Montessori Magic Demystified: The Environment

Children have an innate desire to learn. They soak in their environment, positive or negative, like sponges. Rather than interfere and try to mold little people into what society deems as desirable, Montessorians create the perfect conditions where the child can concentrate and explore freely, revealing himself as an individual based on his interests and unique strengths. The classroom has freedom within limits; boundaries not barriers.

A Montessori classroom has no posters decorating the walls or alphabet loudly displayed along the edges of the ceiling where the child can barely see it. The rooms are decorated with framed Van Gogh or Da Vinci paintings, children’s artwork, family pictures, and plants displayed at their eye level so they can revel in beauty without being bombarded with distractions. Teachers minimize interruptions and protect a 3-hour work cycle creating an environment ideal for the child to concentrate. When a child concentrates on interesting, attractive work that is meaningful to him, he can become his best self.

Lessons are arranged on the shelf in order from least difficult to most challenging and every lesson has countless extensions so the teacher can adjust to meet each child’s needs. The teacher presents a lesson to a child one-on-one or in small groups first, but each material has a control of error. When Mark works independently on the Spindle Game in Math he has to count the correct amount of spindles for each numeral 1-10. There are only enough spindles to fit correctly in each space. If he gets to 10 and counts out only 9 spindles, he will realize he made a mistake somewhere earlier. He may not realize or correct his mistake right away, and that’s okay. Children often need weeks or months of practice with the same material before they master it. Good Montessori teachers allow them the time and space to do so. Montessori teachers don’t step in and correct. It is more powerful for the child to correct himself, than be told he has made a mistake or given the answer.

Traditional settings often require children to sit at a table or desk for extended periods of time listening to a teacher at the front of the room. Montessori materials are hands-on and require movement. The Red Rods and Pink Tower, for example, develop the child’s senses. Children arrange the pieces from largest to smallest or longest to shortest, developing their sense of order, refining their movements, and honing concentration. The child uses their brain and body in harmony, directing their energy in a purposeful way to fully absorb the concept The materials also force the child to cross the midline, engaging both sides of their brain.

Don’t Nama-Stay at Home

One of the hardest things for parents as they watch their child grow and move from a Pre-Primary classroom to Primary, is to allow and encourage them to enter the classroom alone. Parents and teachers have come up with a few ways of describing this scene: the “drop and go”, the “drop and fly,” or simply “drop at the door.” No matter what you call it, whether a child is writhing and screaming the first few times as their parent hands them off to you, or they walk in confidently and careless without looking back, it is gut-wrenching for Mom or Dad left behind. Here are a few tricks you can suggest to parents to support them and make this transition less traumatic.  

1. Mentally prepare yourself. A brief drop-off will be difficult to get used to, but ultimately it’s in the child's best interest. Suzy may cry initially as she is prodded in the door and a teacher gently whisks her into the classroom, but by the time you are to the window 4 feet down the hall, anxiously looking in trying to gauge how your child is faring, Suzy is already dry-eyed asking, “what's for breakfast today?”

2. Have a consistent routine in the morning. It’s hard work trying make sense of the world! For a young child, many things don’t yet make sense as they are just developing the mental capacity to decode emotions and are working hard to categorize stimuli around them. They often don’t have the words to express their confusion or explain how they are feeling, and this alone can make small tasks overwhelming. A predictable schedule: wake up, put on clothes they chose the night before, eat breakfast, brush teeth, drive to school at the same time each day, can help ease your child’s anxiety about the day ahead. They will find calm in knowing what to expect each morning and will feel better able to take on the day.

3. On the way mention things they love at school. This ties into the above strategy about easing your child’s trepidation by naming things they can rely on. However, it also plays into their interests. Is there a lesson you know they practice tirelessly at school? Entice them by asking if they will work with the Pink Tower and Broad Stair. Perhaps Suzy’s friend Molly will be there to work with? Mention the teachers your child has built a relationship with. Ask questions about what they are looking forward to playing with on the playground. Montessori environments are purposely designed and teachers taught how to engage the child’s individual interests to draw them in and instil excitement about learning.

4. Stay calm, cool, and collected. If you are in a rush, anxious, and nervous about dropping off, Suzy will likely notice this, and mirror your behavior. If you act excited and nonchalant about the day, Suzy will draw from and mimic your courage and strength and eventually walk in confidently as well.

5. Communicate with the teacher. If you are anticipating an especially difficult drop-off, if there is a change in routine at home (Mom or Dad out of town), or you know your child has significant separation anxiety, talk to their teacher. Always wave them down if a teacher is not already waiting at the door. The teacher may know new lessons in the classroom Suzy will be excited to try. Teachers are an invaluable resource. We have seen many cases of difficult drop-offs and have an arsenal of tools to coax your little one in the door, until one day, before you know it, they are running down the hall excited to come to school!

Have faith. Leaving your child abruptly at the door with adults you are not yet familiar with, goes against every instinct in your body as a Mom or a Dad. Just know she will spend the rest of her day eagerly exploring materials, playing and working with her friends, busy with her work of becoming. Know that in order for a 3 year old to take ownership of herself and build confidence and self-sufficiency, Mom or Dad have to trust in the roots they have given them, let go just a little bit, and allow them to fly. Sending your child into the classroom independently sends the message that this is their space to take ownership and responsibility for, and puts them in the driver's seat on the path of becoming the strong, confident person they are capable of being.

Look for the Ladybugs: The Best Thing About Being a Teacher

I’m one of those strange sorts who genuinely loves her job.

Working with emotional 3, 4, and 5 year-old’s is no doubt exhausting. The drama is endless: “Sarah said I can’t come to her birthday party!” turns into “Johnny pushed me!” which is then overcome by “Megan said she’s not going to be my best friend!” And don’t get me started on sugar crashes the day after Halloween... At the end of a long day, I love a glass of “adult juice” with a side of peace and quiet just as much as the next person. But after teaching for almost 5 years in a Montessori classroom, without a doubt, the benefits far outweigh these difficult moments. Watching a 4 year-old’s face light up as he begins to decipher sounds and read his first book is… indescribable. The same can be said for seeing a child beam with confidence as she successfully zips up her jacket, “all by herself.” Watching as two children disagree and work through an argument peacefully - without pushing, hitting, or name calling - and listening to each other’s point of view restores your faith in humanity and possibilities for future generations.

The American Montessori Society teacher education course at the Montessori Teacher Education Institute of Atlanta recently had a class on the spiritual aspects of a Montessori classroom and the role of a Montessori guide. One of the points that stood out as different from something you might hear in traditional teacher training was a slide which purported that one of the teacher’s responsibilities is to nurture a child’s sense of awe and wonder. Teachers can do this by providing opportunities to observe intricate workings of nature, directing a child’s attention to an object of wonder, and marveling with children at miracles. When done with care, children have just as much to teach us as we can ever teach them.

Some teachers joke that the best thing about teaching is having Summer off. For me, it’s something else. Maria Montessori said: “The child, more than anyone else, is a spontaneous observer of nature.” We are a society bombarded by iPads, TV, commercials, music, and constant technological stimuli. These technologies are mind-blowing, amazing, and make our lives much easier. They are incomprehensible intellectual feats when you think about how someone possibly invented them (The internet? A place where you can get the answer to any question in seconds? What?!) But when you spend more than 5 minutes with a 3 year-old outside, you begin to remember the parts of our world that are not quite as loud and perhaps more important because one of the best parts about teaching little ones occurs when you see the world from their perspective. A few weeks ago, on the playground at our Ponce City Market location, I found a ladybug, put it on my hand, and pointed it out to Simon. Watching how mesmerized he was by this tiny bug reminded me how fascinating nature is and to continue to be amazed by things I so often take for granted. Simon continues to ask every time we are on the playground, “Where is the ladybug?” reminding me to come back to Earth, look around, and share in his enchantment and curiosity. In other words, to step away from the noise and the technology of the world and share this singular, unique moment of both education and wonder.

In an urban setting, spontaneous observations are not easy to just find. We’re lucky enough to have a wall of windows looking out into the city. This morning, as the sun was coming up, the sky was painted cotton candy shades of pink, purple, and blue, and I pointed it out to my little ones. They stared out the window, astonished, hushed, and respectful of nature’s wonders. I joined them. Why? Because teaching is not about school vacations or time spent away from the classroom. So, if - for myself - the best part of about being a teacher isn’t “having summers off” then what is it? Irrevocably, the best part about teaching is the sense of gratitude that washes over you when children effortlessly revive your own childlike sense of reverence and wonder for the beauty in the world around us.

Determined to Drive: How to Help Teachers Maintain Optimal Learning Conditions at School

Montessori teachers are adamant about drop-offs at the door. It helps create a peaceful environment where children can focus on their work. Parents, of course, have the best intentions. They love to hear about how Jenny arranges her grapes in a perfect circle around the edge of her plate every day and eats them carefully, one at a time. These anecdotes give them a glimpse into what their child does all day at school and build trust. We are spending all day with the most important thing in their universe, after all. However, after recently attending a seminar at which Dr. Steven Hughes, a Board Certified Pediatric Neuropsychologist spoke, the importance of protecting the children’s work space, was reaffirmed with one simple metaphor.

During his lecture, Hughes, with his many titles and accolades, spoke about what you need to succeed. (He has about 8 letters after his name, he knows what he’s talking about.) He asserts you need to develop and maintain productive habits and have the ability to adapt and respond to situations. To do these things, the brain needs to be strong. Like other muscles, to get stronger, the brain has to engage in “motivated, effortful, repeated, trial and error, experimental interactions with the environment.” This describes exactly what occurs in a Montessori classroom every day. Children are shown lessons based on their interests (motivated), and are encouraged and allowed the time needed to practice until they master it (repeated, trial and error, experimental interactions).

This connection between Montessori and how the brain develops was interesting, but I was struck by another subject he went into. Our brains have different cognitive networks and a process of communication between networks that allows something novel to turn into habit. For something new to become something you don't have to think about anymore to do. “Take learning to drive,” he said. When first learning to drive, you have to think about every little mechanic that goes into operating and directing your car. “Do I need to accelerate?”, “How hard should I push the pedal?”, “Which pedal is the brake?” This requires a lot of focus and is not something you learn to do on a freeway. Ideally you learn to drive in an empty parking lot or a quiet, residential street. You create conditions for active control networks to do what they need to do so this novel skill will eventually become a habit that doesn’t require so much focus and effort. In a Montessori classroom, especially a Primary room, we aim to do the same thing.

When a child's parent comes into the room, it is distracting. Even if the adult isn’t talking to the child - their presence and voice break the concentration that is so challenging for a 3 year old brain to cultivate as they try to remember how to hold a pencil and then use that pencil to say, write their name. Hughes’ talk about active control networks and how much concentration and effort goes into the brain turning novelty into habit, confirms how essential it is to provide a calm, quiet environment for children at school.

Maria Montessori said it best, “The first essential for the child's development is his concentration. The child who concentrates is immensely happy.” Assuming we all have the same goal in mind: to help these little people become confident, capable, autonomous beings, shouldn't we conspire to create the conditions necessary to respect the effort their brains have to call on to get there?

A Montessori Manor: How to Help Parents Incorporate a “Montessori-Mindset” at Home

If you are a Montessori teacher, or embarking on becoming one, you will find yourself often surrounded by parents who are eager to get involved and participate in their child’s education. Parents love that their child comes home and wants to dress himself, set the table, write numbers, and point out letter sounds in books they read together, but they have no idea how the magic happens. They are thrilled by their child’s progress and want to know “what lessons can I do at home to reiterate what they learn at school?”

For me, this is a trickier question than you might think. I love and appreciate having parents that are supportive and hands-on when it comes to their child’s education, but when you are at work from 9-5 and get home, even if your job is something you have a passion for, the last thing you want to do is more work. You may read. But most people don’t read Biochemistry or Economics books in their spare time. They pick up a novel. Instead of “meetings,” you have dinner with friends or family. Home is different for you and it should be for your students as well.

I wish the answer to “What can I do at home?” were as simple as buy this Montessori material and have your child practice it at home; however, it is more complex and in some ways more simple than that. That being said, there are ways to help parents make their environment at home more “Montessori” and encourage the independence and confidence their child is working on at school. 

What makes a lesson “Montessori?”

1. Montessori Lessons Involve the Senses and Purposeful Movement. The brain develops by categorizing and absorbing information provided by the senses. Montessori lessons are purposely hands-on and allow the child to repeat the movement or lesson many times to create neural pathways.

2. Montessori Incorporates Necessary Life Skills. Activities such as getting dressed, preparing food, setting the table, and cleaning are tasks with real purpose and help the child figure out how the world works and their place as an independent person in it.

3. Montessori Materials and Lessons are Self-Correcting. When approaching something as a lesson or “teachable moment” at home, encourage parents to ensure the child has an opportunity to correct himself without them stepping in to affirm or regulate. Allowing the child the chance to correct himself, whether it is immediately after being unsuccessful or making a mistake or later on, will help them build confidence and self-reliance.

4. Montessori Lessons Isolate a Concept or Skill. Don’t try to tackle all the steps the first time! Preliminary Montessori activities provide a foundation and prepare the child for more advanced work. When trying to teach a child a skill at home, teach parents to break it down into smaller steps so the child can feel successful with these, rather than become overwhelmed trying to do it all at once the first time.

5. The Environment is Thoughtfully Designed for Independence. Here are some simple adjustments parents can make at home:

In the Kitchen - Provide a stool if the sink is too high for the child to rinse their dish after dinner. Designate an area for their child’s “cleaning supplies” to be kept. Place a hook on the wall at child’s height where a broom their size can be stored. Keep a wash cloth and spray bottle in this corner for them to help clean with as well. (Be sure to set limits with the spray bottle as they tend to get “spray-happy” if left to their own devices. At school we typically allow three sprays per table when cleaning up after lunch.) For mealtimes, buy a plastic placemat that indicates with the outline of shapes where the plate, cup, fork, spoon, etc. should go. These can easily be made or bought on Amazon.

In the Playroom/Bedroom - Provide artwork at child’s level, while resisting the temptation to over-clutter the room with too many decorations, which can be distracting stimuli. Buy furniture their size. A hand-washing station is a nice addition that encourages self-care, and builds autonomy. You can easily create this by having a child’s size table with a large bowl, a pitcher to carry the water to and from the bowl, a bar of soap, and a towel. If this is not a lesson they have had at school, simply show them how they should complete it one step at a time. Provide a system for being tidy and organized at home. If you buy and assemble the shelves together, the child is involved in the process, and they will be more invested and interested in the outcome and purpose. Have them pick which shelf or drawer the trucks should go in, and where the balls should be kept.

Keeping the above cornerstones of Montessori in mind, encourage parents to provide opportunities for their child to “work” at home in ways that don’t necessarily feel like work. For example, have them help cook dinner. Show them how to slice a cucumber, being sure to point out the dangers of using a (child-size) vegetable cutter and the importance of using careful movements. Model the careful movements for them before giving them a turn. They may also invite the child to help garden and give them specific jobs with tools their size for them to work with.

Below are some links to materials that will allow children to help with daily tasks at home and continue working on some skills they are learning at school:

• Apple cutter 
• Small cutting board 
• Child size table and chairs 
• Hooks - perfect for hanging child size brooms or towels at their height
• Step stool 
• Child size pitcher to pour her own milk or water

The beauty of a Montessori education lies in developing the child as a whole person; complete with reading, writing, and arithmetic skills, as well as independence, autonomy, confidence, and essential life skills. With the exception of when a child is struggling with a certain concept and could benefit from additional practice, try not to push the more formal lessons at home. Of course if they show an interest in reading or writing numbers, this is a different scenario! Follow the child and teach parents to use their time with their little one to do activities together and approach them with a “Montessori-mindset,” rather than overwhelming them with more formal “work” after a long work day. When parents and teachers work together in harmony, a trust is formed that the child picks up on, and he benefits from a comprehensive education that will help guide him to become a conscientious, self-confident scientist and explorer of the world.