Camillo Bortolato
A Primary Teacher Wisdom

Camillo Bortolato is an Italian primary teacher with lot of talent, passion and sense of reality.He believes that children have already an innate mathematical sense (the concept of "how many" ), a visual mathematical understanding which does not require written numbers.

He developed his own system to teach mathematics at primary level which encounter a lot of success.

I found him a superb teacher not only for school. He stresses that love and serenity in one's heart plays a more important role in learning maths and actually in life in general!.

Here are some of his thoughts and experiences which I liberally translated into English from his diary and pages.

Bortolato's pearls:

Pupil: "Maestro, I want to be good in mathematics!
Teacher: "Start by being good which is very easy to do. Afterwards, becoming good at maths is done automatically- You can't be good at maths directly!"

Claudia has a difficult situation at home. But she is always smiling and calm in the classroom. She WANTS that. That means that the guide of our actions are not the CAUSES but the PURPOSE which each of us choose freely in every moment.

Simone, a Pupil:"Maestro, today I'll be good for half an hour"
Simone, if you will make it, you win! You understood that you can decide.
That you are free.

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