Is it okay for Montessori to just be for wealthy families?
There is an idea out there that while Montessori created her pedagogy based on disabled and underserved children this should not be seen as still important to today’s Montessorians. This idea undermines the foundational principles of Montessori education and helps people feel comfortable with the status quo.
Maria Montessori developed her educational methods to empower all children, by focusing on their individuality and capabilities.
While it is accurate that Maria Montessori’s first Casa dei Bambini was located in a low-income area and served primarily under-resourced children, framing her work as merely an observation of this environment because ‘that is all Montessori had available to her’ overlooks critical elements of her mission:
Inclusivity Over Exclusivity: Montessori’s methods were not solely developed for impoverished children. While her early work was informed by her experiences with these children, her overarching goal was to create educational systems that could benefit all children. We can see this for example in her lecture at the UN. Scientific Observation: Dr. Montessori’s scientific approach involved more than just observing behaviors in the slums. She did expand her observations into other cultures and demographics. Her insights were transformative because they were rooted in a deep understanding of universaiity in child development, psychology, and a commitment to the child.
Where are we now
Equitable Access: The transformation of Montessori schools into establishments primarily for the wealthy, including wealthy homeschoolers, contradicts the philosophy of equitable education. This shift creates a disparity in access to quality education based on socio-economic status. Nicola Chsinell said:
"Although Montessori early childhood centres generally espouse equity and justice, some centres succumb to neo-liberal capture of their ideals. The provision of literacy materials and activities, for example, were originally a response to both child and parental request, recognised by Montessori (1912) as an issue of cultural capital for the impoverished families with whom she worked. An internet search, however, will quickly reveal many Montessori centres that create an illusion of academic advantage with which to attract middle class families to the early childhood education market place. The original project had an entirely different objective."
This change to being an exclusive educational method be it in a homeschool setting or a centre, signals a drift away from Montessori's founding principles, which are rooted in equitable opportunities.
Duckworth (2006) stated that "An education for social justice must equip students to analyze critically for themselves, even when their views are in the minority. Montessori indicated that this is a critical form of resistance against political oppression." As an educational community we have a responsibility to advocate for underserved populations. By normalising a wealthy-centric approach, we risk neglecting the needs and cultural capital of low-income and disabled children who would benefit greatly from Montessori methodologies and who we could learn a lot from.
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