I Went to Montessori School
From age three to nine, and I LOVED it.
I still attribute my love of learning to that openhearted approach to learning.
Here’s How It Worked
You show up for school, and there are tons of little projects around the room. Each one is a world of its own. Like a hundred flavors of ice cream.
And you get to pick the one you want to work on today. Maybe it’s sandpaper letters, a tactile exercise for becoming familiar with cursive script.
Maybe it’s pouring water, an exercise to increase hand-eye coordination in preparation for learning how to write.
Maybe it’s a number line, where you get to experience how big infinity is by writing all the numbers from zero to 1000 and beyond on a cash register paper roll.
Montessori Didn’t Teach Me Anything
Instead, it put the power of learning in my hands and set me free.
Montessori recognized and respected my own natural inclination to be curious, to want to explore and learn. It did not force me, test me, grade me. It set me loose in an amazing learning environment.
And I did just what they predicted I would do: I learned.
This Is Exactly How I See The Work of Byron Katie
The Work does not teach me anything. There is no dogma to learn. Instead, The Work puts the power of learning in my hands and sets me free.
The Work is just a tool for self-exploration: four questions and turnarounds.
Using The Work, I am free to question anything I choose. This freedom is why The Work appeals to me. I am not dependent on a teacher to think for me.
And This Approach Goes Even Deeper
Not only am I free to question anything when doing The Work, but I am free to come up with any answer when doing The Work as well.
This trusting, and listening, and feeling out my ever-evolving truth makes me a student of something deep inside of me. Something that no outside teaching could ever reveal to me.
For me this is the Montessori method at its best. A way of learning so humble that it stays out of the way completely.
Have a great weekend,
Todd
“Ultimately, there’s no one who can teach you except yourself.” Byron Katie, A Thousand Names For Joy
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