Letter from the Directress - Independence

I believe that our role as Montessori teachers is to support the child’s struggle for independence. Simply put, we encourage our students to help themselves.

Independence lays the foundation for further cognitive, social and emotional development. We must never impede this development, either by acting unnecessarily, or by failing to organize the environment so that the children may act for themselves.

The pace of our lives is one of the greatest impediments to the child's development of independence. We are simply too busy. We find it faster and more efficient to do things for our child, and in the process, deprive the child of an opportunity to practice or learn a new skill.  A more pervasive impediment to independence is our view of the child as weak, fragile and needy. We may believe that in order to love and care for our child, we must do things for them. When we see the child’s somewhat awkward efforts, our first reaction may be to take over and complete the task for the child. Caring in this way provides the adult with feelings of satisfaction, which further compounds the problem. The adult’s need to help can be a powerful factor in undermining development and demean any attempt by the child to become self-reliant. If a child has adults constantly helping, they begin to feel their own efforts are not quite good enough; the adult is quicker, better able to do things, with less mess and less trouble. Feelings of inadequacy may influence the child’s willingness to act independent of adults, to do for themselves.

At Montessori & Me, we act only for children when necessary for their safety or well-being. For example, if a student spills something, they are encouraged to clean it up. The environment is organized to encourage children to act on their own; implements are just the right size, everything is in a certain place. Children are able to move about freely, communicate freely, explore and work independent of adults. This independence builds much needed confidence in the young child.

Children also learn to become independent within a small community, to articulate their needs and assist other children if help is required. They are reminded of their responsibility to others and begin to understand how to use their independence. Independence also has limits. We must respect the rights and dignity of others.

Our role as teachers is to support the young child as they find ways to extend themselves, to discover, and to learn. Within a safe and prepared environment, we encourage independent decision-making at every step!

Ms. Patrice Levin
Directress & Montessori Preschool Teacher