The Montessori Freedom Myth

Freedom is one of the foundational tenants of the Montessori Philosophy; it is also one of the most often misunderstood tenants. In a Montessori classroom, there is the freedom to choose one's own work; the freedom to work alone or with a partner; even the freedom to simply sit back and take stock. Montessorians believe that a child's freedom is what fuels the learning process. Yet it is precisely this element of freedom that so many parents misunderstand. Many parents believe that their child can simply do whatever he pleases; this thought process is inaccurate and misinterprets the heart of Montessori.

The Montessori method acknowledges the importance of adult guidance in a child's learning environment. At the same time, however, Montessori capitalizes on the special traits inherent in every child, which often go ignored in traditional educational settings. Central to the Montessori approach is the conviction that, in the proper environment, children free to choose their own activities will seek to occupy themselves productively. For some children this comes naturally; for others it is a learned behavior. Regardless, it is something we strive to help all children accomplish.

Freedom in a Montessori classroom brings to light a subtle but important contrast between learning and discovery. If a teacher says to a child, for instance, "drop this ball and observe the force of gravity," the child may follow the instruction and absorb, on some level, the information presented. If, on the other hand, the child performs an activity of her choice and in so doing happens to discover gravity, that discovery will ignite a spark of understanding that lodges deeply in her consciousness. The freedom to learn through discovery elevates understanding to a significantly higher level. Thus, we create an environment in which materials are presented attractively, and we respect the child's right to choose freely among them, because in so doing she satisfies her own need for productive activity and her desire for understanding. She also builds a solid foundation of self-sufficiency and independence. Further, her freedom allows her to experience the exhilaration of personal discovery. This freedom comes from the work she chooses to engage in, not from simply doing whatever she wants.

Freedom in a Montessori classroom is not without limitations. The freedom of the child is guided by three principles: respect for self, respect for others, and respect for the environment. A child must not interfere with other children's work. For example, a child would be corrected (or his freedom limited by an adult) if he were talking loudly or running through the classroom. A child found playing in the bathroom during work time would be reminded that we respect ourselves by giving our best effort at the tasks we've set for ourselves for the day. Work materials must be returned to their proper places and handled appropriately or a child may find he can no longer choose to work with that material. If a child is disruptive during a group activity or discussion, he will be removed from the group. The three principles of respect are simple and reasonable and provide a sound set of boundaries and structure for the children so they know what to expect and what is expected.

There are even times when it may be necessary to remove the child's choices from him for a time or to establish classroom procedures that benefit the collective group but infringe on the freedom of the individual. Remember that Montessori is about preparing children for life. In life, there are rules, restrictions, and regulations. Many of our laws infringe on the freedom of the individual but have the collective interest of the human race at their foundation. Take speed limits for example. The speed limit restricts my right to drive as fast as I want, but is put in place for the safety of all people. If I choose to ignore this regulation often enough, eventually someone will take this choice away from me and make it for me, essentially saying, "Since you cannot respect other people and their safety, your ability to choose to drive slowly and responsibly has been removed from you and we revoke your driving license for a period of time." Compare the choice of driving too fast and recklessly with driving carefully and choosing how I get from Point A to Point B. As long as I obey traffic laws, no one is going to infringe on my right to take a certain route from my house to work every morning. That is my choice and the choice I make does not affect others.

Let's apply this balance of freedom in the classroom where there are procedures that serve the collective interest of the group but infringe on the freedom of the student. In our elementary classes, for example, there are no bathrooms. The bathrooms are located in the hallway and accommodate two people at a time. In order to ensure a fair and timely bathroom break for all students as needed, bathroom passes are used. To go to the restroom, a student must have a bathroom pass (there are two passes for girls and two passes for boys). If a student needs to go to the restroom and there is no pass, she must wait. This procedure infringes on the freedom of the child in that she cannot go to bathroom whenever she chooses unless a pass is available; however, this procedure benefits the entire class. It stops students from gathering in the bathroom in larger groups that would be more likely to play or visit rather than focusing on their bodily needs and returning to the task at hand. It stops students from wasting time in the bathroom. Most children know that it is highly likely that someone else is waiting for the bathroom pass so they return to the classroom more quickly than they would otherwise. Ideally, we would like for our elementary children to have bathrooms in their classroom, but because they do not, the individual freedom of one child is superseded by what is best for the entire group of students.

That is what Dr. Montessori meant when she said, "The liberty of the child should have as its limit the collective interest." Dr. Montessori never abdicated the authority of the adult to the freedom of the child; in fact, to do so, she said, would prove disastrous for the child. In her own words: "to give a child liberty is not to abandon him to himself or neglect him. The help we give must not amount to a passive indifference to all the difficulties he will encounter; rather we must support his development with prudent and affectionate care." Instead, just as is true with much of Montessori, the adults are there to appropriately guide the child in such a way that she finds herself free to choose things that interest her and are in her best interest.

The Montessori classroom offers the child freedom of movement and choice of activity, but with this freedom comes responsibilities to self, to others, and to the whole class. To say that a child can do whatever pleases him gives the freedom without the responsibility and does a great disservice to the child. It is extremely important that as Montessori parents we understand the subtle but significant difference.