Maria Montessori's Morning Devotional

Morning Devotional ~

To respect children- in return to be worthy of their respect. To praise much and blame little. To emphasize their successes and minimize their failures
MAY LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING TEACH ME.


To make no promise to children that I cannot keep. To have unbounded faith in them. To know they have great potential. To have the patience and wisdom to bring it forth. To allow children the dignity of their own personality and individuality. To refrain from making them over to our desire.
MAY LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING HELP ME.


To be cheerful and ready to smile and often to laugh. Children love and thrive on cheer. As teachers, we have no right to inflict our moods on children. (Happiness is an outward sign of inward spiritual grace.)To have infinite patience with children and to make allowances, knowing there is so much for them to learn and knowing that I myself am not so very wise.
MAY LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING GUIDE ME.


To protect the child always from my nerves and from our own irritability, prejudice, pessimism, fears- showing and practicing in their presence only the opposites.
MAY LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING AID ME.


To help them choose their life's work that they are suited for. To stir up the gift that is in them. To discover the talent or talents that they truly have- the inner pattern they came with.
MAY REAL UNDERSTANDING LEAD ME.


To bring fresh energy into the schoolroom engaging all with keen alertness, interest and enthusiasm. To help children to meet life bravely, honestly, independently.
MAY LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING SHOW ME.


To give the children freedom and to never confuse liberty with license, as these two words are not synonymous ever. To show my friendly interest in each child. To consciously care for their progress, but to attain this by warmth and love rather than by rigid cold discipline. To manage children by the pleasantest of methods, with intelligence and affection and never by condemnation and fear.
MAY LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING TEACH ME.

To educate truly, by drawing out rather than spoon feeding. To guide them instead of driving them. To direct their energy instead of repressing it. To try always to understand them, instead of sitting in judgment of them: and through all misdemeanors, both trivial and serious, to let them know it is the action we deplore and never the child.
OH LEAD ME, OH TEACH ME, OH GUIDE ME.


- posted by Terri (Montessori online)