Montessori’s brilliant metaphors

Metaphors are undoubtedly one of the elements that constitute the charm of linguistic art. In daily life, people who are adept at using metaphors to explain problems and express themselves in communication often appear wise and humorous. Poets and literary figures are particularly skilled at this. Many of their metaphorical sentences are widely talked about and have been passed down through the ages.

When it comes to scientists, educators, or scholars outside the field of literature, we don’t seem to care much about whether their works possess literary qualities. The presence or absence of rhetorical devices doesn’t affect academia. So, which type does Montessori belong to? How does she communicate with readers through her writing? She happens to be someone who skillfully employs metaphorical sentences to elucidate her ideas.

For instance, when she discusses how children’s minds and adults’ minds are entirely different, how does she explain this to readers? Her clever approach is to use a metaphor.

She compares a child’s mind to a camera, while an adult’s mind is likened to a painter. It’s quite ingenious, isn’t it? When facing the same scenery, a child’s mind, like a camera, absorbs everything instantaneously. Whatever the scenery is, the photograph captures it all. There is no selection; it’s a complete absorption.

On the other hand, an adult’s mind is more like a painter. He chooses which scenery will appear on his canvas. In fact, before he starts painting, he already has his own perspective and preferences. Completing the painting cannot be achieved instantaneously; it requires willpower to succeed.

What a novel metaphor! What a vivid metaphor!

Take, for example, the sensory materials in the 3-6 environment. At first glance, it’s hard to guess how to use them because they don’t resemble mathematical materials, daily living materials, or language materials, which give a rough idea of their usage at a glance. They are quite unique and are the most distinctive materials in the Montessori environment.

Other early childhood education environments don’t have such a systematic set of sensory materials. So why does she include them? What are the benefits? In her book The Absorbent Mind, she provides an excellent explanation, again using a metaphor. She compares the role of sensory materials to a key for exploring the world.

She says, “Our sensory materials provide children with a key to explore the world, enabling them to see more, observe more carefully, and understand more clearly than they would if they were groping in the dark or learning without guidance.”

How well said! This vision is the key! She cultivates their vision. Having this vision is equivalent to having a clearer, richer, and more precise view of the world.

Another example is how she describes the feeling of discovering new knowledge when one already possesses old knowledge. How can one appropriately describe this? When a person doesn’t encounter something entirely new but realizes that this knowledge belongs to a certain category, it’s not a strange or random stimulus. Instead, it’s something that one is prepared to “receive.”

So she uses this metaphor: “This new knowledge is like a familiar and expected family member walking in, rather than a stranger knocking on the door. Family members will feel happy and warm.”

What a fitting metaphor! It instantly makes people understand!

Reading her works at different times always brings about different “serendipitous” feelings! Montessori is both a rigorous scientist and an excellent writer.

Through her words, we can sense her charm and greatness, not only in terms of her contributions to human education but also in understanding who she was as a person.

At least, those metaphorical sentences let us know that beyond her academic contributions, just listening to her expressions, you can feel her wit, sharpness, humor, abundant emotions, and rich life experiences. These are not words written by someone confined to an ivory tower; they are expressions that only someone who has deeply experienced life can produce.

Perhaps this is also one of the reasons why her works have remained timeless and enduring.