- Spring 2007

8/14/2019 www.miaworld.org - Spring 2007

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Continued on page 11

EVALUATING MONTESSORI:

Why the Results Matter More Than You Think

By Jacqueline Cossentino

The publication this past allo research ndings indicatingsignicant perormance gains orchildren who learn in Montessorischools has sent waves o interestthroughout the educationalcommunity (Science, Sept. 29, 2006).Educators who care about ambitiousschool reorm should take careulnote.

Using a set o excellent proxies orlearningnot just achievementand equally impressive populationand implementation controls,psychologists Angeline S. Lillard o

in the group outperormed theirnon-Montessori counterparts in

nearly every measure. Findings or12-year-olds, while not as dramatic,also suggest reliable success rates orMontessori students.

Even more important, the studyoers clues to both why Montessoriworks and what it would take tomake it work or large numberso students. Yet while the studysimpeccable design and stunningresults are what prompted thejournal Science to accept it, criticscontinue to express doubt aboutboth the reliability o the results (toosmall a sample) and the ecacy oMontessori as a successul approachto reorm (no system can be thatgood).

Many o the elements oMontessori thought to be

quaint and unscientifc

have been validated andabsorbed into the educational

mainstream.In act, the ndings, along with

the critiques, recall early reactions toMaria Montessori and the miraclechildren whose reading, writing, sel-care, and concentration looked morelike those o well-behaved adultsthan preschool-age children. Theywere the products o Montessorisnew method o educating the

young, honed and developed ather rst Childrens House, whoseounding in Rome 100 years ago thismonth is being celebrated this year.When Montessori later brought themethod to the United States, therewas both awe and disbelie.

Lacking a thoroughunderstanding o the complexities oMontessoris approach, critics such as

the noted Teachers College, ColumbiaUniversity, proessor William Heard

Kilpatrick railed against the allacieso sel-correcting materials, outwornand casto psychological theory,and a sharp ocus on concentrationat the supposed expense o social

Help us, O God, to enter in to the

secret of childhood, so that we may

know , love and serve the child in

accordance with the laws of Thy

justice and following thy holy will.

Maria Montessori

The Absorbent Mindp. 286

the University o Virginia and NicoleM. Else-Quest, then o the Universityo Wisconsin, have produced, or therst time, scientic evidence thatMontessori works, and not justor children o privilege. Drawingrom a population o inner-citypublic Montessori school students,the study shows that 5-year-olds

Our respect for the child's right to

progress gradually along the path

of growth would prevent us from

trying to hold him back, and keep

him at a phase of development that

he would naturally wish to outgrow.

Maria Montessori

The Child in the Church

p. 17

development.A century later, contemporary

psychology has caught up toMontessoris revolutionary insights(insights gained rom close andongoing child study), and many o theelements o Montessori thought tobe quaint and unscientic not onlyhave been validated by experimental

psychology, but also have beenabsorbed into the educationalmainstream. It is now common, orinstance, to nd child-size urniture,manipulative materials, mixed-age grouping, and dierentiatedinstruction in all manner o Americanclassrooms.

Likewise, new research on braindevelopment, embodied cognition,

Reprinted by permission rom Education Wee


3/16

MONTESSORI IN

CHINA, 2007By Sharlet J. McClurkin

Beijing, the capital o China and

the uture site o the 2008 Olympics,was the location or the rst ullMontessori training course in China,provided by the Montessori TeacherPreparation o Washington, Kent, WA,and sponsored by the MontessoriInstitute o America. Having beenaway rom Beijing or ten years, I wasamazed at the wide thoroughares,

stage Montessori classrooms, onthe grounds o the Agricultural andScientic Academy Kindergarteno China. It was sponsored by theBeijing Montessori Education Tech-nology Center, directed by Madame

Anhua Lv and Shuquan Lu. Mr. Lu isthe publisher o a Montessori maga-zine in China. Madame Lv and Mr. Luprovide three levels o non-accred-ited Montessori training to over 1,000teachers each year: Course I, Intro-ductory; Course II, Intermediate; andCourse III, Advanced. By taking CourseI, an individual may become certiedby BMETC as an assistant MontessoriTeacher. Through taking the addi-tional Course II, teachers receive certi-cation as a lead Montessori teacher.We provided Course III as a ull

Home locations o 45 Chinese students enrolledin the rst MIA training, Jan. 8- Feb. 9, 2007.

street lights, skyscrapers, and modernlook o the city. Even more surprisingwere the English-speaking taxi driv-ers and packed supermarkets. Are allo these peopletechies? Wheredo they get theirmoney to buysuch a variety oruits and vegeta-bles and anythinga person mightwant in a mod-

ern city? Theycertainly are notteachers.

The 5-weekcourse was heldin the balletclassroom, acrossthe courtyardrom eight rst-

Mr. and Mrs. McClurkin meet 1997 students, YanWu and ZhangLan (now headmaster o BeijingNormal University Montessori School.

course, approved and sponsored bythe Montessori Institute o Americaand leading to a ull certicate or thelevel, 2 to 6 years, rom the Montes-sori Institute o America.

Forty-ve teachers/ proessors, orpreschool directors arrived in Beijing

rom all over China, rom west toeast, rom north to south, to stay indorms on the university campus orwith riends or amily in the city. Oneretired teacher rom south China rodetrains or thirty-ve hours to get toBeijing. Many o the teachers hadborrowed money to attend the class,or quit their jobs in order to attend.One student was required by herkindergarten to pay a surety depositto the school that would be given toher when she returned to her teach-ing position. Most o the teachershad received a short, non-accreditedtraining course that provided thema basic understanding o Montes-sori education. When speaking tothem through an interpreter, I couldsee the excitement in their eyes andthe grateulness to us or coming toChina with the ull MIA course.

To our surprise nearly all orty-ve

teachers came early to the optionalspiritual storytelling lessons rom

First MIA training class in China, Jan. 8 Feb. 9, 2007, Beijing, China.

Continued on page 4


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Montessori in China(continued rom page 3)

8 to 8:30 a.m. each morning. When Iasked the class later, What was youravorite part o the training? manyo them said, The spiritual stories.We proceeded through the MIA cur-riculum rom 8:30 a.m. to 4:30/5 p.m.each day, Monday through Saturday,with bowl testing, original projects,philosophy discussions, and musicand movement, through which theteachers showed their quickness tolearn and creativity. Many o themtold our interpreters, We are happyto nally have someone ully explainthe Montessori materials to us.

Without the assistance o our

interpreter and MIA graduate, JohnGuangli Zhang, o Richmond, B.C. andWenru Sun, MIA graduate and trainer,rom Sanya, Hainan Island, we wouldnot have been able to accomplishsetting up all o the shelves o ma-terials, testing or the students, andpreparations or the next day. We hadpacked our large suitcases and twocarry-ons ull o materials, withoutwhich we could not have conductedthe course. As we were checking into

the airport to fy to China, the manbehind us asked, Are you moving toChina? Necessity was the mothero invention as we set up beauti-ul shelves o sequenced materialsrom a basic set o wooden materials,just delivered rom a actory. Severalnights we visited Wal-Mart, across thestreet rom Microsot, or other super-

John Zhang o Richmond, B.C., translator and MIA graduate, helpsMr. McClurkin hang a Montessori poster.

markets to ndart and practicallie materials.

The studentsespecially lovedthe simple andclear math pre-sentations o myhusband, Donald,and asked ormore, but wehad to pack ourour large bagsand two carry-ons and return toSeattle ater two o the most inspir-ing, but tiring, weeks o our lives.Jane Suchen Wang, MIA trainer rom

Taiwan, completed the course withlarge water activities, math, Chineselanguage, the cultural materials, andthe more dicult Montessori phi-losophy.

The challenge now is or thesestudents to nd established Mon-tessori classrooms or to set upclassrooms or an approved intern-ship. Mr. Lu plans to set up ve toten MIA internship schools this yearwithin twenty kindergartens that are

currently operating. With advancedtechnology today, such as digitalcameras, DVDs, and email, the stu-dents hope to track their internshipindividually, or in pairs, and to receivesucient supervision that they mayreceive their MIA certicate in a year.This class will provide the rst indig-enous MIA graduates in China.

On the rst day oclass I told the studentso my dream that began

in 1981 to provide aull Montessori train-ing course in China.Since that year we haveworked, and waited,to begin the course inChina. We have pro-vided training in Taiwan,South Korea, the Philip-pines, and Sri Lanka, but

the low salaries o teachers hinderedour travel to China. Although wekept knocking many times in China,

the door did not open until this year,2007. Why did I have to wait so long?From speaking with our Chinesestudents, however, I ound that theythink the door is now open or Mon-tessori education in China in 2007 orthe ollowing reasons:

Freedom o speech is greaterthan ever beore;

Montessori schools are blos-soming across China, taught byteachers with only a minimum o

training, sometimes no more than aweek;

Mixed age classes are now al-lowed by the Chinese government;

The wages o teachers haverisen to make it possible or them totake an economical course;

The afuent parents o the one-child policy want to invest in theirchilds education.

Many o our students are nowseeking a way that they can prac-

tice their English, get a student visathrough our program, take the ullsummer course, and intern in the U.S.They have hope to provide to Chi-nese children a ull Montessori earlyeducation. My husband, Donald, andI have been changed and inspiredby these teachers, and we will neverorget them. We still see their aces.

We will be back!Oldest emale class participants (all in their 60s) L-R: Zhao XianRong, Anhua Lv, Sharlet McClurkin, Du Yan Bao, Li Shu Xian.


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Freeing Children FromBenevolent DominationApril 23, 2006Sharlet McClurkin

Building Blocks o Music, Part 2May 3-5, 2006Doris MaddaordKathryn Armstrong

Normi Son, with her husband, Ce-

dric, has visited Vietnam three timesto establish a actory in Vietnam,as well as to introduce Montessorieducation to this country. Mrs. Sonstates, I have discovered that thereis not a single Montessori school inthis country. A proessor o Ho ChiMinh University is interested in Mon-tessori education and plans to workwith us in the uture.

Kopino Center Builds Second Story For

Disadvantaged Children In The Philippines

Kopino children, parents and sta.

Kopino building under construction,

New Kopino classroom on second foor, Manila, thePhilippines.

MTP o The U.S. in

The Philippines

Since opening in 2002, MTP o theU.S. in the Philippines has held nineclasses or the level, 2 to 6 years,and three classes or the level, 6-9,with over 100 enrolled students.

Seminars sponsored by MTP o theU.S. in the Philippines have been:

Building Blocks o Music (Kodaly)May 19-21, 2005Doris MaddaordKathryn Armstrong

Child and Faith SeminarNovember, 2005Sharlet McClurkin

Having been provided seedmoney by the Montessori Instituteo America, Montessori teachersand others in 2005, Kopino directorCedric Son, with his wie, Normi, con-

structed a second story onto theiroriginal Montessori classroom in2006. This new classroom providesa large space with ample bathroomsor current Kopino classes to be

used by both children and parents.Additional gits rom a variety osources, both in the Philippinesand Korea, are now providing the

means or expansion o this workwith Philippine/Korean children.


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McClurkins PresentMIA SchoolCertifcate to St.Annes Montessori

School in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka TrainingProgram Begins 7thTraining Class

Since opening its rst training

class in 2004, MTP OF THE U.S. IN SRILANKA will begin its seventh classor the level, 2 to 6 years, on April1, 2007. Classes are currently beingheld in Kandy. Fity-ve studentshave been registered in the courses,with two persons, Pushpa Aluthgam-age and Muthumali Fernando, havingcompleted the MIA certicate. Sevenstudents have been granted studentvisas to attend MTP o WA coursesand internships in the U.S.

Mrs. McClurkin and Pushpa Aluthgamagepresent the MIA School Certicate to MudithaKurukukasuriya in Colombo, Sri Lanka

St. Anne Montessori school parents welcomethe McClurkins in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka children perorm a dance or thewelcoming ceremony.

Mr. McClurkin is given a neck garland by a childin Sri Lanka.

Academic Certicate holders, 2004-05 Class.

Sharlet and Donald

McClurkin Visit

Three Countries In

April, 2006

Sharlet and Donald McClurkinvisited three countries in April, 2006,to meet and encourage graduatesin Hong Kong and China, to approvethe new training program in SriLanka, and to visit new MIA schools,provide a competency exam or the6-9 course, and to open new classesor the levels, 2 to 6 years, and 6-9classes in the Philippines.

The McClurkins also few to Cebu,

the Philippines, to speak and makeplans or a new MIA course there inthe uture. Photos o their trip maybe seen on the MTP website at www.montessoriplus.org

Mr. and Mrs. McClurkin cut theribbon to celebrate the opening oMontessori o Loyola, with owner,Stella Cadiz, in the Phillipines

Mr. and Mrs. McClurkin andNormi Son, Director o MTP US

in the Philippines, visit the newRosewood Montessori School in

the Philippines, with Director AnaAdriano.

Mr. McClurkin presents the stamp game in CebPhilippines.


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8/16

catered by Dumas Bay Center, and thepeaceul and fower-lled outdoorenvironment.

MIA Biannual

Conerence Held

In Federal Way

August 18-19, 2007

The MIA Biannual Conerencewas held at the Dumas Bay Center inFederal Way, WA, August 18-19, 2007.Terry Fleischman o the Tri-Cities, WA,presented two days o slides, gamesand inormation on the brain. Ms.Fleischman, who has taken AMS train-ing, related her studies on the brainto the Montessori classroom.

Other presenters were: Dee Ste-phens and Sharlet McClurkin, spiri-tual stories and songs, Sharron Reeceand Natassah Cisse-Williams,coordinating Montessori

to the home, and DonaldMcClurkin, advanced mathmaterials or 4-5 year olds.

2007 was the third yearthat the MIA biannual coner-ence has been held at thebeautiul Dumas Center,located on Puget Sound. Par-ticipants expressed apprecia-tion or the delicious ood,

Mr. McClurkin presents bead rame at the MIA 2006 Conerenc"The Brain" presenter Terry Fleischman.

MIA Conerence participants, August, 2006

(Tukwila) , secretary, and Rhonda Gea(Pasco), treasurer.

One goal set or the year, 2007,was to hold a summer conerence inSpokane, WA, co-chaired by DebbieHenry and Debbie Cleveland (Pasco).

MIA Board Meets At

Dumas Bay CenterThe Board o the Montessori In-

stitute o America met at the Dumas

Bay Center on August 19, 2007, toplan the coming years events and toelect ocers: Dee Stephens (Seattle),president, Debbie Henry (SpokaneValley) vice-president and conerenceco-chair, Natassah Cisse-Williams

MIA Board 2006-07: Front row (l-r) Rose Kim,Dee Stephens, Sharlet McClurkin, Natassah

Cisse-Willimas, Chang Sook Mooon. Secondrow (l-r) Normi Son, Debbie Cleveland, RhondaGear, Debbie Henry, Frannie Bunye, PushpaAluthgamage. MIA Board at the August conerence


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Attention To TheEarly Years OChildhoodReaps Most

Educational Benefts

According to author Gene I. Maer-o in his 2006 book, Building Blocks:

Making Children Successul in the

Early Years o School, a strong empha-

sis upon education rom preschool

through 3rd grade brings greater

improvement than anything else that

educators can do. Doing it right in

the rst place, he says, gives children

the head start they need to succeed

in later years.

Beore they enter kindergarten,

young children vary greatly in all o

their abilities. He states that a 4-year-

old child rom a welare amily may

have heard about 13 million words,

while a child rom a working-class

amily has heard perhaps 26 million

spoken words. Four year old children

rom proessional amilies have prob-

ably heard about 45 million words,according to the 1995 book by Hart

and Todd R. Risley, Meaningul Dier-

ences.

Research shows that children who

are enrolled in intensive, high-quality

early childhood programs become

better prepared or uture education.

They are less likely to quit school,

repeat a level, or to need special edu-

cation than children who have not

participated in these experiences.The children who will gain the

most rom good programs are poor

and minority children. But the per-

centage o children who have access

to these programs drops dramatically,

based on their parents income. Only

35 percent o children in amilies

earning less than $10,000 a year at-

tend preschool.

TEACHERS/ADMINISTRATIVE

ASSISTANT WANTED:

* Montessori Lead Teacher/Pro-gram Director

* Interning teacher who speaksMandarin Chinese

* Montessori-certied Administra-tive Assistant

The Maria Montessori Languageand Cultural Center (MMLCC), ournon-prot Montessori Lab school or3 to 5 year olds, is located in BallardHigh School. We oer high schoolstudents the opportunity to studychild development with our school as

the laboratory resource.

Contact Gail Longo,206-252-1124 (oce), or

206-289-2942, [email protected]

The benet o early childhood

education is becoming more under-

stood in the U.S. today. Thirty-eight

states now oer state-nanced

education or young children. Forty-

ve percent o children, ages 3 and 4,

take part in some kind o preschool

education.

School boards and policymak-

ers should make the transition rom

preschool to upper levels as smooth

as possible by giving inormation to

early childhood educators about the

knowledge and skills these children

will need later. The curricula rom

preschools should be coordinated

with that o the upper levels.

A survey taken by Quality Counts

ound that 41 states do set early-learning academic standards that

will align with the elementary grades.

Thirteen states have dened what

preschoolers need to know beore

they enter public school. Sixteen

states require school districts to as-

sess the readiness o entering chil-

dren. Eighteen states provide reme-

dial programs or children who are

not up to the schools expectations.

As originally published in EducationWeek, January, 2007. (Reviewed bySharlet McClurkin)

MIA ANNUAL

CONFERENCE

JULY 20 21, 2007

"Understanding The Child inMontessoris Centennial Year"

Dr. Mary Ann Sharkey,"Your Childs Brain and How it

Works"

"Implications of Brain Research

on Your Classroom"

"Dealing with Behaviors and

Power Struggles"

Tom Hunter & The GrowingCompany:

"Music for Learning and Growing"

Mirabeau Park Hotel,Spokane Valley, WA

Donald McClurkin visits Kidus MontessoriSchool the day ater his heart surgery,February 28, 2006


10/16

0

ound that Montessori education is a

unique way o guiding small chil-

dren to learn, and to help each child

reach his ull potential in all areas o

lie. The Montessori method not only

encourages children to become a lie-

long learner, but also inspired me to

love to learn.

Xiaomeng Shao (China):

Through Montessori training I have

learned what love is. I eel the chil-

drens love when I teach them and

that the world is ull o meaning.

Sheri Crosby (Tri-Cities): Since

I was a teenager, I have always lovedchildren. Ater working in home child

care or 11 years, I began working at

St. Josephs Montessori school. I was

amazed at the dierence between

traditional preschool and Montes-

sori education. I have learned so

much in the training, and there is so

much more to learn. Now I have the

resources to assist the children and

to help the sta and children to do

things the Montessori way.George Pagulayan (Dixon, CA):

There is nothing that can equal

touching and seeing the actual

materials being shown to the child,

and then later used by the child. Not

its name, or its picture, can tell o its

exact value. The actual surpasses

thousands o theories o any child

psychology. I have gained teaching

strategies and techniques which I

can use successully in the classroom.

Diligently preparing or an orderly

environment, calming a restless child,

convincing an uninterested tiny

hand to come to work, presenting

the lesson with simplicity and grace,

and dialoguing with parents and co-

teachers are but a ew o the experi-

ences that have equipped me as a

Montessori teacher.

o the moment. As a newly-minted

teacher, what I appreciate most is the

cycle o an activity. A child learns to

gather, bit by bit, the material needed

or her work, do the work, and return

it to the shel. That, in itsel, is a pro-

cess that many adults need to grasp!When I am in a Montessori class-

room, my senses crackle with an-

ticipation or the children. Is there

order? Is there workspace? Is their

relative peace? Is there joy in the

room? Beauty? Trained acilitators? I

want a child to enter his classroom

every day, lled with happiness to

come into an environment created

just or him.

My training has made me viewideas and materials as Montessori or

Non-Montessori. For ideas that dont

all into either category, I wrestle

with the idea until it can possibly be

adapted so that it can be presented

to young children. My dream is

that, someday, I may establish my

own school!

WHAT MONTESSORI MEANS

TO ME(continued rom page 7)

COMING EVENTS May 5 (Saturday)

9 a.m to 4:30 p.m.

The Montessori Language oRespect, a Lost Art & Montessori

Music at Circle(6 STARS Hours)

By Sharlet McClurkin andSharron Reece

Location: Montessori Plus School

318 3rd Ave. S, Kent, WA 98032

July 20 and 21MIA ANNUAL CONFERENCESpokane, WA

June 24 - August 8, 2007Montessori Teacher Preparation

o WA Summer Class

REMINDER: Visit the MIA website

at www.miaworld.org* * * * * *

MIA needs a volunteer to acili-tate the MIA chat room. EmailNormi Son ([email protected])

* * * * * *

IMMEDIATE OPENINGS

FOR CERTIFIED

TEACHERS OR

INTERNS:

Compass Montessori SchoolCall 253-835-7755

for an appointment.

Part time 8:30am to 12:30pmPart time 11am to 3pmPart time 1pm to 5pm

I am condent that wherever I am

called to teach, and no matter how

challenging the classroom will be,

I can depend upon a calm spirit to

make the dierence. I did not acquire

this spirit through my Masters de-

gree. I discovered childhood throughmy internship at Montessori Plus

School where I gained inner peace

and happiness to work with children.

Christine Banko (Renton, WA):

My training with MTP o WA has

given me a resh and exciting way

to view all children. I have always

appreciated how young children are

receptive, eager and thoughtul. With

my newound knowledge I can take

better advantage o these qualities inmy teaching.

Montessori training is liberating

both or me and or the child. There

is a deep, yet simple, logic to the pro-

cess o work. When I demonstrate

a work or the rst time to a child,

the process demands no short-cuts,

attention to detail, and enjoyment


11/16

The how, why, and what oeducation must make sense in

practical as well as theoretical

ways.Montessori teaching practice isamong the most technically com-plex approaches to instruction everinvented. Doing it well requires teach-ers to have mastered both the detailso developmental theory and thecareully orchestrated sequences andactivities that make up the Montes-sori curriculum. Deploying this vastknowledge base is urther supportedby ongoing clinical observation,

which orms the basis or all interac-tions with children.In Milwaukee, public Montessori

schools are supported by a rigoroustraining program that adheres tostrict standards based on an interpre-tation o Montessori education thatis both complex and stable. While inmost schools the knowledge base orteaching is a moving targetcon-

and motivation provides strikingconrmation o Montessorisclaims regarding sensorial learning,attention, and intrinsic vs. extrinsicrewards. Still, the early criticisms werepowerul and, or many Americans,compelling enough to discredit boththe method and the movement.

Montessoris early popularitysoon aded, and the movementdisappeared rom the Americaneducational scene. But by 1960, anAmericanized Montessori approachreappeared, and this time it stuck.Spearheaded by a group o leaderswho sought to integrate Montessoriinto the educational mainstream,

centers prolierated throughout the1960s, and, beginning in the 1970s,public Montessori schools wereincorporated into several districtdesegregation plans. Milwaukee,the site o the Lillard and Else-Quest

study, oers one o the oldest andmost successul examples o thepublic magnet model o Montessori.For mainstream reormers, the detailsassociated with the site are what givethe most important clues to what isworking or these schools and why.

Eorts to achieve ambitiousreormreorm that substantiallyimproves teaching and learning and,by extension, achievementhave,so ar, yielded spotty and, at times,conounding results. This is especiallytrue when reormers attempt to scaleup or transport successul initiatives.New York Citys celebrated approachto continuous improvement, rstorchestrated by Anthony J. Alvarado,then a community superintendent,yielded impressive results in theschool systems District 2. When themodel traveled with Alvarado to SanDiego, however, reormers ound thatgood ideas, especially complex ones,dont necessarily transplant with ease.

Seeking to crack the code oambitious school reorm, manyresearchers have turned theirattention to two key variables:capacity and coherence. The newMontessori study oers importantinsight into both these phenomena,suggesting powerul lessons orreormers.

As researchers such as HarvardUniversitys Richard Elmore and hiscolleagues in the Consortium or

Policy Research in Education haveargued, building capacity takes deepand systemwide understanding othe core technologies o teachingand learning. In Montessori schools,this means deep knowledge o whatMontessori is (and isnt). And thatknowledge comes rst and oremostrom the training centers that prepareteachers to work in these schools.

EVALUATING MONTESSORI(continued rom page 2)


Our intervention in this marvelous

process is indirect; we are here

to offer to this life, which came

into the world by itself, the means

necessary for its development, and

having done that we must await

this development with respect. Let

us leave the life free to develop

within the limits of the good,

and let us observe this inner life

developing. This is the whole of our

mission.

Maria Montessori

Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook

p. 134

Americanized Montessoriemphasized social development,including social justice, and appealeddirectly to a new generation omiddle-class, college-educatedsuburban mothers seeking the bestor their preschool-age children.

Montessori schools and training

The child has

his own laws of

growth, and if we

want to help him grow,

we must follow him instead of

imposing ourselves on him.

Maria Montessori

Education for A New World, p. 59


12/16

MTP o

WA Hosts

Kodaly Music

Workshop

On August 14, 15and 16, MontessoriTeacher Preparationo WA hosted a Ko-daly Music Workshop orthirty-ve participants.Presenters were Doris Maddaord andKathryn Armstrong o Victoria, B.C.

Zoltan Kodaly was a Hungarian

composer, educator, philosopher andstatesman in the early 1900s. Hewas concerned about his country-men losing their musical heritage, so

he developeda system o

music educationthat has had agreat impact oneducation. Hebelieved thatthe ormativeperiod o youngchildren, agesbirth to 6 years,is the mostimportant time

or young children to learn music.He also believed that music mustbegin with the childs own naturalinstrumenthis voice! Kodaly oundthat each child possesses a musical

mother tongue in the olk music othat language. It is through this musical oundation that musical skills andconcepts should be taught.

Sharlet McClurkin states, All o outeachers who were able to take thesummer Kodaly music workshop areusing it with success in the classroomI hear the children walking to theplayground, singing Kodaly songs asthey go!

Above: MTP of WASummer Class, 2006,with students from thefollowing countries:Korea (6),Taiwan (2),Turkey (1),Sri Lanka(2), China (1), U.S. (5).

Left: Federal Way. KentKorean class, 2006-07, with Rose Kim,instructor.

Kent class "relives" someone in Dr.Montessori's life (l-r): Soon Eui Kim (MariMontessori herself), Sharon Gonzalez(Maria's mother), Suki Wilmot (professor)

Kodaly presenters, Kathryn Armstrong (l), andDoris Maddaord (r).

Teachers learning children's dances at the workshop.

Kodaly workshop particpants, Aug. 14-16, 2006, at Kent, WA.

MTP o WA Hosts Class For 18

Students From 7 Countries

MTP o WAS summer, 2006, class was held or 6 weeks, July 24 through August 9, in Kent, WA, with seven-teen students rom six countries, as well as other statesin the U.S. Countries represented were: Kenya, Korea,China, Taiwan, Turkey, Sri Lanka, and the U.S. States rep-resented were Washington and New York. The summerclass was extended to 6 weeks or the rst time.


13/16

WHAT IF MARIA

MONTESSORI HAD

NEVER LIVED?

By Sharlet J. McClurkin

(Presented to the CentennialCelebration in Beijing, China, onJanuary 7, 2007.)

What i Dr. Montessoris ideas hadnever been given to the world? Whati she had continued in her medi-cal career, rather than becoming aneducator? What i there had been noMontessori infuence upon educationtoday? Who would have been the ad-vocate or the sensate learning needs,or o the need o respect, or thechild? One hundred years ater herrst school opened in Rome, Italy, onJanuary 6, 1907, it is time to examineher place in the lives o young chil-dren, and adults, around the world.

Public education leaders may notrealize it, but Montessoris materialsand even some o her ideas pop uphere and there, in materials catalogs,in math their way, in open class-

rooms, in group learning. I am oldenough to remember sitting at a deskall day, desks in our rows, rom rontto back. My last name began with sso that meant I was usually towardthe back. I didnt nd out until I wasthirteen that the reason I couldntsee the blackboard was that I neededglasses. (While waiting in line or myeyes to be checked at school, I memo-rized the eye chart so that I wouldnot make a mistake.) Learning wasexcruciatingly boring without anymanipulatives in the 1940s!

I remember speaking with NancyRambusch, the ounder o the Ameri-can Montessori Society, a ew monthsbeore her death. In her lecture in

Chicago, she stated that AMS wasounded by a small group o Catho-lic mothers who wanted somethingbetter or their own children thantraditional education. Then she saidthat Montessori was a charisma othe 20th century. I later asked herwhat that meant, and she said that itmeans a git, a grace beyond neces-sity, given to humans. Being rst anhistorian, then a Montessori teacher,I oten think o this and the anachro-

nism o Montessoris sensate learningin the age o the computer. Wouldchildren have orgotten to run andplay, even more so than they havetoday, i it were not or Montessori?Would children, rom toddlers to highschool students, spend their entiredays at the computer, growing long,bony ngers and huge, bulging eyes?

As my husband and I land in anew country to speak about Montes-sori education, I oten think, We arecoming to ree the childrento bringthem independence. Even thoughthe domination o the adult is usu-ally benevolent, nevertheless it is notreeing. Maria Montessoris perva-sive and oundational philosophy

o respect or each individual childis based upon her mentor o 2,000years beore, Jesus Christ, who said,Let the little children come to me, donot stop them (let them be ree), oro such is the Kingdom o Heaven.

What ino one was thinkingabout Montessoris unique idea o thepolarity between the child and theadult? Adults oten say to a youngboy, Dont cry! Be a man! when theboy is not a man. He is a child, and

thinks and eels like a child. This is agreat burden, laid upon the child, byunthinking adults. But Montessorisaid, Adults and children are at oppo-site poles o humanity. We cannotuse our logic to understand childrenbecause we no longer think as theydo. We have orgotten how childrenthink, so we must wait or childrento reveal themselves to us. Imagine,the 21th century adult cannot usehis mind to discover the truth about

children! He must wait and observethe child to gain knowledge. This is ahumbling experience or the humanbeing who, using his intellect, cansend a man to the moon!

*What ithere were no youngchildren who truly enjoy learningor its own sake, and they all began

wanting rewards?

Kent Class, 2006-2007, with studentsfrom the followingcountries: Taiwan(1), Sri Lanka (3),Korea (8), Mongolia(5), Japan (3), U.S.(5).

Kent Daytime KoreanClass, 2007, withRose Kim, Instructor



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MIA Board of Directors, 2006-07Legislative Liaison:

Dr. Maryann [email protected]

Nominating Committee:Heidi Tessier

[email protected]

Conerence Co-chair:Debbie Cleveland

[email protected]

U.S. Trainer to Koreans

Rose [email protected]

Website and Liaison to

Philippines: Normi Son

[email protected]

Liaison to Korea

Chang Sook [email protected]

Liaison to Taiwan

Jane Suchen [email protected]

Educational Director:

Sharlet McClurkin

[email protected]

New Certifed MIA Schools & Teachers 2006-2007

President: Dee [email protected]

Vice President

& Conerence ChairDebbie [email protected]

Secretary/

Conerence Co-chair:

Natassah [email protected]

Treasurer: Rhonda Gear

[email protected]

EX OFFICIO MEMBERS:

Membership Committee

Soo Yeong

[email protected]

Frannie [email protected]

Liaison to Sri Lanka

Pushpa Aluthgamage

[email protected]

Kim Kee Boon, 2 -6

Park Chun Young, 2 -6

Lee Sun Mi, 2 -6

Byun Kil Im, 2 -6

Choi Eun Soon, 2 -6

Baek Eun A, 2 -6Jin Eun Hae, 2 -6

Kim Hyun Ju, 2 -6

Lee Kyun Ha, 2 -6

Lee Sang Un, 2 -6

Lee Yeon Sook, 2 -6

Gi Gum Suk, 2 -6

February 2007

UNIVERSITY PLACE, WA

Jimin Kim, 2 -6

WHITTIER, CA

Mary Charlene Tividad, 2 -6

March 2007

BELLEVUE, WA

Kripa Aithal, 2 -6

FEDERAL WAY, WA

Soohyun Jeong, 2 -6

NEW MIA SCHOOLS

April 2006

PHILIPPINES

Clay and Potter

Montessori House o LearningRosewood Montessori

Scola dei Bambini Internationl

School

Teresita A Montessori School

Mary Lee, 2 -6

LAKE FOREST PARK, WA

Tara Jorgensen, 2 -6

August 2006

RENTON, WAChristine Banko, 2 -6

FEDERAL WAY, WA

Frannie Bunye, 2 --6

September 2006

DES MOINES, WA

Somer Harmon, Birth-3

November 2006

TAIWAN

Su-Jang Chen, 2 -6

I-Tan Cheng, 2 -6

Hui-Hsin Huang, 2 -6

Guei-Man Huang, 2 -6

Huiu-Chuan Liu, 2 -6

Chi-Feng Yang, 2 -6

Yi-Ching Hunag, 2 -6

Mei-Ling Chen, 2 -6

Ya-Jun Lin, 2 -6

January 2007

KOREA

Gu Min Hee, 2 -6

Kim Nam Hee, 2 -6

Sung Mi Young, 2 -6

Lee Sang A, 2 -6Jin Myoung Suk, 2 -6

Lee Heou Bong, 2 -6

Kim Nam Mi, 2 -6

Kim Kyeong Min, 2 -6

May 2006

KONA, HAWAII

Lin Wen-Hui, 2 -6

KENT, WA

Kristin Fulgencio, 2 -6

DIXON, CA

George D. Pagulayan, 2 -6

SEATTLE, WA

Xiaomeng Shao, 2 1/2-6

TRI-CITIES, WA

Sheri Crosby, 2 -6

Wendy Hane, 2 -6

Teri Hughes, 2 -6

Melissa Halter, 2 -6

June 2006

BELLEVUE, WA

Lin Fang, 2 -6ENID, OK

Deborah Jean Cribley, 2 -6

WHITTIER, CA

Ma Cecilla Lavina, 2 -6

SAN JOSE, CA

Wen Lige, 2 -6

UNIVERSITY PLACE, WA

Sunny Chong, 2 -6

SAN FRANCISCO, CA

Fernando Muthumali, 2 -6

July 2006

ENID, OKPaula Hu, 2 -6

LAKE JACKSON, TX

Rhonda Zirlott, 2 -6

NEWPORT HILLS, WA

May 2006

BLACK DIAMOND, WA

The Montessori At Sawyer's

Glen

June 2006DUPONT, WA

Childrens Village Montessori

SOUTH BEND, IN

Countryside Montessori

School

September 2006

GLENDALE, CA

Cedar Montessori School

October 2006

LA MESA, CA

College Center Montessori

School

PHILIPPINES

Montessori o Loyola

November 2006

TAIWAN

Dandelion Kindergarten

Montessori Kindergarten

January 2007

SEATTLE, WA

New Lie Montessori School

February 2007

PAKISTANHome Extension Montessori

School

The web address ofMontessori Institute of Americais www.miaworld.org


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2007 - 2008 Membership FormTo become a MIA member, please complete the applicable portion o the ollowing orm. Each year, renewingmembership ees are due on or beore June 1, 2007. Please circle the type o membership and submit the appro-priate ees to the address below. Checks should be made payable to Montessori Institute o America (MIA).

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIPName

Address

City State

Country

Zip or Country Code

Phone Email

Date o Certication:: Level 0 3 ______Level 3 6 ______Level 6 9 ______

SCHOOL MEMBERSHIP

Owner

Director

Center/School Name

Address

City State

Country

Zip or Country Code

Phone Email

$40 One Year IndividualMembership

$50 One Year IndividualInternationalMembership

$70 Two Year IndividualMembership(2004-2006)

$80 Two Year IndividualInternationalMembership

$30 Parent/GeneralMember

Mark this box i you do not want yourinormation listed in the next MIAdirectory.

$100 New MIA InternshipSchool

$100 New MIA SchoolGeneral Membership

$75 Internship SchoolRenewal

$75 General SchoolRenewal

$150 Teacher Training Center

Mark this box i you do not want yourinormation listed in the next MIAdirectory.

Mail to: Montessori Institute o America, Membership Committee23807 98TH Avenue S, Kent, WA 98031

Phone: (866) 856-2262 or (253) 859-2262 Fax: (253) 859-1737

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