Fundamental to the Montessori classroom, and more valuable than academic lessons, are the lessons which help children learn social strategies. These strategies help navigate friendships and collaboration with others, benefitting children throughout their life.
Grace and courtesy is an integral part of the Montessori curriculum beginning in the early childhood classroom and continuing through the elementary levels. In The Montessori Method, Dr. Maria Montessori stated, “Considering the method as a whole, we must begin our work by preparing the child for the forms of social life, and we must attract his attention to these forms”.
Examples of individual lessons which isolate the positive behavior for a respectful classroom:
- Accepting or declining an invitation
- Accepting help
- Asking permission
- Excusing oneself
- Greeting or saying goodbye to another person
- Helping a classmate
- Inviting a classmate
- Observing lessons
- Refusing help
- Requesting privacy
- Speaking in a low voice
- Waiting for help
- Serving snack
Grace and courtesy lessons in the elementary environment take the form of group problem-solving and community meetings. Because the students have entered the second plane of development, they are able to process situations differently. Small meetings between classmates or larger community meetings help students navigate social situations. Students learn the role of civil discourse, allowing one person to speak at a time. Students discuss situations, and they offer solutions. Students continually evaluate these solutions until there is one which works for everyone.
These lessons are vital for children to learn, as they provide a solid foundation on how to navigate through their lives. Although children may encounter a lack of grace and courtesy in everyday life, in the Montessori classroom, the lessons they receive will help them be kind and compassionate members of society. Dr. Montessori believed that children “are a hope and promise for mankind” (Education and Peace). Grace and courtesy lessons are the origins of this belief.
