Freedom is the foundation of the Montessori Philosophy. There is the freedom to choose one's own work; the freedom to work alone or with a partner; even the freedom to simply sit back and take stock. Montessorians believe that a child's freedom is what fuels the learning process. Yet it is precisely this element of freedom that sparks skepticism in the hearts of many parents and traditional educators. How, they wonder, can a child learn the critical things he is supposed to learn when simply left to his own devices?

Perhaps this agitation over children's freedom reflects a certain insecurity on the part of adults. Most of us grew up in a world in which adults reigned supreme. We were taught that only with age comes the right to order our own lives, pursue our own interests, choose our own careers. Children, we rationalize, don't yet know what's good for them; they need adults to keep them under control and to feed them the knowledge they require.

The Montessori method acknowledges the importance of adult guidance in a child's learning environment. At the same time, however, Montessori capitalizes on the special traits inherent in every child, which often go ignored in traditional educational settings.

Central to the Montessori approach is the conviction that, in the proper environment, children free to choose their own activities will seek to occupy themselves productively. As Maria Montessori put it, "In children, the drive for activity is almost stronger than that for food, although we rarely see it because they lack it in their present environment."

In the Montessori classroom, often referred to as the "prepared environment", the learning materials are neatly arranged on low shelves, accessible to the children for who they are intended.

In Maria Montessori's earliest days as a teacher she kept the work materials in a cabinet under lock and key. One night, however, she inadvertently left the cabinet unlocked. The next morning she arrived a few minutes late, only to find that the children had helped themselves to the materials and were already quietly at work. It was this incident that led to the principle of free choice of activity.

On a subsequent occasion, Dr. Montessori observed that, given a choice, children generally preferred work over play. Wealthy friends in Rome interested in her efforts with ghetto children had presented her with some elegant dolls, a dollhouse, and a doll-sized kitchen and dishes. The children expressed only fleeting interest in the toys, returning soon to their work materials.

"The delight that children find in working," she said, "impels them to attack everything with an enthusiasm that is almost excessive. If they shine a doorknob, they work at it so long that it gleams." The work-over-play phenomenon probably doesn't surprise most parents; after all, how many children would choose crayons and a coloring book over a hammer and nails, or a toy truck versus the chance to make a real salad for dinner?

Maria Montessori also prized the sense of self-sufficiency engendered by a child's independence. "Any child who is self-sufficient, who can tie his shoes, dress or undress himself, reflects in his joy and sense of achievement the image of human dignity, which is derived from a sense of independence."

Finally, freedom in a Montessori classroom brings to light a subtle but important contrast between learning and discovery. If a teacher says to a child, for instance, "drop this ball and observe the force of gravity," the child may follow the instruction and absorb, on some level, the information presented. If, on the other hand, the child performs an activity of her choice and in so doing happens to discover gravity, that discovery will ignite a spark on understanding that lodges deeply in her consciousness. The freedom to learn through discovery elevates understanding to a significantly higher level.

Thus, we create an environment in which materials are presented attractively, and we respect the child's right to choose freely among them, because in so doing she satisfies her own need for productive activity and her desire for understanding. She also builds a solid foundation of self-sufficiency and independence. Further, her freedom allows her to experience the exhilaration of personal discovery.

Freedom in a Montessori classroom is not without limitations. A child must not, for example, interfere with other children's work. Work materials must be returned to their proper places. A child may choose work materials only after he has received a lesson in their proper use. If a child is disruptive during a group activity or discussion, he will be removed form the group. The rules are simple, reasonable, and few.

In Maria Montessori's own words: "to give a child liberty is not to abandon him to himself or neglect him. The help we give must not amount to a passive indifference to all the difficulties he will encounter; rather we must support his development with prudent and affectionate care."

The Montessori Foundation
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The International Montessori Index
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North American Montessori Teacher's Association
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