Mindfulness is a practice of being present in the moment. Some accomplish this through meditation. Others focus on their breathing. One could also observe every sensation their body experiences or the natural environment around them. When I think of mindfulness and Montessori, I reflect on how one does “a work”. There is such intentionality in every movement and focused concentration of the exercise at hand.
During my own Montessori training, I discovered a new way of being. Instead of moving through the world in a daze, I learned to slow down and to pay attention. During my training, I was a single parent with two young children. I was recovering from trauma, so a lot was plowing through my cluttered brain. Because the lessons I was learning to teach required focus and concentration, the activities cleared my mind. All there is is the work. Children see the teacher’s deliberate, careful movements, and when it is their turn, they can also become mindful and focused. This is an important part of the Montessori normalization process of the child.
“The child who has become normalized is truly a worker-a child who, with deep joy, is absorbed in his work, and whose personality is calm, attentive, and respectful” – Maria Montessori
I think back to Karate Kid, when Mr. Miyagi teaches Daniel to focus on activities like “wax on, wax off” or catching a fly with chopsticks. All of these exercises taught movement, focus, and concentration. Like Montessori lessons, martial arts benefits from mindfulness.
“Your mind is like water. When it’s turbulent, it’s difficult to see. But if you become calm, you can see your reflection.” – Mr. Miyagi
Mindfulness and Montessori Philosophy goes beyond the classroom lessons. It spills out into a way of life. In this new way of being, one is self-aware and can regulate emotions. Other benefits can include enhanced relationships where empathy and understanding abound and a sense of peace. When you are present there is more purpose because you are living a life of intention.
Maria Montessori emphasizes the importance of respecting the work that a child engages in and encourages us to try to understand them. She sees each child as an individual capable of accomplishing or learning how to perform tasks to become independent.
Step back for a moment and consider how having respect means allowing others (whether child or adult) to do things for themselves or discover their way of being, rather than imposing your will and way of doing things on them. Micromanagement takes a lot of energy. It is exhausting trying to bend everyone to your way. As a teacher giving a lesson to a child, you can show someone how you do something, then let them try, and allow them the space to discover their own way.
It is easy for me to recall my own experience of having my way of doing something criticized and my negative, resistant response to criticism. Some of us carry criticism wounds from our childhood that make us touchy and very resistant to this type of “teaching”. Yet if someone invites me to do a task with them and shows me how they do something and allows me to try along with them, I am much more receptive. Likely, I will learn from what I am shown and then add my flair to what I have learned and make the process my own. In turn, they may also learn something by showing me and then observing what I end up doing. This is one way in which teachers become better teachers is by observing their students and seeing the students’ ideas being added to their own.
Prepared Environment
Montessori Teachers should spend time preparing the environment for their students. In a classroom where children are working, the teacher observes how the students are responding to their environment and will be making notes regarding what is working or not. Is something hard for the student to get to? Is there enough space for children to do their work? What type of energy does the room seem to influence? Are the children interested in the activities? Is there an activity on the shelf that nobody is using, and why?
Look at your own home or work area. Like you observe children in a classroom, observe yourself in your space. How do you feel in your environment? Clutter can cause anxiety. It is very helpful to regularly make donations of things you are no longer using. What things do you have in your space that remind you of negative experiences? Maybe these things need to be purged. Can you reach the shelves you need to get to? Do you need to have a step-stool available? Continually adjust things and prepare your environment for your success.
If you have children in your home, it is important to prepare an environment for them as well to encourage their independence, especially in the kitchen and bathroom. Some Montessori homes even have a small fridge that may give a child access to snacks or drinks they can get for themselves. short shelves, accessible dishes, and cleaning supplies. I cannot stress the importance of having your children be part of a community that cares for the environment. They get a lot more from the experience of being part of the family community instead of being served, and that works best when the home environment is created with them in mind.
Humanitarian values
Maria Montessori said, “The child is both a hope and a promise for mankind.” In a Montessori classroom, the teacher promotes peaceful resolutions, conversation, expression of feelings, empathy for others, internal discipline, and, most importantly, models these principles to their students. This is an important area in which to align yourself. In your life, are you seeking peaceful resolutions to problems? Are you engaging in meaningful conversations, looking for agreeable solutions with others? Are you expressing your feelings healthily? Are you considering other people’s feelings? What do you do to practice internal discipline? In a world so full of conflict, as Montessorians, we should be doing our best to be a beacon of peace and hope for the people in our lives.
Having a positive outlook and looking for the good, focusing on love and kindness, can make a difference in your life and the people around you. Take time to be present in nature. Look at all the beauty. Make sure to seek good things to fill your soul and don’t allow yourself to get sucked into negativity. I do not mean to be naive or avoid all that may be going on, but try to stay balanced and make sure positivity can permeate into your soul so you can share it with others.
Often, parents hope that their children will learn from the mistakes they made, so their children do not repeat the same mistakes. Sometimes they make hard-line rules based on preventing these mistakes, without sharing their experiences due to their own embarrassment or unwillingness to show their children their own flaws, thus maintaining a perfect parent persona. I believe there is a better way.
Giving up my own persona of an innocent mother who does not do anything wrong was key to opening up conversation and being able to share experiences in which my children could actually learn from what happened to me and feel free to share openly about what was going on in their world. Of course, it also helps to not quickly respond or shut them down because you don’t like what you are hearing. If you are clearing the space for true dialogue, it is important to learn to listen more than lecture. Ask them if they want your help or advice instead of just assuming they want it. Sometimes, just like you, what they need is someone to listen. Do not trivialize or make fun of their distress.
Eventually, your children will likely need to come to terms with their childhood experiences, good and bad. It is a good thing, even if it is an uncomfortable experience to have them analyze events of their youth that you played a role in. Sometimes things are remembered that you do not have any recollection of, or they will talk about how you responded to a situation that caused them a certain amount of grief. They may also bring up funny things you did that seem totally out of character. I encourage you to allow them to process what they need to process. People can experience or remember the same event very differently. Again, listening is key.
My children are now grown. I actually have probably completed whatever adulting lessons they have needed at this point. I am happy to say they are confident, smart, independent adults with their own passions, ideas, and purpose for their own lives. I did not know during their teenage years that this would be the result. As a matter of fact, I would often question if I was doing okay or wonder what other people would think of my parental choices. Now being on the other end and seeing the begining of their adult lives, I can say that yes I made mistakes; however, allowing them their own choices, supporting what they wanted or said they needed, letting them explore who they are and who they want to be is what ultimately helped them be who they are today.
Montessori Philosophy 