Preface

Today's problems with regard to youth and childhood are the most patent proof that teaching is not the most important part of education. Yet the delusion persists that adults form the man through their teaching of the child.

今天關(guān)于兒童和青少年的問題非常明顯地證明了在教育問題上所謂的“教”并不是最重要的部分毕籽。可是人們?nèi)匀粓猿忠环N幻覺颜说，認(rèn)為是成人對孩子的教導(dǎo)把他們塑造成人翰萨。

Actually,education which consists mostly of direct teaching often impedes rather than helps natural human development. The early years are useless for the transmission of culture; therefore the first part of life is disregarded. But those apparently useless years are most fundamental, for during that period an astounding phenomenon takes place: the creation of a human psyche and the development of human behavior.The child learns to function independently, to manipulate, to walk,to talk,to think and to direct himself through his will. The process takes place not because adults teach but because the child creates.

慢慢地忽妒，由直接的教為主的教育變成妨礙而不是幫助人類的發(fā)展倚舀。由于出生早期對文化傳承看起來沒什么用處枪向，所以這段時期被人們徹底忽視了裙品。但是事實上俗批，這些看似無用的歲月其實是最基礎(chǔ)的，因為在這段時期市怎，一個令人震驚的現(xiàn)象發(fā)生了：人類心智的創(chuàng)造性和行為的發(fā)展性岁忘。兒童學(xué)會了構(gòu)建獨立性，學(xué)會控制焰轻，學(xué)會走路臭觉，學(xué)會說話，學(xué)會思考辱志，學(xué)會通過自己的意愿來指導(dǎo)行為蝠筑。這個過程的發(fā)生不是由于成人的教導(dǎo)，而是兒童依靠自身的創(chuàng)造性揩懒。

The process remained mysterious until, aided by the intuition of one who loves truly, Dr.Maria Montessori penetrated into the hidden realm of the child's psyche and revealed it. The children who made this revelation possible came from the lowest strata of society; they were tearful, frightened and shy,yet greedy, violent, possessive and destructive. Gradually, as their psychic needs were fulfilled, they underwent such an extraordinary transformation that the press of the time wrote of " converted children." The witnessing of this spiritual phenomenon changed Dr.Montessori's life. It is true that the children learned writing spontaneously at four and a half years, but what was really important was their changed behavior.Man is not made of culture alone; there is something much more essential. If this part continues to be disregarded and emphasis put only on culture, the more advanced man becomes, the more dangerous he will be. Man has discovered flight, he has discovered atomic energy, but he has failed to discover himself.

這個過程一直是神秘的什乙，直到瑪麗亞·蒙特梭利博士憑著愛的直覺輔助，潛心鉆研兒童的隱藏心智并逐漸揭開神秘的面紗已球。使這些發(fā)現(xiàn)成為可能的孩子們來自社會的最底層臣镣。他們充滿悲傷辅愿、害怕、羞怯忆某，另一方面又貪婪点待、暴力、充滿占有欲和破壞性弃舒。慢慢地癞埠，隨著孩子們的心理需要得到滿足，他們經(jīng)歷了一個非同尋常的轉(zhuǎn)變過程聋呢，成為了“轉(zhuǎn)化的孩子”苗踪，對整個精神轉(zhuǎn)化現(xiàn)象的目睹改變了蒙特梭利博士的生活。一個事實是孩子們在四歲半左右的年齡自發(fā)學(xué)會了書寫削锰，更重要的事實是孩子們行為的轉(zhuǎn)變通铲。人不單單是知識文化造就的，這里有更本質(zhì)的東西存在器贩。如果這部分仍然被忽視颅夺，知識文化被過分強調(diào)，人類文明越往前發(fā)展蛹稍，就會變得越危險碗啄。人類發(fā)明了飛機，發(fā)現(xiàn)了原子能稳摄，但是卻沒能發(fā)現(xiàn)自身的秘密稚字。

Herein lies the real value of Dr.Montessori's contribution. To illustrate the radiance of the emerging souls of the children, she undertook a campaign that lasted all her life. After her death the Association Montessori Internationale continued her task with congresses and study conferences, by establishing Montessori societies and training courses. If children are to be given the aid they need, people must be trained. As time went on training centers were established in Ceylon, Denmark, England, Eire,France,Germany,India,Pakistan,Switzerland, and the United States. The people trained spread out to all continents, to the old and the new nations.

本書中蘊含著蒙特梭利博士的貢獻(xiàn)的真正價值。為了闡明兒童那新興的靈魂中的光輝厦酬，她用盡一生承擔(dān)起一場運動胆描。在她死后國際蒙特梭利聯(lián)合協(xié)會繼承了她的使命，建立了許多蒙特梭利聯(lián)合組織和培訓(xùn)課程仗阅。如果要為兒童提供他們成長所需要的協(xié)助昌讲，人們必須接受培訓(xùn)。隨著時間的推移减噪，越來越多的培訓(xùn)中心在錫蘭短绸、丹麥、英國筹裕、愛爾蘭醋闭、法國、德國朝卒、印度证逻、巴基斯坦、瑞士和美國成立抗斤。受過培訓(xùn)的人們分散到世界各地囚企，分散到各個老牌和新興國家丈咐。

But Dr.Montessori's books remain the most effective instrument of the Association, and this first American translation of the Association, and this first American translation of The secret of childhood is a very welcome addition indeed---for our work in all the English speaking countries, but especially in the United State. For here a number of schools use Montessori only as a teaching method. Here also, many people maintain that this is what Dr.Montessori meant.They disregard what she most have often thought this notion should refuted because of the confusion it causes, but where can one find a person to speak with sufficient authority?

但是蒙特梭利本人的著作仍然是協(xié)會使用的最權(quán)威的工具。這個最初的英文版的《兒童之秘》非常受歡迎龙宏，尤其在講英語的國家棵逊，尤其是美國。在這兒許多學(xué)校僅僅把蒙特梭利作為一種教學(xué)方法银酗，而且他們還堅稱這是蒙特梭利自己的意思歹河。他們忽視了她經(jīng)常認(rèn)為這個觀念應(yīng)該被推翻。但是我們上哪去找一個足夠權(quán)威的人來反駁呢花吟？

Here is the answer.Let Maria Montessori speak for herself.

這里就是答案。就讓我們聽瑪利亞·蒙特梭利自己來說吧厨姚。