“The purpose of education must be to elevate the individual; otherwise education would be of no use. This must be the goal of education. We must wish to love humanity, instead of merely wanting to apply a preconceived plan.”
MARIA MONTESSORI
In our Montessori environment, you will never hear the phrase, “You need to share.” It’s not that we don't want children to learn to share, it’s that it’s not forced upon by the adult. The Montessori environment is designed to reflect the real word and have children foster and develop real skills. As an adult I cannot say, “I really like your new BMW. I want to take it for a spin. Come on, you need to share!” Why would we force children to respond this way when there is something they would like to try, touch or play with? In return, I don't expect the driver of the car to let me take it for a test drive because he learned to share in his early years. With this in mind, we don't expect the other child to be forced to give up his toy or materials just because another child is demanding it be so.
How do we help children foster and develop a sense of “sharing”? Sharing in the Montessori environments means being kind, inviting another to join you or letting someone else know you are finished if they'd like to take a turn. There is only one of each particular material in our classrooms. The environment is purposely designed this way. This means children learn how to wait their turn, speak to someone to let them know they are interested in someone’s chosen material and practice communicating kindly with one another. This also means respect is given to the child using the material as he is allowed to complete his work on his own accord. Waiting your turn will allow the child to practice patience, a much needed real world skill. Speaking up and letting others know of your interest will allow the child to practice communicating her wants, another real life skill. Children practice speaking and conversing kindly and respect for both children and their work is present. Sharing, in the common understanding of the word, happens naturally in the Montessori environments. Children may invite an interested child to come watch their work or let someone who is waiting for a turn know that the material is now available and back on the shelf. Sharing and being kind, is evident when a child invites another to join together for work on a Puzzle Map or to sit side-by-side while a book is read. These are the sweetest moments to witness in a classroom. It’s not forcing another child to give you what you are demanding, when you demand it; it’s knowing to wait patiently and communicate kindly. Our world would be so much more enhanced with grace if we all practiced this as naturally as the children do!
