Tim Seldin & Paul Epstein Ph.D. An Education for Life

THE MONTESSORI WAY
return it to the rug holder. This is, as
the children proudly say, a “big work.”
It is now almost 10:00 A.M. and
Imani is hungry. She moves to the
snack table and prepares several
pieces of celery stuffed with peanut
butter. She pours a cup of apple juice,
using a little pitcher that is just the
right size for her hands. When she is
finished, Imani takes the cup to the
dish-washing table and wipes the
place mat. As with the breakfast dishes,
dish washing is a real-life activity;
the children will wash their own dishes
and learn to take care of their own
needs. (Dishes and utensils will go
through the dishwasher before the
next morning.)
Montessori children are usually
energized by “big work.” Cleaning up
from her snack has put Imani in the
mood to really clean something.
Younger children will direct their
energies into a table-washing activity.
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Five-year-old Imani has another
plan. She finds her friend Chelsea, and
the two girls begin talking about a
puppy named Sam. They begin to
laugh as their story becomes increasingly
elaborate. Their teacher, Ann,
acknowledges their creativity and suggests
they write a story. This lesson
involves a work rug, a box of wooden
letters called the Moveable Alphabet,
pencils, paper, and writing tables. Like
the earlier math work, it reflects enormous
achievements in language learning.
They have already learned the
phonetic sounds of letters and how
to blend sounds together to write and
read words. This activity also reflects
enormous achievements in developing
focus or concentration and self-discipline.
Imani and Chelsea use the
alphabet to compose a story about a
dog named Sam.
Throughout the morning, Imani’s
classmates have completed learning
activities involving sorting and
sequencing objects, identifying
names for nations, arranging geometric
shapes, and exploring scientific
properties.
In a very real sense, Imani and
her classmates are responsible for
the care of this child-sized environment.
Older children show younger
children how to use the materials.
When the children are hungry, they
prepare their own snacks by cutting
raw fruits and vegetables. They go to
the bathroom without assistance.
When something spills, they help
each other clean up. They also enjoy
sweeping, dusting, and washing
windows. They set tables, tie their
own shoes, polish silver, and steadily
grow in their self-confidence and
independence. Noticing that the
plants need water, Imani carries the
watering can from plant to plant,
barely spilling a drop.