Freedom and Responsibility
"Roots of responsibility and wings of independence"

Dr. Maria Montessori wrote that “the great gifts we can give our children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.” In this week’s “Mission Matters”, Sr. Roberta Moser echoed these words as she wrote about the Fourth of July holiday and how our freedoms provided by the Declaration of Independence and Constitution come also with responsibility. She reflected on the words of St. Luke’s seventeenth chapter and concluded “that many people are more focused on their rights than their responsibilities! It takes balance. It’s not an either/or but a both/and”
Dr. Montessori did not envision freedom as the ability to do anything without considering the needs of others and the results of one’s actions. She spoke of freedom with limits, “You must not imagine that liberty is something without rule or law.”
A story from Love and Logic comes to mind of how a life without boundaries feels for a child. The speaker described being in a room that is pitch-black and not knowing what’s there. He explained that we would either always test the limits to discover our boundaries or be fearful to reach out.
With my elementary students, we would discuss the freedoms found in a Montessori classroom but determine what responsibility accompanies each (such as freedom of movement means moving quietly and with purpose or the freedom of work choice means to share and to clean up after oneself). You see the beginning of these concepts at all levels of Montessori, learning to work together respectfully and collaborate as a young community.
The Global Achievement Gap by Tony Wagner emphasizes these same skills in cultivating students to be successful in our modern world. A 2012 research study of Montessori students by Ervin concluded that “Montessori children had a higher level of self-regulation over a 3-year period than non-Montessori children. It also revealed an association between how well children internalized self-regulation and academic success.”
If you’re interested in learning more about these ideas in a Montessori classroom and how to support them at home, be sure to attend our Parent Nights this fall.
Have a blessed Fourth of July with your family and friends!
Graciously,
Brigitte Frost
Head of School