Being kind, letting someone else go first, and sorting out an argument are skills a child practices every day. In a Montessori Elementary classroom they are part of the curriculum. The Santa Barbara Independent spoke with Melinda Creman, then our Lead Elementary Guide, about how that works.
Older children teach, and younger children ask
“Leadership in Montessori is a powerful tool,” she said. In our mixed-age rooms, older children, or those who have gone deeper into a subject, guide less experienced classmates through new ideas. At first a teacher might suggest that one student help another. Very soon it happens on its own. Leaders step in when they can help, and children who need guidance go and ask for it.
Almost any subject can be led this way, most often math, language, biology, art, and geography. A classroom leader might invite others to join a big research project on prehistoric animals. A younger child might ask for help finding multiples of numbers with the long bead chain.
Conflict becomes a lesson in choices
Children choose where and with whom they work, so they meet one another more often than in most traditional schools. That gives them many chances to practice social skills and resolve conflicts. Rather than simply telling a child what to do, the teacher often asks them to think about the choices that led to the conflict. A child who sees their actions as choices learns they have the power to make their surroundings better.
What grace and courtesy look like in a young child
Grace means doing things with positive intention. It looks like being calm, kind, and open-minded, and being honest even when that means admitting you were wrong. Courtesy means supporting others. Courteous children keep the classroom organized and clean, and they care for its materials, plants, and pets. They offer to help a classmate or the teacher when no one else volunteers. Stories with characters who show these qualities are read aloud to the class regularly.
“Ideally,” she said, “this grace and courtesy will stay with them for the rest of their lives.”
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