In Montessori, while we care deeply about the academics we teach, we’re quite passionate about other things too. We want the children in our care to go out into the world feeling good about themselves, caring about others, and excited about what they do.
Those of us accustomed to traditional models of education may find the Montessori approach, and the role of the adult in the classroom, somewhat odd or even worrisome. How can we expect our children to learn if the teachers don’t teach?
Have you ever noticed how sensitive young children can be to changes in their routine? Or how quickly young children can absorb the intricacies of language? Or how they progress seamlessly from sitting to crawling, to walking and then running?
Montessori classrooms depend upon a web of mutual respect. This culture of respect is established from the very beginning: from how the classroom is arranged and sized for the children, to how we greet each other at the start of the day, to how the adults refrain from interrupting children’s concentration.
To support a child's development, Montessori programs offer carefully designed sensorial materials that follow a formal, systematic approach. The materials isolate each sensorial quality and offer children what Dr. Maria Montessori called the “keys to the world.”
In Montessori, we put a lot of emphasis on young children learning basic self-care skills. A big part of self-care is something we do every day, at least twice a day: brushing our teeth! This is a tricky one, though, because we want to teach independence while also ensuring that our children’s teeth are clean and cavity-free.
In Montessori, we love to explore how our language shapes our thinking, so we often explore the etymology of words. The word geography comes from the Greek geo, which means earth, and graphein, which means to write. So, geography can be understood as a description of the earth and all that occurs physically upon it.
Between mass media and family travel, young children are exposed to all sorts of language about our planet. They may hear phrases like “going around the world,” “as the world turns,” or “the other side of the world.” Young children absorb this information yet still need concrete experiences to help make sense of what “the world” even means!
Consider, as an adult, what it takes for you to do your best work. What must your environment look like? What do you need from others? What constraints do you need removed in order to meet your goals?
So much of what we do in our Montessori environments is with the goal of the child’s independence in mind. They may need our support sometimes, but children are capable of much more than many people realize.
