The people who read this Blog are in so many countries and yet because of Montessori, we have the same universal experience of the stages of growth and understand each other. I was so astonished when heard from China this morning and yesterday New Zealand!

We read and understand and yet our experiences are so very different and our cultures vary so very much. We must remember that in the same way although the children’s actions with the materials are so similar yet their life experience is so varied even within the same class room.

In the Montessori school within a developed country one child may coeme from a home where they have money to fly to another country for the holiday, whilst another child in the same classroom just goes on concrete to the shops, and does not see the countryside in his/her own country.

We should give as much exeperience oof the world as possible by computer disc, U tube, video, film and above all excursions.

Light pollution in our cities means thatmany children never see the stars and to hear about the planets is not real to them. Montessori teachers, parents and children should on a starlight night go togeether and experience the wonder and awe of this amazing creation of which we are all a part.

So much of the world is growing short of food. Thirty two thousand Montessori schools can make a difference if we plan ahead.

Get our children interested in growing food. Make self corrective Montessori materials about nourishment.

Look together at which foods should be grown to provide hunger relief.

Grow as much fo the food for school dinners as possible.

See that all children have access at school to enough nourishment as they need and then feed others with the surplus.

It can be done if we look ahead now. We will see to our children through acting now.

Dr Montessori would have been so interested as a Medic in the MRI scans that tell us so much about the different workings and structure of the male and female brain.

The Montessori education that she showed right rhrough in distinct stages to beyond university itself, fit in very well with the newest knowledge.

The need for movement with boys is enabled right through. We know now how wrong it is to keep boys, as we do in most schools, in chairs listening to talk?

Debates are important so that the different male and female points of view are both reaised as important for a vision of the whole.

This is obvious in the race for President of the USA taking place at the moment. Why not have them BOTH and have both the male and the female points looked after?

On my tour round the world, lecturing and seeing Montessori schools, I was struck by the beauty of them The children cared for each other, and they also cared for pets and their outdoor environment as well as the indoor.

Now our Montessori schools should turn their attention to the ground they are standing upon. With rising population and in so many places shortage of water and in others, flooding, means that we owe it to our children to be aware of geology.

Every river and mountain, every road eand railway, every city has to do with geology. Before a house can be built the surveyor has to be sure that the ground below the house is secure. This depends on the kind of rock and whether it can be worn away quickly by water.

Children love to make a collection of as many different kinds of pieces of rock as they can find.

Montessori loved experiments and she would I feel certain, encourage them to find out which are porous when water is poured over or when they are left in water.

Children soon understand that everything that we use depends on the ground and its type. It might be useful now to invite in The Green Party to talk about our care for this earth and why it is so important.

The child iin the womb can hear music and if a tune is played regularly he reeacts to it after birth and often relaxes and is soothed by it.

We know that different types of music stimulate different parts of the brain.

Schools now can show so much by film and computer discs. Children should be shown and hear a single instrument, then a quartet and then full orchestras.

All Montessori schools should have the tone bars and the bell materials. Regular demonstrations are important.These help the children to acquire perfect pitch. Singing is a much loved activity.

The Montessori exercise of walking on the line to music gives help with coordination, but above all see that all children have the opportunity to move freely in dancing to music. This is an activity which all human beings enjoy.

Music, singing, and dancing help the brain to grow and give great enjoyment and satisfaction.

Adolescents have not the active brain cells that judge physical vulnerability. Team sport is very important and gives the boundaries that are vital.

The brain developed when this age had to go and hunt for the food for the tribe. The male human still has more sense of direction than the fema;e.

The female stayed and multi tasked looking af3ter the cooking,the firfe and the family.

The male needed to concentrate solely on the animal needed for food and the male brain isolates still the task in hand and finds solutions.

The female went to collect the best berries and looked at many and then chose. Ehe female today enjoys looking at the shops with all the choices before making a final choice.

Yet we are not slaves to these natural inclinations. The human develops a strong will.

At the age of ninety I believe that Montessori education with its self disciplined will is our great gift to our children. It will help them to achieve their dreams.

The Solar system eill be very important to our children and their children and as Maria Montessori said that we should always give the keys to the child’s own environment, we have to consider how to do this in the way of all Montessori materials and the basic philosophy

It would be good to have a visual handicraft model always hanging in the environment so that the absorbent mind may take in the whole.

The main points should of course be presented in material for the child to use. There should be the Control of Error for nim to use to check his own work.

The main points should have separate activity materials for their use
are:
The distances from the sun

How long it takes to go round the sun (orbit)

The length of one day.

Its spin and its direction

The size of each (diameter)

Temperature there

Description of climate

Description of colours

rings

Other points

The distance from the sun.The maths cards and powers of 10 to go with this in the usual style of the maths cards, just a continuation.

The Holy Father spoke so movingly to those who had been hurt, however he missed the opportunity of asking the world for money to be spent on research on this terrible addiction. The part of the brain that is activated is the same part as for heroin addiction.

An addict’s brain demands satisfaction before anything else, and so a heroine addict’s money will be spent on heroine even if he is starving.

This is why the pedophile is really sorry and means not to offend again and is truly ashamed but when released from prison, offends again.

Because eof pedophiles our seven year olds and children of other ages cannot learn the rules that are for groups of people, by playing together as they used to, with all ages of children outside. They miss a whole stage of social development. Our children are now prisoners and we really do nothing about it except say that they are too fat. They get their emotional outlet from games on the computer.

Pedophiles need to be kept in a secure and kindly hospital with work to do, until they are cured. It should be treated as an illness with respect and as kindly but as secureley as possible.

In England we have several thousand on the register and so our children cannot be free.

Having travelled around this wonderful world with its amazing people, I am struck most by the Abssorbent mind and its great strength.

Dr. Montessori drew attention to it in Humans after considering the observation of the biologist De Vries with insects.

We start off so similar in our development from birth butg so quickly we asorb the speech, the mannerisms, the ways of standing and sitting ,the food preferences and the totality of the environment is absorbed.

My travels brought this home to me and yet how similar were ethe Montessori classes! The absorbed concentrating children and the peace and happiness was the same in all countries.

Where did I go? I went where invited and so: America, China, Philippines, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore , Australia, New Zealand, Australia, England.

Last month I was invited and went to lecture in Israel, and this coming month I go to Russia.

I travel alone and with my wheelchair, and pay tribute and answer questions about Maria Montessori.I went to stay privately with her and she asked me to start the first AMI Course for her in England. I examined with her in many countries.

What a great wonderful scientist, doctor and educationist.

Children need both parents to develop fully as neither parent can really stand in wholly for the other because of physical, chemical and brain differences which are the basis of our character and actions.

Families and marriage are therefore very important. In Britain the rate of separation and divorce is very high and this causes more housing difficulties as instead of one place to live, they immediately need two separate places to live.

When parents separate their child so often thinks that it is his fault and that the parent is going because he is too naughty to be loved and so the parent is going away.

This trauma has a lasting effect on that person who throughout life show a lack of self esteem

There is now a board on the market that is like a small see saw for the feet. To work it the cross modal transfer between the two brain hemispheres will be used. This will develop and help the brain of the dyslexic cope with the general way of education which is very sequentially based.

I would suggest that, as it needs to be used for a considerable time for results, the child stands and I suggest uses it whilst watching television or a film, so that he goes on for a long time each day.

This should help his school work within the general school system and help his spelling to improve.

The board was advertised on British television this morning.However a board for a similar activity could be made at home.The one advertised was called a Wii board.

Relationships are really what makes life so meaningful and this is sometimes where the autistic children miss so much.

I have just come back from two days inthe Roman City of Bath where I stayed for a mini break with a friend. We are both so old now and have been friends since we were 16 years old.

An American Priest friend joined us at the same hotel on his way back to Ameerica from overseas and made what seemed a very good suggestion. He said that he thought that all Catholic Priests living alone should take a refuge dog to supply that unconditional love and companionship.

Peta at school are important. Children learn to care for them and they grow to love them.

At my school we had a pony that we saved from being slaughtered. He was not a safe rider but we kept him as a pet and the children loved him and learned to look after him well.

Relationships are valuable also to God in religion.

The sensorial material must give keys to the child’s environment. For this reason the number cards must go higher in number and powers of ten for easy handling should be incorporated.

As the DNA molecule with its double helix shape, will be dominant in their lives, so it should be in at the sensorial stage, to provide the basis for the later abstract.

Always the philosophy and the way of making and presentation should remain absolutely identical with all Montessori Keys to the environment.

Having seen the most enormous changes in my 90 years, it is interesting to guess what major changes and interests are about to be for our children in the next decades.

There will obviously be the travel to other planets and exploration of the universes, just as there was the early excploration of the world when man still thought that the earth was flat and that they would fall off the earth if they went too far.

The Maths that will be used has been envisaged by Mathmatica (Wolfram) which by the way has much for schools that may be down loaded free of charge and shows Maths in different subjects.

I think one of the big changes will be the use of robots in all our private lives. Just as robots have altered the factories so now we shall, I believe, depend on them doing the chores in our homes.

Will someone please tell me what are the significant Maths in robots? Do they depend on other than the deciamal system?
Do you think there will be time travel?

During the stages of the Absorbent mind for the first six years, the young child absorbs the culture and religion of his parents and the environment, He absorbs the religious observances and the items used in these together with their names and the general language that goes with that religion.

From seven to twelve he is interested in the stories connected with the religion and enjoys taking part. He becomes conscious of other religions and is interested in their history. He enjoys biographies connected with his religion.

At adolescence from twelve there begins a stage of questioning and the taking or rejecting of the religion through an intellectual interest and questioning.

At the stage from eighteen to twenty four, throughout history some people have always been willing to die for their religious beliefs.

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We know that adolescence is a time of great vulnerability when there are changes in the body and its chemistry, together with brain changes.

Our schools in general education through class teaching to the average, put great strain on our children.

We make the strain even worse by making them take examinations at this time. This pressure is especially bad during the first three years of adolescence.

These years should be a time for exploring their new identity and learning how society and finance work.

Pressures have to be relieved and many young people in this country turn to drink to ease the feeling of continuous pressures without allowing self esteem.

It is important that whilst the pressures are there that they are taught more to understand drink.

Maany get into a paralytic state unwittingly becuse they do not understand that the alcohol taken, has a time lag before it kicks in.

They need to knoow about the different proofs and how little is required that will make the pressure and worry eased. There is so little known by most about this and most do not understand that although they may still feel in control, the amount taken will not have an immediate effect. They need to know how long this takes.This would save a lot of trouble.

Obviously the real cause for this pressure which they feel, needs to be altered.

Montessori urgese practical experiences of money and earning. They can get this by supplying and running a school shop and using school currency so that it cannot be augmented by parents.

Individualizing their work more and researching and answering THEIR OWN questions is the way forward for our poor pressured adolescents.

Remoove from where he is disturbing but Montessori says treat him as you would if he had a broken leg. Put him somewhere pleasant and safe, and give him something that he enjoys doing.

Do NOT make ehim stay there but when he is beginning to enjoy what he is doing, just smile at him and tell him that when he feels that he is ready he should go back.

You will find that the child will stay there for a while and when he is ready will take himself back.

If YOU make him stay there after he is feeling better, he will build up resentment, so let him take himself back.

This works so well

However try to find out what is happening at home. He may be getting hit for bad behaviour. Ask them to give attention for anything GOOD and give the attention for good behaviour rather than for bad.

He may not be getting enough attention and is naughty to get it rather than not have attention and be able to tell of his day.

Reading the latest Brain research results I came across the following on QUOL:
‘Nurturing imitation acknowledges the importance of providing a good role model, a beautiful environment full of rich daily experiences and the fact that rich sensory experiences for young children impacts on them deeply.’

The more one reads the more one realizes how very up to date Montessori was in her findings over half a century earlier.

Her wish would be that more will follow on through the senior years and continue her life’s work as she showed is needed.

Go gently on and the results will speak for themselves.

What did Montessori say? She always stressed that the Montessori teacher should be attractive. What did she mean? She didn’t mean that they always had to be young, but she did mean that they should be attractive.

The essence of this attractiveness is vitality and a love of life and a love for creation, including ourselves.

We must spotlight the good not only in the children but also in ourselves, and then our failings, which will always be many, will be helped by concentrating on the good.

A Montessori teacher has real enthusiasm in her work and for life itself. She spreads happiness because she not only spotlights the good in each of the children in her care, but also carries it through in her own life.

She spotlights the good at home and with her friends and in all around her giving a quiet feeling of the reality of loving people and is at home with her own identity.

I have written with the feminine but I met some wonderful male Montessori teachers in my travels and of course the same applies to all male Montessori teachers..

It is very good for children to have teachers both male and female as many have no contact with men when they come from separated families. I have found that many children think that they were the cause of the separation because they were naughty. They need our love and to spotlight the good in them.

I have been speaking of my own country’s good and bad points and of my own grandfather, and yet although we may each do that, yet there is the real universality of Montessori schools and their children’s development.

It is so unique that when entering schools in other countries, they all have this great similarity.

The wonderrful Absorbent Mind stage is so obvious and the love of the Practical life activities; the love of using the senses and laying the foundation for abstract thinking and creative imagination.

No wonder the founders of the wonderful ‘Google’ went to a Montessori School!

Montessori said that Modern technology is like an extra arm for all humanity.

Be true to Montessori and include these special needs children. Dr Montessori had a special interest in these children. She held a University Chair of Medicine and began her experiments with sensorial materials with children of subnormal intelligence, and found that they could then score well in exams up to the normal average score!

In my own Montessori all age school, I included children who had special needs and I learnt so much from the other children and the ease with which they saw how to help.

They saw Alistair not a’ Blind Alistair’, but as ‘Alistair …who happened to be blind.’

Montessori schools are real communities and together we learn so much.

I wonder whether there is a gene that makes one more liable to be interested in Education?

Today in most countries it is realized how important training is for the better paid jobs and for a robust economy.

Over a hundred years ago, my Grandfather I have mentioned, who first did school dinners for poor children, also brought into being in Islington, London, the first evening classes.

He saw that most of the poor children from his Ragged School, got jobs as errand boys etc. but then could not advance, having no skills that were needed.

He started evening training classes for carpentry and when a boy had finished the training, he presented him with a full set of tools so that he could immediately be employed.

Montessori said that new technology is like an extra arm for mankind, and she wanted all children to be given the keys for today.

Montessori would have made a sensorial educational material as a key for the DNA molecule which has assumed so much importance in our world today.

We now know the great differences between the male and female brain that accounts for different interests and actions and this must mean that the general educational systems of the world will have to alter and recognize this.

With this knowledge it seems to me that to function really well there should be two Prime Ministers working together, one male and the other female.

I believe that we would have better government, the men seeing the solutions to problems and the females seeing the varied following results of the actions to be taken.

We then might have peace for us all, which all people really want.

National boundaries ewould be to promote art, music.dance and national creativity.

When?

Today on the news here there was the suggestion that school dinners should be provided free for all school children. My Grandfather was the one who started the first ones early in the last century.

The account in an essay that won a prize and was presented to the Library at the Houses of Parliament

He was given the headship of a new school known as The Ragged School in Islington, London.

He found that parents went early in the morning to work and children came without breakfast and had difficulty in learning through malnutrician.

His name was Henry Gardner and he lived at Thane Villas, Islington
A Jewish philanthropist, Zachary Merton, paid for the dinners.The teachers and the Headmaster made them!

Today in our country parents work longer hours than in most countries in the world. Because house prices are so high, mothers have to work long hours as well. They have little time now to look after their children and to cook nourishing food.

The cost of living is going up for all families and it is right that all children should have one nourishing meal a day at school free of charge.