JOB CONNECTIONS

“Montessori believed that the young child ‘at play’, whether on the playground, at home, or in pre-school, has most of the same feelings and needs as an adult ‘at work’.  An adult wants interesting and important work that personally appeals, rather than just busywork or menial chores; an adult wishes to have adequate training, proper tools, and a workplace conducive to concentration; and an adult seeks respect and recognition for work done well.  Montessori observed that a child at play similarly desires meaningful activities that may be personally selected; a child wants to be shown clearly how things are done and to be provided with proper materials and space; and a child hopes that concentrated efforts will be fully respected while in progress and admired when finished.  An adult’s work and a child’s play are parallel in product as well as process.  Just as the primary goal of adult work is to create from Nature a self-sufficient and tolerant society, so the primary goal of child’s play is to create from a baby an independent and compassionate adult.  Recognizing these parallels, Montessori preferred to call child’s ‘play’, the child’s own special ‘work’.”

David Gettman.  Basic Montessori: Learning Activities for Under-Fives. Clio Press, Oxford, England.  1987.