Teacher is an inspirational journey for the reader. Ashton-Warner then advises us to '.put every subject into the creative vent.' Children love to draw ferns and flowers, dance to a bird's movements, sing and play music found in natural rhythms and sounds. She understood that science and math are inseparable from the natural world, an environment where all children are curious. Ashton-Warner had her young charges count the fronds of a fern or the petals of a flower. It makes perfect sense to teach our children math and science outdoors.

We forget, too, that all sciences, including math, have their roots in nature. We forget that mathematics is one of the sciences, and integral to them all rather than separate. This title refers to the golden mean and fractals, mathematics and science in nature, and to nature itself. Ashton-Warner created simple books using the children's own words, ideas and experiences, they read and wrote with remarkable success.Īshton-Warner's outdoor teaching experiences are also inspiring, recounted in her chapter The Golden Section. Attempts at teaching these children how to read using traditional British texts failed. These children, raised in ancient Maori traditions, were forced to enter the British school system at age five, with disastrous results. One beautiful account of an educator with an open heart is Teacher, by Sylvia Ashton-Warner, who taught young Maori children in New Zealand.

Laurie Block Spigel reviews Teacher, by Sylvia Ashton-Warner Homeschool NYC: Review of Teacher, by Sylvia Ashton-Warner

Teacher by sylvia ashton warner