by Sally Korte (IMS ‘15)
Have you ever read a book and fallen in love with it? This is what happened to me when I read Lee Havis’ new book “The Technology of Scientific Education”. This book has become my best friend, the friend that you always want to have with you because his presence guides you to the light. A friend that walks with you and shows you the way to greatness.
This book has been accompanying me in different ways this summer. First it has enhanced the “Montessori” lectures that I present for Catechist of the Good Shepherd (CGS) in the states of Kansas and Oklahoma. It has been a great resource on how to structure and simplify my lectures.
In the past I felt that my talks were complex and couldn’t really transmit the main focus of Montessori education that is to discover the child’s true nature. My talks were impractical and didn’t make a difference in the work of CGS. Now I can really transmit the main point of the Montessori principles. Many participants were so touched by the lecture that they ended up buying their own book.
I opened my school “Shalom Prince of Peace” two years ago, which has been well accepted in the community. As a result of this, the opportunity to add a second Montessori Primary room to the school was at hand. So, I had to mentor and train new teachers. Since I was unsuccessful in doing this in the past, I had some fear of failing in this area again. However, as I started reading the book, I knew I had found the “Pearl of Great Value”.
Now, each staff has their own book, which I use as a basic text for training my new teachers. Before school started, we studied it together, and now that school is in session, I keep using it as a training tool for all. We are now in the fourth week of school and our new classroom is led by a new teacher and aide, which is functioning positively, thanks to this book.
This book has become my best friend. I keep savoring it every night before bed. Last night I read about how to handle tantrums. I examined myself and saw that I could do better when this problem happens again in my school. I went to work this morning with the intention to solve tantrums by bringing the child to the present moment.
Contact: Sally Korte (IMS ‘15), Shalom Prince of Peace School in Augusta, Kansas, at the school’s facebook page, or by phone, 316-253-1254
