Lakshmi A. Kripalani

The Judgments We Make

It is taken for granted that adults have the right to judge children, making decisions on admission into many private schools based on those judgments.

Rarely do adults recognize that from birth the child observes and accepts or rejects them. The child enters the school and decides whether it is safe to leave the security of his home and the love of his mother. The child needs to know if he can trust the adult to care for him and help him to develop, regardless of abilities or personal characteristics.

Maria Montessori understood those kinds of judgments. She accepted all children and understood she had to find the way to maximize their development and to earn their acceptance.

We might look back to Montessori’s first Casa.

Did she interview the children to accept or reject them? Did she refuse to let the children to take local examinations? Did she specifically prepare the children for examinations?

In fact, she did not teach to tests. She accepted all and helped them use their potential to perform well on local examinations. She observed them, analyzed their needs and then provided them the activities to direct them to proceed on their own. She created an environment, not only that of the material, but that of the functioning children, as well as that of all adults around, that led to the progress.

She conducted herself and functioned in a way that created almost awe in the children, who followed her without even being conscious of doing so.

The goal today is the same, but the task involves new challenges when working with children on the next century.

It becomes even more difficult when we are caught in the trap of the wonderful material that she created. Instead of comprehending the potential of the child and how he or she will flourish, many Montessorians coach mechanically or have conditioned children to function as automated machines to perform certain tasks as demanded. The tests required by the NCLB are one case in point. Public school teachers frequently put great effort into preparing for these tests that do not reflect any real or concrete achievement of the children.

To protect our efforts to truly support the individuality of each child, we have to educate our communities about our work.

What makes it difficult is that we have failed to embrace language, scientific knowledge and concepts that were not in existence when Montessori was providing her insights.

We need to understand and use current concepts and language to help children and others to understand our prepared environment.

If Dr. Montessori were alive today, would she be standing still and doing nothing? Clearly, she would continue to learn. The Montessorians need to wake up and search critically to see what is missing in what we have inherited from Dr. Montessori. Directing children requires constant learning to adapt to the constantly changing world.

We need to take our off blinders and adapt to the changing world. We need to get rid of the rigidity that has been handed over to us by the followers who were limited in their perspective, basic understanding of her principles and vision in refusing to seek further knowledge.

There are times when teachers need to make judgments about what they need to learn to truly serve a child.

In extreme abnormal conditions, the teacher has to decide if she has the capacity to help a child. Today there are handicaps that require technical knowledge to address, such as dyslexia or autism. These require an entirely different approach that the teacher has to adapt and integrate. If the teacher is not prepared or cannot obtain help to direct these children, she may decide not to admit such children. Or she may acquire necessary information to act accordingly. She would then transform her attitude and be in a position to accept every child without discrimination and make sure that every adult in the school interacts positively with every child as well as among themselves,

It is through learning processes like this that we will bring our work to contemporary culture, and advance our work for peace.

Real peace cannot be achieved by mechanical process of creating a peace table in a corner. It is achieved by individual behavior and attitudes.

It is only then that we can claim to look to the future to celebrate another centennial of Montessori contribution with success and tranquility.

Copyright 2007

Lakshmi Kripalani was trained by and has worked with Dr. Maria Montessori and Mario Montessori. She is an AMI AND AMS Montessori teacher trainer and consultant.

Dr. Montessori’s 1946 Lectures-Karachi, India, transcribed and edited by Lakshmi Kripalani is available through the Houston Montessori Center, 713 464-5791.

Ms. Kripalani is available for lectures, workshops or consultations.

She can be reached at lkripal...@comcast.net.