Month: March 2022

The Wisdom and Wonder of Maria Montessori’s Cosmic Vision

’ve been hanging out with Maria a lot these days…well, actually with Mario and Maria. If you’ve been reading my words through this blog or joined Demystifying Cosmic Education, you know I spend a LOT of time reflecting on how our Montessori practice leads children to the discovery of their cosmic task, no matter the age of the children with whom we spend our days. The activities we provide and the way we provide them are designed to touch the heart and soul of the child, to draw them into feeling their deepest inner self.  

As I focus on creating a new short course in Cosmic Education, I’ve been spending time with Maria and Mario in Kodaikanal. Through Mario’s words, I’ve travelled to the rooms where they sat discussing the world’s miracles that were unfolding through fortuitous moments. Having discovered, by chance, that the starving animals living in his carefully prepared terrariums only ate when the food moved, Mario and Maria worked out the dance among the animals whose purpose was to keep the living population in check. This moment set their thoughts in motion on the wonder of the cosmos and the beautiful perfection that existed within it. 

Bouncing back to reality, I reflected on the moment when I came to awareness of cosmic task. It was “Love in Plants.”

Yes, I already knew the biology. I understood how plants and animals worked together to further the species and to promote diversity. I was a lover of plants. The most joyful days of my childhood were spent sitting in trees or hiding among ancient grapevines. Even though I’d endured my share of stings when my bare feet found a bee among the clovers, I didn’t fear the insects. I rested calmly in the knowledge that I did not possess the nectar they were seeking. 

But I’d never felt the power of the biology. I’d never sensed the intricate awesomeness of the Universe. Until “Love in Plants.” 

To awaken to the simplicity of love working in the world, all the time, for billions of years, to the creation of all things, including me, truly moved the Earth inside my own heart. Montessori’s idea of Cosmic Task became clear in that moment and I was set free to discover mine. 

I’ve imagined how it must have been for Maria to be working with her son. In my reveries, I felt her experience of love: love that guided her through the trials of a pregnancy outside of marriage, the challenges of limited opportunities in her chosen field, and the pain of exile. It was always love that brought her through life’s twists and turns. 

In the discovery of human development, Maria was fulfilling her Cosmic Task. She pulled back the veil of childhood and helped the world to see the possibilities for genuine peace through triumph over trials, if only children were properly guided through their growth into adulthood. She felt with all her being that the Universe is LOVE.

And in that moment of “Love in Plants,” I felt it too. 

This is the fourth article in the series: Key Ingredients for a Learning-Inspired “Classroom” at Home or in School

“An ordinary teacher cannot be transformed into a Montessori teacher, but must be created anew, having rid herself of pedagogical prejudices. The first step is self-preparation of the imagination, for the Montessori teacher has to visualize a child who is not yet there, materially speaking, and must have faith in the child who will reveal himself through work.”

Dr. Maria Montessori often spoke and wrote about the transformation of the teacher. Surely, in her oft-challenged life, she faced many moments that required transformation.^[1] It was undoubtedly her own ability to transform personal challenge into triumph that led to the many “before-their-time” discoveries in child development, human tendencies, and personal spiritual satisfaction that remain the foundation of her method. Her many unique findings continue to be upheld in current-day educational best-practices around the world.

But this article’s not about Maria’s transformation, it’s about yours: the Montessori adult. You may be a parent, a trained guide, a support teacher in a Montessori school…it really doesn’t matter. To Dr. Montessori, your most important task is to be transformed.

But how? What are we supposed to do? Or, more importantly, who are we supposed to be?

The answer lies, at least in part, in the second half of the paragraph that contains the opening quote. Before I share it, brace yourself for an adjective that may bring uncomfortable feelings as you read. Montessori’s honest terms can feel blunt and socially inappropriate in our modern language. Be patient with your reaction and set it aside so you can take in the full intent of her words.

“The different types of deviated children do not shake the faith of this teacher, who sees a different type of child in the spiritual field, and looks confidently for this self to show when attracted by work that interests. She waits for the children to show signs of concentration.”

From these words, the complete paragraph, I take two pieces of direction:

The first is to educate oneself about the possibility of each and every child. As guides, we must first understand the developmental stages and human tendencies. We must know how the development and tendencies reveal themselves through the child’s actions. And we must use our imaginations to “see” into the future as each child fulfills her potential. We must be in constant service to creating the environment that will allow the secret within each child to reveal itself. 

And then, secondly, we must have faith that in time, and with the right work, this child will reveal herself through concentration on those tasks that hold her interests.

Simple enough, but not easy. What are your next steps to achieving this “key ingredient”?  You must know and trust that the environment is the essential element in which the child will find her passion. Your role is to prepare the environment with your knowledge of all the possibilities that may appeal to the child before you. You are the one to bring the critical pieces together and introduce them gently so the child may discover her interest and her enthusiasm.

And then you wait. You watch. You tweak. You watch some more. When you see that the child has found a work that holds her attention, you pull back and enjoy the new-found independence. You silently watch from afar so as not to interrupt, either with praise or sharing your observation. You release the impulse to respond so this child may fully experience her focus and her flow, knowing that you have witnessed a powerful moment in the spiritual development of the child.

“The first step to take…is to shed omnipotence and to become a joyous observer. If the teacher can really enter into the joy of seeing things …many delights are reserved for him that are denied to those who assume infallibility and authority in front of a class.”

^[1] The reader will find added information of two significant challenges that are often left out of her biographies in this sensitive article by Dr. Robert Gardner, commissioned in 2012 by the Clanmore School in Oakville, Ontario. https://sites.google.com/site/thetriumphofmariamontessori/