"History of Childhood and Education"

Category: Reflections On the Past (page 1 of 6)

Primary Documents

These are some of my favourite primary documents I found throughout my research. I am thankful for all research help I received from two of the librarians at TRU, Penny Haggarty and Brenda Smith, they put in a lot of time with me to find these documents and I am thankful we found what we did because they were not only great evidence for my paper, but also extremely interesting and eye opening to me.


 

The BeinnBreagh Recorder. Recorded the sessions at Alexander Graham’s Montessori House in Nova Scotia. This was the first Canadian Montessori institution and schooled eleven children (seven which were his grandchildren). This recording was a large influence to Canada’s interest in Montessori’s Methods.

“Conference on the Education & Management of Children.” Beinn Bhreagh Recorder XI. (October 12, 1912). MSC website. http://www.montessorisocietycanada.org/earlyhistory.html.


Examples of some Letters of Inquiry, which followed Josephine Tozier’s publication of Montessori’s Methods (1911 America). These show the eagerness of individuals to learn more about the Methods and awe of Montessori’s findings. People were willing to dedicate two months to Montessori training in Rome, which shows how a change to the education was needed in the early 19th century.

“Montessori Comes to North America 1911-1913.” MSC website.

http://www.montessorisocietycanada.org/earlyhistory.html.


Within the Peels Prairie Provinces, shows how discipline from parents was not in accordance with the progression of society. A new way to discipline was recognized to be needed for the success of children.

Within the Peels Prairie Province, another interpretation of the perks of the Montessori Method. Proves that it was not simply a solution for education but rather all aspects of learning and experiences for all children.

“Peels Prairie Provinces.” University of Alberta. http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/search/?search=raw&pageNumber=1&field=body&rawQuery=Montessori&index=newspapers


 

The 1911 publication of Montessori’s Methods in the popular McClures Magazine.

Tozier, Josephine. “An Educational Wonder-Worker. The Methods of Maria Montessori.” McClure’s Magazine, 37, no. 1. (1911): 3-702.


 

Primary Document Anaylsis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bold Allegations and Unknown Identities: A Critical Analysis of Francis Beynon’s ‘The Thou Shalt Not System’

By Kyra Sinclair

 

 

The article ‘The Thou Shalt Not System’[1] was published on November 25, 1914 in the Grain Growers’ Guide as part of the Country Homemakers section, which told the daily lives of Prairie women through the Woman’s Page from 1908-1928. The author, Francis Marion Beynon, wrote a critical column about the confinement of children criticizing conventional parenting regimens during the early 1900’s and presenting her opinion that children should be compensated for amusements that are forbidden. Beynon speaks towards the need for alternate amusements for children if parents continue to fear, and therefore forbid, new social settings such as dances and playing cards. Beynon’s argument is sensible and addresses the becoming issues of youth rebellion. Her argument is likely influenced by outside scholars such as Maria Montessori, but she does recognize it, nor does she recognize any youth experience, which weakens her allegations and makes the article seem opinionated rather than factual. In this analysis three aspects of Beynon’s writing will be addressed and explained in terms of how they influence the reliability of her argument: the lacking identification of outside influence, the portrayed identity of the author, and the incompatibility of argument and solution.

The other columns on page 10 of the Grain Growers Guide reveal women’s opinions of childhood behaviours and were written for discussion whereas Beynon’s piece was assertive and opinionated. This piece was written as Maria Montessori’s program was emerging into America, and the similarities between Beynon’s argument and Montessori’s methods question whether Beynon’s argument was influenced by Montessori’s disciplinary methods and used as a way to promote new practices because she saw its beneficial potential. Beynon claims parental control dictates the freedom of a child, and recognizes that this approach is no longer accurate with changing society­– “without the slightest compunction… [parents] cut their families off from all amusements… because they feel it is right.”[2] This statement insinuates the need for a new control over children, stating that parents selfishly make decisions that inflict rebellion. Similarly, Maria Montessori states “the child, in her conception, ought to be free, within the limits imposed, not by [parental] convention, but by social amenity;”[3] both women share the opinion that children require a sense of freedom that should be dictated by societies limits. The main difference between these conclusions is Montessori is a recognized graduate of medical school and Beynon’s educational background is unknown; therefore making Montessori’s claims reliable but not Beynon’s. Beynon’s identity is not given and this reduces the likelihood of people employing her approach because there is no proof it works.

The fact she writes about children and critiques parents restriction of them with no reference to bearing or working with children also adds to unreliability of her argument.

A lack of parental experience would make Beynon insensitive to the protective aura and emotions which often results in parental capitulation. Her message is portrayed in such a way that victimizes the parents: “It never occurs to [parents] that there is any tyranny or injustice in [their] conduct, chiefly because they have never conceived of such a thing as the divine right of parents being questioned.”[4] This claim, along with subsequent critiques, suggests Beynon is superior to parental ignorance thus insinuating she is not a parent herself. She does not acknowledge the hardships of being a parent or how the erratic behaviors of children impact their susceptibility to rebellion; rather she blatantly puts the blame on parent’s ability to “forbid young men and women… without providing an alternative outlet for their social instincts.”[5] The condescending tone reflects a sense of animosity towards parents, but also suggests a strong desire to fulfill her proposed change. She briefly acknowledges that parent’s decisions may “be justified on the grounds of the children’s own good”[6] but later claims they are “arbitrarily [decided]” which suggests they are unreasonable. If Beynon were a parent she would likely convey advice rather than belittle parenting techniques.

Beynon’s argument that children need a substitution for what is forbidden in order to prevent rebellion is a valid concept, but her argument and later solution are not compatible. She emphasizes that parents should not strangle their children with rules because forbidding them influences rebellion or the “beginning of evil,”[7] yet provides controlled social environments such as a “skating rink, or a gymnasium”[8] as her solution. Her conclusion that these structures will establish “safe and healthful exercise and social intercourse”[9] is naïve because rebellion at this time was coming from excessive amounts of restriction upon society.[10] This column is written following the start of WWI, therefore Beynon’s concern for adolescent curiosity is prepossessed,[11] this questions if she foresees the becoming issue or simply jumps to conclusions. She does not state where she got her allegations from, nor does she mention any research done on the topic and this impacts the reader’s ability to believe if her claims are facts or opinion.

Beynon addresses an issue that is becoming, but throughout her column she does not state where she gained insight from. It can be concluded Maria Montessori influenced her allegations, but it is not proven at any point, nor is any background information of Beynon’s experience with children. Her tone relays a sense of authority, therefore insinuating a goal of change, which in Beynon’s case is to give children alternate opportunities for amusements that are forbidden. The lacking of references which distinguish whether her allegations are fact or opinion impact the chance of her gaining individuals that are willing to try her proposed method.

\

[1] Beynon, Francis, “The Thou Shalt Not System,” Grain Growers Guide. (1914): 10.

[2] Beynon, “The Thou Shalt Not System,” 10.

[3] Tozier, Josephine, “An Educational Wonder Worker: The Moethods of Maria Montessori,” McClures Magazine, (2011): 10.

[4] Beynon, “The Thou Shalt Not System,” 10.

 

[5] Beynon, “The Thou Shalt Not System,” 10.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ibid.

[10] The implementation of the War Measures Act as well as “the world struggle of … [an] unprecedented advance in the art of large scale dying [and] an equally rapid advance in… large scale lying” impacted the children because their freedom was excessively restricted. Lacking parental presence and their ability to lie made breaking these rules easier to accomplish.

Basen. I, “Why Canadian media embraced censorship during WWI: Ira Basen,” CBCNews, (2014).

[11] Presented earlier than common post-WWII youth rebellion fears.

 

Bibliography

Basen, I. “Why Canadian media embraced censorship during WWI: Ira Basen.” CBCNews. (2014). http://www.cbc.ca/news/why-canadian-media-embraced-censorship-during-wwi-ira-basen-1.2722786.

 

Beynon, Francis. “The Thou Shalt Not System.” Grain Growers Guide. (1914): P:10.

 

Tozier, Josephine. “An Educational Wonder Worker: The Methods of Maria Montessori.” McClures Magazine. (2011): P.10.

Organizational Behaviour Journal Entries

Two journal entries from my Organizational behaviour class which reflect students and the schools system.

 

Journal Entry 8

October 10, 2017

Kyra Sinclair

The Successes from an Almost Fail

           It’s easy to blame the professor for grades and success, but thorough an almost fail in another class, I realized that the professor has control over the test and the material, not your learning. And I think this concept is where students are beginning to get confused.

We have been learning about leadership, communication, and decision making and although it is not directly spelled out or recognized within the classroom that these should be implemented in your work ethic, I really believe they should be. I think they could help students succeed in their work place: the classroom. If we think of the classroom in this manner then success in school would be evident just as it would be in an actual workplace. For example:

  • Leaders (or students in our case) should ensure rules and outlines are followed (a rubric for any course material).
  • This will ensure a student success because they are doing exactly what is expected of them
  • Communication with classmates, professors, and outside sources should be used because, as relayed in class, silence will get you nowhere.
  • Silence in a learning environment is useless, and this has been shown through progressive education as worksheets and sit-down learning are becoming less popular.
  • Decision making should be shown by prioritizing your time and making educated decisions that will benefit the work you are doing (so not going to CJ’s on Saturday night when you have an exam Monday you haven’t studied for).
  • I think this one is self evident…

Students are wrapped up in success and therefore desire direct answers to ensure they achieve this. Many teachers submit to this notion therefore students “based on experiences in… other classrooms… have come to believe that “good” teachers tell students what they need to know” (Weimer, 2014). It has only taken me five years of upper education to appreciate this concept, but as you get older you learn more lessons and find the importance in learning how to do things on your own. We are not given answers in life, which would likely explain why you get many complaints about students not being prepared for the real world. Our education has softened and began to submit to the worry for mental helath and overall well-being of society. Frankly, life is not easy and does not submit to individual troubles, rather it throws you down and kicks you out of the blue… with no warning or answers. So if we are to educate students to succeed, a fail here and there won’t hurt. Society can only hope these lessons motivate students to push harder.

If anything sums up my realization:

(Failure Quotes, Crossfit-Geo, 2017)

failure-quotes

 

 

References

“Failure-Quotes.” (3 January, 2017). Crossfit-Geo. Retreived on November 17 from

Weimer, M. (10 September 2014). “She Didn’t Teach. We Had to Learn it Ourselves.” Faculty

Focus. Retrieved on November 17, 2016 from

https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-professor-blog/didnt-teach-learn/

Class Power Point: Communication, Leadership, Decision Making


This journal article is an example of the changing roles of parents and children’s desires for success. Nowadays there is a switch, where the child pushes for success and parents are hesitant to push them too far, often fearing mental health. It stems into the classroom, as children hope for a teacher who will desire their success in reference to grades, often termed “easy” teachers, which shows how grades are overriding the actual LEARNING experience. I so often hear my friends complaining that a prof didn’t tell them what was on an exam and I wonder why we need to be spoon fed… or worse yet, expect to be. I question whether this is a change in education is influenced by students concern for a high GPA, or whether it’s impacted by parents constantly giving; therefore influencing students to have the same expectations in school. Children rely on grades more than learning today, and now having studied the history of education, this leap is extreme because we did not once discuss success from coming grades. This notion is something we have implemented in the early 21st century, and I’m not sure the extent of it’s importance is healthy.


Journal 9

November 9, 2017

Kyra Sinclair

Awkward Silence

 

In this journal I will be referencing back to when we did the silent walk across the classroom after you made a statement. The vulnerability that was exposed in doing this exercise was something I was very intimidated by. I found it very awkward at first because some questions and statements were uncomfortable. This exercise not only opened my eyes to my own life, but also other cultures. I was a culprit of stereotyping and prejudice and was embarrassed by this realization. This exercise broke silence without any words and the contradiction of this to later classroom material was very fascinating to me.

Controversial and ‘touchy’ subjects were referenced and the classrooms tense response was communal which shows although we come from different place, languages, values, etc. we have similar desires to seclude our personal information. I am absolutely one of those people, I like to provide people with the image that I have it all together and am just a happy person, but really behind the scenes that is not so much the case. I think we were supposed to learn that silence sometimes can teach you more about a person than words and that “incorporating silence as a common practice enhances our quality of life and provides a much-needed opportunity to process the world around us” (Benefits of Silence).

I was very skeptical of this after we did it and honestly questioned whether it was allowed to be done in universities. My questioning made me realize that society is too careful, this was especially strengthened when I read from the Houston Chronicle (2016) that some “professors suggested that teachers may want to drop certain topics from… curriculum, and not go there if you sense anger.” Pressuring students to deal with uncomfortable situations and experiences is a great test for the workplace because you realistically will always encounter people who say too much, too little, or pressure for more so understanding the benefits and withdraws and how to interact in each situation will prepare students. Controversial subjects are also the most interesting to debate, so why make education bland by tip toeing around topics that might be beneficial.

In conclusion, I appreciated this exercise because it made me think way beyond its likely purpose.

References

Sloat, D. (2017). Classroom Walking Activity.

Norton, B. (2016). “Don’t teach “sensitive topics” or anger students.” Houston Chronicle.

Reports. Retrieved on November 23, 2017 from

https://www.salon.com/2016/02/23/dont_teach_sensitive_topics_or_anger_students_university_of_houston_warns_after_campus_carry_gun_law_is_passed/


Just as the Grimms Brothers began to modify their books to pertain to the vulnerability and safety of children, we have begun to do that in the classroom, but in upper level years. This astonished me once I realized that I questioned an exercise because it was maybe taking a situation “too far.” The fact I thought putting up borders around the topic was the right thing to do, shows how children are limited in their learning and thinking. But the part that surprised me the most, was the teacher and professors in post-education are beginning to modify their lectures and take out aspects which they deem “inappropriate.” The problem is, nowadays, there really is nothing that could not be talked about. Whether it be “politically correct” to bring it up is debatable, but you could openly speak of anything today and it be acceptable. As a culture we have opened all doors and expect people to speak up about their thoughts, but for generations prior to the millenials, I am sure this is a hard and often awkward transition for them. BUT if we are wanting the success of students, especially ones University, you cannot hide information from them, you must give them ALL the information, make them feel uncomfortable, push their limits and force them to participate when they do not want to. Why do we NEED to do this? Well because the real world won’t modify the truths or extremes for people, so giving them the opportunity to experience it in the classroom is a useful lesson that will set them up for success. Which is hopefully the goal for all teachers.

English 3180 Essay

 

The essay I wrote in my English 3180 class that reflects the power of children over adults.

 

Kyra A. Sinclair

Professor Elizabeth Reimer

English 3180

27 November 2017

 

The Influence of a Safe Space on Marilla Cuthbert in L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables

The use of a safe space in L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables is often referenced through Anne’s imagination, but can also be recognized by Marilla’s emotional development. A safe space implies a zone of security, increased comfort and peace of mind (Glatzel), which Anne’s non-conformity and imagination progressively influence Marilla to become. Marilla begins the novel as a sharp, protective, and lonely utilitarian woman, but throughout builds a trust and love for Anne which influences her ability to show sympathy, tolerance, and love. Marilla’s “slightly… developed… indicative… sense of humor” (Montgomery 14) insinuates a hidden personality and the completeness she progressively feels around Anne allows her to pursue this trait and escape her confined and narrow mindedness. When Anne arrives at Green Gables she expands the boundaries of what is allowable in the household by challenging Marilla’s diligence to Avonlea standards. Through Anne’s optimism, ambitions, and imagination Marilla is humanized and her austerity is eliminated by an emerging maternal role.

Marilla desires to protect herself from vulnerability and does so through seclusion and reticence. Green Gables is situated on the outskirts of Avonlea and kept in such an orderly and neat manner that a dull perfection is portrayed, “the kitchen…was a cheerful apartment– or would have been… if it had not been so painfully clean… [giving] the appearance of an unused parlour” (Montgomery 7). This appearance questions the liveliness of Marilla as Rachel Lynde states “[I do] not call living in such a place living at all… It’s just staying” (7). The lifelessness that is portrayed is derived from Marilla’s diligence in adhering to the social code of Avonlea because it restricts her freedom and distinguishes what she can and cannot do. Marilla’s lonliness impacts her dependence on conformity because it gives her a purpose and something to pursue, thus impacting her fear because it is her only commitment. The relationship between Marilla and conformity forces her seclusion in order to protect herself from vulnerability. Christa Thomas in The Sweetness of Saying “Mother”? proposes Anne of Green Gables is a “narrative of female identity and self-development” by recognizing the incompleteness of Marilla and the “bringing together [of] an older woman… [who is] childless and a young girl who [is] motherless” (para. 1). Both Anne and Marilla lack a relationship which influences their lonliness, but the approaches they take to fill their void differ as Anne partakes “in the natural world [by] reproducing a sense of primal closeness and belonging” (Thomas para. 12), and Marilla isolates herself and depends on conformity. Marilla’s isolation and protective nature restrict her from expressing emotion, so as she naturally develops affection for Anne and delight as she ­­­digresses from conformity it is evident her rigidness and diligence were not authentic or gratifying. Anne’s presence comes as an opportunity for Marilla to recognize the humor and kindness that is evident in her character.

An immediate change to Marilla’s demeanor is shown by her responses when Anne arrives at Green Gables. These responses are the product of maternal instincts and show Marilla’s ability to nurture and the satisfaction she receives from it as “something like a reluctant smile… rusty from long disuse mellowed [her] grim expression” (Montgomery 26) shows after telling Anne she can stay at Green Gables. Marilla’s emotional development is shown by the emergence of sympathy because she diverts from emotional confinement. When she finds Anne teary eyed after accusing her of stealing the brooch Anne’s sorrow sends “a pang of pity” (97) through Marilla which insinuates guilt for making her upset. The presence of guilt proves a growing affection for Anne, and Marilla’s attempt to disregard this affection by distracting herself shows her reluctance to accept these maudlin emotions which she believes to be foolish. An evident change is also shown as Marilla develops on emotions she already obtains, such as humor. When Anne worries about Dianna’s wedding Marilla cannot hold back her laughter and falls into a chair laughing, which shows a divergence from her rigid and strict maternal approach and proves the potential she has to be expressive. When Matthew hears this laughter from outdoors and ponders “when had he ever heard Marilla laugh like that before?” (115), it is evident Marilla finds comfort in Anne which influences her emotions to be exposed. Both scenarios show progression from emotional confinement to emotional recognition through comfort and new experiences that come with raising a child.

Anne’s non-conformity influences Marilla to discipline and become tolerant of behaviors that contradict her standards of a proper upbringing. This tolerance is recognized by her allowance of Anne’s pleasures. When she allows Anne to have a sleepover with Dianna and go to the community concert despite her own beliefs, she deviates from forcing expectations upon Anne to giving her trusted freedom. Marilla’s developing affection for Anne is shown by her deviation from stressing conformity to worrying about the well-being of Anne. Before Marilla mentions the consequences these activities could have on Anne’s imagination, “they will fill her head… up with nonsense and excitement” (Montgomery 143), she mentions her concern for Anne’s health, worrying she may catch a cold or pneumonia. Marilla’s concern effects her leniency because she fears hurting Anne; this is shown when Marilla openly express her emotions by defending Anne in the currant wine scenario. Marilla’s leniency is shown when she agrees to talk with Mrs. Barry herself rather than getting Anne to confront the situation like she had been forced to do with Rachel Lynde. Marilla’s willingness to speak with Mrs. Barry shows a movement from her previous seclusion and distrust as she makes herself vulnerable through confrontation. After seeing Mrs. Barry her indignation upon arrival proves the security Marilla feels around Anne as she openly expresses her true opinion rather than suppressing it to conform to proper speech and lady-like behavior. She states “of all the unreasonable women I ever saw she is the worst…I just told her plainly that currant wine shouldn’t be drunk three tumblerfuls at a time…” (125), and thus shows her affection for Anne by sticking up for her and not letting Mrs. Barry blame Anne for the brunt of the situation. Through her trust in Anne, Marilla gains confidence and the ability to outwardly express her emotions.

Susan Drain claims Anne brings together individual and community, but the influence Anne has on Marilla can narrow this conclusion and propose she actually brings together individual and self. Drain claims “an essential part of belonging is the movement outward…[as] it is only with the independence made possible by the security of belonging that the fullest meaning… can truly be realized” (16). This directly correlates to Anne’s impact on Marilla. Anne builds Marilla’s trust and influences her to become standardized in expressing her emotions. She does this by challenging her stiff personality and immersing her in the maternal responsibility to raise a conforming Avonlea child. As Anne ages Marilla no longer possesses the responsibility to discipline and this allows her to acknowledge the love she has for Anne with no distractions. Although Marilla does not express her love with words until after Matthew’s death, she shows it by “[putting] her arms close about her girl and [holding] her tenderly to her heart” (256) which shows a new softness to Marilla as “crispness was no longer [her] distinguishing characteristic… [because she had] become mellow” (Montgomery 284). After Matthew passes, Marilla confides in Anne and shows complete trust and safety in her presence as she admits her true feelings, “it’s never been easy for me to say things out of my heart… I love you as dear as if you were my own flesh and blood and you’ve been my joy and comfort since you came to Green Gables” (275). Marilla’s confession shows her full change and proves Anne’s presence in her life has allowed her to find a sense of rootedness and belonging, which has changed her personality.

Anne is evidently a safe space for Marilla because she progressively influences her to trust, which alters her role and gives her a more fulfilling purpose. The emptiness Marilla experiences before Anne arrives is filled by Anne’s outgoing and rambunctious nature which challenges her rigid conformity. Marilla, through her maternal role, is exposed to new responsibilities which concern more than herself and force her to stray from her dependence on conformity. Sympathy, leniency and an outward expression of love show Marilla’s emotional development and her ability to be expressive, which show fallacy to her initial rigid description. Anne’s presence softens Marilla’s stern and conforming nature by challenging what is permissible and exposing her to new experiences, challenges and emotions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

 

Drain, S. “Community and the Individual in Anne of Green Gables The Meaning of

Belonging.” Children’s Literature Association Quarterly, vol. 11, no.1, 1986, pp. 15-

  1. Project MUSE,doi:10.1353/chq.0.0082.

Glatzel, M. “Creating Safe Space for Change.” 2010,

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/. Accessed 26 Nov. 2017.

Montgomery, L M. “Anne of Green Gables.” New York: Bantam Books, 1976. Print.

 

Thomas, Christa. “The Sweetness of Saying “mother”? Maternity and Narrativity in L.M.

Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables.” Studies in Canadian Literature / Études en

littérature canadienne [Online], vol. 34, no. 2, 2009. n. pag. Web. 24 Nov. 2017.

 

 

Final Paper

The Dissemination of the First Wave Montessori Movement into America and Canada

 

Kyra Sinclair

HIST 3510

Tracy Penny Light

December 8, 2017

In this paper the dissemination of Dr. Maria Montessori’s pedagogy to America and Canada will be examined in terms of its importance to the reforming nations, as well as reasons for its failure in 1917.  The first Montessori school in America was established October 1911 in Tarrytown, New York under the influence of American Montessori educator and pioneer, Anne Everett George.[1] Later, in July 1912, the first Montessori School in Canada was established by Alexander Graham Bell and wife, Mabel Bell, in Nova Scotia.[2] Dr. Montessori’s method served as a solution to poor and outdated qualities of North American education, one which was “grounded in close and insightful observations of children rather than in adult convenience and misconception.”[3] The Montessori system received vast interest from all parts of the world after McClures Magazine published it, but Dr. Montessori’s rigid standards and unwillingness to collaborate with other progressive education methods were a flaw in management and eventually led to the extinction of her methodologies.[4] This paper will outline the need for Dr. Montessori’s methods in American and Canadian societies, as well as challenges which inhibited her system to last between 1911-1917.

In this paper, it is important to recognize the coherence of Canadian and American societies and how although Canada was a self-governing British colony following the 1867 Constitution Act, they were still heavily influenced by America due to “geographical circumstances” and “historical affinities.”[5] Despite Canadian independence, “[they]… often borrowed [American] forms and modified their substance by simply minimizing their American character and making it be [their] own.”[6] For the purpose of this essay, the distinction of “American” does not confine itself to just the United States, it coincides with the experiences of Canada.

Maria Montessori was the first woman granted her Doctor of Medicine Degree by the University of Rome and founded her success through the results of her “‘mind-strengthening schools’ for feeble-minded children… in Rome.”[7] By taking a different path from the majority of American public schools, she taught her pupils to read and write so they could pass the same examinations that normal children of their age were expected to pass. Dr. Montessori stated her secret “was simple, she aided the children in their psychic development [while] normal children had been hampered and depressed.”[8] She based her methods on carefully prescribed techniques which were heavily psychological and grounded in the philosophy of idealism, use of specialized teaching materials,[9] and concern for the liberty of young children– she believed “all children could reach their social, moral, and intellectual potential if they had appropriate experiences in a prepared environment.”[10] Dr. Montessori abandoned her successful medical practise and appointment as a professor at the University of Rome and dedicated herself to the study of human development.[11] This diversion allowed her to dedicate time to her research, and lead workshops and lectures which allowed people to gain insight on her pedagogy. The effort put into ensuring her works were personally validated intrigued the general public and by 1911 “six reports of Montessori’s work appeared by educators and journalists, with the number [rising] to 54 in 1912.”[12] The dedication to, and success of, Dr. Montessori’s systematic work with feeble-minded children made her methodologies desirable to all nations because they were later adapted to aid capable children’s reading and writing.[13] By teaching the unteachable,[14]  Dr. Montessori acquired a new identity– she became more than a physician, she was a valued educator.

Dr. Montessori offered a method that sought “change in the education system”[15]  by introducing a “program of reform during a reform-minded age… [which would] mold a new generation of children [to] be independent [and] productive members of society.”[16]  This method intrigued Americans because it was not only scientific and rational,[17] but was a solution to problems arising with children’s behavior following parental involvement in the workforce.[18] Following these social changes, the education system no longer depicted a useful teaching style for children of the twentieth-century. The Peels Prairie Provinces newspaper recollected an account where a member of the Alberta education committee stated “our schools are too rigid, with too much routine. The bright student is the one who can memorize easily, and recite glibly… we recognize horizontal ability, and the rare child with pronounced vertical ability too often is classed as rather dull….”[19] Another observation accounted for claimed “schools are factories in which raw products (children) are to be shaped and fashioned into products to meet the various demands of life.”[20] Due to Dr. Montessori’s belief that “the child…ought to be free, within the limits imposed, not by scholastic convention, but by social amenity;”[21]  she encouraged American inquiry because it diverted from “rote learning and strict discipline [which] were no longer useful,”[22] and this was recognized by the majority of Americans.

Americans were among the first to gain interest in Dr. Montessori’s methods due to immigration and the age of efficiency at the beginning of the twentieth-century. The coinciding timing of mass public schooling with the age of efficiency led to the formation of a poor ideological foundation of traditional schooling and resulted in suboptimal learning conditions.[23] Leading educators contributed to the desire for change as they promoted mass schooling for the purpose of “[instilling] appropriate modes of thought and behaviour into children… not primarily [for] the acquisition of academic knowledge.” [24] Though there were many factors which influenced poor educational practises, immigration “was the primary factor in shaping the mass schooling movement”[25] because it over populated schools and influenced the abolishment of kindergarten in order to tend to the majority of students who were eight to twelve. This movement postponed the learning of children under seven[26] and led to the inquiry of  Dr. Montessori’s Houses of Children[27] practise because it combined child care and learning, which compensated for the loss of maternal presence in the household and opportunity to attend kindergarten.[28] Child-centered progressive education was a popular phenomena in the early twentieth-century because children’s future success was desired; therefore scientific pedagogy became the only viable solution because facts, observation and experiment were used to prove its success.

Dr. Montessori’s alliance with McClures Magazine enforced her exposure to America through Josephine Tozier’s translation of her methods in the magazines 1911 issue.[29] Samuel McClure was the most influential journalist of his time and ran the McClures magazine which was the “journalistic herald of the Progressive Era.”[30] When he heard of Montessori’s system while travelling London in 1910 he recognized the opportunity that would come from promoting it; ones which would  benefit himself, because he was going bankrupt, as well as Dr. Montessori because she would gain global recognition and the opportunity to advance American education.[31] McClure acknowledged the admiration his readers would have for Dr. Montessori’s promise that her method could “teach young children to read and write quickly, easily, and skillfully,”[32] and the response of the public proved him correct. Over 200 inquiries from just North Americans were received following the publication of the Montessori Method. This interest proved the American desperation for a new approach to education as they practically begged for more details on the pedagogy. Coming from mainly mothers, physicians, psychologists, principals and teachers, with questions covering the whole range of her work and experiment, Dr. Montessori decided have Tozier translate her apparatus so it would be attainable to Americans.[33] The consistent desire to learn more about her topic, gratitude given for her insightfulness, and willingness to travel to Rome for training, shows that Americans were eager for change.[34] By influence from America, Canadian’s gained interest in the Montessori system because they were experiencing similar problems of immigration and industrialization. The main Montessori advocates, Alexander Graham Bell and Margaret Potts saw the value of scientific pedagogy and established the first two Montessori schools in Canada in the early nineteenth-century.

American advocates of the Montessori method had a vast impact on Canadian inhabitants through newspapers, journals, and testimonies. A prominent influence, Dorothy Canfield Fisher, wrote a volume of her experiences training with Dr. Montessori in Rome which testified the relevance of the Montessori method to the average mother.[35] This expansion of the method to be more than a classroom aid spiked Canadian interest because it claimed to facilitate more than simply reading and writing, but also behavioral issues.[36] Alexander Graham Bell and Mabel Bell also impacted the inquiry of the Montessori method by establishing the first school in Canada on July 18, 1912 in Baddeck Nova Scotia at Beinn Bhreagh.[37] This school was managed by Mabel Bell and began with twelve attendees, seven of which were Bell grandchildren and five local children.[38] After the Beinn Bhreagh school had been operating for some time, Alexander Bell implemented weekly meetings to discuss and criticise the happenings in the classroom which were accounted for in the Beinn Breagh Recorder.[39] This “account received considerable notice in the Canadian Press, and was the means of evoking much interest in the Montessori method on Beinn Bhreagh and [its] neighborhood.”[40] Alexander Bell stated an important part of education within the schools is “’education not instruction’– a leading forth from within rather than a putting in from without;”[41] proving his appreciation for Montessori’s child-centered methods and development from scientific pedagogy. Alexander Bell was an inventor, scientist and educator who had little patience for the traditional teaching methods; therefore when opportunity struck for him to make a change, he took it. The Bell’s had a significant influence in changing the American education system by praising and expanding the pedagogy of the Montessori system into Canada.

Margaret Potts was also an advocate of the Montessori method and opened the second Canadian Montessori school in Calgary, Alberta in 1919. The Calgary Montessori School is the longest continuously operating Montessori school in North America and still stands to date.[42] It was established by Potts, then handed down to be administered by her daughter Vivienne Douglas, and is now operated by granddaughter Alison O’Dwyer who administers the present three Calgary campuses.[43] Potts was dedicated to learning the Montessori system, she attended Durham University in England in 1911 to obtain her Montessori training, met Dr. Montessori in San Francisco in 1915 to receive her blessing to operate her Calgary school, and travelled through North America to train teachers and help them establish Montessori schools.[44] The opening and operation of her school past 1917, shows not only the continued support for the Montessori method in her area, but also the progression of the Montessori system to tend to adolescents.[45] Photos within the Montessori Society of Canada’s webpage show children of all ages attending Pott’s school, which shows the evolution of Dr. Montessori’s methods to pertain to children of all ages rather than specifically kindergarten. Montessori’s system began as a replacement for kindergarten in Canada, but Potts dedication to maintain the existence of her school proves that the Montessori Method was indeed a successful education replacement.

The Montessori system was a solution to the many social changes in America, but the effort needed to receive its benefits and the criticisms to the authenticity of her scientific claims inhibited acclimation of her methodologies. Dr. Montessori saw the benefit of having educators and teachers working in close contact so parents could observe and be aware of educational aims. She emphasized putting “the schooling within the house,” thus putting a role on parents to hold “property of the collectivity” and maintain the accomplishments of the teacher.[46] This was an ambiguous task for parents because Dr. Montessori’s training was a very precise. [47]  Her insistence the system be delivered in its entirety created problems because it entailed effort and training, she stated “teachers and children were not to modify any aspects of her method [because] any modification would render its scientific results.”[48] Emerging at a time when both parents worked so children could go to school and be supported made her requirements unrealistic for the average American family. The Montessori education system was a change for not only the child learning, but also the adult who obtained the role to maintain it. Once speculated, this method was seen as a lengthy process and an act of tiring parents because they did not have the patience to observe.[49] Many academic psychologists and progressive educators also criticised the work of Dr. Montessori as being “a mere fad promoted and advertised by a shrewd commercial spirit… [which was] accepted by the novelty loving American public.”[50] Many critics deemed Dr. Montessori was not experimenting in the true scientific sense because she lacked credible verification of a hypothesis in a controlled laboratory setting and her conclusions were unscientific and restricted.[51] The most prominent recollection of critique was William Heard Kilpatrick’s attack on her method through the publication of his book The Montessori System Examined in 1914, which “called the Montessori method a mid-nineteenth-century piece that was ‘fifty years behind’ modern educational thought.”[52] Despite these critiques Dr. Montessori asserted her “pedagogy was valid as it was based upon a system of logical, rational, and scientific inquiry.”[53]

The evolution of the first wave Montessorianism is very political because it was short lived, but quickly disseminated system. The Montessori method is the only curriculum model where a single individual was responsible for developing the conceptual framework as well as the template for its implementation; therefore following S.S. McClure’s exploitation of her method she could not maintain the extent of inquiry alone. World War I influenced the ebbing of the Montessori, and by 1917 almost all Montessori schools were non-existent, with the exception of Pott’s school.[54] There was a definite need for the Montessori method in America, despite the authenticity of her scientific pedagogy, her works were necessary in order to establish a successful foundation for education in the reforming nations. The extinction of the Montessori Method until the second wave in the 1960’s was a missed opportunity for the success of children’s learning. Twenty-first- century education system modifications prove that the Montessori Methods are a reliable solution to fix flawed and outdated systems, like the early nineteenth-century.[55]

 

[1] Gerald Gutek and Patricia Gutek, “Bringing Montessori to America: S.S McClure, Maria Montessori and the Campaign to Publicize Montessori Education,” University of Alabama Press, (2016): 11.

[2] “The First Montessori School in Canada- 1912 Beinn Bhreagh: The Nova Scotia Home of Alexander Graham Bell,” MSC Website, (2017). http://www.montessorisocietycanada.org/earlyhistory.html.

[3] Angeline Lilliard, “Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius,” New York: Oxford University Press, 2005, EBSCOhost (accessed December 1, 2017): 3.

[4] By 1913 teachers from as far as Australia travelled to Rome to receive training from Maria Montessori.

Samuel McClure, “My Autobiography,” McClures Magazine, (May 1914): 136.

[5] George Tomkins, “Some Aspects of American Influence on Canadian Educational Thought and Pratice,” McGill University, (1952): 6. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/-?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=123841&silo_library=GEN01.

[6] Professor Fletcher of Dalhousie University recognized the “factor of proximity,” commonly known as the Ontario peninsula, where “ideas have been seized merely because they were very near and easily observed;” therefore playing and important role in Canadian- American relations and being used as a means for related educational thoughts, practices, and fears.

Ibid, 6, 11.

[7]Attended by children from all asylums for the feeble-minded within Rome.

Tozier, Josephine, “An Educational Wonder-Worker. The Methods of Maria Montessori,” McClure’s Magazine, 37, no. 1 (1911): 4.

[8] Tozier, “An Educational Wonder-Worker. The Methods of Maria Montessori,” 4.

[9] The use of carefully orchestrated materials influenced children that enrolled as young as two-years-old to be writing in cursive, and reading only a few months after.

Lilliard, “Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius,” 23.

[10] Larry Prochner and Nina Howe, “Early childhood care and education in Canada,” UBC Press, no. 1 (2000): 18.

[11] “Maria Montessori.” Montessori Society of Canada. (2017). http://www.montessorisocietycanada.org/overview.html

[12] Shuker, “The Historical Evolution and Contemporary Status of Montessori Schooling in New Zealand,” 67.

[13] Montessori based her work upon the use of concrete materials such as sensory based alphabets, which eased children to success in writing and subsequently reading.

Shuker, “The Historical Evolution and Contemporary Status of Montessori Schooling in New Zealand,” 44.

[14] These children were deemed “idiots” and classified as unteachable.

Rita Kramer, “Maria Montessori: A Biography,” University of Chicago Press, (1983): 89.

[15] Shuker, “The Historical Evolution and Contemporary Status of Montessori Schooling in New Zealand,” 67.

[16] Shuker, “The Historical Evolution and Contemporary Status of Montessori Schooling in New Zealand, 67.

[17] Ibid, 60.

[18] Christopher Clubine, “Motherhood and Public Schooling in Victorian Toronto,” in Sara Burke and Patrice Milewski (Eds.), Schooling in Transition: Readings in the Canadian History of Education, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2012: 115-126.

[19] “Our Educational Machinery Largely Outworn,” Reports Educational Committee of the U.F.A in Report to convention, The UFA, (1928): 14-15. Item: Ar01401.

[20] Lilliard, “Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius,” 8.

[21] Tozier, “An Educational Wonder-Worker. The Methods of Maria Montessori,” 10.

[22] “The First Montessori School in Canada- 1912 Beinn Bhreagh: The Nova Scotia Home of Alexander Graham Bell,” MSC Website.

[23] Lilliard, “Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius,” 7.

[24] Gaffield, “History of Education in Canada.”

[25] Chad Gaffield, “History of Education in Canada,” Canadian Encyclopedia, (2013) http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/history-of-education/.

[26] Cynthia Commachio, “‘The Rising Generation’: Laying Claims to the Health of Adolescents in English Canada, 1920-70,” Canadian Bulletin of Medical History, 19, no.1 (2002): 144.

[27] “The school performs the functions of a crèche– takes the children off the mother’s hands during working hours, and thus improves the economic position of the household… the children began to read and write simply because they thought they had ‘grown big enough.’”

Tozier, “An Educational Wonder-Worker. The Methods of Maria Montessori,” 4.

[28] Shuker, “The Historical Evolution and Contemporary Status of Montessori Schooling in New Zealand,” 30.

[29] Published May 11, 1911. Tozier was an advocate of the Montessori Method and trained under her.

Tozier, “An Educational Wonder-Worker. The Methods of Maria Montessori.”

[30] Gutek and Gutek, “Bringing Montessori to America: S.S McClure, Maria Montessori and the Campaign to Publicize Montessori Education,” 77.

[31] Ibid, 77-79.

[32] Shuker, “The Historical Evolution and Contemporary Status of Montessori Schooling in New Zealand,” 68.

[33] “Montessori Comes to North America 1911-1913.” MSC website. http://www.montessorisocietycanada.org/earlyhistory.html

[34] “Montessori Comes to North America 1911-1913.” MSC website.

[35] Dorothy Canfield, Fisher, “A Montessori Mother [microform].” Toronto: McClelland and Goodchild. (1912). https://archive.org/details/cihm_65480

[36] The Peels Prairie Province newspaper was a source for Prairie women to express their thoughts and concerns and receive feedback. “Peels Prairie Provinces.” University of Alberta. http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/search/?search=raw&pageNumber=1&field=body&rawQuery=Montessori&index=newspapers

[37] Beinn Breagh was the Bell’s former estate. They lived half the year in Washington D.C and spent the summers in Nova Scotia.

“The First Montessori School in Canada- 1912 Beinn Bhreagh: The Nova Scotia Home of Alexander Graham Bell.” MSC Website.

[38] There were 5 Grosvenor grandchildren and two Fairchild grandchildren.

“Alexander and Mabel– Montessori comes to Canada.” MSC website. http://www.montessorisocietycanada.org/earlyhistory.html

[39] Dr. Bell was fastidious about keeping detailed records of his work. The minutes of these frequent meetings are contained in the “Beinn Breagh Recorder” which account for experiment reports, verbatim records and the many home meetings.

Ibid.

[40] “Conference on the Education & Management of Children.” Beinn Bhreagh Recorder XI. (October 12, 1912). MSC website. http://www.montessorisocietycanada.org/earlyhistory.html

[41] Ibid.

[42] “Margaret Potts and the Calgary Montessori School- 1919.” MSC website. http://www.montessorisocietycanada.org/earlyhistory.html

[43] Ibid.

[44] Ibid.

[45] Photos within this page show children of varying ages participating in Pott’s school.

“Margaret Potts and the Calgary Montessori School- 1919.” MSC website.

[46] Shuker, “The Historical Evolution and Contemporary Status of Montessori Schooling in New Zealand,” 52.

[47] The method and its specialised materials were to be used in the precise manner outlined by Montessori.

Shuker, “The Historical Evolution and Contemporary Status of Montessori Schooling in New Zealand,” 60.

[48] Ibid.

[49] Maria Montessori, “Disciplining Children” in Montessori Comes to North America 1911-1913. 39. (1912): 99. http://www.montessorisocietycanada.org/earlyhistory.html

[50] Maria Montessori, “The Montessori Method: The Origins of an Education Innovation”, Rowman and Littlefield, ed. Gerald Gutek, (2004): 32.

[51] Ibid, 32.

[52] Ibid, 32.

[53] Shuker, “The Historical Evolution and Contemporary Status of Montessori Schooling in New Zealand,” 51.

[54] Montessori, “The Montessori Method: The Origins of an Education Innovation,” 34.

[55] Noted on the government page of B.C. the new education curriculum states:

“to prepare students for the future, the curriculum must be student-centred and flexible, and maintain a focus on literacy and numeracy…what we teach our students has been redesigned to provide greater flexibility for teachers, while allowing space and time for students to develop their skills and explore their passions and interests. The deep understanding and application of knowledge is at the center of the new model, as opposed to the memory and recall of facts that previously shaped education around the globe for many decades.”

“New Curriculum Info.” BC Government.

 

 

 


 

Bibliography

Clubine, Christopher, “Motherhood and Public Schooling in Victorian Toronto,” in Sara Burke

and Patrice Milewski (Eds.), Schooling in Transition: Readings in the Canadian History of

Education, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2012: 115-126.

 

Comacchio, Cynthia. “‘The Rising Generation’: Laying Claims to the Health of Adolescents in

English Canada, 1920-70.” Canadian Bulletin of Medical History 19, no.1 (2002).

 

“Conference on the Education & Management of Children.” Beinn Bhreagh Recorder XI.

(October 12, 1912). MSC website.

http://www.montessorisocietycanada.org/earlyhistory.html.

 

Fisher, Dorothy Canfield. “A Montessori Mother [microform].” Toronto: McClelland and

Goodchild. (1912). https://archive.org/details/cihm_65480.

 

Gaffield, Chad. “History of Education in Canada.” Canadian Encyclopedia. (2013).

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/history-of-education/.

 

“Margaret Potts and the Calgary Montessori School- 1919.” MSC website.

http://www.montessorisocietycanada.org/earlyhistory.html.

 

“Montessori Comes to North America 1911-1913.” MSC website.

http://www.montessorisocietycanada.org/earlyhistory.html.

 

Montessori, Maria. “Disciplining Children” in Montessori Comes to North America 1911-1913.

  1. (1912): 99. http://www.montessorisocietycanada.org/earlyhistory.html.

 

Montessori, Maria. “The Montessori Method: The Origins of an Education Innovation,”

Rowman and Littlefield, edited by Gerald Gutek, 1-312, (2004).

 

“New Curriculum Info.” BC Government. https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum-info.

 

“Our Educational Machinery Largely Outworn.” Reports Educational Committee of the U.F.A in

Report to convention. The UFA. (1928): 14-15. Item: Ar01401.

 

Kramer, Rita. “Maria Montessori: A Biography.” University of Chicago Press. (1983).

 

Prochner, Larry and Howe, Nina. “Early childhood care and education in Canada.” UBC Press 1,

(2000).

 

Shuker, Mary Jane. “The Historical Evolution and Contemporary Status of Montessori Schooling

in New Zealand, as an Example of the Adaption of an Alternative Educational Ideal to a

Particular National Context.” Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Massey University, 2004.

 

Lilliard, Angeline Stoll, “Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius.” [electronic source] New

York: Oxford University Press, 2005. Thompson Rivers University CatalogeBook

Collection, (EBSCOhost)

 

Tomkins, George. “Some Aspects of American Influence on Canadian Educational Thought and

Pratice.” McGill University. (1952). http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/-?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=123841&silo_library=GEN01.

 

Tozier, Josephine. “An Educational Wonder-Worker. The Methods of Maria Montessori.”

McClure’s Magazine, 37, no. 1. (1911): 3-702.

 

 

 

Proposal

Research Question

How did Montessori education emerge into Canada and how has the curriculum impacted modern education?

In this paper I am going to focus on the emergence of Montessori schooling into Canada from 1910-1915. I plan to look into Maria Montessori’s methods and philosophies and trace who influenced its progression and popularity around the world. I will focus specifically on Alexander Graham Bell and Margaret Potts, as they built the first schools in Canada. I also want to focus specifically on Canadian interest in this new method, and understand why they desired to implement Montessori methods. At the end I want to spend a brief amount of time tying Montessori’s method to modern education system and how today we are beginning to implement Montessori objectives in the public education system.

 

  1. Philosophy of Montessori Schooling

Maria Montessori’s biography which explains her past and her development which was based on what she observed children to do    “naturally,” by themselves, unassisted by adults. Children teach themselves. This simple but profound truth inspired Montessori’s lifelong pursuit of educational reform, methodology, psychology, teaching, and teacher training—all based on her dedication to furthering the self-creating process of the child.

The actual journal publication with Maria Montessori’s method translated into English.

  • Frierson, Patrick. “Making Room for Children’s Autonomy: Maria Montessori’s Case for Seeing Children’s Incapacity for Autonomy as an External Failing,” Journal of Philosophy of Education, 2016

“Montessori proposes a model wherein both children and adults have autonomy, power, and responsibility, but over different spheres. For her, children and adults have different sorts of ‘work’—the child capable of and responsible for working on herself, the adult capable of and responsible for working on nature to create a human environment.”

-Idea that they have distributed responsibilities…. Different from Christopher Clubine’s “Motherhood and Public Schooling in Victorian Toronto,” theory that mother is the determiner of the child’s education and responsible for their education; therefore different from public education system

 

  1. When did it come to Cad? Who brought it?

Gives a description of the first Montessori School in Canada: the Beinn Bhreah in Nova Scotia opened my Alexander Graham Bell and his wife Mabel. Also speaks about second Montessori school opened in Calgary by Margaret Potts.

  • Gutek, Gerald, L & Gutek, Patricia A. “Bringing Montessori to America: S.S McClure, Maria Montessori and the Campaign to Publicize Montessori Education, University of Alabama Press, (2016).

Speaks of the magazine which published Montessori’s methods and how they had a relationship which benefitted one another. Montessori’s methods exploded only when she was published in America.

Also tells of why McClure was compelled him to publish her work, as he was very specific of what he published because his magazine was very prestigious.

  1. What compelled Bell and Pott’s to accept this form of education? What was the public thinking?

“Alexander Graham Bell never had any patience with traditional teaching.. the system of giving out a certain amount of work which must be carried through in a given space of time, and putting the children into orderly rows of desks and compelling them to absorb just as much intellectual nourishment, whether they are ready for it or not, reminds me of the way they prepare pate de foie gras in the living geese…”

Newspaper editorial from local woman about the wrongs of disciplining and how mother’s should begin to follow Montessori methods within the household

Historical newspaper articles from the Canadian prairies

 

  1. Montessori’s influence on public education

BC’s changing public education curriculum today that mirrors Montessori

 

Statement of Process

 

  1. My topic came to me because my boyfriend and his sisters attended a Montessori elementary school. I didn’t know anything about Montessori schooling or it’s history so I saw this paper as an opportunity to learn about something unknown to me. I think this is an important method for me to understand because I want to be an elementary school teacher, so knowing what alternative forms of schooling are out there will help me because I could be teaching kids who come from this background. I think Montessori is an intriguing form of education, and with changing elementary curriculum in the public sector I see a resemblance between the two. The public education curriculum has redesigned itself to be student-centered and flexible, opposing the memory and recall of facts that previously shaped it. I think by learning more about Montessori schooling I could gain guidance and knowledge for my future in teaching, especially since the public sector is adopting Montessori methods.

 

 

  1. The sources I have tell the story of the emergence of Maria Montessori’s educational methods into America. I have a book on Maria Montessori’s biography to get an understanding for who she was and what compelled her to create this new form of education, I have an abundance of primary sources that come from old newspapers after she proposed her methods because I have been very interested in people’s perspectives and inquiries of the new form of education; I have a book which gives an in depth background to Montessori’s methods emergence to America because the Canadian Montessori founder (Alexander Graham Bell) was mentored by American founder (Anne George), I found the Montessori society website which provides the early history of Montessori into Canada to gain an understanding of how Bell began the Montessori school, and found the biographies of Alexander Graham Bell and Margaret Pott’s to understand their background and why they desired to bring Montessori schooling into Canada.

 

  1. I knew Montessori was a ‘freer’ form of learning, but always thought of it as ‘lazy learning’ because there was no discipline and you learned at your own pace. As I read through Maria’s philosophies I am able to relate it societies changing views on education today and no longer hold the view that is ‘lazy.’ I now realize its importance and how it can have very positively effects on a child’s mind.

 

  1. I didn’t have the slightest idea about Montessori schoolings history, but I was very surprised to read that Alexander Graham Bell was the one who brought it into Canada. I never knew Montessori schooling was scientific based and relied so heavily on observation of the children; after reading Maria Montessori’s methods I realized that public education ignored a very important educational system, especially since we are now adopting many of it’s practices.

 

 

  1. I will speak with a librarian earlier into my research. I spent two hours with the librarian and she was able to give me a lot of books and websites that were full of useful information. Before I met with her I really struggled to find sources that were only average, she was able to find gold in a matter of hours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bibliography

Frierson, Patrick. “Making Room for Children’s Autonomy: Maria Montessori’s Case for Seeing Children’s Incapacity for Autonomy as an External Failing,” Journal of Philosophy of Education, 2016. Pg 334-340.

 

Fisher, Dorothy C. “A Montessori Mother.” Henry Holt and Company. 1912.

 

Gutek, Gerald, L & Gutek, Patricia A. “Bringing Montessori to America: S.S McClure, Maria Montessori and the Campaign to Publicize Montessori Education, University of Alabama Press. 2016.

 

Kramer, Rita. “Maria Montessori a Biography.” University of Chicago Press. 1983. Pg.158-165.

 

“Peels Prarie Provinces.” University of Alberta. 2009. http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/index.html

 

Pendleton, Renee D. “Maria Montessori: A brief Biography.” North American Montessori Teachers’ Association. http://www.montessori-namta.org/Maria-Montessori

 

“The Early History of the Montessori Movement in North America and the Earliest Montessori Schools in Canada and the U.S.A,” MSC Website, 2017, Retrieved from http://www.montessorisocietycanada.org/earlyhistory.html

 

Tozier, Josephine. “An educational Wonder-Worker the Wonders of Maria Montessori,” McClures Magazine, 1911. Retrieved from http://www.montessorisocietycanada.org/overview.html

 

Whitescarver, Keith; Cossentino, Jacqueline. “Establishing an American Montessori Movement: Another Look at the Early Years.” Montessori Life. 18, 2. Educational Database. 2006: pg 44-49.

 

 

 

What About Outcome Based Learning?

This topic might have been the one which interested me the most. I look back on my notes and realize I went absolutely crazy with notes when doing the readings. The part that got me the most was within Carol Anne Wein & Curt Dudley- Marling’s article “Limited Vision: The Ontario Curriculum and Outcomes-Based Learning” when it stated “outcomes based learning direction sets up a quintessentially narrow and controlling vision of teachers and teaching, of learners and learnings, and both diversity and ecology” (402). This enraged me a little bit… because it adds the acquistion of freedom and educations desire to tear down all structure and practically let little ones run free and figure out life for themselves. We desire freedom of speech and action; therefore wanting to raise kids in the same manner, but how must one successfully progress in their education if there are no guidelines for what children should be learning or capable of doing before moving up a grade. If a child is incapable of performing the expectations of grade 4 algebra and reading how will they do in grade 5? They will have to extra work, which means extra struggling and will lead to a potentially traumatizing experience. If we allow complete freedom in education, in the form of allowing the child to choose what s/he prefers to learn, we give them a false understanding of reality. Children should be challenged to learn what they may not be fond of and in ways that do not appeal to them… because in my mind that is learning.

We learn more from what we do not want to do, than what we want to do, so why are we not realizing the importance of these lessons? We should absolutely be giving an alternate to children if they simply cannot grasp the concept, but we jump in too quickly to give an alternate. Babying kids who need to be challenged is not progress, it hinders their learning and brings us back to when mother’s would keep her children home to help her and what she needed. Is it really children who desire to be confined and treated as glass? Or is it a parental desire to ensure they do not look back traumatized on their childhood?

Reality is, life kicks you sometimes and if we begin to raise flower picking “I do what I want” children then they will not realize that life is not completely individualistic and you will not always be the boss of yourself.  If we allow children to learn as they please then collaboration will diminish because nobody will be exposed to working in that way. This scares me because I do not think I could be a teacher if this was they way the education system was to go. We should not be changing education to appeal to children, we should be changing it to ensure their learning.

What does MY Education entail?

My Education is so much more than letters and numbers. After the second weeks readings by Neil McDonald, Ian Robertson, and John Bullen I began to question where my Education sits on the Egerton Ryerson to Maria Montessori scale of education methods. Below are some examples of my education and how throughout my education my Egerton Ryerson experiences were limited. After pondering this, I realized my early education was not limited to the school classroom because the activities I was involved in were significant learning experiences. I learned a lot within the classroom, but find I gained more useful knowledge outside of it. Many opportunities arose from my after  school activities and many lessons learned moulded me to be who I am today.

 

My in school experiences:

After researching Maria Montessori and learning that her methods were a solution to the extinction of Kindergarten and a help for working parents, I wondered how my education would have changed for me and my family if there was no pre-school or kindergarten. I am child number 3 of 4, so pre-school was a huge help for my parents to be able to support our family. Not only was it a great learning experience, but it also gave my parents the opportunity to withhold their jobs and pay for half-day daycare rather than full-day. I met my good friends in pre-school and graduating from it was a milestone in my life. Looking back I see the real benefits of it and how we completely take advantage of having it. It makes me wonder what it must have been like without it… and also explains why we are progressing so fast-paced nowadays– because kids are so smart at an early age!

 

Pre-school Graduation. May 2001.


 

In my perspective, kindergarten is one of the most important years of elementary school. I have heard of many parents who hold their children back in this year because it is only from classroom experiences that they realize their child is not ready for school. This is a key component to ensure the success of children’s future education. If you start them off on a bad foot, or incapable of retaining or processing information you set them up for failure and a potentially traumatic experience. The benefits of kindergarten are proven, and the most prominent advantages include:

Improved social skills, better performance in grade school, improved attention spans, and enthusiasm for learning (Childventures, 2017).

Relationships are also built in this year, I met one of my best friends this year, and even my teacher and I still have a very good relationship. I remember doing A LOT of art projects, and my box of kindergarten take-homes speak to that. Looking back at my kindergarten experiences I appreciate it much more than before, it is an easily overlooked year of education but one of much importance.

First day of Elementary School 2002           Kindergarten Photo 2002

 

 

Poster of Grade 7 leadership activities, 2009.

In Grade 7 we had a leadership class. We went out into the community and helped out at many different shelters and organizations. We went to the homeless shelter and served lunch once a month and also did bottle drives to raise money to build a well in Uganda. This addition to my education was an incredible experience and something I still value and practise today. Serving and providing for the homeless holds a special place in my heart, I am always thankful I was exposed to the importance of it at an early age.

 

Last Day of Elementary School, 2009

-Won the Principals Award (Overall Excellence).

 

Grade 8, 2010.

My Grade 8 Textiles class taught me how to make the onzie I am wearing in this photo. They have foot covers and everything! Only one sewing needle through my thumb… it is all a learning experience!

Sewing is something not everyone knows how to do anymore, but is extremely useful in the real world. Not only does it save you money, but also a lot of time! It is a very practical and useful ability to have, it especially helped me in my dance years, sewing pointe shoes and any minor costume adjustments, I was able to fix on the spot.

 

Grade 8 Social Studies project, 2010.

Rather than doing an exam, our teacher made us do a final project to show our understanding. It was to do with the court and law systems in the 18th and 19th centuries Canada. Looking back at all these opportunities I had to show my understanding in ways other than tests and worksheets shows the assimilation of the Montessori Method and diversion from 19th century Ryerson methodologies.

 

Grade 9 Science, 2011.

On topic of Maria Montessori, I remembered a specific assignment I had to do in grade 8 science. We were learning about genetics and how chromosomes bind together to form particular genomes. We flipped pennies to determine certain X and Y chromosome and had to draw them on paper in accordance to their combination. An art project mixed with Science… it was an awesome experience and one that I still remember to this day! Science is often recognized as a sit, listen,be lectured class, but this year was not like that at all. We had many opportunities for hands on work and it really did help my learning because I am a tactile learner. This particular lesson shows progression from the education systems we learned about in the 18th and 19th centuries.

 

Highschool Cross Country Race, Quesnel B.C 2012

My love for running was put into practice through our school cross country team, it motivated me because I was representing my school and I was able to work different parts of my body. I used running as a cross train from dance so I could prevent injury. I learned how to run through this after school activity, it help my running times and it prevented injury, I wen through my whole dance career with no injuries! Forty or more hours a week in the dance studio, almost half of it on pointe, this seemed like a miracle that I left with no injuries. I am incredibly thankful though! Balancing running and dance taught me how to manage time and also kept me driven because I was often exhausted after every practise.

High school cross country also influenced me to run my first full marathon in July 2015 and gave me the opportunity to be on an Iceman team (a winter biathlon in Prince George).

 

Last Day of High School, 2013

High school was not my best if memories. I graduated a year early because I wanted to pursue a dance career, so my workload was very heavy. I never experienced a spare block or what it was like to hang out with friends after school because I was always busy with dance or cross-country running. This is not something I regret, but rather goes to show how dance was a huge part of my learning. I learned more useful knowledge from dance than in the public school system, which is not a criticism. This goes to show how education is not limited to the classroom, learning is all around us and opportunities always await. I built strong relationships in dance with other people as well as myself. My dance career taught me how to manage my time, work endless hours until I got hang of a routine, it taught me persistence, and to treat others with respect even when stressed. I cried a lot and wanted to quit more than once, but never did because I knew I loved it. Dancing also showed me how much I love working with children because I had the opportunity to teach them and now look what I want to do… teach children 🙂

 


 

My out of school educational/ learning experiences

Some photos and descriptions of my dance years are presented below.

 

 

June, 2000. My very first dance recital. This shows how parents are the ultimate deciders in what their children do, but is also an example for how children end up being the ultimate deciders of what they do. My parents enrolled me in dance, but I ended up choosing to love it. It is inevitable parents have to choose the initial path for children; kids are not rational. If parents stopped taking charge of their young child’s activities and schooling then children would likely not do anything. No kid wants to go to an activity when they could be playing with their own toys, but being enrolled in activities shows them there is more to life than play and immerses them into a routine. This is an important aspect of life and something every kid should be exposed to at early age to ensure motivation and conscience of this reality.

 

Dance took me to Hollywood. I received a scholarship to the Edge Performing Arts Center in March 2010 and went that summer for a week-long intensive. It was 5 days, 6 hours of dance each day all styles of dance. I met so many new people and had to adjust to new environments and teaching methods. This was a test of independence also challenged me to learn new styles and choreography methods.

 

 

   

Nutcracker 2011, played the role of Clara.

This year was a massive learning curve for me because I was balancing a semester of only academic classes with Nutcracker rehearsals and a regular dance schedule on top of it. There were not enough hours in the day, I actually had to skip school to make rehearsals. Time management and persistence were practised well during this year, and the pay off was incredible. I was constantly stressed, which may not have been healthy, but it was a realistic experience because life will bring those stresses.

 

In 2013 I played the elegant role of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Snow Queen in the production of the Nutcracker. This challenged my dance technique and forced me to spend endless hours in the studio perfecting these solo pieces. I would not settle for less than what was my best and I was constantly challenging what my best was.

 

 

Dance took me to New York City in 2013. We did a group trip in the summer and took classes at Alvin Alley, New York City Ballet, and went and watched three Broadway Shows, one being “Wicked”, and watched the New York City Ballet’s production of “Sleeping Beauty.”

We also did a lot of touring around which opened my eyes to the reality of an American lifestyle and the diversion of economic classes, as well as the historical sites they have such as the WWII museum.

Dance Videos:

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Other after school activities that were influential to my education

 

My First Communion, 2003.

I went to catechism for five years ( 6-10 years old). This was twice a week evening commitment for an hour and a half at the Catholic Church. I never really saw this as “school,” but rather a night activity. We did sit in desks and learn from a teacher, but it was very laid back. My first communion was a milestone and something I remember my parents being very proud of. Catechism is not something that severely impacted my later years, but influenced my learning in elementary public school because perspectives and behaviours from public school often clashed with what I was learning at the Catholic Church. My family was not incredibly conservative, but they knew there were many important lessons to be taken out of the catechism experience and I genuinely appreciate the fact I was enrolled. I guess I can say  I half went to Catholic school… and half experienced the conflicts of real life and this style of schooling.

Although I think are certainly negatives to public schooling, I see more positives. Being immersed in an environment that has all types of people is the best was to prepare for the real world because in your adult life you will not encounter people who believe the same things as you and look the same as you. Public school is the best thing you can do for a child, although they will likely experience negative things, it is the perfect test for their future.