For many, the public vision of “Montessori” is children learning through free, self-directed activity with materials. At a more superficial level, it is not much more than a sophisticated, elaborate set of materials to improve academic performance. However, this widely held superficial perspective of Montessori teaching is largely distorted, flawed, and limited by the bounds of personality and culture which dominate its popular representation and practice in the world. By contrast, IMS challenges this common perspective of “Montessori” by offering instead an alternative vision of Montessori that is being committed to laws of nature. Here, the child as an unknown spiritual being, and the teacher’s function is to “control of the environment, not the child.”
Beyond the distorted and confused outward vision of Montessori, there is the ultimate vision of the child’s true nature to discover – a unifying reality in the realm of the spirit. And this is actually Montessori’s true vision of a ‘new education” based on laws of nature which are beyond all words, limitations, definition and control by government, culture, or any human personality.
The true vision of “Montessori” only slowly comes into public view through its communication and outward expression of recognized schools, accreditation, and organizations that aim to honestly convey this true vision to the general public. And, this only happens through an imperfect process that involves constant learning and refinement through its practice and outreach in the world.
In 2003, IMS made a major breakthrough in this unfolding vision of Montessori, by consolidating a comprehensive technology for conducting “true natural” Montessori teaching in a scientific, objective manner that was never possible before. As this new technology becomes known and practiced, so too will the true vision of Montessori become more well known and understood at the public level as well. ing beyond its conventional understanding as limited by concepts and practices of the past.
The Montessori community, in all its diversity, unfolds its underlying true vision only imperfectly on the basis of knowledge and understanding that each person in the field possesses at the time. So, this public vision continues to evolve in its outward expression of great diversity of perception and philosophy according to those organizations, personalities and agencies that represent “Montessori” in various ways.
The public vision of Montessori will therefore evolve to take on new or changing forms in the future to either bury its true vision or realize it more fully, as progress and learning unfolds from one generation to the next. Beyond all this confusing outward expression, however, there remains Dr. Montessori’s original, simple pure experience and vision of a new education that brings about the child’s true nature of perfect peace, harmony, self-discipline, goodness, and intelligence in the world.