Tell me a little bit about the Montessori method.

Hi, Ellen.

Thank you for having me.

Let's see.

The Montessori method is often described as an aid to life, and what that means is that the goal of teachers and parents, too, is to help children unfold to their fullest potential, because childhood is the time when the adult that they are going to become is being created.

We want to help children to discover their strongest values, their favorite subjects, that they can make good choices, that we are there to encourage them in the ways that they feel weakest, and generally that we want to help them be the best that they can be.

Now, how do Montessorians do this, and how can parents do this? Well, in schools...

daughter will just start screaming if I do that.

Tell me a little bit about the Montessori method.

Hi, Ellen.

Thank you for having me.

Let's see.

The Montessori method is often described as an aid to life, and what that means is that the goal of teachers and parents, too, is to help children unfold to their fullest potential, because childhood is the time when the adult that they are going to become is being created.

We want to help children to discover their strongest values, their favorite subjects, that they can make good choices, that we are there to encourage them in the ways that they feel weakest, and generally that we want to help them be the best that they can be.

Now, how do Montessorians do this, and how can parents do this? Well, in schools...

daughter will just start screaming if I do that.

That's your training.

Yes, it is.

Montessorians often describe their method as an aid to life.

Now, Dr. Montessori identified that within every child is the adult that he is going to become.

And so childhood is that time period when the new adult is being created.

So our goal as teachers and as parents is to help the unfolding of that process to the utmost.

Or in Montessori language, we say to help the child reach his fullest potential.

What are one or two ways, Cornelia, that you benefited from the Montessori method with your own child, with your own daughter?

That's your training.

Yes, it is.

Uh, Montessorians often describe their method as an aid to life.

Now, Dr. Montessori identified that within every child is the adult that he is going to become, and so childhood is that time period when the new adult is being created.

So our goal as teachers and as parents is to help the unfolding of that process to the utmost, or in Montessori language, we say, to help the child reach his fullest potential.

So what that means is we want him to discover his strongest values, his favorite subjects, that he can make good choices, and that we're there to encourage him where he feels weakest and just generally help him to be the best that he can be.

What are one or two ways, Cornelia, that you benefited from the Montessori method with your own child, with your own daughter?

You know, in many ways, it surprised me when I was a new mom how much my Montessori background guided me, and even as, when my daughter was an infant, I felt like, um, the discoveries that I had and the understanding I had from Montessori guided me in understanding her better.