THE POWER OF LOVE
IN THE LEARNING
ENVIRONMENT
by Christine M. A. Lapierre PhD
and Lobana Alabbas
Editors note: when we received the
following article from Dr. Christine
Lapierre and Lobana Alabbas,
Montessori educators in Alberta,
Canada, our first thought was it was written
solely for an audience of teachers. As we read
along, we noticed that the authors’ message,
presented in their charming style, has just as
much value for parents and grandparents. It
really boils down to the fundamental idea
that love begets love.
One of the things that is so crucial to the
Montessori way is the embracing of the very
best that exist within each and every one of
us and the extension of warmth, kindness,
respect, and love to every human being at
every stage of life. There’s nothing new in
this message. It’s taught by every faith. But
it is so important to remember, especially
when children, bored and underfoot, begin
to get on our nerves. We have a saying at the
Montessori Foundation: “Everything living
is trouble, everything living takes work, and
everything needs love.” As we approach and
enter the new year, keep love in your heart,
home, classroom, and workplace everyday.
Love is a powerful feeling. Maria Montessori
used this concept frequently in her writings,
lectures, and training of teachers and
parents. In her insightful book, The Absorbent
Mind (1995), she dedicated an entire chapter
to “Love and its Source—the Child” (p. 287-
296). This book, like so many of her others,
is aimed at teachers as well as parents. She
indicated that the child would be able to bring
unity to the world because the child is all
love. As people from all corners of the earth,
we feel a gentleness and kindness toward the
child that melts our hearts. Consequently, this
creates a sentiment of love that is unique to
the child.
Additionally, Maria Montessori also suggested
that the adult cultivate a loving heart towards
other adults in order to bring about
peace in the world. This implies that one
needs to start with oneself in order for change
to occur in other people, children, and adults
alike. This article presents two different heartfelt
stories about love in the school where
Lobana worked. One story is about a fouryear
old boy, John, and the other story about a
lead teacher, Mary. Though the age differences
were great, the approach towards loving each
one became very similar.
Love and the Child
Lobana had heard for a long time that the
lead teacher was responsible for bringing
change to the classroom and to her teaching,
when it concerned children. Yet, in this
story, it was definitely a mighty feat for her
to do so. First of all, she did not know how
to change because she thought that she was
already doing the right thing. John, a fouryear
old, frequently brought disruption to
the classroom, during the months of fall.
He was not focused, refused to work, and
continuously disturbed other children. The
situation became more problematic and,
consequently, none of the assistant teachers,
including Lobana, wanted to work with
him. The teachers would tell him what to do
to improve his behavior; however, this approach
just made him angrier. Lobana could
see from the look in John’s eyes that he was
becoming more and more frustrated. She
knew that when ‘normalization’ takes place,
children concentrate and their eyes are filled
with joy and enjoyment. “How am I going to
make this happen?” Lobana asked herself.
Finally, after some deep reflection, Lobana
could feel a transformation come over her.
Remembering Maria Montessori’s words
that a teacher needs to replace anger and
pride with humility and patience (Montessori,
1972), she realized that these were the
essential aspects to resolving this predicament.
She had to let go of her anger towards
John, along with her pride in repeating the
same strategies that were not working.
She had concerns. Would the other teachers
follow her lead? Would John begin to trust
her and adopt a love of learning? The gap between
what John was doing and what Lobana
wanted to see in a normalized child was very
apparent. Humility was the key, she decided.
From that moment on, Lobana could feel
herself growing from within. Making a decision
to cultivate more empathy, compassion,
and love towards John (no matter what
he did), she also demonstrated more respect
for him.
14 TOMORROW'S CHILD © JANUARY 2021 WWW.MONTESSORI.ORG
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