Montessori teacher

 “And so we discovered that education is not something which the teacher does, but that it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being.”

 – Maria Montessori, (Italian Physician and Educator. 1870-1952)

The role of the teacher, traditionally called the directress, in a Montessori classroom is as a facilitator rather than an instructor. “We teachers can only help the work going on, as servants wait upon a master.” In a typical school the teacher performs the functions of giving work for the children to do and handling discipline. In a Montessori school, the teacher does neither. The children are responsible for choosing their work and because normalized children (refer to definition on the Montessori: Overview page) have the characteristic of self discipline, there is no need for disciplining. The role of the teacher in a Montessori classroom is to help and encourage; give new presentations to children on a didactic material; correct work that has been brought to her by a child; straighten the learning environment; check on children who have not yet been normalized and may be disturbing another child, to interest her in some fresh material; and observe the children to determine which are in need of direction. The teacher will observe, guide, spark and isolate difficulties. The teacher is the link between the child and the learning environment and typically teaches by demonstration.