Letter Regarding Recent Events

Dear AMI/USA Community,

Just three weeks ago we came together as a global movement to share Pathway to Peace:  Montessori Education for Social Change.  In the short time since the International Montessori Congress in Prague, we have seen violence and hatred erupt at home and abroad.  The events of the past week reinforce the importance of the work each of you does to create peace in your communities.  As Dr. Maria Montessori wrote, “When individuals develop normally, they plainly feel a love not only for things, but for all living creatures.  This love is not something that was taught; it is the natural result of leading the right kind of life.  …  Love is not the cause but the effect of the normal development of the individual.”  The Montessori education we provide for children can and will change the world, but we must also work together to combat the hate that has emerged.

AMI/USA stands with each of you who takes peace education to heart and supports our objective of promoting global peace, human development, and human rights through the application of Montessori principles.  We will not tolerate hatred, anti-Semitism, racism, or fascism in our communities.  May we strive, together, to embody the “genuine qualities” that Dr. Montessori wrote would emerge in the child.

As we embark on a new school year, we urge you to make use of the resources available to discuss the events in Charlottesville with the children in your environments – when appropriate.  We do this work because we believe it can make a difference for children, and now is the time to act on this belief.  As we saw in Prague, Montessori education is a pathway to peace.  We look forward to traveling that path with you.

“We have reason to believe that all mankind may one day become better.”

Yours,

Alyssa Schwartz
Interim Executive Director
On behalf of the AMI/USA Board of Directors