- It is the responsibility of the Montessori adult to prepare, maintain and develop the materials in accordance with the child’s arising needs.
- The adult must remember that the child is working for her own intrinsic goals and is not goal-oriented.
- The adult’s aim is to establish a positive and constructive connection between the child and the materials, this cannot be forced or hurried.
- The adult must be constantly aware of the indirect presentations she gives.
- The adult removes all barriers to the child by allowing an appropriate level of freedom to move and choose, to work at a comfortable pace, to request or declining a presentation, to repeat without interference or to rest, to deviate from the presentation (without misusing the material) or to ask for the presentation to be repeated.
- The adult works to improve her presentations to make them more stimulating and precise.
- The adult inhibits her habit to judge and correct, to interrupt the child’s work.
- The adult observes with discretion and objectivity to note the infant’s response to the presentation, Points of Interest and is ready to redo the presentation.
- The adult records difficulties.
- The adult monitors the materials for misuse and takes positive, dispassionate, firm and immediate action to redress this; she may choose to
- highlight a Points of Interest
- help the infant complete her work cycle
- help her to put the material away
- put away the material herself and redirects the child to a familiar, purposeful activity.
This is to strengthen the habit to constructive work which is the only solution to maladjusted behaviour.
- The Directress builds a positive rapport with parents by highlighting that the Exercises of Practical Life are not simply to teach skills and prepare for academic life but are the means for the child develop her personality, will, self-confidence, adaptation and to normalise.