Montessori Madness! A Parent to Parent Argument for Montessori Education book review

Montessori Madness! by Trevor Eissler

Trevor Eissler, jet pilot, flight instructor and author of Montessori Madness! admits that he never had much interest in children, let alone educational philosophies, until he became a father. He writes, “When I eventually had kids of my own, my priorities suddenly changed. My children’s growth and development continues to fascinate me, as all parents will understand. We all look for ways to improve our children’s lives and to better support their development. When we find those ways, we must act.”

And so, from that passion comes Montessori Madness!, a down-to-earth, well-researched, entertaining, easy-to-understand book written by a Montessori parent for parents who want learn about the benefits of Montessori education.

A Great Stroyteller
Most books about Montessori education are written from an educator’s perspective, and in general, take a more philosophical approach to the subject. Montessori Madness! delves into the world of Montessori in a way that parents will understand and teachers will applaud. Have you ever heard a really great speaker? You know the kind of speaker that has a relevant story to go along with every topic and keeps you interested and wanting to hear more? Trevor Eissler’s narrative style models that of a great storyteller. In Montessori Madness! he weaves his personal insights, opinions and stories about traditional schooling, parenting, flying airplanes and Maria Montessori into a cohesive argument that Montessori education should be available for all children.

What's Wrong with Traditional Schools?
Montessori Madness! begins with a look at traditional schooling, using a phrase Eissler terms the “factory-model system”, what it values and why it doesn’t work. Eissler, a product of traditional schooling recalls the lessons he learned ranged from “if it is not on the test, it is not important” to “ I learned to hope for others’ failure” because of the practice of grading on a curve and assigning class rankings.

Montessori Easily Explained
Eissler, working off the foundation of a traditional school approach, then offers an in-depth but easy to understand explanation of the Montessori philosophical principals of Sensitive Periods, the Absorbent Mind and the Prepared Environment. At one point Eissler simply explains, “Children soak up knowledge without the necessity of being constantly taught by someone else. Montessori believed the teacher’s role was to create an environment in which the children would absorb learning by themselves”.

How is Montessori Different?
The hot button education topics of rewards and punishment, discipline and competition are each given their own chapters along  with the traditional schooling approach being compared to the Montessori approach. On rewards, Eissler writes, “ Smiley faces, check marks and praise can distract form natural rewards, drawing attention and value to the teacher and her next move, rather than the learning itself”. The Montessori environment allows children to develop an independent, internal reward system”.

Why do Children need Freedom?
Montessori is “freedom with limits” Eissler goes on to explain, recalling a story from his childhood to give the concept understandable context. Eissler recounts the dread that ensued from his daily required violin practice of assigned songs. What started out as a love of playing the violin turned to hatred because he was denied the freedom he need to explore the music at his own pace and on his own terms. With freedom comes responsibility, Eissler writes, “In the Montessori classroom, responsibility and judgment are closely related. When the child freely decides on a course of action, works diligently on it and follows it through to completion, he inevitably, self-evaluates along the way”. “In traditional schools, the teacher decides what a student should do, how he should do it, when he is done with it and then evaluates his performance”.

Errors are Opportunities
On an interesting topic, not covered in all Montessori books in this kind of depth, Eissler embraces the notion that errors are really opportunities, which is why Montessori materials are all designed with a control of error in order to allow a child to make an error and then simply move on and learn from it. Eissler’s discussion regarding Montessori’s “comfort with error” and the idea of a “fear of error” and “controlling errors” is a unique perspective that will interest parents and Montessori educators alike.

A New Grassroots Movement?
Montessori Madness! makes the convincing argument that traditional schooling really needs to do better and that the solution lies with Montessori. Eissler is a modern day cheerleader for Montessori education for all. In calling attention to the problems of traditional schooling and thrusting Montessori into the public view, Trevor Eissler just might be starting a new grassroots movement for an educational philosophy over 100 years old.

Every online purchase of Montessori Madness! from the author’s website donates $10 of the purchase price back to a Montessori school. Click here for specifics and to order.