Inclusion; A Call to Action
We were pleased to read our Principal, Emma’s article in the latest issue of Direction magazine and to receive positive responses from teachers around the globe to her central message.
Dr Montessori was inspired to enter the world of pedagogy through working with medically-complex and learning-complex children in her Orthophrenic School. In the late 1960’s German pediatrician Theodore Hellbrügge implemented the Montessori method in his inclusive school: Aktion Sonnenscheine, within the Munich social pediatric center. Film from the time shows children of all abilities working together, supporting one another, concentrating, demonstrating acts of kindness. It celebrates the core values of the Montessori approach and highlights children working within a community based around the common good.
Montessori’s original model was so broad that even today, our schools are a wide and meandering river of support for many children. As societal attitudes to neurodivergence and disability progress, our river is under pressure and soon needs to burst its banks if all children are to have access and to be able to sail the seas of success.
So in 2024, how far have we come?
In the United Kingdom, where I work, inclusion is celebrated, promoted and welcomed…right to the moment it isn’t. That moment is usually when funding and understanding are lacking. Most Montessori schools are reliant on parent fees and finance is tight. Sadly, brutal decisions on priorities must be made. So often such decisions are made from a place of ableism.