Did you know that there are 41 steps to (properly) washing one's hands?

That's just one of the many things I've learned in the past two weeks. I've been undergoing intensive training in the Montessori method, and oh-me-oh-my, what a pleasant challenge it is turning out to be. I'm getting the equivalent of finishing school education combined with child psychology / early childhood education. :)

No wonder they say that undergoing Montessori training is life-changing. It is a deeply spiritual experience! Aside from learning the minutiae of each and every action, broken down into its most basic parts for the benefit of the 3-year-old, and aside from learning how to manipulate the hundreds of materials in a Montessori classroom, I'm also learning valuable life lessons.

(It is no coincidence that Maria Montessori herself was a devout Catholic/Christian. Her spirituality permeates her entire method!).

Just a few of the life lessons I'm learning:

1. HOW TO GUARD AGAINST PRIDE. The very first thing a Montessori teacher needs to do is take away her preconceived notions of the child as an annoying little brat that can't do anything for itself and is therefore a nuisance and a threat to the peace of the adults around her. We adults tend to look down on children, thinking them inferior beings. We impose our will on children... always forbidding them to do things on their own, or doing things FOR them when we get too impatient at their slow rate of putting on their own clothes. Montessori has proven that children are innately "good," that when they have adjusted psychically to a prepared environment where they can feel at home, where there are child-sized implements and furniture, where there are materials with which to work with that hone their skills... even the most bratty and "disturbed" child will become calm, behaved, obedient and independent. The cause of this transformation is work. Somehow, repeatedly working with the materials not only allows for self-learning, but also allows the child to get in touch with this inner goodness common in ALL children... one that derives deep satisfaction in working, in orderliness and quietness. And when we see the beautiful nature of the child surface, it gives us adults such hope for the incalculable potential for goodness in humankind. Indeed, we learn from children more than they could ever learn from us. They humble us by their generosity, their trusting natures, their natural love for their environment and their unquestioning and unconditional love for us flawed adults.

2. WORK PRODUCES VIRTUE. I think I already explained this in no.1 :) haha. Got carried away up there.

3. PATIENCE. Only a few months ago, I was a stressed-out college student, trying to get things done as quickly as possible. Never mind that this paper is substandard work, the important thing is it gets passed on time! I was always "on-the-go," such that people actually told me that they always seem to see me running.

But here, in the Montessori classroom, in this sacred place where every movement must be perfect, every motion graceful and fluid, every action economical and precise... I am learning patience. Here, it is not the end result that matters, but the process involved. I must confess, the first couple of days I nearly went mad from the hundreds of times I had to return my chair to its proper place after sitting on it (and yup, there's specific "choreography" involved as well, to ensure that we do it flawlessly and without a sound). I kept thinking, "It's just a chair!!! Why do I have to treat it like it's gold?"

I was put in my place when it was explained later that leaving chairs around could prove to be the cause of accidents in the classroom, and that the children themselves got bothered when a chair was not in its place... such is magnitude of the child's sensitivity to order!!

I have so many splendid opportunities to lift each and every action up to Him, to look at "drudgery" as spiritual offerings and do everything to the best of my ability.

4. EVERYTHING AROUND US IS BEAUTIFUL AND WONDERFUL, or LEARNING TO LOOK AT THE WORLD THROUGH A CHILD'S EYES.

We adults have gotten so used to living, we take everything for granted. And so we tend to treat our environment (and even each other, a lot of times) carelessly.

But to a 3-year-old, each day is a new adventure, and it is a heartwarming experience to witness the little ones so rapt in attention with simple practical things like learning to wash one's hands, and it does my jaded heart good to see their radiant faces glowing with deep joy upon completion of a challenging work. :)

Aside from these, I'm also learning more practical things like how to dress/ undress children. I've never had the opportunity to do this before, and it was a very scary experience for me the first time I did it!! Haha. It was after a swimming party, to celebrate their last day in summer class. I was only supposed to observe, but since the other teachers had their hands full I decided to help out. There's a SCIENCE to it, I tell you! And it's so funny and sweet, how these innocent ones are so unashamed of baring their bodies in public. The first kid I helped out was a little boy, and although I did my best to take off his swimsuit while keeping him covered with a towel wrapped around his waist, since I only had two hands the towel slipped and he was exposed for a coule of seconds. The little darling just smiled at me sheepishly and put his tiny hands on my shoulders as I helped him put on his underwear.

I don't know why but this tender scene touched me deeply. And I've had several 'touching' moments in the past two weeks alone.

(Yes, I'm preparing to be a mommy! haha)

And yes, I'm loving my job. :) Despite the stress of adjusting to a new environment, and additional workload because I'm "new," I can say that I'm very happy to be where I am now.

More Montessori stories to follow! Stay tuned!