Adults in the Montessori Environment

One of the most important and greatest roles of the adult in the Montessori environment is to present opportunities for concentration and then protect it. We present beautiful and engaging materials, show how it is used, and then step back. Once the child is inflow and concentrating, we step WAY back. We do not correct, we do not praise, we do not interrupt We do, however, observe. And through that observation, we learn so much,

Not only are we able to assess a child's ability, understanding, and progress, we can gain such deep insight into the child that we do consider observation a large part of our work in the classroom. We can gain insight into the child's development and the changes that may be happening, whether a child is stepping into a sensitive period (when a child's interests and development are acutely tuned to a specific area such as language). We can gauge readiness for new lessons, see how they handle frustration and where we can assist with gaining confidence.

I will admit, this was one of the more challenging aspects of my first year of being a Montessori teacher. I wanted to step in and help. I wanted to engage with the child and talk about what they were doing. But I learned to step back and watch. Let the lesson unfold for me. Because as much as I am there to teach the child, the child is teaching me.

I suggest you take some time to step back and observe. What do you notice when they concentrate? How do they confront struggle and the challenge of a new skill? What lessons is the child offering you?