A specific “commitment” is the essence of Montessori education—to follow a course of action in the classroom consistent with the effective application of three specific principles: individual liberty, observation and preparation of the environment. Such a commitment is clearly evident in Dr. Montessori’s life of contribution and discovery in education since the early 1900’s until her death in 1952.
Dr. Montessori envisioned her commitment extending throughout the entire field of education to realize a “new education”. Creating such a “new education” now to substantiate Dr. Montessori’s vision is a clear function of the nature of commitment.
Commitment Defined
The nature of commitment is not readily evident. Verbal statements and external acts can belie one’s true commitment. Rather, commitment is essentially intangible, located deeply within the individual—a binding of one’s self to a specific course of action.
Course of Action
Commitment is associated with one’s specific actions-identifiably and consistently interrelated. Ultimately, such specific actions define a course of action consistent with one’s own time, place and group-realized uniquely in the present moment.
The Fundamental Commitment
The present moment identifies a consistent course of action which intimately connects and interrelates all past and future actions. One’s own present course of action is inevitably bound by the decisive, ever-present “here and now”. Such present moment defines the “fundamental” commitment in life to which each individual is inevitably and ultimately bound.
“Alien” Course of Action
The new born child readily expresses its fundamental commitment to the present moment by a course of action demanding care and nurturing-to survive, to express one’s being, to explore the environment. However, as the new born child accommodates to its unique time, place and group, a new “alien” course of action emerges. For example, the child assures its physical survival by consciously disengaging from painful experiences; e.g., the child eventually stops crying to avoid intolerable pain. The child, in effect, creates an “alien” course of action to suppress awareness of the present moment. Such “alien” course of action is defined by thoughts and attitudes of limitations and justifications for harm and domination. The normal adult become bound to such an alien course of action as a result of painful childhood experiences.
Commitments in Society
The adult’s alien course of action essentially defines one’s unique unresolved early childhood circumstances and relationships. “Commitments” in society-character defects, social duties and roles-appear rigidly formed by forces and circumstances external to the individual. However, such “commitments” —transitory in nature-are inevitably engaged and resolved in the natural process of expressing one’s being in the present moment.
Realizing the Present Moment
The adult’s alien course of action is inevitably confronted in the process of expressing one’s being-life in the present moment. Such process disengages one’s self from alien courses of actions as one’s fundamental commitment to the present moment is confronted and realized. However, the present moment, intangible in nature and confused by alien commitments in society, is not readily realized by adults. Verbal statements of commitment and willful effort normally belie firmly held alien courses of action to which the individual is actually bound.
To enable the realization of the present moment, one can create specific, more tangible commitments which aim one toward the present moment—to follow a course of action which, in effect, enables one to eventually and inevitably discover the present moment
Creating Specific Commitments
Specific, tangible commitments, such as a commitment to Montessori principles, are realized in the process of their creation. Four phases of creation generally define the path of formation of such commitments.
Phase I-Consideration
A commitment begins with consideration-active, thoughtful communication and participation with the course of action as an unformed idea. Such consideration is, in effect, the fertilization stage of forming a new commitment.
Phase II-Acknowledgement
A commitment is acknowledged in a willful act of publication of interest in the specific course of action. Acknowledgement represents a conception act in the formation process.
Phase III-Expression
Beyond acknowledgement, a commitment develops in an embryonic growth stage through expression. During this stage, the idea of the commitment forms into the actual commitment itself.
Phase IV-Communication
The “birth” of a complete commitment is its communication. The commitment, by its communication, becomes an independent reality beyond the confines of a single individual.
Commitment in Montessori
In Montessori education, the teacher creates and realizes a specific commitment to the effective application of certain principles in the classroom—individual liberty, observation and preparation of the environment. Effective Montessori teacher training communicates such a commitment to the individual teacher through the respective phases of the creative process-consideration, acknowledgement, expression and communication.
Classroom Application
The teacher’s classroom commitment to Montessori principles reveals itself as a course of action which effectively restrains all classroom activity inconsistent with the child’s realization of the present moment—the child’s true nature emerges. The present moment is realized by the teacher in its communication from the child.
Normalization
The classroom normalization process is, in effect, a series of realizations of the present moment. Such process accelerates the moment-to-moment realization of “here and now” to such an extent that the present moment appears visible in time and space in the classroom. The normalized classroom communicates and expresses to society a new evolutionary function-the “new education”.
Beyond the Classroom
Education-the communication of knowledge—is the vital catalyst to disengage humanity from its destructive alien course of action. The individual’s complete commitment to Montessori principles in the classroom begins the great creative task of mastering the environment for all humanity.
Originally published in 1982 in Vol. 3, No. 2 issue of The Montessori Observer