Peace

"It would seem to be so obvious a statement as to be naive, but it is perfectly plain that two things are needed for peace in the world: first of all, a new man, a better man; and then an environment that henceforth will set no limits on manÕs boundless aspirations."
Education and Peace, p 21, Chap 1

Montessori was twice nominated for the Nobel Peace prize, both in 1949 and in 1950.

These nominations followed her writings and lectures that increasingly tackled social issues that she considered were the results of inappropriate educational systems. "Establishing a lasting peace is the work of education; all politics can do is to keep us out of war." (Education and Peace, p viii, Foreward).

In 1932 she discussed the problem of peace at the International Office of Education in Geneva, which was at that time the European centre of the peace movement. Throughout the 1930s she lectured throughout Europe. Her speeches challenged social, political, scientific, religious and educational thinking of the time.

Her passionate belief in the possibilities of restructuring society united universities, organizations, associations and individuals in countries around the world who ultimately proposed her as a candidate for the Prize.

It was her work with very young children that led her to see that man's potential was infinitely greater than had been understood, but that in order to realize this potential he needed to be free to develop according to his innate needs.

She was increasingly convinced that social and educational constraints were distorting the way in which men were designed to develop. By allowing the children the freedom to demonstrate what it was that they needed from the environment she created schools that demonstrated such extraordinary abilities in the children that people came from all over the world to see what she had done.

It cannot be over emphasized that she herself was continually astonished at what she saw happening. Her books clearly demonstrate this fact. It was the transformation that she repeatedly saw happening in the children that convinced her of the vital importance of her work. She saw that the children, when left to develop in freedom, radiated joy, curiosity, self-confidence, energy and love for self and others.

The Montessori classrooms became places of great peace and contentment and it was this that led her to see that these qualities were natural to children and to therefore question what it was that was preventing them being manifested in adults.

Her life from then on became a mission to convince others that by freeing the child you free the adult to be all that he should be and that this was the only way that society itself could be transformed.

Quotations

"Constructive education for peace must not be limited to the teaching in schools. It is a task that calls for the efforts of all mankind. It must aim to reform humanity so as to permit the inner development of human personality and to develop a more conscious vision of the mission of mankind and the present conditions of social life. These aims must be achieved not only because man is almost totally unaware of his own nature, but also because for the most part he does not understand the workings of the social mechanisms on which he has interests and his immediate salvation depend."
Education and Peace p 24, Chap 2

"Peace is a goal that can be attained only through common accord, and the means to achieve this unity for peace are twofold: first, an immediate effort to resolve conflicts without recourse to violence - in other words, to prevent war - and second, a long-term effort to establish a lasting peace amongst men. Preventing conflicts is the work of politicians; establishing peace is the work of education. We must convince the world of the need for a universal, collective effort to build the foundation for peace."
Ibid p 24, Chap 2

"Constructive education for peace must not be limited to the teaching in schools. It is a task that calls for the efforts of all mankind."
Ibid p 24, Chap 2

"Our principle concern must be to educate humanity - the human beings of all nations - in order to guide it toward seeking common goals. We must turn back and make the child our principal concern."
Ibid p 24, Chap 2

"Education today, in this particular social period, is assuming truly unlimited importance. And the increased emphasis on its practical value can be summed up in one sentence: education is the best weapon for peace."
Ibid p 28, Chap 3

"Those who want war prepare young children for war; but those who want peace have neglected young children and adolescents, for they have been unable to organize them for peace."
Ibid p 32, Chap 3

"Peace is a practical principle of human civilization and social organization that is based on the very nature of man. Peace does not enslave him; rather, it exalts him. It does not humiliate him, but rather makes him conscious of his own power over the universe. And because it is based on manÕs nature, it is a constant, a universal principle that applies to all human beings."
Ibid p 33, Chap 3

"The real danger threatening humanity is the emptiness in men's souls; all the rest is merely a consequence of this emptiness."
Ibid p 46, Chap 5

"Education must no longer be regarded only as a matter of teaching children, but as a social question of the highest importance, because it is the one question that concerns all mankind. The many other social questions have to do with one group or another of adults, with relatively small numbers of human beings; the social question of the child, however, has to do with all men everywhere."
Ibid p 48, Chap 6

"The child who has felt a strong love for his surroundings and for all living creatures, who has discovered joy and enthusiasm in work, gives us reason to hope that humanity can develop in a new direction. Our hope for peace in the future lies not in the formal knowledge the adult can pass on to the child, but in the normal development of the new man."
Ibid p 58, Chap 7

"If we wish to discover a pure being, a being who has neither philosophical ideas nor a political ideology and is equally removed from both, we will find this neutral being in the child. And if we think that men are different because they speak different languages, we will recognize in the child a being who speaks no language and who is ready to learn to speak any language at all. The child must therefore be our central focus when we seek ways to peace."
Ibid p 118, Chap 15

"The child would appear among us as the teacher of peace. We must gather around him to learn the mystery of humanity, to discover in him the mystery of a fundamental goodness that our outer lives and acts belie. That is the source of the knowledge that interests us most of all. If we truly yearn for brotherhood and understanding among men, there must also be brotherhood and understanding between the adult and the child!"
Ibid p 119, Chap 15

"We do not see him as almost everyone else does, as a helpless little creature lying with folded arms and outstretched body, in his weakness. We see the figure of the child who stands before us with his arms held open, beckoning humanity to follow."
Ibid p 119, Chap 15

Study guide

Education and Peace - Chapters 1- 15

Journal articles

Janke, R & Peterson, J (1999) 'Making PEACE Work: A Collaborative Model', Montessori Life, v11, n1, p36-39, Winter

Montessori, Mario (1995) Peace through Education NAMTA Journal, v20, n3, p53-58, Summer

<Salkowski, C (1994) Peacemaking: Establishing the Potential for a Peaceful Society by Achieving Community in the Elementary Classroom, Montessori Life, v6, n1, p32-39 Winter

Seldin, T (1999) 'Building Peace within our Adult Community', Montessori Life, v11, n1, p45-47, Winter

Archive resources

Boyd, W (1917) From Locke to Montessori, George Harrap & Co London.

Culverwell, E (1913) The Montessori Principles and Practice, G.Bell & Sons, London.

Kilpatrick, W (1915) Montessori Examined, Constable, London.