My first Montessori School

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For this first post, I would like to tell you about the beginnings of my journey in Montessori education. Because as I realized later, it is a path, and this pedagogy also makes you evolve as a parent, and then as a human being. However, this path is not original, it was like so many others that of a parent of a student in a Montessori school.

From Public School to Montessori

It took me many years and many detours to get to my current professional situation. 

When I left high school and then higher education, I was (gently) mocking some of my friends who were planning to stay in education. You know, the cliché of the teacher who never left school. And here I am back now!

Another certainty that shattered: to all those who wanted to hear it, I proclaimed that I was a child of the public school, and that never, ever would my children go to private school! I must say that I spent a very happy youth at the Collège Valéri (not Valéry, he was the former owner of the place before it became a collège) then at the lycée du Parc Impérial in Nice, which was nevertheless a “great lycée of 3000 students … it must be said that at the end of the year, when some teachers were absent, we could go out and go to the beach before returning … what definitely leaves good memories. And as I have always been a rather good student, this has not prevented me from finding my way well balanced between going out and working regularly.

In short, if during my studies I regularly gave courses in history, geography, economics or even French or philosophy, I never really thought of myself as a teacher !

And by the way, this is still the case.

Looking for alternative educational proposals

It was by the very classic, very usual way for the moment, that I returned to school: that of the parent.

When my eldest daughter reached the age of two, with her mother we were very involved as parents in alternative proposals: home birth, long-term breastfeeding, intensive carrying, co-sleep, etc.

We “naturally” tried to find out more about alternative educational proposals: Steiner, Montessori, Freinet, Decroly … I can assure you that at the time (that’s it again, I’m doing my old crumbling old man) Montessori was considered a cult! I had also found old articles on the Solar Temple (who remembers?), some of which mentioned Montessori schools (some parents had to attend them, without it coming from the school in question).

In short, nothing to do with the current situation where Montessori pedagogy is considered by some to be too strict!

The Montessori school in Lyon, a dream school

And there, a little “miracle” happened, one day at the bakery downstairs: a small leaflet announcing the open doors of the Montessori school in Lyon, which Françoise Neri, the headmistress of the school that lived nearby, had just left.

When we visited the school that day, we thought: impossible, it’s a dream school! Besides, it doesn’t look that much like a school! And the team seems so friendly, and especially respectful of children! There were also parents, who described their experience in this school better than anyone else, and made them furiously envious. In short, when we came out we said to ourselves: no more need to search, it will be here and nowhere else!

Or how all of a sudden all my previous certainties about “public”, free school etc., have been shattered. First lesson, never say never….

Solange Denervaud’s lecture: “Concentration in the service of interior construction” on Saturday 19 January 2019 at 2.30 pm

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As usual, the Association Montessori de France proposed a conference following its General Assembly, presented by Solange Denervaud, doctoral student in affective neurosciences at the University of Geneva (Switzerland).

The theme of this intervention concerned one of the fundamental processes of Montessori pedagogy, that of the child’s concentration.

This conference highlighted the physical process of concentration of the child within his brain, and how this process of concentration allows the child to consolidate his learning and thus his inner construction. Once again, Maria Montessori’s empirical studies conducted more than a century ago are now proven by the latest scientific research.

Solange Denervaud and her team are expected to complete their work in the summer of 2019, which will provide an opportunity in the following months to publish numerous articles and present the final results. A subject that we’re certainly not done talking about.

2019 General Assembly of the Montessori Association of France

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On Saturday morning, January 19, the General Assembly of the Montessori Association of France (AMF) was held at rue Claude Bernard in Paris.

An opportunity for all members to meet and take stock of the past year.

Among the many elements presented, the strong vitality of the Montessori network in France is worth mentioning: in 2019, the AMF had more than 700 members, with strong growth, reflecting the progress of Montessori education in French society.

According to a survey conducted by the Foundation for the School, 203 schools claim to be Montessori educational institutions to date: the AMF is in contact with 171 of them, and 113 are members of the association.

The first challenge for the association is therefore to federate the community of educators, who often find themselves a little alone after their Montessori training.

Among the actions implemented by the association, the School Directors’ Day brought together 43 people, the equipment loan programme in partnership with the Montessori Foundation of France benefited 3 schools in 2018 for a total amount of 18K€, and the association’s Facebook page now has 6700 subscribers, 1200 of whom receive the monthly newsletter.

Christian Maréchal’s conference on Montessori pedagogy and neuroscience (Geneva, 15/12/2018)

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The AMS (Association Montessori Suisse – which brings together the actors of the Montessori community for the cantons of French-speaking and Italian-speaking Switzerland) proposed a conference on Saturday 15 December 2018, at the Maison des Associations, rue des Savoises 15, in Geneva.

This conference, led by Christian Maréchal, had as its theme: “The links between Montessori pedagogy and neuroscience: what if Maria Montessori had been right?”

It allowed us to present the functioning of the brain as neurosciences show us, in particular the role of mirror neurons and the processes of synaptic learning and erasure. It is striking to note that the empirical studies carried out by Maria Montessori more than a century ago are now supported in a fairly systematic way by the progress of research.

Christian Maréchal, an outstanding teacher, has the gift of making these aspects, which are sometimes a little difficult to understand, intelligible. And it made everyone want to know more!