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Message from AMI’s President January 2003 The amazingly appealing film Monsters, Inc., is a quintessential allegory of good vs. evil. In this fable the wholesome energy of laughter defeats the foul force of fear —a miraculous feat brought about by a very small child who enchants a reluctant monster, much against his inclinations and to the detriment of a successful career within the mores prevalent in his bizarre society. To all intents and purposes, willing or unwilling, he follows the child and in so doing crosses a threshold into a world of sane parameters, becoming a wise and Montessorian monster. In the New Year’s Message for 2002 it was suggested that our members pursue the aim set forth in Article 4-f of the AMI Articles of Association. Quietly and unobtrusively —as befits one of our guiding principles— many among them have done so. Existing ties with “other bodies and organisations which promote the development of education, human rights and peace” have been strengthened, new contacts have been made. If these initiatives are to take on momentum and become increasingly fruitful, the aim contained in Article 4-b of the AMI Articles of Association must be comprehended in all the vastness of its implications:
The sine qua non, if we are to implement this aim, is our own knowledge and understanding of the said conditions, our own knowledge and understanding of the child from conception to maturity. Fundamentally, it is our capacity to follow with the child the prime directives that govern its development. 2003 dawns with the bleakness of existing and potential savagery; an excellent incentive to allow our children to charm us into a state of enlightened activity. It should not be difficult —we have an edge over our benevolent movie monster. We are already Montessorians. Renilde Montessori |