Most of us have visited at least one cathedral in the world; stood in awe of the beautiful stained glass windows, marveled the architectural genius of the flying buttresses or listened to the soothing rhythmic ringing of the bells. One of the most famous cathedrals in the world, Il Duomo in Florence, Italy took over 140 years to complete and was designed to have a massive dome which, at the time, no one yet knew how to build. The idea that architects, engineers and builders would work independently on each section, yet together over several generations on a project is nearly unheard of in today's world.
Montessorian Maren Schmidt, however discovered a curious relationship between the process of building a cathedral and the process of parenting and teaching a child in her new book, Building Cathedrals Not Walls: Essays for Parents and Teachers. She opens her new book with the following passage.
If asked what we were doing during our day-to-day toils and challenges of parenting and teacher, we might be apt to answer, "Can't you see I'm busy with the kids?"
If we shift our perception and develop the art of the long view we should discover that we are part of a group who is building humanity. We are part of a group who strives to build a better world, task by task, day by day, year in year out, generation by generation.
When we have a plan and a vision, we understand that, indeed, we are building cathedrals, not walls. He mundane becomes the magnificent.
Ms. Schmidt's new book, Building Cathedrals Not Walls, is a thoughtfully arranged collection of her award-winning column, Kids Talk. Each essay is an easy-to-read stand alone article about child development, parenting or teaching. Though clearly written from a Montessori perspective, this book will appeal to both Montessori and non-Montessori early childhood educators and parents of young children. Each themed section contains about a dozen meaningful essays that mix anecdotal real life stories, references to current schools of thought and high-quality practical advice.
Arranged around eight themed sections, a common thread is woven between building a cathedral and guiding a child's growth and development. The importance of each experience, interaction and person in a child's life provides the basis for the massive project that is human kind.
- Foundations: Love, Family and Work
- Columns and Walls: Building Character
- Flying Buttresses: The Art of Parenting
- Gargoyles: Dealing with External Forces
- Bells: Communicating and Connecting
- Windows: Revealing the Child's True Nature
- Spires: Seeing the Big Picture
- Labyrinths: Finding Personal Power
How is child development like building a cathedral?
The foundation for a cathedral needs to be a strong, deep and even basis for the wall to be built upon. The foundation for a young child to develop and grow needs to be a strong, deep and even combination of teaching love of self and others, modeling service and respect, and following a child's natural physical, emotional and social development. Ms. Schmidt sums it up beautifully by stating "We will serve our children best by being the adult we want our children to become".
Without this sturdy foundation, building walls or teaching character is difficult. Interspersing the Montessori ideas of the three hour work cycle, independence and concentration with traditional character education, Ms. Schmidt manages to create a connection that parents and teachers can build upon to have a meaningful impact with a child.
In a cathedral, the flying buttresses provide support to the walls and column by transferring stress back to the foundation and allowing the walls to stand straight. In this section Ms. Schmidt explains that the art of parenting revolves around the notion that as parents support a child's development, parents also require support and guidance from family, co-workers, friends, teachers and the community. Again weaving the Montessori ideas of the prepared environment and a child's desire of "help me to help myself" with the practical life issues of a making dinnertime enjoyable and providing alternatives to saying "no", gives a fresh spin on parenting young children.
As Ms. Schmidt continues "building the cathedral" other highlights include discussions on cultivating gratitude, giving praise, fostering cooperation, and the difference between discipline and punishment. The essays in Building Cathedrals Not Walls are a wonderful introduction to any conversation about how children learn best, how teachers can guide that process and how parents can embrace and value each child's individuality. Just like each worker was an important factor building the Il Duomo cathedral over 500 years ago, each member in a child's life provides an important piece to building human kind.
Building Cathedrals Not Walls by Maren Schmidt is available in Chicago at select Barnes and Noble locations or online . Ms Schmidt is also the author of Understanding Montessori: A Guide for Parents.
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