Whole Child Collaborative

Concentration isn’t just a woo-woo Montessori theory. Current research backs up its importance in education settings from early childhood through adolescence. Studies consistently show that continued periods of deep concentration (sometimes referred to as ‘flow’) create what is referred to as an upward spiral of growth and learning. This flow state is crucial to human development (Rathunde, 2001). Mindfulness practices have been shown again and again to be beneficial for students of all ages.

Dr. Montessori’s writings on concentration are parallel with many mindfulness practices that are proven to benefit students. It is this alignment that may be what makes Montessori students demonstrate consistently high executive functions and social-emotional skills (Lillard, 2011). Dr. Montessori’s writings on the importance of concentration to human development were genuinely pioneering, and her theories continue to be backed up by research today.

We want to say we protect concentration, but do we really? Do we safeguard concentration when a child is making an enormous mess? Do we protect concentration when we must rush a young child concentrating on the task before them so we can move the class through a transition? Are opportunities for concentration limited to a three-hour work cycle in the morning?

We can’t forget that concentration isn’t limited to a child working with materials or activities. A child can concentrate as they try to put their pants or shoes on. Concentration can occur when a child tries to poke a piece of food onto their fork at mealtime. A child can concentrate when walking down steps, painstakingly, one at a time. But only if their concentration isn’t interrupted. And typically not much will break concentration other than a well-meaning adult. Here is what Dr. M had to say about it in The Advanced Montessori Method, Vol 1:

“Behold a child of three years old capable of repeating the same exercise fifty times in succession; many persons are moving about beside him; someone is playing the piano; children are singing in chorus; but nothing distracts the little child from his profound concentration.”

What we don’t need right now is watered-down versions of Montessori education. When I see prominent Montessori schools highlighting Montessori graduates like Jeff Bezos, I wonder if we’ve lost the plot. Montessori education is not designed for the good of the individual child but for the good of the child within their community. One cannot thrive unless the other thrives. Maria Montessori wrote over and over that the goal of education should be social reconstruction, not the upward mobility of individuals. The American idea of rugged individualism has crept into Montessori education. Has it rooted out the idea of liberation for the child, which is the cornerstone of quality Montessori education? What is the point of Montessori education if Montessori-educated boys grow up to be men like Jeff Bezos?

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Remember that behavior is communication. As Montessori adults, we must look for the child who is not yet there. This gives us a hopeful view of the child when negative behaviors happen. We know that children are not genuinely happy when these unwanted behaviors are present, and we want to partner with families not to pass judgment but to offer our perspective on the child’s life at school and to guide caregivers using our knowledge of child development.

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I have to remind myself that the children in my classroom are practicing skills they haven’t mastered yet. And not just the academic skills needed to learn numbers and read or the motor skills needed to use the pink tower with care. They are also practicing social and emotional skills they haven’t mastered yet. Some of them still don’t know how not to interrupt when others are speaking. Some don’t know how to hold their bodies still or make silence. They’re still learning, so why do I find myself becoming frustrated as I witness their first attempts?

“We need to change our attitude and see the greatness of the child’s achievements rather than the small and dry leaves of his errors (errors we have caused).” Maria Montessori, The 1946 London Lectures

In his book Outliers, author and journalist Malcom Gladwell proposes that it takes 10,000 hours to master a skill. And here I am, expecting a 3 ½-year-old to have mastered putting on their shoes at an adult pace and a 4-year-old to move their body in a room full of 24 young children without bumping into someone.

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Exploration may happen when a curious three-year-old takes the multiplication bead board off the shelf. Are we intervening or stepping back to explore the child acting on one of their human tendencies? How can we balance supporting human tendencies like exploration without the classroom becoming chaotic? Observation, of course. We can only create space for children to act on their human tendencies when observation is our top priority.

Here is one thing that is true about the human tendency toward exploration: children can not explore when adults are constantly intervening, and they cannot act on their own curiosity when adults are constantly intervening. So, our first step toward supporting human tendencies is to stop constantly intervening.

“We can sum this up in two sentences; the first actually said by a child to their teacher: ‘Help me to do it by myself’. The other is one we gave: ‘Every useless help is an obstacle to development.’ ” Maria Montessori, Citizen of the World.

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Observation is foundational to every Montessori teaching practice. We should base all decisions on observation, from how the classroom is set up to which lesson we present to a child next. It should also inform how we interact with each student in our classroom. At its core, Montessori is an incredibly flexible and responsive pedagogy when our practices are based on observation.

But too often, observation is dismissed as optional or something that can go on the back burner at the beginning of the year. We can observe after we give the grace and courtesy lessons (spoiler: those grace and courtesy lessons will be much more meaningful in the long run if they’re based on observations). We can observe once the children know how to follow the rules (another spoiler: ground rules are much easier to implement and follow through on when they are based on the observed needs of the community).
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Back-to-school season can be a lifeline for working families, offering relief from piecing together childcare throughout the summer. For others, it can cause a sense of dread. Sending your child to school can be daunting and stressful, especially if this is their first experience away from primary caregivers. It’s normal to experience self-doubt and worry about your decisions during this transition. Maybe you’ve been dropping a crying child off at school every morning, then scrolling through pictures on social media of smiling children on their first day. Am I doing something wrong? Did we make the right decision to send them?

Children must be given the space to work through challenges. It’s not our job to fix all their struggles but to support them as they work through challenging tasks. Consider how challenging new tasks are as an adult, even when they are positive—moving, starting a new job, having a child. All of these are beautifully challenging things that we get to work through as we live full, rich lives. Our children are working through their own challenges of adjusting to a new environment, new routines, and new people, and we have to give them the autonomy to work through them. Listen with empathy, validate their feelings, and contact their teacher if you have questions about their adjustment.
Read more back to school tips for caregivers on Substack ❤️

Hey, Montessori teachers. You may find yourself gearing up for a new school year, and I know you want to make space for neurodiverse children to thrive in your environment. But in your quest for inclusivity, don’t forget the plot. Neurodiverse students are valuable, contributing members of your classroom community, and they deserve the same autonomy we strive to give neurotypical students, even if/when they need some different tools.

Neurodiverse students may need support making choices, but they deserve agency. They may need specific grace and courtesy lessons, but they deserve to collaborate with their peers. Neurodiverse students may need support outside the classroom but deserve uninterrupted time to work alongside their peers. Neurodiverse students may need specific strategies but deserve opportunities to practice independence.

As you think through support, ask yourself: Is this strategy taking away this child’s autonomy? How can I provide support in a way that allows the child to maintain their independence?

Let’s make sure we’re preparing environments for children, not children for environments.

In a Montessori school, adults empower children to have agency over their learning. Why aren’t Montessori schools leading with a more thoughtful leadership model? How would school communities thrive if the school culture was modeled after Maria Montessori’s vision for cosmic education?

Teachers make a million quick decisions daily, and they must constantly balance the good of the individual with the good of the whole community in their decision-making. I think its safe to say that teachers are excellent decision makers! What if teachers had power to make decisions for their work? What if teachers made hiring decisions about new team members? What if teachers were able to collaboratively develop their classroom budgets based on a deep understanding of their needs? If teachers had higher pay and more decision making power, how many of them would stay in the classroom longer?

These ideas don’t have to be pipe dreams. Montessori schools are already reimagining what education looks like. What would happen if we reimagined what school leadership looks like?

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“The thing is, we can’t keep having these conversations about solutions for teacher shortages in a room with no teachers. Let me tell you, teaching post-pandemic is incredibly challenging, and teachers are starting to ask themselves whether its worth it.”
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I’m not posting quite as regularly on IG these days, but you can head over to my Substack to read my latest post where I’m sharing some of my favorite children’s books with no words. You can sign up for the newsletter to get regular posts ❤️