The Montessori Philosophy
The basic tenet of the Montessori philosophy of education is that children carry within themselves the person they will become. Montessori educators say the world of the child is full of sights and sounds, which initially appear chaotic. From this chaos children must gradually create order, learn to distinguish among impressions that assail their senses and slowly but surely gain mastery of themselves and their environment.
Dr. Montessori developed what she called the Prepared Environment. This carefully mastered environment inherently possesses a certain order and allows children to learn at their own pace, according to their own capabilities and in a non-competitive atmosphere. The acquisition of good manners and social graces are integral along with responsibility to community and fellow members of the school.
Dr. Montessori recognized the only valid impulse to learning is the self-motivation of the child. The teacher prepares the environment, directs the activities and offers the child stimulation; but it is the child who learns, who is motivated through work to persist in any given task. Children who have acquired an “inner discipline” from their exposure to physical and mental order are the children who are free to learn. This is the premise of the Montessori philosophy. Montessori teaches children to observe, to think, and to discriminate. It introduces children to the joy of learning at an early age and provides a framework in which intellectual and social discipline go hand-in-hand.