tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25324039.post3949864064149886696..comments2023-12-16T13:01:57.794-08:00Comments on shh, don't wake the DRUNKEN HOUSEWIFE: doctrines we have known and not lovedthe Drunken Housewifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14606104534453493304noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25324039.post-52941058727416753572007-08-14T18:25:00.000-07:002007-08-14T18:25:00.000-07:00i was raised without parental support and skipped ...i was raised without parental support and skipped first and second grade to emerge too young in third grade. after that, despite the accolades i received, i was basically on my own. and look how i turned out!!!!<BR/><BR/>ok, maybe not. <BR/><BR/>the point is all parental guidance is what it is. our parents drank and smoked while they were pregnant. (or mine did) we were exposed to sun without screen and charcoaled meat. we end up however we do. <BR/><BR/>from what i've read, you have done an exemplary job of being a mother, DH. but in the long run, you just have to let go and realize your kids will be the way they are.hughmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09995638646423120399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25324039.post-69432787123101526202007-08-14T17:04:00.000-07:002007-08-14T17:04:00.000-07:00Dear Eileen, thank you for taking the time to writ...Dear Eileen, thank you for taking the time to write out your opinions. I appreciate it!<BR/><BR/>I do maintain, however, that Dr Montessori intended children to weight themselves daily as part of learning to measure. She wrote it herself in her book I read. Her thinking was that this would accustom the children to thinking about weights and charts by using something very familiar to themselves. That idea was most likely just fabulous with the group of kids she worked with back then, but in today's society, it scares me with my concerns about anorexia and other eating disorders. <BR/><BR/>I'm glad you're happy with your preschool experience. We've been very happy with our own parent-cooperative preschools as well (but all the work i have to do, oy gevalt). cheers, the DHthe Drunken Housewifehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14606104534453493304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25324039.post-41649941098820957222007-08-14T06:21:00.000-07:002007-08-14T06:21:00.000-07:00The comment that starts "Forgot to mention" makes ...The comment that starts "Forgot to mention" makes no sense since what I wrote two hours ago didn't end up published. So...<BR/><BR/>Each family has to do research and then choose what is best for them. I am not criticizing your blog, which I think performs a service of encouraging people to think and question. I do want to correct some factual errors, however, that might have you looking at Montessori in a different light.<BR/><BR/>The first Montessori school opened in Rome on January 6, 1097. This was not only pre-WWII but pre-WWI. The Montessori schools were closed in Italy starting in 1934 and stayed closed throughout WWII because of Dr. Montessori's opposition to Mussolini and by extension to Hitler and their policies. Dr. Montessori spent most of her life after 1934 in exile from Italy.<BR/><BR/>Dr. Montessori was very active in both the Women's Movements and the Peace Movements and was nominated three times for the Nobel peace Prize.<BR/><BR/>There were approximately 100 Montessori schools in the US in 1913.<BR/><BR/>In the US today there are public and private Montessori Schools. There are Montessori schools that are also religious schools. There are Montesseroi schools for special needs children (deaf, autistic). <BR/><BR/>Montessori schools have been set up around the world in hospitals, refugee camps, castles (Princes William and Harry), the White House (Woodrow Wilson's administration, private homes, etc.<BR/><BR/>Some Montessori graduates include Julia Child, Jackie Kennedy, the founders of Google and the Founder of Amazon.<BR/><BR/>The weighing of children was not an academic activity. The children in the first Montessori School came from poor, working class families (they weren't orphans)who lived in basically a tenement. Dr. Montessori as a Physician worked with the families to improve the heatlth, hygiene and nutrition of these children. Dr. Montessori was the first female physician in Italy.<BR/><BR/>When I was 16 I told a young man that I wanted 12 children and I wanted them all to go to Montessori. I had read something which has struck a cord in me that drew me to Montessori. Forty two years later that young man is still with me. We have been married nearly 37 years. I don't do pregnancy and delivery well, though, so we have two daughters, two sons-in-law and a delightful granddaughter. Our daughters attended Montessori for pre-school and kindergarten. Our granddaughter begins Montessori pre-school next month.<BR/><BR/>After 7 years as a Montessori parent I took Montessori teacher training. I am now trained on pre-school, kindergarten (3-6, lower elementary(6-9) and upper elementary (9-12). I own and operate a Montessori school that enrolls toddlers through middle school. I am now teaching children of children I taught.<BR/><BR/>I hope that this information may interest you enough to look a little further into the Montessori method. Montessori, I believe, is for evey child but it is not for every parent and that can make it not right for the child. Not every Montessori school, even a truly good and authentic one, is right for every child, either.<BR/><BR/>I urge you to do your research (look into Reggio Emilia from Italy and Waldorf/Steiner from Germany, too), visit schools and follow your heart.<BR/><BR/>A wonderful biography of Maria Montessori was written by Rita Kramer and published as part of the Radcliffe Biography Series on Women. <BR/><BR/>Cheers to all of us who do the most important job in the world, raising and educating children.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25324039.post-38577912544670249572007-08-14T05:47:00.000-07:002007-08-14T05:47:00.000-07:00Forgot to mention that the Dr. in Dr. Montessori i...Forgot to mention that the Dr. in Dr. Montessori is an MD not a Ph.D. She was the first female physician in Italy. Her work with the parents and children of her first "school" regarding health, hygiene and nutrition was based on her training as a physician.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25324039.post-31157339088183237062007-08-13T20:04:00.000-07:002007-08-13T20:04:00.000-07:00No deoderant! Clearly the insane were running the ...No deoderant! Clearly the insane were running the asylum--There was one girl (16) at the two-week ballet workshop who eschewed deoderant (and also, frequent showers.) New kid. The 20 minute ride to and from was filled with discussions of this (one day my daughter came home physically ill from being near her) and strategies to change her, etc. I finally went to the director, who of course made one of those group announcements that only succeeds in reaching the paranoid and insecure ones, not the truly stinky. <BR/><BR/>The thought of doing that on purpose would send my daughter into a horror movie scream fit.Missyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00571974304103698871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25324039.post-22640789718771284222007-08-13T18:00:00.000-07:002007-08-13T18:00:00.000-07:00Dear Chaos Control, thank you for sharing the good...Dear Chaos Control, thank you for sharing the good things about your preschool without getting defensive. I appreciate it. I don't mean to attack all Montessori schools en masse; I'm just picking on a few oddball beliefs and on the habit some people have of adopting a belief system without questioning the odder aspects of it.the Drunken Housewifehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14606104534453493304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25324039.post-86110423726218448572007-08-13T16:49:00.000-07:002007-08-13T16:49:00.000-07:00My child attends Montessori pre-school - and what ...My child attends Montessori pre-school - and what I've learned, sadly, is that no two Montessori schools are alike. The Montessori way of teaching has evolved over time - as have the methods of teaching - but the idea remains the same in that children learn through discovery. <BR/><BR/>Our school does, in fact, encourage kids to pick whatever activity (art, blocks, books, etc) to play with and then works with them to explore those interests. And they have lots and lots of play time where they just run around outside playing with water, on the swings, in the garden, etc.<BR/><BR/>My kid has learned about weights without ever weighing himself. <BR/><BR/>I can - and do - drop by the school any time I want. Announced or unannounced. And I can stay all day, if I want. It's encouraged.<BR/><BR/>I'm not one of those people who would ever dare to suggest that my child is getting a better pre-school education than anyone elses - Montessori or not. It works fabulously for me and my family. <BR/><BR/>I know your post was not simply about the subject of Montessori teachings, but I felt compelled to share my experience with it - for whatever that's worth!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25324039.post-27897069002488253822007-08-13T12:29:00.000-07:002007-08-13T12:29:00.000-07:00If for some reason you find yourself in the Reno a...If for some reason you find yourself in the Reno airport soon, check out the photography exhibit that the preschoolers did! First, they lookeda at various pictures, and critiqued them. Then they were given a camera, and allowed to only take five pictures. In the process, they learned about things like composition and contrast. They had some really beautiful photographs!Epiphanyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14411334175194085503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25324039.post-27398719629034755082007-08-13T09:00:00.000-07:002007-08-13T09:00:00.000-07:00'Piph, I left out Reggio-Emilia because I have no ...'Piph, I left out Reggio-Emilia because I have no diss with it. (In fact, when Montessori adherents -- who invariably have never read Dr. M) start going on about Montessori, I say politely, "I'm more of a fan of the Reggio-Emilia school."). My understanding of Reggio-Emilia is that it's play-centered and about an emergent curriculum, meaning that you watch what the kids are drawn to doing and then you help them explore their interests. What's not to love about that?the Drunken Housewifehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14606104534453493304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25324039.post-21755037561306182822007-08-13T08:58:00.000-07:002007-08-13T08:58:00.000-07:00hokgardener, I'm with you... AND there's increasin...hokgardener, I'm with you... AND there's increasing amounts of research showing that Just Plain Play is incredibly important in a child's social, intellectual, emotional and physical growth. My girls have gone to co-op preschools where the whole point was to just plain play (and while playing, learn to interact with other kids and grown-ups).the Drunken Housewifehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14606104534453493304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25324039.post-73564466018720113172007-08-13T08:57:00.000-07:002007-08-13T08:57:00.000-07:00My mother, who is a child psychologist and profess...My mother, who is a child psychologist and professor of child development, uses the Reggio Emilia method at her school: <BR/><BR/>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggio_Emilia_approach<BR/><BR/>Several of the leaders from Reggio Emilia are coming to her school next week to work with my mom's preschool, and they are also planning to send many of the teachers to Italy to study there as well. I know they've gotten some really good results with this method.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25324039.post-90819386649620416752007-08-13T08:20:00.000-07:002007-08-13T08:20:00.000-07:00We have a friend who raved about her children's Mo...We have a friend who raved about her children's Montessori school and repeatedly dissed our friendly little co-op nursery school. I pondered actually listening to her advice and checking out her school until she informed me that parents are never allowed to visit the children during the school day because it interupts the flow of learning. As if I'd send my preschooler someplace where I wasn't allowed to visit! I decided there and then I didn't need to look for a school that had any sort of philosophy other than loving the kids and letting them play.hokgardnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09971689914882302078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25324039.post-87279184903584811492007-08-12T21:35:00.000-07:002007-08-12T21:35:00.000-07:00I only want to diss the crazy stuff here, not the ...I only want to diss the crazy stuff here, not the sensible stuff which is so helpful to everyone. <BR/><BR/>So much evidence is coming out now showing the biological foundation for mental illnesses, and I think the interplay between brain and mind is fascinating.the Drunken Housewifehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14606104534453493304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25324039.post-43930014226232887022007-08-12T21:27:00.000-07:002007-08-12T21:27:00.000-07:00My theory involves some family somewhere that is w...My theory involves some family somewhere that is well adjusted, but feels so out of place and different that they are uncomfortable anyway. Growing up with a mentally ill parent I always envied the family's in the early reading books (The Greens and the Whites?) who seemed so content and happy.<BR/>H, we're all bozo's on this bus. Ain't it grand?Silliyakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12357513229346986960noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25324039.post-79395888125089448852007-08-12T19:12:00.000-07:002007-08-12T19:12:00.000-07:00having been through several courses of therapy mys...having been through several courses of therapy myself, i don't think it's all easily catigorized. mine have neither been Freaudian or otherwise. but maybe that's just me. i've been careful about who i've hired and have had 2 great therapists. i owe much to both of them. i'm still a fucking mess but it has nothing to do with them.hughmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09995638646423120399noreply@blogger.com