As the term implies there are established limits of behavior
which enable a number of children moving and working in close
proximity to do so in harmony. In the Montessori Classroom
a child may move about freely but not run or push. He or she
can talk softly and respectfully but never shout. When the
child is finished with his or her work it must be returned
to the shelf in proper order, and in its proper place. The
following shows how the child's rights and responsibilities
are nurtured, developed and supported in a Montessori
Environment:
| Right: |
The child is free to work with any material displayed
in the environment that he/she has had a lesson. |
| Responsibility: |
He or she must use the material respectfully. He or
she must not harm the material, themselves, or others.
The material may not be used in a way that disturbs the
activities of others in the environment. |
| Right: |
The child may work on a table or rug, whichever is suitable
to the work chosen. |
| Responsibility: |
The child may not work at or on a display shelf because
it would obstruct access to the other children in the
classroom. |
| Right: |
The child has the freedom to use he room as his or her
needs dictate within the constraints of the rules. |
| Responsibility: |
The child will restore the environment during and after
an exercises. The child is responsible for mopping spills,
rolling up used rugs, placing the chair under its spot
at the table and returning his or her work to the appropriate
spot on the shelf. |
| Right: |
The child has the right to work undistracted by others.
She or he may initiate, complete or repeat an exercise
along and without a break in concentration. |
| Responsibility: |
No child touches the work of another without invitation
to do so. No child is allowed to interfere with another's
learning cycle. If the child must leave the work temporarily
he or she may continue at a later time with confidence
that it will be as it was left. |
| Right: |
The child has the right not to join a group activity.
The child may continue working with individual exercises
during group activities or may stand apart as an observer
of group activities. |
| Responsibility: |
The child is not allowed to interfere or disrupt an
activity she or he has chosen not to join. This teaches
responsibility to the group. |
| Right: |
The child has the right to work alone. |
| Responsibility: |
The child is not forced or encouraged to share his or
her work. With appropriate materials and reasonable respectful
ground rules sharing comes as part of the natural process.
Generosity of spirit develops from within as the child
matures with a sense of self, grounded in confidence and
security. |
| Right: |
The child has the right to do nothing. Invariably in
"doing nothing" the child is learning through
observation, thinking and resting. |
| Responsibility: |
The child's idleness is not allowed to disturb or distract
others in the classroom. |
We encourage parents to both understand and honor the concept
of the child's rights in the context of their responsibilities.
We encourage parents to foster the Montessori concept of Rights
and Responsibilities by recognizing it when it shows up at
home and in honoring your child by acknowledging, respecting,
and incorporating what she or he may be sharing with you about
what they are learning in school, both academically and socially.
