Montessori wrote about the “Secret of childhood”, describe what she meant by this?

According to Maria Montessori the child learns to function independently, to manipulate, to walk, to talk, to think and direct himself through his will. It takes place not because adult teach, but because the child creates.  Maria was not working for nearly educational process of life she gave focus on creative minds in children.

A child at birth and a child at 3 years have immense difference between them. An enormous change takes place during this period. This is secret of childhood.  Maria tries to demonstrate the existence of powers in young child that appeared to have been unrecognized by others. Montessori methods is based on science of life, it cannot be rigid.

A child passes through successive stages of development called sensitive periods.  During these periods a child shows insatiable hunger for acquisition of particular knowledge or skill.  Their thirst will quench only after they have gained what they actually wanted. Childhood constructs an adult’s life.  The characteristic of a man is made in the early years of childhood.  Good childhood leads to a good future wellbeing

Secrets of Childhood

Striking discoveries of psycho analysis is that a psychosis can have its origin in infancy. A pattern of adult’s life is fixed in his early childhood.  Because of adults’ egocentric view, adults treat a child as an empty vessel in which they can pour their knowledge.  As a result, a child is unconsciously suppresses his development and his own personality. A child’s education begins from birth.  New born responses to all senses eg. Light, touch, sound, etc and shows its ability to grow further.

A mysterious force which animates the helpless body of a new born, enables him to grow, teaches him to speak and walk and thus perfects him to a man. One of the great problem facing by men is their failure to realize the fact that child posses an active psychic life, even if he cannot manifest it. A child secretly perfects its inner life over a long period of time. A child becoming incarnate is his spiritual embryo, which needs its own special environment just like physic embryo needs its mother womb to grow. This spiritual embryo needs to be protected by an external environment that is warm with love and rich in nourishment, where everything is disposed to welcome and nothing to harm it.

Proof of child’s psychic life may be found in distinction that is made between its conscious and sub conscious activities. Montessori was of the opinion that reincarnation of the child will go unnoticed if no one waits for it or realizes it “A child’s incarnation is effected through hidden toil” [Secret of childhood, chapter 6, page 35] Montessori believed that two conditions must be fulfilled in order to reveal the psychic pattern of every child. These are Interaction with the environment and second are freedom to reveal him to the universe. Without these two conditions a child can’t perfect himself to a man.

We should regard the secret effort of child as something sacred and creative. This period is considered as the creative periods of life which in later life leads to a man’s personality. Maria discovered internal aids of child to develop him. These are the sensitive periods and absorbent mind. These two build the framework for the child‘s emotional and intellectual development.

The sensitive periods

A ‘sensitive period’ refers to a special sensibility, which a creature acquires in its infantile state, while it is still in the process of evaluation. It is developed for acquisition of a special trait, when that trait is acquired this special sensibility vanishes. If a child has not been able to act according to the directives of his sensitive periods, the opportunity of a natural conquest is lost. A child learns to adjust himself and make acquisitions in his sensitive periods.  It is this sensibility which enables the child to come into contact with external world. When this sensitive period has disappeared, intellectual victories are reported through the reasoning processes, voluntary efforts and toil of research. According to Montessori “when a sensitive period is in its height , we may compare it to a search light coming from within the mind- illuminating certain parts of environment ,leaving the rest in comparative obscurity”[life and her work, chapter 7, page 120].

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When a child tries to attain these specific characteristics, we can note that sad and violent reaction in children when their activities are blocked by external obstacles.  We call this is whim or tantrums.  It is actually external manifestations of unsatisfied needs of children. It disappears when a child satisfies his needs. An environment provides the necessary means for spiritual growth.  “A child chooses from his complex environment what is suitable and necessary for his growth”. (Page 42 psychic development – secrets of childhood).  It is considered as an inner drama of love.  All this -happens quietly and unnoticed. We ...

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