Tribute To The Pioneering Work of Maria Montessori

I recently spoke at the British Columbia regional Montessori Association conference and was asked to prepare the following article for their newsletter. I am sharing it here as a tribute to the pioneering work of Maria Montessori, who was among the first educators to address the soul and character of children as well as their intellectual development.
Linda Kavelin Popov

CREATING A CULTURE OF CHARACTER
5 Simple Ways to Nurture the Gifts Within
by Linda Kavelin Popov

What does it profit our children to develop all of their intellectual capacities but lose their natural sense of compassion, kindness, integrity or honour? Our children live in a world of glittering, seductive and colourful computer games, films and multi media that constantly bombard and distract their fertile minds. They are exposed to a continual flow of images in which heroism is merged with violence, and sexuality is both rampant and trivialized. They are targeted by the fashion industry to wear the right clothes, to grow up too fast, and above all to be consumers rather than contributors.

More than ever before, our children need islands of peace and sanctuaries of safety, environments in which to hone a sense that life has a purpose. Maria Montessori held a vision of a holistic “inner evolution of the individual.” She saw the child not as an empty receptacle into which knowledge should be force-fed, but rather a whole person whose knowledge could be awakened through positive stimulation. She insisted that a child “is not a thing lacking an inner guide.” She spoke of the “spiritual embryo” within. The virtues are the elements of that inner life, the content of our character – our capacity for caring, courage, determination, service, excellence, joy, respect and all the other virtues of the human spirit. They are already in us -- they have only to be awakened.

It is said that people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. I was touched recently by the story of a four-year-old boy whose next-door neighbour was an elderly gentleman grieving the loss of his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbour, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry." We have all seen young children showing spontaneous acts of compassion, kindness and courage. What can we do to help children mobilize these virtues during the many teachable moments that occur when they are in our care? How can we create a culture in school and at home that fosters peace and nurtures integrity?

The five strategies of The Virtues Project offer tools to help us be excellent mentors of the spiritual and moral intelligence not only in children but in ourselves and all those within our circle of influence.

Many Montessori schools creatively apply the 5 strategies:

1. Speak The Language of Virtues.

Language has enormous power to shape character and awaken spiritual qualities. When asked what love is, four-year-old Billy said, “When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth." Use Virtues Language to acknowledge a virtue when you see it. “It was generous of you to share your clay with your friend.” “You showed real self-discipline today in finishing what you started.”

Use Virtues Language to guide:

“We need to be responsible today to stay safe and stick together on our field trip. What will responsibility look like today?”
Use Virtues Language to correct:

“It’s important to be peaceful even when you’re angry. How can you use your peacefulness right now?”

Use Virtues Language to thank:

“Thank you for being helpful in tidying up today.”

2. Recognize Teachable Moments

Virtues are the curriculum of character and teachable moments are the naturally occurring lesson plans. Find the virtue needed to rectify behaviour or fix a mistake. Replace shaming “You know better than that, Louis, stop or you’ll have to go to the office” by naming the virtue the situation requires. “You need to be peaceful now, Louis. What will help you to be peaceful?”

3. Set Clear Boundaries

Clear boundaries connected to a Shared Vision Statement of the virtues with which we want to treat each other helps to prevent violence and creates a safe, peaceful environment. It is a positive approach to discipline focused on the life-skills of assertiveness, accountability and restorative justice. Give children “reflection time” rather than detention, so they can think, draw and write about the virtue they could have used to deal with the situation more effectively.

4. Honour the Spirit

Boundary Bay Montessori House has Virtues Cards in a velvet bag lined with satin. Children create paragraph maps about a virtue and illustrate it. Weekly role plays demonstrate how to apply virtues to challenges students face in their lives. At the beginning of each year, classes create a shared vision of their beliefs about how they want to treat one another and what virtues will guide them throughout the year. “At Montessori House, we show care and respect for each other and our school. Together, we create a joyful place for learning.” Virtues Vouchers and Hug Notes are sent home to parents to share acts of peacefulness or friendliness Service learning opportunities offer a powerful way to awaken compassion and social responsibility. A school-wide minute of reflection on a virtue each day, creates a climate of peace.

5. Offer Spiritual Companioning

This virtues-based counselling approach supports healing, encourages moral choice, and allows a safe expression of feelings while tapping the students’ wisdom to solve problems by calling on their own virtues. “What bothered you most when your teacher yelled at you?” “How could you have used your courtesy in that situation?” “What virtue will help you next time?”

A Montessori principal in Victoria applied a virtues strategy with surprising results. Seven- year-old Molly, diagnosed with severe ADHD, was sent to her office for the umpteenth time. The Principal observed Molly reading quietly, and it came to her. “You’re being very purposeful,” she said. “You’ve been concentrating on that book for ten whole minutes.” The next day Molly’s mother called and asked, “What happened to Molly? For the first time in her life she dressed herself and came downstairs in time for breakfast.” Her teacher reported that Molly’s attention span miraculously expanded that day and she was far more peaceful in the classroom.

Awakening the virtues is one of the greatest gifts we can give to the children in our care and indeed the people in our lives. It is truly the gift of themselves.

By Linda Kavelin-Popov, Founder of The Virtues Project tm www.virtuesproject.com

Author, The Virtues Project Educator’s Guide: Simple Ways to Create a Culture of Character

SIXTY DEGREES OF SEPARATION

As we rounded a curve on the icy road leading to Ross River, Yukon, suddenly a full moon, huge and gleaming, appeared over the top of the blue white snow-frosted Yukon mountains. My companion, Ann Bayne, a First Nations leader and founder of Liard Aboriginal Women's Society, asked me why I was laughing. "Well," I told her, " I'm just remembering that the last time I watched the full moon rise, I was immersed in the warm waves of the Pacific at Long Bay, New Zealand during our Global Mentorship Conference." In the 3 ½ months Dan and I spent in Australia, New Zealand, Saipan, Singapore and Fiji, the temperature hovered around 30 degrees Celsius (about 86 F) most of the time. Here in the Yukon, temperatures remained at about 30 degrees below, Celsius (24 below F.). Such different climes and cultures, yet all the people have a new, deepened receptivity to the power of the virtues as a tool for healing and a way of life.

In the three weeks I spent in the Yukon in March, I worked with elders, educators and other community members to heal the abuses of the past and move forward to reawaken the traditional values of honor, respect, unity and the other core First Nations values. Elder and community worker Lorna Reid, with a radiant look on her face said "Who could have believed that the Creator would send us this project. Even though my grandson is lost in alcohol, now I know to treat him with compassion, love and respect. I know there is hope. All we have to do is love them for who they are. They'll come out of that dark place."

The Virtues Project is at a point of widespread growth, with entire countries applying the Five Strategies. I kept flashing back to our time in Saipan in December, where the entire community embraced the project, beginning with the First Lady, and now has a permanent task force Virtues Project Saipan in place to sustain community development. I remembered my joy at the "Virtues in the Media" launch at Telecom Fiji in February for a national program focused on a virtue a week supported by all the schools, press, television and radio. Fiji has been through great political and economic upheaval in the past couple of years and is applying The Virtues Project as a strategy for rebuilding community. Virtues Project, Fiji, an NGO (non-governmental organization) is forming under the leadership of Verona Lucas to sustain the effort, and UNICEF as well as the Department of Reconciliation of Fiji are among the funding partners. Beth Lew and Gilbert Paki from New Zealand will be sustaining the ongoing training there and Akanasi Tarabe has been appointed as permanent coordinator for virtues in the schools. Oliver Fisher, the Executive Officer of Corrections Fiji said to me "Our inmates are mostly young men and they need direction. The Virtues Project is an answer to prayer. It is just what they need to live differently."

Something has shifted. It's time. I see this readiness everywhere. Quality of life is far more than material success - it is sustainable integrity, love and honor in all our ways, in all our relationships. At our second Global Mentorship Conference this year, in Sylvan Lake, Alberta, Canada, Facilitators gathered from four countries, including Ruth Suzuki, long time Facilitator Mentor from Japan and Kay Miller from Virtues Trust New Zealand, to share ideas, experiences and companioning. One story that touched me greatly was from Margaret Bryant of the Victoria Truth Centre who shared a story about students at Rogers Elementary School in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Their principal was about to return after the death of her husband. Students wanted to welcome her back in some helpful way. "What virtue will she need from us?" they asked. They chose Gentleness, and brought in their teddy bears to surround her with comfort during her first week back.

Valerie Fox and Terry Rahn of Steven's Point, Minnesota shared their excitement about the UNITED WAY helping to sponsor a community-wide Virtues Project in nearby Rockford, Illinois. When presenting the project there, they took with them Jamie McNaughton, a young woman who was a former resident of Val's group home. Jamie shared how the virtues cut through her wall of cynicism and hopelessness. "I let all of my pain, anxiety and fear go…I knew virtues were the answer. I love the way they not only made me feel better, but inspired me to see things in a more positive way…They taught me to cope and understand, to 'believe' in myself."

We may be separated by distance -- and temperature -- but the strong undercurrent in the human spirit seeking true community is gathering momentum. Every act of gentleness, kindness, integrity and unity by any of us brings us all closer.

All the best,
Linda Kavelin-Popov

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