Iris is a parent of our MSS West Hongqiao campus and her Montessori child is the second child in the family, who joined MSS when she was 3 years old and is now 5 years old. Iris’s first child didn’t do Montessori, but she received a better understanding about Montessori after she had her second child. Iris has now been operating her own social media and introducing scientific education methods and parenting ideas to the parent communities.

One day in late March, she visited our West Hongqiao campus and had an in-depth conversation with our Montessori Director, Ms. Tina, which inspired many sparks of wisdom.

Talking about the original intention of becoming a content producer and doing interviews around, Iris felt that she, as a parent, sensed that the Montessori Method has been misunderstood in many different ways. She wanted to make sure that the Method was understood, seen, heard, and facilitated in a more objective way.

Let’s take a look at the videos!

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Video 1:
Iris’s Story:
Why is Montessori at MSS the right choice for her?

Video 2:
Are Montessori children either wonderful or too laid back?
Some children look great, but seem to “know nothing” …
But do they really “know nothing”?
It is really not the case…let us look into the reality…

Video 3:
Every family has their own plans and expectations
Is Montessori a happy education? Free education?
There are a lot of misunderstanding about Montessori ……
Montessori emphasizes freedom with limits……
It is not about letting the child do whatever they want.

Read more –

Iris has a lot of her own reflections about education-

“Parents mistakenly think that when they send children to school and the work is done. But this is actually impossible.”

Iris often meets parents who asks her:
Is this a good school? Is that a good school?

She believes that there’s really no comparison between different types of schools.
Many parents mistakenly think that if they send their child to a school, then the school will immediately make a perfect child for them. But in fact, the education of every child requires the collaboration of home and school.

If a family wants to take a back seat and be “invisible”, then no school can fulfill this expectation. This expectation is not realistic itself.

Also, children can adapt to any environment. It is often the adults who are anxious.

Why are parents anxious? Firstly, as mentioned earlier, holding false expectations, thinking that everything will be fine if they hand their child over to the school, but then the results come out and they think that’s not what they wants or that it’s far from the ideal expectations. These are all the result of cognitive dissonance.

Iris believes that the correct way of thinking should be: to think clearly for yourself, what kind of person do you want your child to become? Then to research what kind of education system is suitable for the child and what schools can provide such support. If the school can provide most of the support, what can be done to supplement the rest?

Planning for your child is a big project, and every part of it needs to be thought thoroughly by the parents.

Therefore, what Iris is doing now is to gather global resources and regularly share the latest information through social media to help parents clarify their thoughts, build awareness, plan well and target for the right schools. She hopes to help parents find a suitable path for their children’s growth according to their own characteristics, and this planning can lay the foundation for their children’s lifelong development.

“Montessori education honors human life as an individual and is the kind of education one should really receive.”

Iris believes that MSS Montessori can truly be child-oriented, respecting every individual, and giving the sunlight, nutrients, and soil completely according to the child’s growth needs. Montessori provides very good guidance to children. Such an environment gives the opportunity for each child’s unique characteristics to be seen, recognized, and respected, allowing the child to be himself or herself. MSS provides a really safe and pleasant space for the child to grow, and children can do whatever they are capable of at their own age, without anxieties, and always feel comfortable with themselves, so that they will have the opportunity to be inspired and to blossom.

My daughter does not run away from learning. She has not been pushed to move forward too early or too quickly. Montessori is about lifelong development, and I think it is the education that a person as a “human being” should really receive. As a person grows, he or she naturally acquires skills and realizes the natural growth of his or her life. These skills continue throughout a child’s life, from one classroom to the whole school, from his or her family environment to her own marriage and family. Montessori indeed respects this natural life of the human individual and provides the necessary support accordingly, so that the child’s future will step into a brighter future.