As a first step in bringing the awareness of Montessori Education to the legislative table during educational policy meetings, I invited Representative John Becker, Ohio House District 65, to tour Children’s Meeting House in Loveland, Ohio and see the power and beauty of Montessori Education in action.
The classrooms were quiet, yet bustling with activity and movement. Children were working together sharing ideas and answering questions about their work while other children worked independently, absorbed in their process. Teachers were hard to find, quietly giving lessons, answering questions, and providing assistance when needed. Looking like chaos compared to a conventional classroom, Meg Thomas, the Head of School for Children’s Meeting House, explained some of the reasons why a Montessori classroom is so successful. She emphasized how the children working independently, on work of their own choosing, from carefully designed and sequenced materials deepens the level of learning within the child and, through careful observation, allows the teacher to easily assess the child’s skills and knowledge – without the time-consuming testing that is so prevalent in conventional schools.
A father to a college-aged daughter, Mr. Becker had heard the term Montessori but was not aware of what it truly meant. With an MBA with a focus on taxation, the math curriculum was a great place to explore the Montessori materials in action. In the pre-primary class, a 4 year old, was working with the golden bead material and let him share the sensorial experience of the difference between 1 and 1000. “Wow, that’s heavy!” declared Becker. Another child, age 5, introduced the linear counting chains, counting and labeling the six chain, then showing him how to fold the chain and stack the squares to make a cube. As the tour moved into the elementary classrooms, Becker received a presentation for the trinomial cube. With gentle guidance from his 7 year old teacher, Becker successfully built the cube and put it back in the box. Such great patience and perseverance! He even got to take home the written expression of the trinomial equation. What a fabulous introduction to the Montessori math materials, making abstract numerical concepts a concrete understanding.
Knowing that there is a large push to remove cursive writing from the curriculum, he seemed surprised to see our students writing in such beautiful handwriting. Becker asked, “Do the children learn to write in script?” Thomas’ replied, “Yes, it is still a valuable tool to learn, if for no other reason than it is a significant part of our history. Our constitution is written in cursive; we’d like our students to be able to read it.” Quite a powerful perspective for a politician to consider!
It is my hope that the next time Representative Becker places his vote on an educational topic, he will ask himself, “How will this affect Montessori schools?”
I continue to urge you to take action. Support Montessori education by inviting your state representative and senator to your school. No agenda, no issues to discuss, and no speeches, but just a casual visit as an introduction to some Montessori constituents. Not only does this provide an opportunity for the politician to be awed by the Montessori environment and impressed by the children working, but also it aides in raising an awareness of just how many Montessori schools may be in the district. Contact your state representatives here: www.ohiohouse.gov and www.ohiosenate.gov/senate/index.
Written by Jill Wilson
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