Early childhood is a uniquely critical period of life; it is a time of imprinting, wherein a new human being is initiated into the experience of life on this planet. This world into which we are born is exceptionally rich in sensory information and it is the natural inclination of all living beings, sentient beings in particular, to use that information as a means through which to understand the world around us and our relationship to or with it.
It is during these earliest years of life that our fundamental understandings begin to take shape. Influenced by the experiences of our interaction with the environment, our perspective evolves over time, as new information is first acquired, and then assimilated. This process of acquisition and assimilation repeats over and again, until the point at which information and experience begin to coalesce to form a unified lens through which we perceive all the world.
The function and interpretation of the sensory mechanics that anchor personal experience, are unique to every living being, as is context – such as place and time – which are some of the reasons that no two people develop the exact same lens. It is widely accepted among early childhood experts, that this lens is firmly established between five and six years of age, and that from this time forward, it remains essentially unchanged throughout the duration of life. (Adler, 1953) In fact, the lens is “set” to such a degree by this age, that even in the face of conflicting information – recurring to the point that it provokes question of one’s fundamental beliefs – even then, most people find it very difficult, if not impossible, to alter their essential world view.
Maria Montessori appreciated the significance of these early years, relative to the formation of the inner world of the child. She recognized the delicate and highly sensitive quality of the mental and psychological infrastructure of the very young, applying the term “absorbent mind,” to describe its uniquely receptive and malleable nature. Her choice of words was deliberate: in using the term “absorbent mind” rather than “absorbent brain,” she acknowledged the human capacity for experience beyond the physiology of brain function, in homage to the existential postulate that some forms of experience simply defy reduction to scientific measurement and scrutiny.
The implications of this premise are far reaching, indeed; the term “absorbent mind” suggests the possibility that there may be an indeterminate number and variety of factors – known, and also perhaps unknowable – that contribute to the creation of understanding. It implies that every influence is significant, as it relates to the development of the young mind. Indeed, Montessori aptly noted that young children absorb the world around them almost as naturally as they breathe. (Montessori, 1967)
Implications for IME
As IME Educators, the potential impact of our work is exponentially greater than that of most American educators, Montessori or traditional, because our focus is far more expansive. Responsibility for insuring academic progress is only a part, and arguably the lesser part, of our role as Educators. For in addition to the delivery of core content, we are charged with fostering an appreciation for the inextricable relationship between academics and life itself. This involves developing the capacity for critical thought; nurturing an appreciation for moral implications and ethical imperatives; and above all, developing a sense of responsibility for and accountability toward oneself, toward others, and toward the world at large.
We are responsible for fostering an appreciation for life in context….an approach toward Education that is historically inconsistent and philosophically anathema to most secular American society, where academic pursuit is widely considered to be discrete from moral or ethical relativity – to the detriment of both. Academia in the West is heavily invested in the ideology of a strict and disciplined separation between intellectual pursuit and the broader philosophical and sociological implications of life. (Cook, Classical Foundations of Islamic Educational Thought, 2010)
IME represents the return to a holistic perspective on Education, a perspective wherein ideas are evaluated relative to their utility in the advancement and improvement in the quality of life for all the world’s inhabitants. For this reason, it is imperative that we are resolute and disciplined in assessing the relative merit of our ideas. The exercise of critical thought and intellectual discernment are vital to the philosophical imperative of our responsibility to elevate the condition of life on earth.
Education in and of itself, absent the application of values and ethics, is of dubious consequence. This view was aptly expressed by Theodore Roosevelt, who once stated, “to educate a man in mind and not in morals is to raise a menace to society.” This is precisely what makes IME timeless, relevant, and so utterly essential to the role of Education in America today.
The Role of the IME Educator
Our responsibility, as IME Educators, is to help young people learn not only how to excel in life, but how to find purpose and meaning in it. We have a sacred duty to help the young feel at home in this world, to feel connected with it and to feel they belong. Our job is to help them recognize that they are valued, they are appreciated, they are relevant, and that they have a meaningful contribution to make – slight of stature though they may be, and unversed in the ways of the world. Above all, our work is to instill an indomitable respect for all of life – an ideal that underscores the work of IME.
IME cultivates a respect for the unique life force within the child – something rarely observed in secular American schools, and sadly, a fact that both undermines our youth and weakens our nation. An IME Education cultivates purpose and meaning from the inside out, as we nurture children’s capacity to develop the innate talents and gifts they possess, thereby enabling them to contribute to the world around them.
This is the work of the IME Educator, and this is the work that can transform our world.
Copyright © 2020 American Islamic Montessori Association. All Rights Reserved.
Dr. Jaime Dodd specializes in the research and application of Montessori theory and practice in early childhood educational settings. She is a member of the executive leadership team for a nonprofit, educational and research institution in St. Louis, Missouri where she has invested the greater part of her professional career. Dr. Dodd serves on the board of various St. Louis area non-profit entities, focused primarily on educational, humanitarian and/or healthcare concerns. Dr. Dodd’s passion is manifest in her work with the American Islamic Montessori Association (AIMA), a professional membership organization to advance Islamic Montessori Education (IME) as a bridge to foster understanding, promote education and expand peace across the U.S. and around the globe.