I grew up on a small emu farm, in a little town called Mount Hood, Oregon, near the Hood River, in the USA. When I was very young, it was the largest emu farm in the state. However, as the years went by, my parents reduced the numbers and now we have roughly 15. We also have geese, ducks and chickens. Recently, my family has acquired some sheep and goats to graze on the shrubbery for fire prevention.
A Farm is a Montessori Classroom
I remember the farm fondly. It provided a childhood experience that was very much like how Montessori is envisioned. Children are naturally inclined to work and the farm provided a lot of practical opportunities for occupation, exploration, time in nature, repetition, independence, responsibility and sensory experience.
Willow Teacher Kelly mentioned that there’s a park here in Tokyo that allows children to hammer things, make fires and other things like that, and that parents are not allowed to help the children. This reminded me of how when I was little I often went out and built a fire and then invited my dad to come eat hot dogs or canned chili or instant ramen that I cooked over my own fire.
I also recall fondly the first time I successfully cut a (very small) tree on my own. One day, I had gone out exploring and as I was walking along one of the emu fences, I saw that it was terribly bowed due to a fallen tree that had blown over during a recent storm. I decided that it must be fixed.
So, I went to the tool shed, grabbed a saw and started sawing the tree. It took a while, but eventually it gave way and the part that laid on the fence popped up a little and I was able to pull it off. That was a moment of self-satisfaction that must have been like what Dr. Maria Montessori saw when she was observing children and the satisfaction they have when they successfully do something themselves.
The Classroom is the Farm
In Montessori, we work on fostering independence in all levels of development. In the Nido (infant) and toddler levels, they are learning to be independent in very basic ways. In Casa (Sunshine ages), independence is learning to orient outside of the family and to do things for themselves, like getting dressed and cleaning up.
In Elementary, we work with the idea of Freedom and Responsibility and also with more independence with going out. Elementary children are learning to orient themselves in the social environment and the world around them, outside of family and even school. They are encouraged to think independently and to get out into the world, but they are also expected to do things safely, do their share of the work, and manage their time, among other things.
We are all here to help provide the children with a safe environment in which to learn and grow, but we must take care that we are not taking away their opportunities to learn. With freedom and independence, there is responsibility and natural consequences. Learning happens with responsibility and learning from mistakes.
It is natural for us adults to want to stop the children from having the uncomfortable experiences that come along now and then, but before we do that, we need to ask ourselves: “Am I taking away an opportunity for this child to grow?” If the only thing we are afraid of is their (and potentially our) discomfort, then we should prioritize growth.
When we let them face difficulties as independently as possible, when they do succeed, they will remember that success forever. Just like I did, when I was making food on my little fire to share with my dad and cutting down the little tree myself.
–Manamaya Peterson, Willow Teacher