It is not enough for the teacher to love the child. She must first love and understand the universe. She must prepare herself, and truly work at it.
Interpretation
A teacher's love for a child must be complemented by a deep understanding of the world.
Maria Montessori emphasizes that effective teaching extends beyond affection for students; it requires a comprehensive grasp of the universe and the commitment to continual self-improvement. A teacher must not only love their students but also prepare thoroughly to guide them, thereby fostering a rich learning environment rooted in understanding and dedication.
In practice
In a speech for Teacher Appreciation Day, emphasizing the importance of a teacher's holistic understanding.
... the first thing his education demands is the provision of an environment in which he can develop the powers given him by nature. This does not mean just to amuse him and let him do what he likes. But it does mean that we have to adjust our minds to doing a work of collaboration with nature, to being obedient to one of her laws, the law which decrees that development comes from environmental experience.
When we want to infuse new ideas, _x000D_ to modify or better the habits and customs of a people, _x000D_ to breathe new vigor into its national traits, _x000D_ we must use the children as our vehicle; for little can be accomplished with adults.
Noble ideas, great sentiments have always existed and have always been transmitted, but wars have never ceased.
What we need is a world full of miracles, like the miracle of seeing the young child seeking work and independence, and manifesting a wealth of enthusiasm and love.
To aid life, leaving it free, however, that is the basic task of the educator.
It is fortunate, I think, that nature is not bounded by human reason and by laboratory work and experimentation, for by the laws of pure reason and by microscopic investigation, it might easily have been proved, long before this, that children could not be born.
I like to build places online where readers can have productive conversations about books.
We never stop investigating. We are never satisfied that we know enough to get by. Every question we answer leads on to another question. This has become the greatest survival trick of our species.
When I was in New York after I left the Army, I studied for two years at the American Theater Wing, studied acting, which involved dance and fencing and speech classes and history of theater, all that.
We think about education as a stepping stone into a higher socio-economic class, into a better job. And it does do those things. But I don't think that's what it really is. I experienced it as getting access to different ideas and perspectives and using them to construct my own mind.
Learning music by reading about it is like making love by mail.
The proudest moment for [a teacher of leaders] is seeing not what students learn but what they do.
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