A Thought on the Prepared Environment.

Maria Montessori emphasized that hers was not a method, rather, she encouraged us to truly see the child, and understand where he is and what he needs. She said:

"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. It is not acquired by listening to words, but in virtue of experiences in which the child acts on his environment. The teacher's task is not to talk, but to prepare and arrange a series of motives for cultural activity in a special environment made for the child (p. 8, The Absorbent Mind)."

The better the environment is prepared for the child's needs, the easier it is for us to see who he is, and who he will become.