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Life in the open air, in the sunshine, and a diet high in nutritional content coming from the produce of neighbouring fields improve the physical health... —Maria Montessori From Childhood to Adolescence, p. 67. March is National Nutrition Month in Canada and the United States. This year’s theme is “Savor the Flavor of Eating Right,” which brings to mind some articles I read recently. Headlines such as “Kids who are time-crunched at school lunch toss more and eat less” (Godoy & Aubrey, 2015) and “These days, school lunch hours are more like 15 minutes” (Westerveldt, 2013) make me wonder how children possibly savor any flavor with only 10–15 minutes to eat. Montessori encourages adults to model the behaviors we wish to see in the child. We walk slowly, speak softly, and touch gently. What does it say, therefore, when we eat quickly? Modern eating habits have taken on a sense of urgency: breakfast is a rush as we try to get out the door; lunch is hurried so we have time to prepare af...

Community can take many forms. It can be your neighborhood, your professional association, your family and friends, or the Montessori environment. Contributing to your community makes it stronger. Each member of the community has a unique set of skills to offer, and as you work together on shared goals or ideas, you achieve a whole that is greater than anything an individual can achieve alone. As part of NAMC’s anniversary celebration, I have been asked to share 20 lessons that stand out in my experience of providing Montessori teacher training programs worldwide over the past 20 years. We are happy to share the next tip in our series that we are presenting over the next few weeks. I hope you find some of these ideas helpful in your own Montessori journey! — Dale Gausman, NAMC Program Director / Founder

Maria Montessori observed that when children were given freedom in an environment suited to their needs, they flourished and reached their full potential. She noted that after a period of intense concentration and the opportunity to work with materials that were fully engaging, children were refreshed and content; their inner discipline and sense of peace seemed to grow. Dr. Montessori described this unique process in a child’s development as “normalization,” and she referred to it as “ the most important single result of our whole work. ” ( The Absorbent Mind, p. 204 ) Normalization in Montessori Elementary: A Teacher's Perspective In my experience, every Montessori classroom reaches a period of normalization in a different time frame, unique to the individuals in the classroom. One factor that seems to affect the rate of reaching normalization is the environment’s ratio of returning students to new students. In my experience, when fewer than one-third of the children are new, you...

Sometimes when you are starting on a new venture, you need a little pep talk – some motivation to encourage you. One of the best ways of doing this is to consider how people you admire accomplished their goals. Dr. Montessori is a perfect example. Against all odds, she became the first woman in Italy to be certified as a medical doctor. When asked to care for the children in the slums of San Lorenzo, she used the position as an opportunity to develop her methodology. She was a visionary who was not deterred from her goals by any obstacles. And thanks to her dedication and drive, the Montessori method continues to grow around the world to this day. Let Dr. Montessori’s story spark your motivation as you blaze your own trail. As part of NAMC’s anniversary celebration, I have been asked to share 20 lessons that stand out in my experience of providing Montessori teacher training programs worldwide over the past 20 years. We are happy to share the next tip in our series that we are presenti...

Cosmic education is the theoretical base upon which the many concepts and activities of the elementary classroom are built into a coherent body of knowledge and experience … [it] is an overall approach to education that involves helping students develop an awareness that everything in the universe is connected and interdependent and forms a harmonious whole, also that they themselves are part of and contribute to that whole. — NAMC Montessori Manual Five Great Lessons/Cosmic Education and Peace, p 85. Dr. Montessori believed that by teaching children to recognize the interdependence of all living things, she would help them develop consciousness of their place on earth. This is the basis for cosmic education, an overall approach to education that involves helping students develop an awareness that everything in the universe is connected and interdependent and forms a harmonious whole. Equally important is guiding students to understand that they themselves are part of and contribute to...