CD 356 Reflection 3

“… Modern teacher, of course, do not know that they are killing the souls of children, but they actually do this.”(4)
– I think this point, (as well as the whole model in my opinion) is completely egocentric and narrow minded. “killing the souls of children”, is a bit extreme. I think rather that all spiritual and no concrete, a more holistic model would be more beneficial anyways.

“How many modern adults have problematic characteristics?”(4)

– I have a problem with this as well. I prefer a more strengths based/ empowerment based approach to talking about people. Labeling adults (or children!) IS problematic and helps no one. This lost the entire model some credibility as far as I am concerned.

“When we teach children, we must begin to turn our inner soul-gaze fully on to the child’s individuality.”(12)

-I like this idea. Recognizing the child’s individuality rather than lumping  them in with the group is important, as well as seeing them while being aware of biases and lenses we bring.

RIE Method: CD 356 Reflection 2

My favorite points of this method is the slow pace at which everything is conducted. “Slowing down allows the baby to actively participate rather than just passively comply.” (61). The teachers role is to appropriately set the pace of the day and the pace of the interactions to maximize the engagement of the baby.

In discussion with classmates we talked about how these standards are ideals of what we are striving to be, but it may not always be realistic or manageable in real life. I agree and disagree with this statement. I think that these ideals can definitely be reached however it will also be a learning and growing process in interacting like this. Although this method emphasizes the slowness, it requires a much more active engagement from the teacher still. The teacher’s must be patient, attentive, engaged, and present.

CD 356 Reflection 1

In the The Montessori Method by Maria Montessori, a quote that really stood out to me is on page 25, and it says “All human victories, all human progress, stand upon the inner force.”. This is a powerful statement. It is empowering to the learner in being in complete control of their growth and progress.
Their underlying philosophy of how children work and learn and are disciplined and engaged with follow along with this statement. If a child is not working, they will disciple them by having them sit facing the working children and have them watch the children work until they were ready to work. They believe that it was within children to be successful and so if given the right environment, supplies and model, the children’s success would come naturally.
I feel that this approach lacks the individualized attentions that may not be presented in just the environment and materials, as well as the interaction between children and teachers and children and their peers.