"To Educate the Human Potential" (Book Thirteen)

"To Educate the Human Potential" By Maria Montessori

First published in 1948.

I'm not sure what I expected when I first picked up this book, but it was not anything close to what this book was like. Being the Anthropology nerd that I am, this short rundown of human history was at times funny (in a this was published in the 1940s sort of way) and others disturbing, with a major undercurrent of religious connotations.

To educate the child of 6 years old.

"Regard the child's intelligence as a fertile field in which seeds may be sown, to grow under the heat of flaming imagination"

"To interest the child in the universe, we must not begin by giving them elementary facts about it, to make them merely understand its mechanism, but start with far loftier notions of a philosophical nature, put in an acceptable manner, suited to the child's psychology" (pg 28)

Montessori, goes from the development of the ocean, to creatures that came onto the land to live. She goes on to describe dinosaurs. To the emergence of humans. Here, I disagree with her assessment about us springing forth and not evolving, though she does say that evolution happens. I'm far more knowledgeable than she was about these subjects or at least I'd like to think I am. So over all. I do not regret reading this book, I think it's important to understand how people thought about the world at different stages in time, but I don't put much credence in her words. Though I do commend her for wanted people, children and their teachers, to understand history.

As always, I appreciate your comments or book recommendations. ~Dianna