Rohina with the children
In her writing below, Rohina first tells us of her surprised First Impressions of the Montessori environment at the Garden of Flowers, and how she began to compare Montessori and traditional education.
Then she offers us her insightful list of Benefits, Disadvantages, and Limitations to the Montessori Approach in Afghanistan.
First Impressions
My name is Rohina Niazi and I am a teacher at Bagh Gulha Kindergarten [the Persian name for the Garden of Flowers Montessori Preschool]. I started university in 2016. I graduated from Kabul University of Education in 2018 with a degree in English Literature. And in April 2023, I started working at Bagh Gulha Kindergarten, which teaches using Montessori methods to children ages 3-6.
When I first entered the preschool, I saw a quiet and pleasant place. In the past, I thought that the place where children were cared for would be a relatively noisy place, but on the contrary, there was a special order in the preschool and each child was busy working with their hands in a friendly atmosphere and treated each other with respect. And the interesting thing was that there was no noise inside the classroom and each child was busy doing something with their hands, and this completely surprised me.
The children who attended the preschool were all from different families with different family histories and different individual needs, and it was the teachers who had to observe and see what these children were looking for in order to provide them with the necessary assistance when needed. Some children were violent and liked to hurt others, some did not want to talk to anyone, and some did not know how to communicate with others, so each child had their own individual needs and had to be met according to their needs.
The Garden of Flowers Preschool, where children spent most of their time together, was not just a kindergarten, but a place for children to experience a sense of security and peace
The main question is: What makes a Montessori classroom better than a classroom using the traditional method? I found that:
- In the Montessori classroom, children are happy and have the right motivation and spirit for learning.
- In a Montessori classroom, children are allowed to make mistakes and learn from their mistakes.
- In the Montessori classroom, children are not pressured or stressed.
- In the Montessori classroom, each child has the right to choose their own favorite activity.
Benefits, Disadvantages, and Limitations
Benefits of the Montessori method:
- Social children are born.
- Children become independent and self- sufficient .
- Learning occurs naturally and allows information to remain in the child’s mind for a long time.
- Children are born creative.
- Children learn how to handle their own personal tasks and responsibilities.
- Children learn everything consciously and through their five senses.
- Self-discipline develops in children.
- Children are born more patient.
- Helps children for their daily lives and their future.
Disadvantages of the Montessori method:
- The Montessori method is expensive and we must provide specific teaching materials for each activity.
- One of the principles of this method is the freedom of children, which inexperienced or untrained teachers cannot manage in this way.
Limitations to the Montessori method in Afghanistan:
- Lack of awareness of the Montessori method in Afghan society
- Lack of awareness among parents of children about the Montessori method
- The current Afghan government’s lack of interest in learning the Montessori method
- Lack of coordination and compatibility between the traditional method and Montessori
- Lack of professional staff for specialized Montessori training for teachers
- Funds needed to prepare Montessori materials
