Why be Montessori educator?
If you have chosen to become an early childhood educator, it is likely did you have a real love of children and a passion for working with them. This is starting point that any parent entrusting their child to a service would expect. So already you have the qualities needed for an engaged early childhood educator. Now, consider why you should become a Montessori educator.
As a Montessori educator your role as a guide will be vastly different from that of a traditional educator. Maria Montessori called her teachers ‘directresses’ for she saw their role was to observe the children and then gently direct them in their learning. Today Montessori educators are referred to as ‘guides. You will be providing students guidance in order that the students learn how to interact with the materials to teach themselves. You will be able to watch their confidence grow as they realise that they are capable of many things.
A Montessori educator is a conduit between young children and the enormous world of discovery and knowledge around them. A Montessori educator observes students, finds their needs, and responds to them through personalised guidance and lessons. They empower children by establishing a relationship based on trust and respect, nurturing their joy in their learning.
Working in a Montessori classroom – the so called ‘prepared environment’ – with its careful planning and scientifically designed, beautiful materials lead to engaging young children in hands-on learning, while teaching them to be independent and become creative thinkers.
The Montessori classroom is unlike any other classroom. The unique classrooms in Montessori schools are designed for settled engagement, allowing you and your students to reflect and focus on the tasks at hand.
The lessons are tailored to fit each child’s needs, to the pace at which they learn, their ability to maintain their focus on a single activity for a certain amount of time, and their interests. It is your primary responsibility as a teacher to instil a love of discovery and learning in your students. This is readily done as you observe and follow each child’s growth and learning as they explore and engage with the materials.