The founder of the Mammolina website has asked for support from Montessori publications in creating a new magazine for the burgeoning Chinese Montessori community.
In an open letter, Joao Barroso, who works out of the Portuguese embassy in Beijing, announced plans to begin publication of a magazine by January 2007.
Below are excerpts from his letter.
Last year, and as we approach the centennial of the opening of the first Casa dei Bambini, I started to think about what our contribution could be to this celebration, from the standpoint of the Mammolina Project. What would, in line with the philosophy behind the project, make a difference?
I have been pondering the idea of publishing a Montessori magazine, Mammolina - Bringing Montessorians Together for a few years now, to give the Mammolina Project more visibility, but also with the specific intention of helping to promote Montessori in China. It is to stand on the same ideas and honor the same mottos that moved me to start the Mammolina Project: "Share That You Care; Together To Gather; Cooperation, Not Competition". and my intention is to publish it for free distribution.
The idea of a bilingual magazine, English-Chinese, is, I believe, unique and appealing, as it would provide reading both to Chinese and foreign readers alike in China. Also, with an increasing number of both foreign and Chinese Montessori schools opening, it could,-I hope would, with time-become a forum for the exchange of ideas and experiences about Montessori, bilingual kindergartens, etc., in this country, and, why not, everywhere.
China is a country with more than 1.2 billion people, of which approximately 300 million are children under the age of 16. Education concerns everyone, and parents want the best for their children - in China as anywhere else.
There is a great need in China for reliable information on Montessori. The name per se, we all know, can (and is!) used by anyone. and, in many cases, so-called Montessori schools are anything but Montessori. A publication like this could play a vital role in helping Montessori develop in China, avoiding myths and misconceptions.
In 2002, all of Maria Montessori's books, writings, etc., fell in the public domain in China. Immediately a number of publishers flooded the market with translations of her works-some better than others, some merely exploiting the market, and in ways not always positive; there are books, for example, that make Montessori sound like a method to create a genius child- even selecting the sex of the to-be-conceived baby!
If Montessori starts being associated with the wrong ideas, it won't be easy to establish it for what it is, and will take much longer to change things around. Although there are records of Montessori being practiced in China a century ago, it is really only now that it is taking hold. Chinese authorities are very serious about the way schools operate, as they want to ensure the safety of children and guarantee their future.
Montessori has now a chance of growing from the experimental approach it has been for a few years, to be considered THE choice approach - at least for early childhood education, 0 to 6. Given this scenario, my 24-plus years in China, the fact that my wife was born and raised in this country, and the fact that we are here to stay and want to be of service to the community and the Montessori movement worldwide, the thought came naturally. Rather than reinvent the wheel, why not publish a magazine bringing together institutions, authors, associations, Montessorians from all over the world, and do it with the specific purpose of making more information about Montessori available in China?
Montessori education in China is taking hold but there is need for more, and above all, more reliable information. Some see Montessori as a foreign method, others as a fad, most as a business; fortunately, a considerable number of educators and researchers are genuinely interested in Montessori, even if among those who speak in favor of Montessori there are many who do not fully grasp the ideas, philosophy and principles that are its foundation. For example, for many, mixed ages are not essential.
[There have been many calls for cooperation.]
I started the Mammolina Project because I felt this need, and because I see Montessorians, of all ages, as a community of life-long learners who belong to a single "country without borders," and find that Montessori is still not recognized for what it is, nor the Dottoressa given the credit she deserves for her contributions.
.I agree with all who think it is really important that Montessorians come together and speak with a united voice, a voice that being one, respects individuality and stands for the rights of children as unique world citizens.
.Over the last 12 years I have put together a library on Montessori education that includes magazines, books, newspaper articles and videos, in several languages. It amounts to more than 1,000 items, including also a few hundred titles by authors other than Montessorians, books on early childhood education, alternative education, etc. In addition, I have several hundred magazines (Montessori Life, NCME National Reporter, Tomorrow's Child, Montessori Leadership, Montessori International, Communications, NAMTA's Journal, Around the Child, Constructive Triangle, Vitta del Infancia, Il Quaderno Montessori, Courrier, etc.) These resources will soon be available to Montessorians in Beijing, as a small public library that will continue to grow, to be used beyond our small kindergarten community, while all that are public domain will progressively find their way onto the Mammolina Project's pages.
At this point, my invitation, my challenge and my contribution to the Centennial, is simple:
Let's publish a Montessori education magazine with mixed content from all magazines, newspapers, journals, resources available worldwide.
[Make it a] cooperative magazine, a united voice for Montessori, yet, celebrating the differences in Montessori, as we celebrate the differences in each child, in each individual, and the fact that we all work for one single purpose: follow children, marveling at their capacities and potential, being led as we lead, being helped as we help. Dr. Montessori said that "The child brings us a great hope and a new vision." All it takes is to follow the child and for each of us to give our best, contribute in any way we can, and it will happen: that vision Montessori spoke of, and we all share, will become a reality.
So I am asking all those who already granted permission to add articles from their publications to askMARIA!, for permission to go one step further, and come up with a publication that will not only give voice to all but allow us to hold hands, do it together.
This request is addressed to all, including those publications that did not participate in the askMARIA! database so far.
A few publications do not participate in the askMARIA! database. This request is addressed to all..
I hope local Montessorians will join and contribute articles as well, sharing their experiences in creating bilingual environments.
We will translate the articles into Chinese, doing the production work and printing plus distributing the magazine to as many readers as possible. We will start with 15,000 to 20,000 copies of the magazine, 60 to 88 pages, published four times a year, full color. It will be distributed free to Montessori schools in China, both foreign and Chinese, as well as parents.
With the opening of an increasing number of Montessori kindergartens in China, we have seen, year after year, a growing interest in training as well. At this point, Montessori training in China faces many challenges, and quality is not always ensured. We hope that those interested in contributing their knowledge and talents to help train new generations of kindergarten teachers, maybe even consider traveling to China to do training, will think about the possibility of advertising in the magazine. Those interested can contact us.
We would love to see institutions, training centers and trainers alike all help develop Chinese culture specific training courses and packages to meet the needs of Chinese children. For this to become a reality, I believe that partnerships will have to be developed with teachers in this country, or Chinese teachers who already successfully run bilingual or Chinese Montessori kindergartens in North America, Europe, China, etc.
Advertising will be accepted as voluntary contribution. Those interested in advertising can make a donation to help cover the cost of printing and distribution of the magazine. I do not intend to set cost/minimum contribution amounts.
Most of the magazine's content will be dedicated to articles-advertising being limited to a few pages out of the total. If no advertising is included, I will still go ahead and print it, paying for the publication and its distribution myself.
Articles, images, etc., will be extracted directly from publications, so, editors and institutions need not fear having to spend time collecting or organizing materials for this purpose. As with askMARIA!, all we need is a green light to go ahead and use content from existing publications.
Montessorians who wish to contribute individually can also contact me directly via e-mail with ideas, suggestions, questions, etc.
For the first issue to be distributed by January 6, 2007, I need to start moving now. I thus ask all those who may be interested in joining this effort to contact me with a formal e-mail or letter of authorization for use of materials, and/or with any questions, ideas, etc. at magaz...@mammolina.org
