Montessori Monday~ Seeds of Inspiration!

"The secret of good teaching is to regard the child's intellect as a fertile field in which the seeds may be sown to grow under the heat of the flaming imagination. Our aim, therefore, is not merely to make the child understand and still less for force him to memorize, but so to touch his imagination as to inflame him to his innermost core." ~ Maria Montessori

"Sow the seeds of culture. How many? As many as possible." ~ Maria Montessori

"Jesus said to the crowds: "This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and through it all the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come." ~ Mark 4:26

I assume that after all of these long quotes you have a pretty good idea of what my post is going to be about today! :) The first quote is one that was used quite alot in the Montessori theory album that I was reading and I just love it! The bible quote is the one that was read at Mass on Sunday and it really got me thinking alot about my job!  My job is to sow seeds What kind of seeds? All different kinds! Bunny is a smart girl and she will think all on her own! When you think about how a plant grows, it is really a amazing! You put the seeds into the ground and wait. That's it. Some how they grow and produce fruit. Some seeds are really amazing and grow a lot, some seeds dont grow well at all, and some never grow at all. There is nothing a gardener can do about this. A gardener can only plant the seeds and wait. That is exactly what a teacher does. We give the child some small bit of information is the most interesting way we can, and then we wait! Our hope is that this information will blossom and grow right into a beautiful thing! You can't force a child to learn anymore then you can force them to eat or sleep (trust me I have tried to force sleep and there is nothing you can do if they dont want to sleep)! I dont want to force my girls to learn. This was something that I decided long before I had even discovered Montessori. I want my girls to LOVE to learn, to want to learn, and to find ways to learn! Think of how amazing the world would be if every child loved school and learning. I want that for my girls. I want to be able to relax enough to sow seeds and let them grow. This is something that will take work for me. I dont wait well. In fact I am a pretty bad gardener (for real)! Bunny has covered all the things that a Kindergartner needs to know and is well into some of the first grade work as well. She is doing well. So long as we cover the basics that the state requires, I can, and should let her have the freedom to grow where she wants to. To let the heat of her imagination to allow the seeds to grow into beautiful plants! And that means I need to present everything and let her choose what she will study deeper! She may love one thing and never go into another. This can be maddening. I want her to show that she has learned something, but she will, in her time. I dont need to push so hard. That ends up making us both crazy! If she is getting the work done that she is required to, then she is free to grow where she will! What a beautiful thing that is! I have great hopes of being able to have a really beautiful year. With Pup happily learning at the primary level, and Bunny learning at the elementary level, it should be so much fun! Happy Planting Everyone! ;)