Observation is a key component of the Montessori philosophy. Dr. Maria Montessori’s pedagogy is based on a deep understanding of children that grew from curiosity around her medical subjects. Through scientific observation, she learned about their capacity to learn easily about endless subjects; their desire to do things for themselves and their community; and their greatness and beauty, over all their little mistakes.
Many teachers get into teaching because they love children and want to do something to help them. I did not get into teaching for this reason. I was terrified of children - I am the youngest in my family and never had opportunities to babysit or be around those who were much younger than me. I still have moments of “oh! what am I about to go do? be in a room full of small children?! eek!”
I actually think that this is one of my strengths as a Montessorian. I don’t have any expectations about children relationships; instead, I’m curious. I have learned a lot of child development. It’s fascinating to learn that a child between 18 and 24 months will begin to engage in symbolic play, such as using a rock for a phone. The part that thrills me is the all of the different ways that the emerging symbolic play can appear - through pretend food in the sandbox, pushing a sensory bottle and making car noises, setting a baby doll at the table to eat lunch, and the list can go on.
There is no one way that a child manifests the developmental milestones, even in something that seems more universal, like walking. There are so many varied body positions, confidences (fast vs. slow, looking before stepping or running with their eyes closed), and more that it is truly fascinating to discover all their different strategies.
When one of my Montessori mentors talked about observation, she recalled a story where she was watching a child that had prepared a snack. They set their plate on the table, picked up their chair, walked across the room and sat down. Her assistant came over and asked the child to move their chair to their plate. The toddler complied quickly and my mentor was left wondering what the child was trying to accomplish.
I often think of this story in two ways -
What was this child trying to accomplish?! By interrupting the child’s process, we will never know.
Not interrupting another adult’s curiosity that is in the classroom with me (or my husband’s curiosity about our own children).
Dr. Maria Montessori wrote, “There is only basis for observation: the children must be free to express themselves and thus reveal those needs and attitudes which would otherwise remain hidden or repressed in an environment that did not permit them to act spontaneously.” This means that when we interrupt their process that we are not actually learning about their needs and attitudes.
One area that I catch myself wanting to interrupt is when a child makes a spill and walks away from the spill - not in the immediate direction of spill rags. However, when I consciously remember to wait and to see where they are going, they are often just taking the long, loopy route to get a spill rag. It’s so difficult to be patient when that spill is on the floor; however, it’s such a gift to be curious about the child’s intentions.
There are times when it is important to interrupt - if the child is disrespecting themselves, others or their environment. A young child is learning how to have patience and fortitude to live towards the values that they are developing. Sometimes we must guide them to understand how their actions are effecting their friends or their environment - or could even hurt themselves!
However, it’s also worth noting these times and incidents to see if there is a pattern. For example, does one area of your classroom or home cause more distress? For example, our living room never stays picked up. The girl's room and our craft room stay fairly clean - there are activities to do, but also a place for everything and (for the most part) everything in it’s place. Our living room has limited activities and the things that are in our living room tend to be more hidden, such as in a cabinet as opposed to on a shelf.
This is an observation that I made this week and may transfer things to a shelf - or maybe I’ll continue my “I’m going to get the broom” method. The girls have observed often enough that anything I sweep is eligible for the trash. They hurry and pick up anythings they want before I sweep them into the trash.
When we observe our child, we learn about them, and knowing them builds trust around our child. The more that we trust our child, the more we are able to sit back and observe. When beginning to observe, it is a helpful habit to set a time for yourself. For example, at 9 a.m. I will observe for 5 minutes. Then at 9 a.m. sit down with a notebook and write down what you see - the what a child is touching/using, the way their hand is holding the object (full hand grasp vs. pincer grasp), the way that they move their body, are they peaceful or excited, etc. Once you are able to consistently sit down and observe, build your stamina for the amount of time that you can observe.
I do encourage you to write down what you observe. First, it is a written record of how the child is growing. You are able to reflect back on the week, the month or the year and see how much progress the child has made. Reflecting on your observations weekly is helpful in determining the adjustments that are necessary to make to set the child up for success. Sitting and writing also gives you a task, so if a child asks for you to help them, then you can say that you cannot help because you are doing your own work. Overtime, they will understand that when you are sitting with your notebook that they have the freedom to explore their environment.
“Wait while observing.” That is the motto of the educator. -Dr. Maria Montessori. If you are not waiting and observing, then you are not educating because you do not know what you need to educate. We must learn from the children and be ready to serve them - either in the moment or by altering your environment when appropriate.
