Two short videos

Dear ,

Today I would like to share two short videos with you. I think you will find them interesting. 

Montessori and the Future of Education

Dr. Steve Hughes

Dr. Steve Hughes is a Pediatric Neuro-psychologist at the University of Minnesota Medical School. This is a short video exploring his premise that Montessori is not just one of many interesting educational approaches, but is in fact the one that seems to get things right due to its basis in human development and the psychology of how children optimally learn.

I wanted to share it with you not only because it is short and appealing, but because it sets forth some of our basic precepts:

1. Child development is being researched and better understood every year 

2. Most schools are based on habit and tradition, rather than what we know

3. As a result, we see the bell curve of academic achievement, and even among high achieving students, we often see young people who are emotionally over-whelmed, over-stressed, and overly-responsive to peer-pressure in a desire to fit in and be part of the 'lonely crowd'

4. Some day schools will need to be completely overhauled as we know them, and redesigned to better prepare young people at each stage of their development to graduate from high school with the intellectual skills, self-awareness and emotional balance, and practical life skills to succeed both in college and beyond.

5. Montessori has it right, not only at early childhood, but beyond, because - when done authentically and with follow-through - the program adapts itself to the changing needs and personality of the growing child and adolescent, as well as being able to adapt to meet each individual student as a 'universe of one.'

When you have seen the video, return to this window to continue with the email or use your back space button if the video does not open in a new window.

Tim Seldin

The Outcomes of a Montessori Education

Academic Preparation:  Montessori prepares students both for higher education and for life. On an academic level, Montessori helps students attain skills that allow them to become independently functioning adults and life-long learners.

Intrinsic Motivation: innate desire drives Montessori children to engage in activities for enjoyment and satisfaction.

Internalized Ground Rules and the Ability to Work With External Authority:  Montessori students are normally comfortable with ground rule that set the boundaries for their interactions within the school community.  Because these ground rules become internalized, Montessori students normally learn to behave appropriately whether or not teachers are present.

Social Responsibility:  Montessori children tend to be quite sensitive to the rights and needs of others. They tend to make a positive contribution to their community.

Autonomy:  Montessori students tend to become self-directed, composed and morally independent.

Confidence and Competence: Montessori students tend to become confident, competent, self-reflective and thereby successful. They are generally not afraid of failure and learn from mistakes.

Creativity and Originality of Thought:  Montessori students normally become confident in express their own ideas and creativity.  They recognize the value of their own work, respect the creative process of others and are willing to share regardless of risk.  Montessori students tend to take great satisfaction in self-expression.

Spiritual Awareness: Montessori students are often exceptionally compassionate, empathetic, and sensitive to the natural world and the human condition. 

NGFS Email Archive  - We have established a webpage with an archive the key emails that we send out from the school. You might want to bookmark this link:  http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs031/1103691331815/archive/1103719764243.html

Tim Seldin

Head of School