“The teacher must bring not only the capacity, but the desire to observe natural phenomena. In our system, she must be passive, much more than an active, influence, and her passivity shall be composed of anxious scenic curiosity and of absolute respect for the phenomenon which she wishes to observe. The teacher must understand and feel her position of observer: the activity must lie in the phenomenon”.
Comment on the statement and explain how directress assist the child in his psychic development.
According to Dr. Maria Montessori, a directress must have passion to work with children. She is an observer who aims at seeing each child unfold his potential. She is a quiet and soft spoken person, who loves all the children entrusted in her care equally. A directress must train her spirit to have the ability to serve, see children as individuals and have faith that every child will reveal himself.
Looking at the above quotation, Montessori believed that a directress should be more of passive, but also anxious to see the child she is observing unfold and reveal himself. In order to achieve that, she must take track record of what the child loves doing. How often does he go to the shelf to choose a particular material? Is he easily distracted? What kind of exercise does he enjoy the most? At what time of the day is his concentration level at its peak?
The Montessori directress can observe the child in the following ways:
- The directress must observe the child while working.
- She must observe his conduct.
- The directress must also observe the development of the child’s will and self-discipline.
The first stage of the Montessori teacher’s responsibility is to take care of the prepared environment. She is expected to pay attention to the surrounding in which a normal and constructive life can flourish, making sure that the class is clean and all the materials are kept in order. The directress must also serve as the exemplar and a role model in the environment....