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Graduation Speech Given in June 1995 by Joanna '83
"I would like to begin by reading an excerpt from an alumni questionnaire from a CMS student now in college. What is most striking about her words is that they were written almost ten years after leaving CMS when you would not expect impressions of elementary school to have remained so vivid.
"…For me, my Montessori experience represents a renaissance of learning, in which the mind is truly nurtured and allowed to grow…I realize how important my years at CMS were to the development of my mind as a curious, rational entity… I believe that my Montessori education gave me the ability to think independently, intellectual curiosity, and also the ability to truly learn." (from Stephanie '88)
Montessori education is unique in two ways: its style and its content. The previous quote eloquently describes the former, the idea of active learning when concepts and facts are not just handed out to be memorized and then given back on a test but are pursued for their own sake and for the sheer enjoyment of the pursuit. No matter what the subject, the only limit to the depth and detail of its study is the interest of the particular child. I'm sure every parent in this room understands the enormous benefits in establishing burning intellectual curiosity in their children from a young age, but the Montessori teaching style provides another more subtle but no less critical benefit. These children have been taught to be discriminating in their assessment of their world. They can distinguish fact from fiction. They can ask probing questions. They can make independent decisions. So what does this mean? This means that whatever they do-be it watching the news, reading a magazine, having a conversation-they will be constantly assessing and critiquing what is placed before them. They will think to themselves, "Prove it. Prove your claims to us. We value evidence, not rhetoric. Show us why we should believe what you are telling us. For we will not be fooled. We can think for ourselves."
Joanna, 1983 Alumna
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