The environment is prepared in a way that meets the needs of children.
The furniture in the program is designed to be:
- Child-size
- Easily movable
When a child begins to act freely in the prepared environment, as his normal routine, because he has chosen to do so, then his whole ego is active and his personality functions as a unity following the intimate rhythm of his life. We say this is work.
The Director or Directress is similar to a teacher in a classroom and has the same qualifications, except the director or directress has a minimum of 1 year of Montessori training
The Director or Directress must be:
- Aware of the developmental needs of the child
- A catalyst for learning
- Must have faith in the child
- The connection between the material and the child
- Walk a fine line between imposing her will and allowing the child to express his needs in the construction of his or her personality.
- Creative, respectful and flexible
- Allow the child to explore the material in a respectful manner allowing the child to self- construct
- Establishes order in the classroom
- Sit back, yet intercedes when needed
- Nurture the children
- Move the child along when they are ready
- Assess strengths, weaknesses and capabilities
- Able to deal with spur of the moment situations
“The work of education is divided between the teacher and the environment” – Discovery of the Child, page 152
The classroom is divided into 5 areas – Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Math and Cultural studies.