Very Montessori

The Montessori Directress (Part 2)

Montessori cautioned her teachers against two sins: pride and anger. These two defects “can master us and keep us from understanding a child” (Secret of Childhood 150). In order to overcome the tendencies for pride and anger, the directress must “come to see in the soul of the child something so rich and pure, so delicate and precious that it is a privilege to be with it. Instead, therefore, of trying to bring the child down to her level she must endeavour to raise herself to his” (Standing 300).

            Raising herself to the child’s level causes the directress to test her faith in the child’s powers of self construction. She must constantly check herself so that she leaves the child free to work uninterrupted. She knows that “as soon as concentration has begun, [she must] act as if the child does not exist” (Absorbent Mind 255).^[1] This is a test of her spiritual preparation, because “true spirituality realizes that even to help can be a source of pride” (Absorbent Mind 256). E.M. Standing believes that it is an art for the directress to be able to know when to intervene in the child’s work and when not to. There is a fine line between abandoning the child and crowding him.

            Montessori claimed that the greatest achievement for a directress is to be able to say, “the children are now working as if I did not exist” (Absorbent Mind 259). And so since pride and anger were the vices a directress must avoid, it follows that humility and patience are virtues that must be cultivated.

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^[1] Montessori, Maria. The Absorbent Mind. Trans. Claude A. Claremont. Amsterdam: Montessori-Pierson, 2007. Print.

The Montessori Directress

Since the Montessori method is so unlike other educational methods, it follows that the Montessori teacher is a very different kind of teacher. The Montessori teacher is in fact, not a teacher at all. Dr. Montessori called her a directress. She is not a teacher because she does not directly impart knowledge or information to her students. In fact, she doesn’t teach them anything, but rather, she guides, or directs the child according to his own inner guides.

            Would-be directresses, then, must undergo a very special kind of preparation. Not only must they practically prepare themselves, but they must spiritually prepare themselves for their work with the children. The directress must change her view of the child. She “needs to acquire a deeper sense of the dignity of the child as a human being; a new appreciation of the significance of his spontaneous activities; a wider and more thorough understanding of his needs; and a quicker reverence for him as the creator of the adult to be.”^[1] And it is only though a spiritual transformation that she can do this.

            It is easy to become overwhelmed at such a task. The directress must overcome so many obstacles to in order to understand the child. But, Montessori did not demand her teachers to be perfect examples of non-prejudice and open-mindedness and grace. In fact she was very realistic in her expectations. All she said was for the teacher to “first remove the beam from your own eye and then you will see clearly how to remove the speck from the eye of the child.”^[2] The directress must constantly self-reflect in order to rid herself of prejudices and expectations that can hinder the success of her work with the children. More simply put, the directress must be humble and willing to be taught, willing to follow the child, and most importantly be willing to “root out the prejudices lurking in [her heart].”

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^[1] Standing, E. M. Maria Montessori, her life and work. New York: Plume, 1998. Print.

^[2] Montessori, Maria. The Secret of Childhood. Trans. Joseph M. Costello, S.J. New York: Ballantine Books, 1966. Print.

Guidelines for a Presentation

Here are some basic steps to follow when giving any practical life presentation.

• Gather everything you need in order to present the activity. Generally the activity will be ready to present on the shelf.
• Invite the child to join you.
• Once the child is with you, show him the activity on the shelf. Say the name of the activity. Example: “This is glass polishing.”
• Show the child how to take the activity off the shelf and how to carry it. Replace the tray or basket on the shelf.
• Invite the child to carry the activity to the table.
• Once you and the child are seated at the table, name the materials in the activity. Name the parts of the materials.
• Complete the presentation using clear and precise movements. It is important to not speak while you are moving, speaking will distract the child from watching your movements.
• Then invite the child to work with the material.
• Stand back, observe the child working with the material, and note any difficulties.
• When the child is finished with the material you can help him put the work away.

Distraction

Very often we mistake children’s attention to loud and showy objects for a love of them. Dr. Montessori gave us a great example to help us understand this. Imagine you’re at home reading a book next to a window. The sun is streaming in and you are thoroughly enjoying yourself in quiet tranquility. All of a sudden a loud crashing parade marches down your street. You get up and look out your window to see where the interruption is coming from. Just because your attention is drawn to the parade doesn’t mean that you enjoy it more than reading your book. It is just louder and more demanding, and maybe even disturbing. You can’t help but pay attention to it.

This is how children respond to cartoons, toys, and things designed to grab their attention. Things like these are not attractions at all, they are distractions. Have you ever seen a child completely so absorbed in just a tiny little object? Something so seemingly unimportant and insignificant? Dr. Montessori was inspired to work with young children when she saw a little girl thoroughly engaged with a small piece of colored paper.

Instead of buying children loud plastic toys that bang and clang and beep and honk, think about offering them simple objects made of natural material that they can manipulate with their hands. Objects should represent only one quality – like size or texture – and offer a clear expression of that quality. For example, if your child is interested in texture, offer him a solid-colored felt ball to interact with. Or if he’s interested in forms, offer him a wooden cube to manipulate. Even something as simple as a piece of string is more attractive to a child than a toy cash register that clangs and bangs.

Montessori & Art

(photo via: sewliberated)

In Montessori environments, children are actively encouraged to express themselves. Many preschool art projects are hardly creative at all! They are so mechanical, where all the children make the same piece of art under the teacher’s supervision. Montessorians, however, show the children how to use the tools necessary to create their own works of art.

Analyzing our movements, we can show children how to use a crayon on paper. Limit the crayons to one to three colors so the child doesn’t get distracted by so many options. Keep it simple.

Material:

• a tray
• a few crayons (try red, blue, and yellow)
• a sheet of paper

Analysis of Movement

(photo via maria montessori institute)

Analysis of movement is one of the cornerstones of Montessori’s method. We primarily use analysis of movement in our work with the practical life activities. It involves breaking down our movements into clear and precise steps that lead to the completion of a task. The easiest way to do this is to think about what movements you are making when you pour beans from pitcher to pitcher. We’re not talking “lift the pitcher, pour the water out, then put the pitcher down.”

We’re talking:

• Extend index and middle fingers of right hand towards right pitcher
• Hook index and middle fingers through the back of the handle, towards the front of the tray.
• Place thumb on top of handle
• Extend left hand towards pitcher
• Place four fingers of left hand on the front of the pitcher
• Lift the pitcher until it is just a few inches higher than the empty pitcher.
• Slowly tilt the pitcher to the left until the beans begin to fall into the empty pitcher.
• Continue pouring slowly and tilt further (note that your elbow will also lift) until all the beans have been poured out.
• Once the pitcher has been emptied, return the pitcher to a level position.
• Lower the pitcher back to the tray and place it softly on the tray
• Remove left hand from front of pitcher.
• Remove right hand from handle.

Thinking about our movements this way is so unnatural. But it’s the best way to get us to focus on what we are doing with our bodies. Since children are so perceptive and sensitive to everything, it is important that we give them the clearest presentations possible. This will help them work out a series of steps to take whenever they try to do an activity for themselves.

Today’s challenge:

Pour water or beans into a cup from pitcher to pitcher. Then write down the steps that you took in order to complete this task. Don’t worry if they aren’t the same as mine – everybody has their own way of pouring. Then show a child how you pour – slowly and methodically analyzing your movements. Step away and watch the child repeat the activity on his own. You’ll be amazed at how accurately the child immitates your movements.

Happy Pouring!

Montessori & Enlightenment

I recently read Immanuel Kant’s “What is Enlightenment?” and was struck by how some of the things he says - to me at least - support Dr. Montessori’s ideas of freedom and discipline. While Kant is discussing enlightenment as it applies to full-grown adults, I can see how a broader application of these principles can apply to humans in general, including 3-6 year olds.

Kant says that in order to achieve enlightenment, “all that is needed is freedom.” In a Montessori environment the directress is responsible for protecting the freedom of the children in her care. The child must be free to act independently, speak for himself, and articulate his own independent thoughts and ideas.

The directress must help the child do it for himself - it being anything from washing hands to carrying a plant across the room to multiplication and division. It is so tempting to intervene and help a child do something that causes him to struggle. But Dr. Montessori (and Kant, nonetheless) say that this kind of “help” is hurtful. It is through that struggle that the child is made stronger. He has a greater sense of self-worth at his accomplishment and he is empowered to be independent by his success. 

So when we want to swoop down and make something easier, let’s make sure that we are not “carefully preventing the docile creatures from daring to take a single step without the leading-strings to which they are tied.” Let’s remember that “this danger is not in fact so very great, for they would certainly learn to walk eventually after a few falls.”

• Coordination of Movement - Montessori determined that children in the first six years experience a need to bring their bodies under the control of their minds.