Now that I have shown you my radical heart, I must confess that it is nonetheless impossible not to admire Geoffrey Canada and his Harlem Children's Zone. He has achieved educational feats worthy of Clark Kent by bringing together teachers, parents, children, appropriate buildings, neighborhood schools, financial sponsors, medical facilities, and other neighborhood young people, even Berry Brazelton, all working together. An absolute coup. We could certainly use him on the West Side here in Chicago. But until human cloning is legalized... No, not even then. He was the perfect man in the perfect place at the perfect time. And what he has done is simply amazing!
Montessori education works more from the inside out. From birth we encourage the infant to explore the surrounding environment to the extent that safety allows. This does take more parental patience than the crib or the playpen. And it takes dedicated parents. An infant's intelligence grows through experiencing the surrounding world however small it may seem at first. It gets bigger fast.
Just went to a presentation given by the HCZ people at the Woodlawn Children's Promise Zone held at the Apostolic Church. It worked for Canada in a certain time and place but has inspired others to make a difference!
ReplyDeletethe Harlem Children's Zone is definitely inspirational. But it has a great many hurdles to leap. Montessori has only one big one, the training of teachers.
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