Classrooms are an extension of the Montessori guides who design them and live this work in them; we care about the vibe, the colors, the art, and the tiny details, right down to the sharpness of the point on the colored pencil.
Materials from quality companies are arranged in curriculum areas and are sequenced from left to right on a shelf. A language shelf, for example, will have essential sound acquisition work on the left top of the shelf, and the scope and sequence will move into CVC words and sight words, which might be at the bottom right of the language shelf. In a toddler room, easier puzzles would be on the top left, and work toward more challenging puzzles toward the bottom right. We are trained not to crowd our shelves with too much work, and many teachers “edge” the work to the very front of the shelves and even remove the tops off of wooden boxes of materials to entice the children with the colorful work inside. There is a science behind which works are out and how they are placed and arranged.
Beauty
Beauty is not a luxury it’s a necessity, and we arrange flowers in vases on tables, plants, art, and decorative rugs and lamps. Instead of plastic, our materials are made of wood, metal, glass, and natural fibers. Instead of plastic blinds, we use wood or bamboo. Everything is sized for the child (furniture, cubbies, cookware, utensils, and academic materials.) There is an area for art and creativity, and the study of the masters and color theory starts as early as two and a half. Many Montessorians put collections of framed, famous paintings at eye level for the children. Essential oil diffusers are common. Each place to work, socialize, eat, and rest should be comforting and soothing, more like a home environment and less like an institution.
Consistency and Predictability
We modify the environment as time ticks along, as children show us what they need, and as we add new materials. But we also have to maintain consistency and predictability. If the children were to walk into school and see the snack area has been moved to where the art area used to be, it would be a big to do! A circle time discussion would be in order, at the very least. It’s helpful to include the children when changes are made whenever possible. For example, when practical life work is changed to reflect the seasons or to boost interest after 4-6 weeks of the same work, children love to bring the glass vases of colored water to be replenished with new different colors. They enjoy changing bowls of beans and glass beads to nuts and pom poms. And they squeal with delight when new work they’ve never seen before is added. They like to help arrange things on shelves, and even the youngest know that there’s a place for everything, and everything should be in its place. Maria Montessori called her classrooms “Children’s Houses.” These spaces do not belong to us adults. One could even argue that for a teacher to say, “My room” or a head of school to say, “My school” is incorrect.
Movement
Montessori children are not kept in chairs. They have freedom of moment, within limits. We run outside and walk inside. We push in our chairs and roll up our rugs. We go to the bathroom when needed, have a snack, get water, chat with our friends, do some art, and work on a map. We return work when we are finished with it. We can rest, sit in the library, do some yoga, and in some classrooms with space, there are balance boards, trampolines, weights, and medicine balls.
The role of the teacher in all of this is part scientist, part servant, and part saint. There’s a scientific approach to the scope and sequence of the work on the shelves and a saint-like patience in giving lessons and modeling care of the environment. Like a humble servant, the teacher continues to clean, restore, beautify, and perfect. It’s our job NOT to do for the child but with the child. Maria Montessori described the teacher as a “bridge” between the child and the environment.
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