Trevor Eissler, pilot and father of three children, wanted the absolutely best education for his children. In the process of researching possibilities, he discovered Montessori schools. He was amazed by how the Montessori environment allows children to love learning by actively choose their own educational activities.
He's enthusiastically shared what he learned in his book Montessori Madness! My children attended a Montessori preschool and what he describes rings true for me. I was truly amazed at how much they learned and how much they loved going.
Eissler dissects just why Montessori schools succeed where traditional schools fail.
"They learn to solve problems by solving them, not hiding them. Montessori children learn discipline by practicing discipline, not by having the teacher tell them to be disciplined. They are naturally self-motivated because they are free to choose their own lessons at the moment they are ready to learn those lessons, and to follow wherever the intellectual thread leads. These students are not trained to wait for a teacher to motivate them before acting. They have long attention spans because every day they practice concentrating on some type of work for extended periods of time, not just until the bell rings for the next class. These students are decisive because they make decisions for themselves - the teacher does not decide for them. These children learn to respect others because they in turn are respected, not dominated."He creates a compelling argument that the Montessori approach is far better than the current factory model of education practiced in public schools today. If you want to understand why Montessori schools succeed where others fail, this is your book.