Maria Montessori was a famous female Italian physician and philosopher. I believe that her knowledge in both areas is represented in my teaching philosophy. One thing that I find important regarding education is the ability to view other people’s ideas. I often take different philosophies and compare them with my own with the goal of improving my ideas.
There is a lot you can learn from taking advice from other people. My teaching style has evolved over the years, having been influenced by my educators, peers, and especially by those who find a simple curiosity within art. Montessori and I both share an interest in how curiosity fuels free thought. Today, my style has expanded to focus on the curiosity within you. Teaching is the act of creating a space for a student to freely express their curious nature. By doing so, I am to establish an environment where learning starts with the desire rather than feeling like a chore.
Montessori encapsulates the idea that learning from a natural want is freedom. This is something I hope to be able to instill within my students. Growing up, I was never the best student academically. Art class is where I would always be able to shine the brightest. Looking back, I believe that this is because general education classes are required rather than something I elected to do. I was never the best at memorization or at using my words, but in my art classes, I was free. Sometimes, I was given mediums or artistic styles that I needed to display within my artwork. Whether I was given light instruction or not, each piece was unique to me.
Within my art class, I want my students to be able to have this same creative freedom. They are free to approach the creative process however they want and at their own pace. As my teachers did for me, my students will be required to have an understanding of the exercise or style we are learning. I believe that my students will learn better through their discoveries. I’ll give guidance when needed, but ultimately, I want them to explore and figure things out for themselves. This relates directly to Maria Montessori's idea that students will learn at their own pace and will expand their abilities based on natural curiosity and the environment they are in. If I can establish an environment that allows my students to be able to freely learn through their natural curiosity rather than being forced to do so, I would be extremely happy.
One of the main reasons I became a teacher was my interest in adolescent behavioral growth. I heavily sympathized with Montessori after learning that she was asked to supervise children with learning difficulties in a hospital ward. I am lucky to have been exposed to creating art with younger children with learning disabilities. It is no easy task, but this is where the teaching style becomes most important. Montessori shows us that children learn best when they are put in environments that encourage a natural interest in learning. The Montessori Method was created as a result of what she learned during her time with these children. A classroom that utilizes the Montessori Method is one that encourages children to work at their own pace while teachers offer light guidance when needed.
