“It is ‘living among real possessions of his own’ which calms the child…”

" and assuages those desires which consume his precious powers in the vanity of illusion. Such a result is not to be achieved by imagining that he is living among his own possessions. Some teachers in charge of a model orphanage once said to me: ‘We too make our children perform the exercises of practical life which you describe; come and see.’ I went. Some of the authorities were also present, and a university professor of pedagogy.

Some children seated at a little table with playthings were laying the table for a doll’s meal; their faces were quite without expression.

I looked in amazement at the persons who had invited me. They seemed quite satisfied; they evidently thought that there was no difference between laying a table in play and laying it for an actual meal. For them imaginary life and real life were the same thing. May not this subtle form of error be instilled in infancy and afterwards persist as a mental attitude? " 
   

— Dr. Maria Montessori
From Spontaneos Activity in Education

Dr. Montessori stressed that the classroom belongs to the children. In today’s quote we gain a glimpse of why she felt this way.

Thoughts for the day:

* Why is it important that children own and control things in their environments?

* Is the classroom environment sufficient, or should the home environment also be involved?

* Is this need for control different for children than it is for adults? What kinds of ownership do you require from your home and work environments?

* If you currently work in a classroom, what are the ways that you communicate ownership?

CGMS’ next groups all begin soon.  If you want to extend your professional development, or if you are interested in becoming a certified Montessori teacher, now is the time to visit our website at www.guidedstudies.com for more information.