The basic belief underpinning the Montessori Method was the belief that the essential factor in the Montessori outlook is that it is not the adult who creates the child; it is the child who, through his experiences, creates a human being (Seldin, 1996, p. 8). Dr. Montessori felt that this ability has to be nurtured from birth on. First, it is developed in the family, then at school, and later in life. What usually happens is that children are told what to do, and they learn what the adult tells them to do. This is what many traditional preschool and daycare centers do. This is not listening to inner prompting, and may cause their ability to atrophy. Then, they often end up in a trap that is very difficult to escape. At Arbor View Montessori we teach that if people love what they are doing, they tend to do better at tasks on which they work (Montessori, 1971). If they find what they like, they will have found the function of their life and they will be good at it. You will be secure in yourself because you will have self-respect (Montessori, 1966). The person who loves and respects his/her own work will love and respect the work of others, and will be a peaceful person. This is the very first step in Montessori’s philosophy.
Underpinning of Montessori
