The rapid acceptance, around the world, of the educational system of Friedrich Froebel happened because the existing schools were not effective. The old methods of "chalk and talk" and classroom drill were inappropriate to the needs of children. The genius of Froebel was his appreciation of how children learn.
The first foreign word most of us utter is also one of the most beautiful metaphors produced by any language: kindergarten. A garden of children? A garden for children? However you translate it, the semantics of kindergarten are German; a product of progressive, mid-nineteenth century thought that changed our perception of human development forever.
The success of Kindergarten depends on the ability of the teacher to inspire and motivate the pupils' work, the teacher is at once the focus and the fount of inspiration.
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