Maria Montessori is driving me mad! Seriously, if I could go back in time and speak to this lady, we would need to have a very serious chat. For one thing, how dare she develop such amazing teaching methods when she has no true understanding of how obsessed it can make a mom like me?
Shame on her!
Like every mom out there, I want the best for my children, and the Montessori approach just hit home for my style of parenting and my children. Yet, I cannot afford private Montessori school tuition, and I have attachment issues (aka: I don’t want my babies to leave me). So, after a long-late night conversations with my husband we decided to “homeschool” for preschool. I put the word homeschool in quotes, because I don’t teach in my home with a regular curriculum or set schedule. We just wing it when we feel in the mood. I feel like I can get away with this because it’s preschool!
Little kids are supposed to play and have fun, and if learning isn’t fun/engaging, I don’t want any part of it.
We have several true Montessori materials and some DIY activities in our little classroom at home. Plus, we go out as much as we can. We hit up the zoo, Boonshoft museum (great Montessori activities there), the rec center, and the library.
I have a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Ed. Still, I feel like I learn so many things, that seem common sense, each time I read about Maria Montessori’s approach to teaching. I want to do it all with my own kids!
What I am learning is that I’m just not as dedicated as the true homeschooling parents out there. Kudos to you, ladies and gents! I don’t think I can handle that kind of pressure or stress. I remember what it was like to be a full time teacher before I had kids. Put mothering on top of teaching multiple grade levels – on top of lesson plans – on top of keeping up with the latest fashions (ok, I just made that one up). But, you get it, right? That’s too many “on top of”s for this mama! I’ll enjoy my homeschooling preschool days and admire from afar, Miss Maria Montessori.
