Nurturing the Spirit-by Aline D. Wolf
Published in 1996
Founder of Montessori- Maria Montessori

Maria Montessori is widely known as an educational innovator who pioneered child-centered education, developing environments to allow children freedom of movement and choice, and facilitating learning through carefully designed tangible, manipulable objects. What is not so well known about Montessori, as Aline Wolf points out in this book, is that foundational to all of Montessori’s educational work is her interest in the spiritual nature of the child. This little-known dimension of Montessori’s concern may not be altogether surprising to those familiar with the work of her disciple Sophia Cavalletti or that of Jerome Berryman, who studied with Cavalletti. Both Cavalletti and Berryman translated Montessori’s educational principles to religious education in approaches called, respectively, ‘The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd’ and ‘Godly Play’. What Wolf focuses on in this book is the spiritual, rather than the religious, nature of Montessori’s educational approach.

The reasons the spiritual foundations of Montessori’s approach are not widely known, Wolf explains, are several. First is the elusive nature of spirituality. Montessori’s own writings on spirituality are not as specific as her detailed descriptions of academic exercises. Similarly, teachers and administrators of Montessori schools find it difficult to articulate the spiritual nature of their work; nurturing the spirit of the child is not so easily demonstrated as learning in academic subjects. Further, the Montessori method is often used in settings in which children may come from a wide variety of ‘persuasions’, as Wolf puts it: Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Unitarian, agnostic, Buddhist, Hindu, as well as others. In deference to parents’ sensitivity to any kind of sectarian influence, many Montessori teachers have avoided activities that might be interpreted by parents as religious at all. A misunderstanding of the distinction between spirituality and religion has ‘weakened and sometimes eliminated the spiritual element that Montessori felt was basic to her educational philosophy’ (p. 4), says Wolf. It is ‘to reiterate for the followers of Maria Montessori the fundamental purpose of her educational method’ (p. ii) that Wolf, a Montessori teacher herself, has written this book.

Published in 1996, Nurturing the Spirit is compatible with insights, approaches, and concerns that have emerged in the field of children’s spirituality in the 12 years since. I myself was introduced to the book by a Montessori teacher as I was developing a graduate course, ‘Spirituality and Religion in Children’s Literature’, at the university where I teach. I adopted it as a primary text for the course, and my students, teachers from Kindergarten through the secondary school level, have embraced it enthusiastically. The unique contribution of this book, besides reclaiming the spiritual Downloaded By: [Association for Children’s Spirituality] At: 12:07 1 February 2009 86 Book reviews foundations of Montessori’s educational philosophy, is the clear and balanced way in which Wolf proceeds from the theoretical to the practical.

In Part One, she draws a careful and nuanced distinction between spirituality and religion, and between soul and spirit. In Part Two, she points out the importance of teachers nourishing their own spirituality and describes practices that they may use to deepen their spiritual awareness. She closes the section by discussing the importance of a sense of community among school staff in providing an atmosphere that nourishes the spirit of children.

Part Three, the major section of the book, is devoted to chapters on such topics as cultivating stillness, experiencing wonder in the classroom, cosmic education, care of the earth, the spiritual roots of peace education, children’s inner peace and love, spirituality and the arts, controlling advertising in the environment, questions about God, and explaining spiritual nurture to parents. For each chapter she lays out a theoretical groundwork, drawing upon other philosophers, educational experts and writers, then proceeding to describe actual practices and activities that address these various aspects of children’s spirituality or concerns relating to it.

The book will be of interest both to parents and to educators at every level who are interested in nurturing the spiritual lives of children.
Ann Trousdale
LouisianaState University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA (atrous@lsu.edu)
©2009, Ann Trousdale Book review-International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, 14:1, 79-86

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"Never have I seen so few words tell so much about parenting."
Growing Child Magazine

"Even at a quick glance, this beautiful and simple combination of words and pictures has an immediate impact. A fine gift for young parents."
American Montessori Society News

"This appealing paperback is a vehicle for conveying the message of Maria Montessor, the pioneer of early childhood education who possessed a unique and marvelous understanding of young children."
Baby Talk Magazine

"This little gem of a pictur book covers nearly all the points we wish to convey to the struggling mother of a toddler."
Leaven, the magazine of La Leche League

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Math Works by Michael Duffy

"Duffy’s road-map through Montessori’s ingenious approach to math is accessible, intelligent, and reassuring.  A must read for parents and an eye-opener for anyone who has ever wondered what those rods and beads and cubes were all about."
Jacqueline Cossentino, Ed.D. Head, Williamsburg Montessori School

"Here’s a winning brain combination for sure!  The rote teaching and learning so common in tradition classrooms can’t happen with this approach to mathematics!  Not only are these elegant mathematical exercises going to engage the frontal lobes, but the absorbed mind of the student will insure that the information seats deeply, creating the scaffolding needed to build true mathematical comprehension.  The invisible bonus is that the teacher must truly comprehend mathematics to be able to teach the Montessori way."
Dee Joy Coulter, Ed. D., nationally recognized neuroscience educator

"As I enjoyed this very readable book, I realized how close I came to not having my children learn Montessori math and what a loss that would have been for them.  Math Works, Montessori Math and the Developing Brain showed me the elegance and beauty of Montessori math materials as well as how my children’s brains are actually stronger as a result of their work with them."
Aline Gery, Head of Lexington Montessori School

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Child-size Masterpieces for Art Appreciation, Aline D. Wolf

"This handbook presents an ingenious idea to challenge and deepen children’s aesthetic sense by using readily available materials.  Further, it offers children immediate feedback and success while providing for long term aesthetic appreciation and education."
Dr. Nancy Curry, Ph.D., Professor and program director of Child Development and
Child Care, University of Pittsburgh

"This is a book that could revolutionize art education.  Designed for those pre-school years when learning can be a sheer pleasure, it fosters an uninhibiting sense of order and mastery which could enrich the rest of the young one’s life."
John McDonald Moore, Art historian and lecturer, New School for Social Research

"What a simple, delightful system!  The author takes one of the most effective and enjoyable ways of learning about art-comparison-and with a magic wand, transforms it into a game for children of all ages.  What a pleasant way to take a voyage of artistic discovery.”
John H. Brooks, Associated Director
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, MA

"This little gem offers children the best of several worlds.  It gives them opportunity to engage in entertaining activity, stimulate their intelligence, sharpen artistic taste and foster cultural knowledge.  I predict that the method will have as much appeal to adults as to children."
Dr. Milton Schwebel, Professor Psychology and former Dean of Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University

"The technique described in this important book offers the most appropriate preparation I know of for a child to experience that wonderful movement of recognition when he/she first sees the original of a familiar work of art in a museum.  In other words, this method prepares the child for the gestalt of the work of art.  Isn’t this the goal of every museum visit for young and old?"
Joan Cavanaugh Consultant/Art Educator
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

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