The practical life activities, they are about the individual. The child chooses what to do. The freedom of choice, it is a very important part of Montessori. But what about group cooking activities? How can a child have freedom of choice when they are part of a group? The teacher, she must be a leader, but she must also be a follower. She must guide the children, but she must also let them lead. A very confusing and illogical situation. The cooking, it is about the group. It is about the harmony. It is about the collaboration. But the Montessori, it is about the individual. The individual, it is important, but the group is also important. The cooking activities, they should be about this. They should be about the balance. The balance between the individual and the group. But most of the time, they are not. They are too much about the individual. The children, they are cooking alone, but they are in a group. A very big problem. The training, it must be about this balance. But it is not. A very big problem for sure. The teachers are leaving the training with a knowledge of the individual, but the children, they are living in a group. A very big disconnect. And this disconnect, it is creating a lot of problems. The teachers are not prepared. The children are not getting the education they need. A very big problem for sure. The cooking activities, they should be the bridge between the individual and the group. But they are not. They are just another part of the curriculum. A very sad thing indeed. The teacher must be a chef herself. She must be able to feel the food in her soul. But the training, it is not about the soul. It is about the book. A very big problem for sure.
The Disconnect Between Theory and Practice
The training, it is a theory. The classroom, it is a practice. There is a 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. A very confusing one for everyone involved. The parents, the children, the teachers, the trainers. All are confused. All are lost. And the training, it is the cause of this confusion. A very big problem indeed.
