico Trainer 3-6

Larry Quade, USATrainer 3-6

Hema Rangarajan, India Auxiliary Trainer 3-6

Elina Rautasalo, UKTrainer 3-6

Coral Ruiz, MexicoAuxiliary Trainer 3-6

Tayyaba Saleem, PakistanAuxiliary Trainer 3-6

Polly Soholt, USATrainer 3-6

CO

NG

RA

TU

LAT

ION

S

Congratulations to all! This is a year’s harvest of successful trainees on AMI’s Training

of Trainers Programme during 2010-2011. Our thanks also go to

the Training Group for their unparalleled commitment to

administering this programme.


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Basking in Montessori in the Basque Country!

Congratulations to Guadalupe Borbolla and her students of the Children’s House Assistants Course, who have just started the second Assistants Course to be given in Spain.The first Spanish Assistants Course was given by Irene Fafalios earlier this year in Madrid.

Assistants CoursesThe Assistants Courses are especially designed to help interested adults become able assistants in a Montessori environment. Many of the AMI training centres offer this type of course, which is also ideally suited for parents that would like to understand the Montessori principles more thoroughly. The Assistants Course can also be an excellent instrument in starting to create interest in and garner support for a full Montessori teacher training course in countries where Montessori is gaining ground.

New 0-3 Trainers in the Making ! Page 9 shows the “impact” of the Training of Trainers Programme at all levels. Traditionally, the primary level is very well represented, but with today’s realization that Early Years Education really starts prebirth, AMI is extremely pleased that we’re expanding our pool of 0-3 trainers. This is highlighted by the number of trainers-in-training hailing from many countries around the globe who are participating in the recently launched seminar format for the Assistants to Infancy (0-3) Level.

And here they are with their seminar leader Judi Orion...

Front Row: Karey Lontz, USA, Ivy Chuang, Taiwan, Gaby Velázquez, Mexico, Sara Brady, Australia

Short Row of 3: Seiko Ohara, Japan, Tiina Sumoinen, Finland, Eibi Chung, Korea

Long Row: Heidi Philippart, Netherlands, Cheryl Ferreira, UK, Julia Hilson, Australia, Teanny Hurtado, Mexico, Susan Stephenson, USA, Sharlyn Smith, USA, Judi Orion, A-I Trainer & Seminar Leader

Back Row: Salma Imtiaz, Pakistan, Erin Smith, USA, Karin Salzmann, USA, Nancy Lechner, USA, Patricia Spinelli, France


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Catching up on AMI Courses

The I in AMI’s name, the international aspect is growing and growing! We are absolutely delighted with the spreading appeal of Montessori worldwide. It is inspiring to see how local bodies commit to bringing Montessori training to their communities and the determination and thoroughness that they apply in realizing their goals. Here is a quick overview of some new developments and of places where you might want to look out for quality AMI teacher training. Not all courses can take in such spectacular numbers as Thailand (see photo), but we’re happy that enrolment on AMI courses is ‘internationalizing” and glowing.

AUSTRALIA: Sydney and Melbourne are hosting new courses.In Sydney, AMTEF are offering a 0-3 course, led by Judi Orion, with two primary courses running in Melbourne and the Sunshine Coast, directed by Pamela Nunn and Amy Kirkham.

AUSTRIA: Vienna is preparing for their first AMI Course They are ready to roar in 2012. This primary course is offered in English, but students also have the opportunity to submit their written course work in German.

CZECH REPUBLIC: Prague is seeing the realization of its first AMI Primary course. Want to find out how an introductory course blossomed into a full AMI diploma course? Read the full story on page 13.

CHINA: Following the successful courses given in Hangzhou with currently an A to I course running and a new Primary course, the 5th, we are now offering two courses at the Primary level in Jiading—an academic-year and a summer course.

Photo: Getting ready to sign a Memorandum of Understanding, from left to right: Lynne Lawrence, AMI Executive Director,Mr Ma Jianhua, General Secretary of the Chinese Society of Education, and André Roberfroid, AMI President.


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GREECE, ATHENS so full of history is now adding to its cultural treasures its own share of Montessori history, with the first 3-6 course underway, led by AMI trainer Irene Fafalios.

MEXICO is seeing a major expansion of its Primary Courses Two new affiliated training centres are active, and two more will be starting programmes in 2011 / and early 2012. We

really do hope that they will help meet the increasing demand from the Spanish speaking Americas.

RUSSIA, St. Petersburg is also contributing to

the score of “firsts” in AMI courses.

In St. Petersburg, a 0-3 course has started and on Montessori’s Birthday, on August 31, they had a little celebration. Trainer Patrica Wallner writes that ‘we had a cake and Maria Montessori candy (M&Ms), so a sugar rush was had by all. Everyone wrote a wish on a piece of paper and as the candles (in the shape of 1 4 1) were burning we read them so they would come true. We also received a “wishing book” for the course and future courses where trainers and assistants and students can write their hopes and wishes for

Montessori. This St. Petersburg course is great, with wonderful students.’

SWITZERLAND has piloted a modular formatfor the 0-3 training course in Zurich, and they were delighted with the very international student body this has attracted.

USA - TRIPLE A Arizona: We are back to business in Arizona, with the opening of an AMI training facility: the Southwest Institute of Montessori Studies.Atlanta: The Primary Course is now operating under the name International Montessori Training Institute (IMTI Atlanta).(The elementary programme in Atlanta remains under the sponsorship of the Montessori Institute of Atlanta.)Avila: this summer saw the start of a one-time elementary course in Avila.

Breaking News !

AMI Adolescent Orientation Programme AMI is delighted to announce that in cooperation with NAMTA the AMI Adolescent Orientation Programme is being offered. The programme builds an integrated view of the Montessori adolescent in relation to Montessori psychology, methodology, and philosophy. Content is presented within the context of Montessori’s educational principles. Participants can shape their specialized backgrounds (in math, science, humanities) as part of a total Montessori vision, allowing them to design an adolescent programme that addresses their unique combinations of students, faculty, site, and administration at their schools. AMI Montessori training in early childhood or elementary levels will enhance the orientation experience, but is not a prerequisite. For full details on programme schedule, see http://www.montessori-namta.org/a-montessori-orientation-to-adolescent-studies.html

Special EducationComing in the not too distant future is a Special Education Adjunct Course to your AMI diploma to be piloted in the first instance in the United States. Contact AMI if you are interested; we expect a waiting list of participants wishing to follow this much requested specialism, so keep check of the AMI website for information as it becomes available. Write to [email protected].

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was a need for a family centre in Prague that should introduce parents to Montessori education. They felt that Montessori philosophy, in today’s fast speeding world full of plastic electronic toys, television and computer games, is able to guide parents of young children to truly good parenting skills. Therefore, they decided to incorporate elements of Montessori education into courses, classes and activities for parents with young children at their family centre and realized that parents kept coming back and asking for more. The great demand showed that we had at arrived at a point at which methodical guidance was needed: the upshot was that we sought help from the Association Montessori Internationale.

The initial result was a packed two-week stay of Lilian Bryan, AMI Director of Training, who came to Prague. Lilian gave a two-week Basic Montessori Knowledge Course. She also gave a series of four evening seminars for parents, and lectured at a conference “Montessori—Natural Education of Tomorrow” attended by well known Czech educators, such as Dr Karel Rýdl, and held under the patronage of the Czech Ministry of Education. All together well over 100 people benefited from Lilian’s lectures on the topic of Montessori education.

AMI’s presence in the Czech Republic resulted in a debate about the future of Montessori education in our country. Our educators called for in-depth,

Maria’s students 2011

extensive and professional Montessori training and that is how we connected with AMI trainer Maria Roth from Munich, Germany. Together we worked on organizing AMI Primary training in Prague, and one month ago with the official opening, we saw the results. We wish our group of students a very satisfying year!

Montessori in the Czech Republic - from intro to diploma course, from Lilian to MariaMirka Vlckova

Lilian’s “Intro” Group 2010

There is something quite unique about the Czech Republic and that is a 3-year maternity leave. Mothers stay at home with their children and care for them until they are 3 years and start attending kindergartens. Mother and Family centres help prevent social isolation of parents that are caring for small children. They are established by groups of active mothers who want to spend time together, who wish to do activities together with their children (arts and crafts, singing, drama and other) and who wish to serve their community. At the moment there are more than 350 Mother and Family Centres in the Czech Republic.

One of the most important roles of these centres is education, and that responsibility is expressed by organizing seminars, courses and conferences on parenting, marriage and other interesting topics related to family life. As such, Czech Mother and Family Centres are the source of information on modern trends in parenting and child upbringing for parents and also for professional educators.

Family Centre Andilek was established in August 2008 by Miroslava Vlckova and Jana Liskova, two young women and best friends, who had children of the same age and who felt that there

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Student's Corner: Citizen of the world?

Reflections on training and children by Erica Geers

So there I was, on the other side of the North Sea, separated from the mainland of Europe, separated from Italy where I did my AMI elementary training, separated from the Netherlands where I come from and worked as a Dutch Montessori trained teacher for 5 years. Does that make me, I wonder, a citizen of the world?

After my training in Bergamo I said goodbye to my friends from all over the world who were going back home. I said goodbye to the nuns in the Convitto where I lived for 10 months. I said goodbye to Italy, the country that has a special place in my heart. And I also said goodbye to 10 months of hard work, studying, colouring, discussions, observations in Brussels, Berlin and Frankfurt, reading everything which had something to do with Montessori. I went back to the Netherlands with my friends from Australia and Italy and celebrated our new lives as AMI-trained Montessori teachers. For me the break was short: I was emigrating to Scotland. I had to find a place to live, sign a contract and get all the paperwork done. A big step for me, a small step on the world map.

So there I found myself in the kingdom of Fife at a very small Montessori school with 8 elementary children, and it was completely different to what I was used to. In the Netherlands I always had around 30 children in my lower elementary classroom and our whole school had 300 students. Some people said to me, ‘that’s a nice little group to start with’. Those who say that don’t understand Montessori. Having 8 children is much more difficult than having 30 children. Montessori was right when she said that a Montessori environment starts to get working with at least 25 children. Children have to learn from each other instead of coming to me and ask me everything. My answer is always ‘I don’t know, ask somebody else’ or ‘Look it up, I have no idea’. After some time, I heard the children whispering to each other, ‘don’t go to Erica, she doesn’t know anything!’ That was exactly what I wanted to hear and what I learned from Jenny-Marie Hoglund in Bergamo.

There are more differences. In Scotland we created an open door environment by really taking out the doors. In the Netherlands, this was never an issue because everybody was working on his own little island, including me I have to say. In Fyfe, the children walked in and out, from elementary to Children’s House, borrowing material, listening to each other’s stories or just having a look. When

the piano teacher or the violin teacher was giving a lesson in the afternoon, everybody could enjoy the beautiful music.

As suggested by Baiba Krumins Grazzini, my Bergamo trainer, we had a ‘protected’ 3-hour work period each morning. By this I mean that we really didn’t do anything other than that. All the other things were built into the afternoon programme. Children came in at 09:00 and started working till 12:00. Of course they could have a little snack if they wanted to, but there was no playing outside as I was used to in the Netherlands. This changed my way of thinking about children as well. They really are capable

of working for 3 hours non-stop. I saw it with my own ey—and not only one child, no, all of them.

In the afternoons the children chose their own activities: horse riding, running, hockey, visiting the planetarium, visiting the beach. The beautiful thing was that they all organized it themselves: they made the phone calls, wrote the emails. Of

course, not everybody took them seriously but they were not deterred. We also put the phone in the elementary classroom and children were always eager to answer it. We even got compliments from people who contacted us by phone.

All these little things made my Fife job different from my old job. But was it really all that different? I asked myself. Yes, but mainly ‘no’ because children all over the world are the same. So here I was in a country where everything was the other way around, except the children. They were as loving and eager to learn as my Dutch Montessori children and is that not what Montessori meant when she said ‘We are all citizens of the world.’ We all share the same world, we have so much in common. After working and observing in different countries in Europe, that is what I have come to understand.

This brings me back to my main question ‘Am I a citizen of the world?’ I moved from the Netherlands to Italy and from Italy to Scotland. And now I am back in the Netherlands and am part of a brand new bilingual Montessori school aspiring to AMI standards with my two colleagues, and with many little citizens of the world.

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EVENTS TO LOOK FORWARD TOJuly 31 - August 3, 2013

Have you already blocked these dates in your diary? It is when Montessorians worldwide travel to Portland, Oregon, for the International Montessori Congress.Read more on http://montessoricongress.org

The organizing committee have a wonderful programme in the making, in which you can be involved. Just make use of “the nominate a speaker” form, or join one of the many volunteer committees that help organize a variety of exciting activities.

One of the “tools” to promote the congress is by inviting people to send in their “Capture the Congress” moment on camera. Our Amsterdam staff have already dutifully complied—see the announcement proudly sitting on Dr Montessori’s desk in her study. If you would like to be kept updated on all new developments, costs and registration, do sign up for the newslaetter on http://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=001q-Lt4sL9omONyWOIExm_-Q4e5-oQELdwz5SSPXeETlsfnhsjf-l4sQvUzyi1_LvX8EWLsL_fcya6ir4rGuot1MeExVebVSrUFTiJxuAvkzBKO7JDoNwsrJX_l-FFZiR6

Events closer in time...

October 27-30 NAMTA presents a double theme conference for public and private sectors in Milwaukee.“The Essential Montessori Mathematics”, “Strengthening the Montessori Culture: Public and Private Sectors”http://www.montessori-namta.org

February 1-4, 2012 8th Mexican Montessori Congress—“Embracing our Mission”Puebla, Mexico. Speakers: André Roberfroid, Lynne Lawrence, Jean Miller, Monica Smith, John Erhart and five Mexican AMI Montessori trainers. For more information: [email protected] or www.montessori-sociedad-afiliada.org.mx

August 26-31, 2012 Montessori Summer Seminar, Amsterdam, theme “Montessori: the power of building social communities”. This is a five-day seminar of intense intellectual stimulation, paired with visits to Montessori landmarks in the Netherlands. Info from [email protected].

detail of Maria

Montessori’s

writing desk

16


In previous AMI bulletins the Peace Boat has already sailed past, with its fascinating history of trying to bring peace by travelling the world seas and docking at harbours both well known and exotic, and opening up dialogue between various peoples. This year Amsterdam was also on the list of ports where the Peace Boat called.

A MIXED BAG OF

MONTESSORI NEWS PEACE BOAT DOCKS IN AMSTERDAM

AND CALLS ON AMI

Some of the Peace Boat visitors holding up Montessori bookmarks with

quotations

Since Takako Fukatsu set up the first floating Montessori environment a few years ago, the Peace Boat’s interest in Montessori has only grown, organizing Montessori lectures for parents on the Boat, this year delivered by AMI diploma holder Steven Arnold from Australia, who spent his summer as a volunteer on board. He certainly managed to grab and increase interest, as a large group wanted to see AMI and Montessori environments on their day in Amsterdam.Adults and children arrived early in the

morning of Sunday 4 September and had coffees and teas, or apple juice, depending on their plane of development! The children then worked with some of the Montessori materials in AMI's material room, together with their teacher, whilst the adults toured Maria Montessori's study and enjoyed a powerpoint presentation on her life and work. There was also a short presentation on Anne Frank, whose writing talents were nourished and nurtured in the Montessori school she had attended.

This was followed by a walk across Amsterdam’s famous Vondelpark to a bilingual 0-3 Montessori environment, where they were welcomed by a small group of children, especially invited, because it was a Sunday. The Peace Boat children spent a joyous two hours working in the environment, finding it difficult to tear themselves away. The grown-ups enjoyed their work and the environment, and the talk by Heidi Philippart (head of school). The following item on the “schedule” was a visit to a second bilingual 0-3 environment, run by Simone Davies, and again the children were engrossed within the shortest of times and immediately stuck into exploring and working with the Montessori materials.

The Sunday lunch catered for a question and answer session. There were many questions about quality Montessori teacher training, and these were fielded by Heidi Philippart, Steve

Arnold and Simone Davies. At the end of the afternoon Ai Onodera, coordinator of programmes at the Peace Boat, gave a tour of the ship and introduced the Amsterdam hosts to the Boat’s Montessori environment. It was an inspiring day, for all, and apparently quite a few Montessori seeds have started to germinate!

Preparing a welcome message for the Peace Boat visitors

Ai Onodera setting up

for her presentation in

the Boat’s Montessori

Environment.

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MARIA MONTESSORI INSPIRES STAFF OF DUTCH ORGANIzATION UWV

UWV is an autonomous administrative authority, commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment to implement employee insurances and provide labour market and data services. UWV strives to create opportunities for encouraging and stimulating its employees to keep on working on their own development. The organization has its own “academy” offering courses, trainings and workshops.Recently the academy’s lecture rooms in Amsterdam have been refurbished, and to help create an inspirational environment, photographs and art exhibits now adorn the walls: these have been chosen carefully—connected to the ideas of great thinkers, ground breaking scientists or philosophers.

Staff working in the training and personnel departments were asked for their suggestions, and from the overwhelming number of reactions, eight

great thinkers were identified, relevant quotations selected, and photos chosen to complement the quotations.

One of the best known quotations of Maria

Montessori is ‘Help me to do it myself’. We contacted AMI for a photograph, and the one they suggested we feel perfectly matches the quote. We’d like to thank AMI for their help, and if the readers of this bulletin would like to take a virtual tour of our Amsterdam space, please click https://picasaweb.google.com/100570969254560366036/Aankleding8eEtageTorenA?feat=directlinkand you’ll see Gandhi, Aristotle, Wittgenstein, Galileo and of course Montessori.

We think it’s great to be reminded of Maria Montessori’s words every day: her motto really suits us.

Silvia Klop

JONATHAN KRAMER wins Italian essay contest.

Jonathan, a third-year student of

Italian at Garden City High School

(USA), won first prize for his

essay which demonstrated his

understanding of

Dr Montessori’s philosophy and methodology.photo shows Jonathan with his Italian teacher Ms Lea Brunetti

Jonathan wrote that he strongly believes that the Montessori

education helped build a strong foundation for his future

success as a student and instilled in him a lifelong love of

learning. As a young Montessori student, the material he

enjoyed the most was the bead material that consisted of

‘strings that hung methodically on a rack in the classroom.

Counting the beads by one’s, ten’s, hundred’s and

thousands was the task. This hands-on manipulative

material actually provided an excellent tool for learning

mathematics. It was pure fun to count the beads on each

string and to be allowed to progress to the next set of beads

once I finished fully counting and recording the number of

beads on a sheet of paper. The beads were fun to touch and

to manipulate as I counted each one. While having fun, I

was actually learning mathematics and clearly

understanding how to count by ones, tens, hundreds and

thousands at 3 years of age.’

A MIXED BAG OF MONTESSORI NEWS

CANADA MONTESSORI EDUCATOR DOMINIC BRADFORD received the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Early Childhood Education at a ceremony in Ottawa on October 5—World Teacher’s Day.

The 39-year old founder of the Montessori Borealis Preschool in Whitehorse is being recognized for his success in fostering a learning environment which respects young children as self-directed individuals while helping their growth toward independence and social responsibility. The award also acknowledges the volunteer work Bradford has done to support education in the local community and other parts of the world.

Dominic has AMI certification from Bergamo and San Diego, and an MEd from Loyola. He volunteered at the Montessori school at the Children’s Village in Dharamsala, India, and has worked both in primary and elementary environments. In Alaska he also worked with adolescents in a Montessori programme. Dominic arrived in Whitehorse in 2006 eager to take a fledgling Montessori pre-school programme to the next level. He now leads a class with a full enrollment of 24 children.

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Celebrating the Adolescent!Montessori Lyceum Amsterdam—at 80 the oldest secondary school?We congratulate the Montessori Lyceum Amsterdam (MLA) with this landmark. At eighty MLA is alive and kicking. Wiebe Brouwer, the school’s principal, offers a crash course in pertinent history:

‘To begin with, cast your mind back to the year 1930. Parents of pupils of the Amsterdam Montessori School were looking for a proper “sequel” to the Montessori primary and elementary schools. A delegation of these parents met Dr Maria Montessori in London in 1929, and she promised to develop material for children in the age of 12-18. The following year (1930) the Montessori Lyceum Amsterdam was founded and in the same year Miss A. Osterkamp, the first principal of the new school, travelled to Rome to train with Maria Montessori. In a letter Montessori had reiterated her promise to produce material for certain subjects: for history, geography and Latin. Unfortunately, in Rome nothing appeared to be ready, and Miss Osterkamp felt that Dr Montessori was uncomfortable around her as she could not deliver “the goods”, and Miss Osterkamp returned empty-handed.

In 1931 the board of governors invited Dr Montessori to visit the school. She accepted, but had to cancel at the last minute. Parents and teachers were disillusioned, and felt they had been cheated. Montessori had used the pretext of “indisposition”, as they recorded in the minutes of the next meeting of the board. Montessori was once more invited in the following year and then visited the Lyceum. She was impressed by the method of working, which she described as: “Questo è un vero laboratorio sperimentale.” “This school is a real experimental laboratory”, which was a wonderful compliment.

In 1935 Montessori lectured on her Erdkinderplan in Amsterdam. The Lyceum was interested in her ideas, but decided to continue along the lines they had already adopted. Miss Osterkamp found the Erdkinderplan fascinating, but possibly a utopia, never to be realized, especially as Europe was still battling with the effects of the Big Depression.’

Today, the Lyceum has a strong and healthy position within the general Amsterdam school landscape and enjoys an excellent reputation for creative and caring education. The students helped organize a memorable day to celebrate “their” eighty years: the icing on the cake were the musical performances in the evening—a fitting and festive launch of the next decade.

Students Performing at the Celebrations. Photo: Rien Walrave

Festive day at MLAThrough the eyes of MLA student Shiba HusseinThe main reason why I chose to go to the Montessori Lyceum Amsterdam is because they offer a lot of creative subjects, such as drama, music and crafts. So at our big party to celebrate our 80th birthday many of us had the opportunity to “show off” what we had learnt. In the morning we just went to school as usual, but instead of our normal lessons we played all sorts of matches against all the other classes. We had to translate English lyrics into Dutch, We had to build the highest possible tower from 10 pieces of paper and lots of other things. The teachers evaluated and scored all our efforts. After cleaning up, everyone made their way over to the Tuschinksi theatre. Some weeks before there had been auditions, organized by the music teacher. Many of my fellow students really wanted to be on stage in Tuschinski. The show we put on was really good and there were so many different performances: One girl wrote her own song, some boys had formed a little orchestra and some girls even did a fashion show. But the best show was (of course) the one of my friends: one played the piano while the other one sang.

On the day of the party it was terrible weather. The trains stopped and the roads were unsafe. So when the show was over, the school’s principal got on stage to tell us that that evening’s dance might be cancelled. He said that we had to check the school web site before we got ready for the dance. Fortunately, it was on, because I was really looking forward to it. There was only one disadvantage: my friend and I had to walk, from the car to the school were the party was, on our high heels and dresses! It was freezing outside and the snow changed to ice. The party itself was great! I danced with my friends and we had lots of fun. The photographer made a picture of me and my friends and at the end of the evening the DJ announced that my class had come second in the competition earlier that morning. It was a lovely day.

A M

IXE

D B

AG

OF

MO

NT

ES

SO

RI N

EW

SThe child

is happ

y when his group

or class is doing w

ell. He is p

roud not only of his ow

nw

ork but also of the w

ork his class does. It is a higher sentim

ent ... Maria M

ontessori

19


In the mood for Montessori reading?Just out and

highly recommended!

Shannon Helfrich, seasoned AMI trainer at the primary level, has written Montessori Learning in the 21st Century. This title is a valuable resource for all interested in Montessori education and where it stands in today’s world. Both parents and teachers will find it helpful. The book offers a look at the basic elements of child development from the angle of Montessori philosophy and neursocience. Check www.newsagepress.com for more info and book excerpts.

Adele Diamond publishes on Executive Skills in Science Magazine

Adele Diamond, one of the world’s leading neuroscientists, has attracted international recognition for her work in researching Executive Skills in young children. In her keynote speech at AMI’s 2010 Annual General Meeting she argued that in order to create, one must be in the moment and be allowed to stay there. Prof Diamond’s meetings and talks with Montessorians and other neuroscientists familiar with Montessori led her to include Montessori in her most recent research “Interventions Shown to Aid Executive Function Development in Children 4 to 12 Years Old”. The news about this article has already been tweeted and re-tweeted at great length around the Montessori world. If you would like to know more, here is an abstract and a pertinent web link.

ABSTRACT‘To be successful takes creativity, flexibility, self-control, and discipline. Central to all those are executive functions, including mentally playing with ideas, giving a considered rather than an impulsive response, and staying focused. Diverse activities have been shown to improve children’s executive functions: computerized training, noncomputerized games, aerobics, martial arts, yoga, mindfulness, and school curricula. All successful programs involve repeated practice and progressively increase the challenge to executive functions. Children with worse executive functions benefit most from these activities; thus, early executive-function training may avert widening achievement gaps later. To improve executive functions, focusing narrowly on them may not be as effective as also addressing emotional and social development (as do curricula that improve executive functions) and physical development (shown by positive effects of aerobics, martial arts, and yoga).’

Read more on ...http://www.devcogneuro.com/Publications/science_interventions_shown_to_aid.pdf

20


Sofia Cavalletti remembered

‘When something takes you where you do not know and yet, all along the way, God continues to provide, it is an adventure. And there is nothing more beautiful.’ Sofia Cavalletti

On August 23, Sofia Cavalletti, Hebrew scholar and director of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, died at her home in Rome. Born in 1917, Dr Cavalletti held a degree in Hebrew and Semitic languages. Her professional development was profoundly influenced by two people: Maria Montessori and Eugenio Zolli, the former chief rabbi of Rome who in 1945 was baptized into the Roman Catholic Church. It was under his influence and training that she became a Hebrew scholar.

Sofia Cavalletti’s ability and talents as a teacher were noticed by Adele Costa Gnocchi. Since 1954 Cavalletti offered religious education along Montessori lines, together with Gianna Gobbi, a Montessori educator. Dr Montessori had “discovered” the religious child in Barcelona in 1915, prompted by meeting monks of the Montserrat monastery, and wanted to make liturgy accessible to children. Cavalletti followed in these footsteps brilliantly, by giving catechesis for groups of 3-12 year-old children and courses for adults.

As a result of her work, Dr Cavalletti was asked to participate in the 9th International Montessori Congress in Rome in 1957, where she spoke on “Catechesis and the Montessori Method”. This meeting introduced her to Montessorians around the world and in 1958 the international scope of her work really took off with lectures around many Montessori teacher training institutes. Since 1965 Cavalletti’s work spread to all the five continents, in private centres, schools and various environments differing as regards traditions, cultures and social backgrounds, in Catholic parishes, but also in Episcopalian, Lutheran and Methodist ones.

Cavalletti and Gobbi developed a programme which corresponds to the needs of the children at various ages, creating, at the same time, Montessori materials which relate to the various themes and which are suitable for the child’s own work. This material focuses on the essential and is simple in nature; rich only in the religious content it represents. The results of their joint work of research and experimentation were published under various titles, which were also translated into English. Cavalletti and Gobbi co-authored a rich collection of learning aids for catechesis for young children and schoolchildren, and of the related guidebooks for catechists.

Sofia Cavalletti served on the AMI Advisory Board for a number of years, and the last time AMI benefited from her wisdom and friendship was during the first assembly of Educateurs sans Frontières, when she offered a special day on the topic “An Experience of Religious Education according to the Judeao-Christian Tradition”, giving a brilliant exposition.

We deeply regret having to say goodbye to such an eminent scholar.

(This obituary has relied on documented memories by the late Camillo Grazzini and the 2007 lecture “The religious potential of the child” by Francesca Cocchini)

21


Mr Nachiappan dies at 88

Mr C. Nachiappan (long time head of Kalakshetra Publications and more recently the 12th head of the Koviloor Aadheenam) passed away on October 3 in Chennai, India, after a brief illness. He was 88. Although a religious man in his later years, he began life in Kalakshetra and was associated with Rukmini Devi Arundale for many years. His eclectic and diverse expertise in stage lighting, photography, advertising, naturopathy and printing technology made him a man of many surprising talents with a variety of interests.

Mr Nachiappan was known to many in the Montessori world through the Montessori books he published and exported. His involvement in this area started off with a promise he made to Mario Montessori that he would always keep the books alive in print. And through the course of his long life, he managed to do just that. Started without commercial motive, and continuing even during the war years, the Kalakshetra Montessori books, well-bound and with hard cloth bound covers—often with the errata common with books printed on the letter press—are familiar to us around the world. When he took charge as head of the Koviloor Aadheenam, he established the Andavar Nursery School in 1995 for the children of the locality. As a Swamiji (religious head) he enjoyed the company of young children. A few months later, he established institutions for teaching temple arts, an art form close to his heart, and began a free Siddha medical centre. In these institutions, food and lodging were, and still are, offered free to the students. With his passing, another who had met and interacted with the Montessoris in India in the 1940s passes on, and so ends an era.

Obituary by Indian Montessori Foundation

22


Unesco

The first World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education was held in Moscow, Sept 27-29, 2010, hosted by UNESCO and the Russian Federation, with the new UNESCO Secretary General, Irina Bukova. Thanks to a committed Montessori

friend and supporter, Lynne Lawrence and Victoria Barres were able to attend the event.

It was exciting to hear scientists, development experts, and practitioners explain clearly why the world community needs to develop integrated approaches to help young children more effectively, integrating health, nutrition, and early stimulation with parents and communities. The 0-3 age group needs to be given highest priority. Otherwise, the first goal of Education for All, to have children develop healthily and be able to learn, will not be reached, either in developing or industrialized countries. If not, young children’s physical and mental development is stunted, which can only be mitigated, and perhaps never fully eliminated, at great financial and human expense to society.

Many in the official delegations from more than 150 countries seemed to sit up more straight in their chairs as they began to grasp more clearly the links between early childhood development and their countries’ economic and social development.

Dr LazarevThe first morning Lynne began a conversation that led to a wonderful encounter with Russian doctor, Dr Michael Lazarev.* Before becoming a pediatrician, he was a professional musician. He combined his two loves creatively and astutely into a musical approach,

based on prenatal brain evolution, to improve treatment of wide-spread respiratory problems in young children (about 85% in Moscow).It is now used by over 300 kindergartens. Staff learn simple ways to measure the children’s progress weekly in short enjoyable “exercises” (agility, coordination, endurance) combined with musical accompaniments. The children love to make the special sounds, based on animal sounds and movements (snake, monkey, etc.). These exercises help strengthen upper, middle, and lower breathing levels.

Dr Lazarev arranged our visit to the first Kindergarten that began using his approach almost three decades ago. The staff and children welcomed Lynne and Victoria with open arms and hearts. Staff spirit and attitudes, as well as their understanding of core “Montessori” elements, including concentration, spontaneous movement, freedom of expression, made the site seem very Montessorian, even without any specific didactic Montessori material. The young children eat freshly prepared, hot, nutritious meals in their classrooms, after setting the tables themselves. We hope to explore ways to learn more about each other’s approach to educating young children.

* Dr Lazarev heads the Children’s Health Laboratory at the Russian Scientific Centre of Regenerative Medicine by Minister of Health, Russian Federation. Recently Dr Lazarev produced Musical Heart: New Musical Health Education , a bi-lingual health and musical project: part 1: the alphabet of feelings: warmth of family relations, friendships, affectionate love and caring, education of musical taste and knowledge of musical styles; part 2: the music of names: developing the child’s emotional intelligence and educational self-esteem through musical creativity and second language learning (Russianor English).

children doing respiratory exercises at Dr Lazarev’s centre

Victoria Barrès Music to Our Ears: The First World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education

Gala Evening, with Unesco Director General Irina Bukova and Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov

23


lMusic to Our Children’s Ears Lullabies- from Different Cultures

“Rock-a-Bye Baby”English lullaby

Rock-a-bye baby, in the treetop

When the wind blows, the cradle will rock

When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall

And down will come baby, cradle and all

“Do Not Cry” Nigerian lullaby

Do not cry, my child,O do not cry, my little one,

For I, your mother, am here.O do not cry, my child.

“A Mother was Pressing her Babe”Welsh lullaby

A mother was pressingHer babe to her breast

And saying while soothingHis sorrow to rest,

Sleep gently my darling,Sleep soundly my boy

For thou art my treasure,My rapture and joy.

Recently Dean Falk, an anthropologist, published a book that pulls together research from many fields into a fascinating theory, linking mother-infant relationships to evolution and the creation of sounds, including musical sounds, that might be the precursers of language. Falk explains links between language and music, including rhythm, tempo, pitch, tonic syllables (stressed vs unstressed). Chapter titles give a glimpse, “Saying while Soothing” (the importance of songs to gain infant’s attention and lullabies to calm); “How Our Ancestors Found Their Voice.” “She Shall Have Music”.

People make music whenever they speak. Music cannot be reduced to formal productions of musicians and composers. It is embedded in speech and tone of voice that reflects emotional states and involvement, including the ‘likelihood that [speakers] are being truthful’. Falk believes music and language evolved in lockstep, contributing to the enlargement and rewiring of both sides of the brain over millions of years.* She speaks about the connection between music and memory, based on research showing that children learn language, alphabet and numbers, more easily through songs. They learn words in context, in short sentences and phrases, rather than single words alone. Nursery rhymes, songs, lullabies, are all cultural tools that facilitate learning, both language and a sense of security that comes from the rhythms, repetitions, and soothing sounds.

Falk tells about a colleague, Jane Standley, who has pioneered music therapy to help sick infants become healthy. She found that premature infants develop sucking abilities and gain more weight if they hear a female vocalist singing lullabies. Note 2 (ibid.)This theory supports Montessori’s understanding of the core value of music education in all its various forms, from songs to exercises like the bells and “walking on the line” to music in various tempos, starting with 2/4 and then 4/4, both easier than 3/4 time. It would be interesting to explore why the “line” exercises, in the multiple variations possible, are not one of children’s favourite exercises, to do either by themselves or with others.

Perhaps more teachers and parents need to explore and deepen their own musical training and understand why music is so central to all aspects of human

development. Then they will become more comfortable in sharing their love of music from different cultures and historic periods with children, together with Dr Lazarev and Montessorians like Jean Miller, Martha Braden, Marcia Perez, Sanford Jones and many others. This topic needs to be an ongoing one for all Montessorians and all concerned with child development worldwide.

* Falk, Dean, p. 134, (note 67) References:

Dean Falk, Finding Our Tongues: Mothers, Infants & the

Origins of Language, 2009, Philadelphia, Pa., Basic Books,

240 pp. Dean Falk teaches anthropology at Florida State

University.

SOME GOOD MONTESSORI RESOURCES IN MUSIC

- Martha Braden, CD: A Pocketful of Music, mini-concerts

for young children to develop listening skills of different

kinds of music.

- Sanford Jones—music on CD/tape/piano music:

1) Children’s Songs: 2)Music around the world 3) Folktales

from around the world. Music for Walking on the line.

(Availableat Youth Opera International http://www.

youthoperaintl.com/materials.html

- Rukmini Ramachandran, CD songs for young children;

- Jean Miller and Marcia Perez music workshops - wonderful

ways for all Montessorians to further their own musical

training in the use of Montessori materials that enable

children to expand their musical understanding.


24

An organic cafeè with Montessori corner

Takako Fukatsu shares her enthusiasm

Some time ago, an organic café in Tokyo, called Café Slow http://www.cafeslow.com decided to introduce a children’s corner, so that some children who come with their parents can enjoy trying out some simple Practical Life exercises, such as watering plants, spraying leaves (in the cafe!), and grinding sesame seeds and reading a lot of reality-based books at a low table with small chairs.

Some books on Montessori education are on the table for the parents to read and some child-size goods, such as a washing board, or a scrub brush can be bought at the same time.

Parents are surprised to see how much their children like to sit quietly in the corner and they are delighted to see their children having their own time and space in the café.

Two of the staff that are “ex” Montessori children themselves are excited to see their café becoming more and more child-friendly.

The AMI Back Page

Need or want to contact us?General queries: [email protected] on training: [email protected]; [email protected] of Trainers: [email protected]: [email protected] booklets: [email protected] sans Frontières: [email protected] Research Committee: [email protected]: [email protected] Societies: [email protected] Vacancies: [email protected] of Hope [email protected] Copy for bulletin: [email protected] (deadline next bulletin: 15 November 2011)

Association Montessori Internationale

Koninginneweg 161 1075 CN Amsterdam The Netherlands phone: +31 20 6798932

www.montessori-ami.org

The AMI bulletin is a publication for and by the members of AMI©AMI, 2011 — All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written permission of the publisher

Thanks to: Victoria Barrès, Wiebe Brouwer, Silvia C. Dubovoy, Takako Fukatsu, Erica Geers, Shiba Hussein, Silvia Klop, Jonathan Kramer,

Silvana QuattrocchI Montanaro, Mary Caroline Parker, Megan Tyne, Govind Venkatesan, Mirka Vlckova and Patricia Wallner

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