More Than Words: Love and Sensitivity in the Montessori Child
Happy, sad, angry, scared - sample of the vocabulary that a child has on emotions.
What about Love? Maria Montessori writes, "The study of love and its utilisation will lead us to the source from which it springs, The Child". More than an emotion it is an immense force that has the capability to move anything.
What do you think of the emotion that this child has reflected in his/her message?
It is obvious that the child of elementary age is sensitive to another person's (adult) emotion. What is it called then? Compassion, empathy, Love? We can choose to call it by any name.
When you are down with a headache or lying down tired - has your child asked you in the sweetest voice - do you still have the headache? Are you still tired? Do you want water? And irrespective of all prior tantrums thrown, you melt!
At that time, there are no labels like compassion, empathy, sensitive etc. There is just that moment of sweetness.
At that time, there are no labels like compassion, empathy, sensitive etc. There is just that moment of sweetness.In the Montessori method, every activity is geared towards developing that 'whole' personality of the child - the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Every child is born with his own cosmic task for which are mere facilitators and we do just that.
Honing the skills of elocution, writing, reading and many more aspects are towards that development which helps the child emerge as a responsible sensitive child of and to the society, working on his cosmic task.