Every child born into this world is working towards independence. Each stage of his or her growth is a very small step of separation from his or her parent. The goal is to become a fully self-sufficient, autonomous person. Although we, as human beings, can never really be fully independent of other human beings (we need the social and emotional community that other human beings bring into our lives); nonetheless, the child strives for his or her own autonomy as they grow and develop towards adulthood. I witness this everyday in my Montessori classroom.
I can aid them towards this goal by providing them activities that I have specifically prepared for them. The task is broken down into smaller, more manageable steps; I demonstrate slowly with as few words as possible so as not to distract their visual concentration; and I ensure that there is a built-in self-correction in the material so the child can correct him or herself. This enables the child to teach him or herself how to learn.
One of the most gratifying activities a child learns is how to fetch and prepare their own food. I have observed the sense of pride and esteem a child exudes when they have managed to pour their own juice, spread their own butter, or cut their own fruit. Decision-making skills are developed when they are given the choice of what snack they would like and choosing when they want to have it. Of course, adult guidance is absolutely necessary at the beginning of all these different myriad choices. And as for me, there is no greater joy as a teacher than to hear one of my little ones declare, “I did it all by myself!”
Until next week,
Lorraine
