I am going to Israel on the 11th to lecture and to answer teacher’s questions . I hope to see some of the Montessori schools if they wish.

The really lovely thing is that my Jewish Hostess has offered me to go to Jerusalem for Easter and to see some of the holy places whilst she remembers there a Jewish special day at that time.

People of all different nationalities and all religions I have found to be so very kind and one wonders how wars come about.

Perhaps the male of the species is territorial by nature as are their main games. When they become politicians we are perhaps then more easily led into conflicts.

Thank you Naomi in Israel .

We have all been hurt by prople and so indeed have all religions and countries and these memories will remain.

When acting however today, it is very important no to bring the past into the present emotionally and to greet a new day as a fresh start..

Today is a new day and our little children show us so clearly how to live in the present and to make the most use of every moment.

If we stay with actions promoted by memories of the past our retaliation will go on and as yesterday when another baby was killed for political reasons.

Let us really value our children and not tolerate abuse in any form.

We need to value our children all over the world and then war would cease.We can ddo that when we valur their fundamental nature.

This morning I had a letter from my Hostess in Israel where I am going to lecture in three weeks time. I am reproducing part of her letter that I received this morning about her work .

‘I am the happiest when I am with the children,they are so pure and shine like brilliant galaxies. The more I am around them
the kinder and purer I become. There is so much to learn from them! It saddens me so much to see that most adults miss this wonderful gift and, instead of learning from their children, they look down on them and belittle them… they have no idea what they are missing, and this is what I live to change. I truly believe that this whole world can be transformed in one generation if we could let the children guide us.’

Religion
Religion can be a tremendous help in life and our brains are made to encourage this. All that we see feel, see , hear and think can be seen as activity in the brain.

In the first six years the religion of the culture is absorbed naturally by the frontal lobes of the brain taking in the whole of the environment.

Between seven and twelve years religion and spirituality is consciously and intellectually taken in. It is a great help for moral behaviour when both parents help in the teaching of the religion.

Early adolescence is when certain aspects of the absorbed religion are questioned and then are either accepted or rejected

Mystical spiritual experience is know in all cultures. In this experience, time, fear and self consciousness are quietened. It is known now that it is the Parietal lobe circuits which are quietened as this is where self and the world are made known.

Sometimes these experiences help in later adolescence to quell disruptive behaviour. Creativity in the person in art and in music is often heightened.

Tdoday we were told thst there are 36,000000 thirty six million displaced people in our world.

We see that male brains and endocrines make for aggression in the male, so is there any hope of saving the world from the continual conflict of war.

Yes, through the right education that stopse continual frustration by allowing movement and using the five senses for learning; respect for all ages, meeting and caring for those younger and the weak and old; and through sublimation through sport that allows legitimately and sublimates the use of those urges and instincts.

Male sport usees territorial rules in football, rugger, hoskey etc.
Much male sport is physically antagonistic and rough, eg. rugby.

All schools should see that the natural rough and tumble play of little boys is poassible.

A society which sues easily stops the really free play by over emphasis on Health and Safety rules. Some are required but not those made by a society that aasily takes to court for money recompence.

There is hope if every little child throughout the world is cared for, respected and nurtured by all society. Bombing and shooting and such atrocities would then not be used and children would not be hurt

When I went round the world I found everyone so very kind and helpful. There were no politicians around and no one declaring that their religion was the best! Perhaps this was why!

The news is today of paedophilia in the island of Jersey. This is something the affects our children throughout the world.

The paedophiles are often otherwise very upright and in other ways often model people.

Paedophilia, like Heroin, very quickly is addictive and once addicted however sorry the person is, they cannot stop.

Paedophiles come out of prison and immediately very often offend again immediately.

The only way is to have a secure hospital until the addiction with help is broken.

We limit our children’s freedom especially in the cities until this addiction is dealt with.

Montessori pointed out that all young animals practice through their activities and play the skills needed when mature. We can see this in young kittens.

There are strong biological, neurological and endocrin differences that make the boys and girls act very differently on the environment.

Males are more aggressive than females and show it in the ir play by the boy’s rough and tumble polay and the girls more chatty and nurturing.

Yesterday the road near here had big machinery and was being dug and resurfaced. It was being watched by boys and men. When both sexes went by the road works, the girls looked for a moment but the boys couldn’t take their eyes off the activity and were concentrating hard.

The boy’s brain has many more cells than the girl’s for movement, space and machinery. They are more aware of direction and later can read maps more easily.

Our way of education for boys must therefore ideally always allow for movement and action..

If you find my blog interesting. please do say something in the forum, then I will know that it is really worth writing! I must confess that I like to write what I am thinking! Do answer.

Today the price of wheat goes up because of a world shortage. Here n England farmer’s have been paid for land set aside for wild life. This has been encouraged by the RSPB, a society for saving habitats for birds.

We will have to be a rethink because now the world’s population is increasing so rapidly and some food is already growing short.

At present the remote and less developed islands and countries kill the wild life to increase their diet protein that they need. However 4the wild life being killed and eaten is often the rare species trying to be conserved by preservation societies.

Our world’s children need food t hat is becoming short because of the rising population .

My grandfather started the first meals service in schools here in London at the early part of the last century. I believe it will become necessary in the years to come, for all schools through out the world, to provide a main meal for all children.

Food will become so short owing to the rapid rise in the population in all countries throughout the world.

In Britain our adolescents get so little time for doing any hobbies. I know an ordinary 15 year old at a local State school. Each day she comes home from school and by the time she has had a meal all the rest of the time is taken up with homework.

She has just had the five day Half Term holiday and although she really needed to be free of all pressure, the school gave homework for the holiday.

I watched a program this morning showing what a lovely things a visit to a zoo is or all ages. Zoos cost entrance money and there are so many families now with rising fuel prices who cannot afford any extras for activities for their family. I thought of how they must be feeling when so many pleasures have to be denied..

British teenagers are bored and over stressed and pressured at the time when they are most vulnerable, so they resort to Binge drinking to relieve the boredom and stress and to forget about all these worries.

This should be a time of thrills, interests and finding their own uniqueness.
Let us help them to go to another culture to learn and to help and be free of these unmitigated pressures. Transfer of cultures would be of value throughout the world at this time.

17 young people have fecently committed suicide to the terrible anguish of the people of the area of Bridgend.

Media coverage is being held responsible by some of the parents. What could be the causes?

It is in the nature of human beings to copy and that is how we learn from the moment we are born. We copy what we see and hear. This therefore is likely to be a contributery cause.

This age group is under stress today with ways of learning at school where children have to absorb great amounts of facts and regurgitate them for exams.

They have missed the stage usually now of playing outside with varied ages without adult intervention, and so have missed the stage of learning from older young people.

They are so segregated now from society and even from other age groups.

Their inner needs are not fed and frustration and boredom and lack of self esteem make them binge drink, and sometimes to copy other suicides and so sometimes to take their own lives.

The brain development empathy cells have died off temporarily at this stage and so the thought of their parents’ suffering is not thought about.

The alteration as outlined for the education of this age group is now vital. They need to be prepared for life and to be helped to know themselves. Learning should come through their own understanding and questions and they should be helped to answer their own questions through research. Further questions would arise according to their needs and experience ; they would go through all subjects on their quest, as there are no separate subjects in reality.

In addition this age need excitement and daring, but in cities in this country activities such as these usually cost money if they want to participate.

We must take the stress and boredom away from this age group

After all these suggestions, I think that it would be wise to give again an outline of the way of education needed by adolescent youth, that would really suit their stage of development.

They should work individually researching questions arising from their own experience and their own understanding.
There should be helpful educational materials, books and the teachers guidance researching their own answers to their own questions. These would arise from stimulus lecture on a subjects relevant to themselves and to their generation.

These questions would arise personally, following stimulus lectures. These should be on relevant curriculum subjects based on the interests and news relevant to their own generation. These would be subjects that would help them to take their place in society in a relevant and active way.

Any suggestions on topics would be welcome in our forum.

Music stimulates the brain on so many levels.
The brain has four lobes:
frontal, parietal, occipital and the temporal

Music helps to educate the general well being of all ages
and is especially helpful for teen-agers.

Rhythm activates the Brocas areaof the brain.

If the music is not familiar ihe temporal and frontal lobes are activated.

Melody loved and followed engages the right temporal lobe.

When you try to recall a song title then the left Hemisphere temporal lobe is activated.

When we try to understand the words then it is the Wernicks area

And if we copy the pitch ourselves then the Precuneus in the left hemisphere is active.

Adolescents often find that having music on when they do their homework helps them to think .

Music appreciation is so important for the future added enjoyment to later life and much time eshoud be allowed for this.

The ear at this age has a wide scope and is not so set as later on. Music of all types needs to be able to be listened to, including new music of their new generation.

Tomorrow I will go more into the brain research. Today I want to tell you a musical story about Stephen Wolfram’s (great grandmother and Einstein.

One of the cleverest men Einstein himself said that the reason he was so clever was because he played the violin. He loved the music of Mozart and Bach and enjoyed playing very much.

My great friend Kate Friedlander who was a psychiatrist tol me this story:

Her Mother was very musical and had a string quartet that played often at night in her house. When young and in bed Kate was kept awake by the string quartet in the room below in which her Mother and Einstein played.

She told me of hearing her Mother say when Einstein made a mistake:
Oh Albert, can’t you count! One two three four!one two three four!

Graffiti

One of the actions that teen -agers frequently get into trouble about is graffiti on walls outside and on train walls, telephone boxes, defacing many public places.

It is a natural instinct at this stage for the young to doodle with their initials. They are discovering a new distinct identity and it is a common instinct to experiment with their initials.

I live near Eton College which was founded in the fourteen hundreds. If you are taken on a tour round the college you will see very old desks and many have initials carved on them!

So this natural inclination which incites this age group to defame walls needs to be given a legitimate place to experiment and try this art form with their initials.

We should have, near highly populated places, a graffiti wall which is permitted to be used for graffiti using their initials and embellishing them in an art form. Colours should be provided.

If that is in place then at the same time there should be heavy punishment for any unlawful graffiti not on the special places provided. Part of the punishment should of course be the cleaning up themselves of walls desecrated. They should also have to pay for the cleaning materials. They might also be used for a set time for environmental jobs needing to be done in their neighbourhood.

If this is not done, then a short sharp shock of a residential camp where service has to be given within the community. At the same time it would be wise during the miscreant’s time there, to find out what is really wrong in that person’s background and give help through friendship and fundamental approval. We should never give up the basic respect for the person’s uniquenesseven even when the actions need to be condemned.

The teen-age brain frontal lobes are where higher judgement, planning and reasoning are dealt with.
However these cells do not mature completely until the age of twenty. This is why teen-agers under estimate their vulnerability when risk taking.

Our teen-ager’s brains are in a state of change and this directs their change in behaviour until their brain is mature. The brain and its development must be taken into account.

We must give the possibility of this excitement craved, but always put safeguards in place remembering that they haven’t the maturity of brain to estimate risks.

Competitive sport is good for this age. The roughness of Rugby is often enjoyed with its physical tussles of strength. Aiming at a target is satisfying and darts or archery provide for this.

A Roller blades disco is greatly enjoyed and so is music whilst skating on ice.

Carefully controlled rock climbing at this stage, gives the thrill that is needed.

As this is the stage for ‘mates’ meaning a great deal, belonging to a team with physical activities meets this great emotional need. Here also rowing. canoeing and water sports in general fill this need. foror action and belonging.

The simulator machines for driving and flying are loved as are the computer games.

How was it that John did so well together with his friends. It was because he came in to the environment that provided for his unique needs, in his early years. He came in at two and a half and was able to feed his own needs for eight and a half years.

He was able to be well rounded because he could teach himself with the right help in the environment. Her taught himself, through the prepared environment, Latin and Greek. He read widely and when he was asking philosophical questions, I gave him a book on philosophy I always remember him saying that he noticed that the word ‘or’ in philosophy had a different meaning to the word ‘or’ in Maths.

All the outstanding people in their fields begin very early in circumstances where the environment nurtures a talent. We still need this at the adolescent stage together with the stimulus lectures rhat will provide them with the curriculum that will help them to adapt and become an active part of today’s society.

Here is what can happen if we allow children to teach themselves and keep them company on THEIR way . Here is a quote about such a child who taught himself in this way.

Quoted from The John Carpenter Club Gazette
John’s was one of the most extraordinary talents ever to pass through CLS. He came as a diminutive ginger-haired 10 + year old from the Gate House Learning Centre in Hackney

(This was my school where he came at rwo and a half and was with us for eight years and like all our children he taught himself and we kept him company.

When he went on to the City of London School they said
‘HE was already identified as a mathematical prodigy’

He held his own in other subjects quite comfortably
in the A stream forms, a year or two ahead of his age,

John later gained a special gold medal in the Maths Olympiad with 145 nations competing.

In life a strong self disciplined will is so very very important for a satisfactory and happy life.

Education must help to keep the individual will strong but help it to discipline itself so that rules for society can be adapted to and at the same time meeting the natural needs given.

Montessori early education is emeeting this this. Now, Montessori nirseries should lead on to the other age groups,with the differences in ways of education for each age group poointed out by her.

The age that needs reform so badly is that given at present to our teens. They have to be constantly punished because the way of life imposed on them is unsuitable.

We must use a new way of education that will develeop a self disciplined will in each young person.

The scheme which I have outlined previously would do this.

We have so many misconceptions in the West that travel soon disperses.

I thought that Asia would be dirty and I found the cities (Shanghai, Manila, Hong Kong, Kuala lumpur, Singapore )so much cleaner than ours!

My rubbish here has to wait two weeks for collection and yet the cities I was in for a week even with high density population, had the day’s rubbish cleared away every evening!

The streets and the pavements were continuously swept and were cleaner than our.

Their roads were kept in better repair than mine here!

I was educated by my travels, and our young should travel as part of their teen-age education.

All the subjects mentioned should be the subject of stimulating talks. Choose well known people in the subject to come and speak.

At the end, without any contact with each other, get each student to write a point that particularly interested them. Later when their subconscious mind has had time to link up brain synapses, get each to write a further question that occurs to them that they would be interested to know. They can instead say the point they found most interesting and follow that.

The teacher is now their companion in helping them to research and follow their interests and questions.

Research on any question will touch gradually on all subjects as everything in life is linked. Much personal knowledge will be gained, building each on his/her own previous knowledge and own experience.

The teacher should NOT suggest ever any questions herself. Each student should follow what interests them on any point or question. They should not use book questions but use their own experience and build upon that.

Instead of arriving at university with memorized book knowledge, and with answer examples regurgitated, they will have real unified points of understanding.

That is the way of natural learning and the teacher walks witth them as a friend.

The age for really learning languages is from the earliest years up to 7 years.
The prefrontal cortex has more cells at these years, than at any other time and absorbs the environment together with languages, like a sponge.

Swiss children usually speak several languages because of their early environment environment containing them.

If the teen ager was lucky enough to learn addditional languages at that early age, he will have a perfect accent. From then on he should read and speak the languages, keeping them alive.

At adolescence, language is learned in the main part of the brain.

Computer programs with microphone are very useful as well as visiting the country of origin.

A language club for conversation and discussion is enjoyed.

The difficulty of teaching Maths that is good enough for use in the sciences can now be easily overcome by use of the Maths soft ware which is readily available for students and is actually used in space travel.

This is the software produced by Mathematica and which has a strong back up for teachers and students.

Students can get the full power of Mathematica for homework, research, and lab reports.

I have a personal interest in its originator,Stephen Wolfram, for I was Guardian to the Mother of this founder of Mathematica.

Mathematica is now used through out the world and is helping in the advancement of the understanding of our universe.

They need each to be helped to discoveer their own uniqueness: mentally, physically, spiritually,morally, emotionally and academically

They should have stimulus lectures from the very best people in subjects.

They should ask their own questions and be helped to answer them themselves through being helped to research the answers. A high academic level would be achieved.More questions will always follow from answers!

There must be physical daring and excitement always within reach.

It must be possible through care of the environment to earn money.
to spend at the school shop which wil stock things wanted by students.

Modern technologyahould always be used.

There should be some experience of productive land and also pet’s care.

There will be experience within social needs of those mentally and[or physically challenged.

There should be contact with the elderly to hear first hand the lives of a former generation.

They should have some knowledge of other people’s religions.

Thet should have access to strong telescope and a strong microscope.

They should understand law: personal, their country and international.

They should understand the social need for morality.

They should look at the hisory of some of their own habitual actions and reeactions imbibed from their environment iduring the first four years years of life, jettisoning those not appropriate.

They will be emotionally, academically, and socially ready to play their part within society.

Our teen agers need plenty of outlets for emotion because of the biological changes in the brain and the rest of the body.

Art, both creative and appreciation are important.They should have opportunities for free painting. It is useful to know then that dominant use of black denotes anxiety and of red, feelings of aggression.

Music making and appreciation are a fine outlet.

Singing both individually and through the fun and cooperation of a choir helps greatly.

Dancing of all kinds and for all cultures is a natural emotional outlet.

Competitive team physical activities are enjoyed.

This is the arguing age so channeling through debates is useful!

The strongest need for the teenagers is to know his or her own body and to like and know their own identity. They need constant affirmation during this time, so that they grow mentally, physically and spiritually

The knowledge of their body should be given in same sex classes so that they can ask questions and discuss freely especially about themselves and not just generally.

Now is the time to watch their habitual actions and in line with their identity discard those that do not conform to their own identity.

They need some contact with the earth, with growing plants and animals.

Above all they have to have excitement and physical challenge with a group or ‘gang’ of mates.