Maria Montessori and the Classical Tradition

source: https://charlottemasonpoetry.org/maria-montessori-and-the-classical-tradition-audio/

What do you think of when you hear the word Montessori? Perhaps you imagine a room specifically designed for children, with small carpets and special shelves filled with activities. Perhaps you think of a carefully structured method to learn mathematics, reading, and even chores and crafts. Perhaps you envision a teacher following precise guidelines to educate children in a very particular way.

Many people are content with such images as their definition of Montessori. Few have taken the time to actually read Maria Montessori's original writings. Few have investigated the underlying beliefs and convictions which shaped her model of education. Few have attempted to discern what makes Montessori's method different from - or similar to - other philosophies of education today.

I was not content with secondary images so I went straight to the source. I took Montessori at face value; I took her at her word. And then I followed the logic rigorously to the surprising but inexorable conclusion. The facts tell the story. Listen and let reason be your guide. Do you agree with my analysis? There's only one way to find out. Have a listen and let me know:

Click here to read the full text of this episode, including references.

The Parents' Union in a Secondary School

E. Perceval Horsey describes the implementation of the Charlotte Mason method in a secondary school for boys in this vintage article from 1924.

The History of an Idea: Children Are Born Persons

Art Middlekauff surveys how Charlotte Mason's first principle was viewed in the centuries before and the century after Miss Mason's life.

The First Steps of Education

Rhoda Harrison explains how Charlotte Mason's ideas guide and inspire the first steps of education in this vintage article from 1936.

What Is Education?

Essex Cholmondeley explains the essential features of a Charlotte Mason education in this vintage text from 1925.

Where Virtue is the Goal

What does it really look like when virtue is the goal of education? Is virtue really the highest aim of Christian education?

The Parents' Union in a Secondary School

The History of an Idea: Children Are Born Persons

The First Steps of Education

What Is Education?

Where Virtue is the Goal

Common Place Company

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