The task of the educator lies in seeing that the child does not confound good with immobility, and evil with activity, as often happens in old-time discipline . . . A room in which all the children move about usefully, intelligently, and voluntarily, without committing any rough or rude act, would seem to me a classroom very well disciplined indeed.
Maria MontessoriThe child can only develop fully by means of experience in his environment. We call such experience 'work'.
Maria MontessoriThis is the treasure we need today - helping the child become independent of us and make his way by himself, receiving in return his gifts of hope and light.
Maria Montessori... the first thing his education demands is the provision of an environment in which he can develop the powers given him by nature. This does not mean just to amuse him and let him do what he likes. But it does mean that we have to adjust our minds to doing a work of collaboration with nature, to being obedient to one of her laws, the law which decrees that development comes from environmental experience.
Maria Montessori