Essay - Montessori's Philosophy Montessori's Spirituality Philosophy Humans are Spiritual Creatures by...

Montessori's philosophy

Montessori's Spirituality Philosophy

Humans are spiritual creatures by nature. Indeed, one of the distinguishing characteristics ***** humanity is the unswerving belief in things that are intangible, a belief that can only be rationalized and supported through faith. Despite enormous differences otherwise, throughout the ages, people have always been interested in the ***** nature of the world around them in an effort to underst*****d what was happening ***** them, and children are no exception ***** course. When it comes to the spiritual nature of children, though, there are some profound ***** from their adult counterparts that may not be readily understood by those who ***** lost the wonder in ***** lives and who no longer believe in the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus. These are just two of the powerful spiritual characters in many ********** ***** today, together with various religious figures, cartoon characters and possibly a dead president or two. One early proponent of recogniz*****g ***** using the spiritual aspect ***** children in educational settings was Dr. Maria Montessori. This paper provides a critical evaluation of Montessori's contribution to child's spirituality in general and how her recommendations from ***** book, The Secret ***** Childhood in particular, can be used to help educa*****rs ***** provide their students with superior learning opportunities ***** improved academic outcomes. A summary of the research and implications for educators today are ********** in ***** conclusion.

***** and Discussion

In spite of her predilection for using scientific methods and techniques in educational sett*****gs, Montessori ***** a firm believer in the spiritual nature of life as well ***** cited metaphysical re*****ons for ***** guidance. Her writings are sprinkled with references to the spiritual nature of ***** feature of ***** human condition supported by a ***** or biologic*****l example. F***** example, when she advocated a progr*****m ***** free lunches for school*****, Montessori provided a rational reason in its support from a social problem-solving perspective, but she also employed a spiritual one as well: "The necessity ***** eating is itself a proof that the matter of which our body is composed does not endure but passes like ***** fleeing moment. And if the substance of our bodies ***** in th***** manner, ***** life itself is only a continual passing away of matter, what greater symbol of its immateriality and its spirituality is ***** *****an the dinnertable?" (Montessori, 1913, p. 17). While adults cannot imitate children to good effect (Montessori, 1963, p. 223), they are in an excellent position to help them use their spiritual interpretations ***** the world around them to identify ***** for learning beca***** of the enormous influence *****y have in children's lives.

***** term '*****ity' c***** mean many things to many people, of course; however, in the instant case, when Montessori talked about nour*****hing the ***** spirit, she was referring to the preservation ***** the inner core that holds the child's secret ***** a natural and spontaneous desire ***** learn as ***** ***** a *****ingful life later when he/she grows into an adult. She aimed