Our son started pre-school earlier this month. We opted for one that is walking distance from our house. Not only are there roads between our house and the school, but you can take trails that have been preserved through land trust and other conservation actions. This is a huge convenience and is consistent with our environmental values. It is a throwback to the days when everyone walked to school, the grocer, and so on. The other cool thing about his school is that it is a Montessori method school.
Admittedly, pre-school education hadn’t been on my mind in the past three-plus decades, but when you have a three year old, education starts to creep back into your conciousness. I’ve always been a passionate life long learner, but PTO meetings, parent/teacher conferences, and other school related things have been off the radar for a long time. The Montessori method at the Hans Christian Anderson Montessori School in Bolton, Connecticut, our hometown, seems like the right approach to introduce a toddler to formal education.
The Montessori method as described on the International Montessori Index website, “is not a system for training children in academic studies; nor is it a label to be put on educational materials. It is a revolutionary method of observing and supporting the natural development of children. Montessori educational practice helps children develop creativity, problem solving, critical thinking and time-management skills, to contribute to society and the environment, and to become fulfilled persons in their particular time and place on Earth.”
When I first read that quote, it sounded good to me. They ought to have a school like that for adults too.
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