Wisdom from the Past and Present

Two foundational educational thinkers had this to say about the education of young children:

“Since we can’t know what knowledge will be most needed in the future, it is senseless to try to teach it in advance. Instead, we should try to turn out people who love learning so much and learn so well that they will be able to learn whatever needs to be learned.” – John Holt

“One test of the correctness of educational procedure is the happiness of the child.” - Maria Montessori

And from a present-day thinker in education, Deb Curtis, here’s a quote from her book, Really Seeing Children:

“Really seeing children and helping children see themselves has become the foundation of my work with both older and younger children. We have an environment filled with many possibilities for rich investigation and learning. As we engage with the environment, the children and I intentionally notice the details of our actions, perspectives, and discoveries and make these visible to each other with words, gestures, and images. Observing closely for the often surprising and complex details of the children’s actions and interactions enhances all of our days.” 

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