This should come as no surprise to those who know us, but we don’t follow the BGUTI (Better Get Used To It) principle when it comes to preparing our students for life. The BGUTI principle is the view that education is preparation for the drudgery of living in a world where one seemingly has little control and less options. We prefer to nurture the view of education as preparation for the miracle of living where choices are abundant and the individual thrives while contributing to the ongoing shaping of a dynamic community.
Some parents worry that children attending our schools are “sheltered”, that our vision is “unrealistic”, and that inevitably, our students will have to learn that “life isn’t like Montessori” (although the founders of Google and Amazon would not agree!). On the other hand, we receive frequent feedback about the difficulties parents and students have at other schools, where the BGUTI principle dominates – with resulting emotional, educational and socialization difficulties. Alfie Kohn, author of numerous books on parenting and education, sums it up in his article, Getting Hit on the Head Lessons: Justifying Bad Educational Practices as Preparation for More of the Same:
LGMS students on “Fiery Furnace” Hike at Arches National Park, 2014
…people don’t really get better at coping with unhappiness because they were deliberately made unhappy when they were young. In fact, it is experience with success and unconditional acceptance that helps one to deal constructively with later deprivation. Imposing competition or standardized tests or homework on children just because other people will do the same to them when they’re older is about as sensible as saying that, because there are lots of carcinogens in the environment, we should feed kids as many cancer-causing agents as possible while they’re small to get them ready.
Leading by example, we prefer our community to be brave enough, prepared enough and confident enough to uplift each other, our families, our larger community and eventually the world. Our community began with only two pre-school students in February of 1999. Each year, it has developed and grown to further embody Maria Montessori’s aspirations.
Joyfully looking back on this and previous years with appreciation while Reaching Beyond into next,
Riza Weinstein
“It’s not our job to toughen our children up to face a cruel and heartless world. It’s our job to raise children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless.” ― L.R. Knost, Author of Two Thousand Kisses a Day: Gentle Parenting Through the Ages and Stages
© Lions Gate Montessori