The golden beads, the pink tower, the binomial cube—these materials are beautiful. But they are also expensive. A Montessori school in a wealthy area, it can afford them. But what about a school in a developing country? A high-quality training activity must teach the teacher how to improvise. How to make materials from local resources. How to use recycled items. The training should not just be about what you have, but about what you can create with what you have. But many training programs, they are too focused on the official materials. They teach the teacher to be a purist, a perfectionist. This is not practical. The world is not perfect. It is full of imperfections and challenges. The training must reflect this. It must teach the teacher to be a problem-solver, not just a follower of a manual. It must teach them to see the potential in everything. The training, it should be about creativity, not just replication. But most of the time, it is just replication. This is a very big problem. The teachers, they go out into the world and they are shocked. The real world, it does not look like the training center. A very big problem indeed.
The Disconnect Between Theory and the Real World
The training, it is a theory. The classroom, it is a practice. There is a great disconnect. A high-quality training activity must bridge this gap. It must be about practice. The teacher must get her hands dirty. She must learn how to make her own materials. She must learn how to solve problems. What do you do when a child refuses to work? What do you do when a child is not interested in anything? The training, it must prepare the teacher for these real-world problems. But most of the time, it is all theory. It is all about the “should be.” It is not about the “is.” This is a very big problem. The teachers, they leave the training and they are shocked. The real world, it is not the same as the book. They are not prepared. A very big problem.
Preparing for the Unpredictable
Life is not a lesson plan. The classroom is not a lesson plan. It is unpredictable. A high-quality training activity must teach the teacher to be flexible. To be a problem-solver. To think on her feet. It’s not about memorizing the sequence of the materials. It’s about understanding the child. The child, they are unpredictable. They are full of surprises. The teacher, she must be ready for this. But most trainings, they are too rigid. They are too focused on the script. They forget that the real world, it has no script. It is all improvisation. A very confusing thing for sure. A lot of people, they do not see this. They only see the materials. They do not see the spirit. They do not see the real purpose of the training. And this is a very big problem for the children. They deserve a teacher who is prepared for the real world, not for a perfect world that does not exist. The training, it is failing them. A very big and sad problem.
