Robin Chase is the founder of a company called Zipcar, a car sharing service started in Cambridge, Mass. She once stated that her father had one job, she herself would have six in her lifetime and her children will have six jobs at once. There are times when I find myself resembling her. My father who was born in the early days of the depression spent 40 years at Shell Oil then retired with a pension, social security and a nest egg he never touched. I recently stepped down from my fifth job and remain a few years away from what may be a semi-retirement. Two of my children are post college and working in professional jobs while the other two are completing their education before they head out into a changing work world. Two already work gigs as needed to supplement income and the other two have dabbled with gigs in order to take time off and step away from unfulfilling jobs that were reflections of someone else’s goals. Even our oldest, a public school teacher, has uncertainty ahead as that career has changed dramatically in the last 20 years.
It is true that crystal balls are rarely clear, so Ms. Chase’s statements will likely end up being only partially correct and perhaps nothing more than metaphorical. Where she is correct beyond any argument is that the world of work since the post-World War II boom of the depression era generation has changed dramatically and it is safe to say we aren’t going back. The third world poverty that plagued the world for most of the 20th century has been disappearing as countries develop economically. The new world of global commerce is developing at breakneck speed and that requires that peoples and countries alike build the ability to change and adapt. With that in mind we as parents need to ensure that we prepare our children to be active participants in this world rather than passive subjects.
The current public school direction is going to be very detrimental to meeting the goals of the future work world. Teaching to tests, passive students, restricted curriculums focused on non-competitive subjects and a lack of social engagement are all anathema to leadership and independence. Bringing up children that think, act and look alike will not solve any issues and doing so may well contribute to the US standing still while the rest of the world moves on. With regard to education, Montessori, particularly when presented early in life, is a great starting point for ensuring children get the most from the education they are offered.
The current social climate is also not conducive to leadership. Children with their heads in social media following the dictates of manipulators will prosper far less than those who are actively engaging with participating in and shaping the real world around them. Real human relationships that require us to exercise our emotional maturity are more valuable than gold. Leadership, action orientation and self-knowledge start young in the classroom and will grow and blossom if the seeds are planted early. Once again, Montessori is a wonderful place to start.
Ultimately, what do the children who will be able to lead look like? They look the same as today’s positive and effective leaders.
– They are capable of self-education and value it as a personal responsibility. Montessori children are encouraged to learn for themselves and are given the freedom within a safe environment to explore and learn. It is a habit that starts young.
– They are experienced in out of the box thinking. Montessori environments feature open classrooms and free engagement that encourages different perspectives to be explored and knowledge to be shared. Leaders know this is the key to long-term success for country, company and the individual.
– They can thrive in areas where structure is hard to find and build it for themselves and those around them. Unstructured play leads to some very interesting observations. Perhaps the most interesting is if you watch children play freely with each other you see the emergence of rules, structure and governance in an organic fashion. Behaviors, actions and playthings are negotiated, structured and bartered with the interests of the individual and group in mind. We REALLY LOVE unstructured play.
– They are practiced mentors who freely help others and ask for help themselves when they need it. The Montessori classroom allows those who have mastered work to engage freely with those who have not and it encourages them to pass on their knowledge. This mixed age, ungraded classroom is one of the great things we are privileged to watch as educators.
– They have a genuine sense of concern borne out of well developed values. Montessori, and Greystone House in particular with our value laden curriculum, places a strong emphasis on moral development. Moreover, many of the values emphasized are key for being successful in an incredibly diverse work world as well as in managing the stresses that the ever increasing rate of change drives in those who are unprepared.
Regardless of what vocation is chosen, children who embody these traits will be better set when it comes to a fulfilling work life than those who wait to be told what to do next. You have already provided them with a model of how to work with Montessori. In future articles and in upcoming coffee klatches we will be covering some things you can do to be Montessori at home.
