“A new education from birth onward must be built up. Education must be reconstructed and based on the laws of nature and not on the preconceived notions and prejudices of adult society.”
Dr. Maria Montessori, from The Formation of Man, p. 97
Mission Statement
The International Montessori Society (IMS) was founded by Lee Havis in 1979 to support Dr. Montessori’s vision and work of creating a “new education” in the world. IMS serves this purpose by providing knowledge, training, and other resources about a breakthrough “individual child framework” and “technology” for practicing the same scientific approach that led Dr. Montessori to discover the child’s true nature in 1907. Except now, however, using the IMS tools and support, you can achieve this result in a conscious, objective, and scientific manner that was never possible before.
Character Teaching Project in Ghana - In October, 2024, Isaiah Kofi Tefutor accepted appointment to serve as the initial member of the IMS-sponsored “Character Teaching” (CT) project in Ghana, West Africa. As founder and director of AUST International Montessori School in Accra, Ghana, he also established recognition of this school with IMS as well. He therefore… read more
What is the Child’s True Nature? - Watch the Video! In this video, Lee Havis, founder and director of International Montessori Society shows what is man's true nature that Dr. Montessori discovered in children in 1907. Lee shows an exercise to experience this true natural reality within yourself as a state of perfect peace, order, and harmony… read more
Character Teaching in Latin America - by Lee Havis The Character Teaching (CT) project began in 2000 when I encountered poor working children in the streets of a small town in Mexico, right on the border with USA. From there, I devised a framework for applying scientific teaching with the type of children, which ultimately… read more
New CT Board Member in Uganda - In June 2024, the Character Teaching (CT) consultation board in Uganda welcomed new member, Irene Nakalembe, to serve with Caroline Mpyisi in this project to employ scientific teaching to overcome poverty among children in that country. Irene will contribute her considerable background in the medical field. In addition, she has… read more
IMS in Nigeria - Evelyn Onyeka (IMS '22) Children at Joyful Haarlem Academy In Asaba, Nigeria, Evelyn Onyekonwu (IMS '22), has been busy since completing the IMS distance learning course in scientific education. Her main project has been establishing a new school, Joyful Haarlem Academy, which now is underway with a beginning enrollment… read more
New book Tech website – Scientificed.com - In April 2024, a new website for Lee’s book, “The Technology of Scientific Education”, was placed on the web at scientificed.com. Published in 2023, this 400-page book contains the essential practical guidance for creating Montessori's “true natural” reality with children. In it, you will find all you need to… read more
Character Teaching in East Africa - Since 2000, IMS has been sponsoring an innovative project to use scientific education to overcome long-term cultural poverty conditions by interacting directly with the poor working children who are most adversely affected. The project, called “Character Teaching” (CT) has recently been showing signs of moving towards its eventual operation… read more
IMS Workshop in Wichita, Kansas - On the weekend of April 20-21, 2024, Lee Havis conducted the latest IMS training workshop in Wichita, Kansas, entitled “Creating the ‘True Natural’ Reality”. Attending were parents and educators from throughout the state of Kansas, as well as several from the state of California. This Wichita workshop presented the… read more
Presenting the “true natural” reality in Cambridge UK - From January 29 – February 1, 2024, educational leaders and school owners from throughout Africa met in Cambridge, UK to learn about new ideas to improve the conduct of education in their native countries. As one the speakers at this Cambridge International Education Conference (CIEC), Lee Havis presented the… read moreCT in Uganda, East Africa - by Lee Havis In November, 2023, the “Character Teaching” (CT) project in Uganda was activated with the participation of Caroline Mpyisi as member of the country’s CT Consultation Board. Later that month, IMS sent a letter to the Uganda president Museveni to request his government’s support and approval of the… read more