The Peaceful Physicist
Before I became a Montessori teacher I studied the physics of light, operating a synchrotron. A synchrotron, which is a circular particle accelerator, has a wide range of applications, including in pharmaceuticals, archaeology, chemistry and biology. Through this work I was able to meet many kinds of people in all walks of life.
How does one go from being a physicist to being a Montessori guide? It is a journey. Briefly, early in my studies I had decided that I would change paths once I’d reached forty and becoming a teacher was one of the options. I had two keywords in mind: non-violence and education.
At that junction I found Montessori: education for a new world, education for peace. As attractive as Maria Montessori’s approach to education is, being a scientist I needed evidence of its effectiveness. Reading Angeline Stoll Lillard’s book, Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius (a must read!), sealed it. A professor of psychology, she analyses eight Montessori principles such as free choice, absence of rewards or punishments, learning from peers, in the light of research.
An abundance of research studies are carried out on Montessori education, theses are written, and papers published in peer reviewed journals. It is also fascinating to see how the science of human development, using the latest technology, corroborates Maria Montessori’s insights: a tribute to her observational skills. Understanding human development is the key.
In some ways, I’m continuing my work with the synchrotron. Montessori is also like a high-powered laser, delving deeply into a wide range of fields and drawing in a diversity of people from all walks of life. Being a guide is very similar to being a researcher; we have to understand the human being we are working with in order to better serve their developmental needs. Therefore we need to observe. Every day is different. We experiment and then make a change in the environment.
The Montessori Parent
The evidence-based nature of Montessori convinced me to enrol my son in Montessori education from age 4 to 15. Then he left for public school because of the lack of a Montessori 15 to 18 adolescent community in France.
Being a trained guide did not mean that I was immune to questions; I can relate to parents' worries. Was my son learning? How would he be transitioning to a conventional school? To high school? And so on. Being trained, knowing the curriculum and the presentations, I could get a feeling of what was going on below the surface. This helped.
Maria Montessori’s work is about human development and providing the appropriate support to the developmental needs of children and adolescents. This is about being patient: on a cherry tree not all flowers bloom at the same time. With the proper environment, with opportunities to safely experience errors, nature will do its job.
Through my own experience, as a parent and as a guide, and the experience of countless guides around the world the philosophy is overwhelmingly positive. Trust and patience. Adolescents have the culture — knowledge and understanding — and the soft skills needed to adapt and thrive wherever they go.
Xavier Maréchal
Eucalyptus Guide