Montessori education was created by Maria Montessori, an Italian educator, who believed in scientific observation and individualized education plans. This education is based on the principles of respect, independence and the individuality of each child.
Joanne Schulzetenberg, the head of Way of the Shepherd School in Blaine, described the main difference between a traditional education and a Montessori education as the preparation of a guide in the classroom versus a teacher.
Schulzetenberg told “Practicing Catholic” radio show producer Rachael McCallum during an interview airing at 9 p.m. Sept. 20 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM, “The teacher in the traditional setting very much instructs from usually the front of the classroom, whereas the guide goes through a very rigorous training, either an AMS or AMI certification process, in which they need to learn the curriculum, have this spiritual formation as well, to be the best guide of the children in the classroom.”
Another difference, Schulzetenberg explained, is the use of materials. In a traditional education, there’s typically a mix of textbooks, worksheets and digital resources. A Montessori education uses materials designed for specific concepts through hands-on experience. There are no desks in a Montessori education, Schulzetenberg said.
“There’s more like tables or chowkis or working mats, so there’s many variations of where children can sit in an environment,” Schulzetenberg said. “We call it an environment and we build our communities. The students are typically together for three years.”
Discipline is another major difference in a Montessori environment. In traditional education, there is a system of rules from a top authority figure. In Montessori education, students, through a sense of community, develop their own rules with guidance.
“They really focus on this internal discipline through freedom within limits and therefore natural consequences,” Schulzetenberg said. “We have the opportunity of having these communities build upon each other where they’re mentoring, there’s leadership opportunities. Students gain knowledge from their other peers.”
To hear more about Montessori education from Schulzetenberg, tune into “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. Sept. 21 and 2 p.m. Sept. 22.
The program also includes an interview with Christina Krutza about the Called and Gifted charism discernment process workshop. Also, Father Jim Livingston discusses how healing Masses operate.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the program can also be heard after it has aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
