“In fact, in our schools, even older children, those three or four-years old, after finishing an exercise will put the things they have used back in place. It is one of the most pleasant and spontaneous tasks they perform. Order consists in recognizing the place for each object in relation to its environment and in remembering where each thing should be. This implies that one is able to orient one’s self within one’s environment and to dominate it in all its details. The proper environment of the soul is one in which an individual can move about with eyes closed and find, simply by reaching out his hand, anything he desires. Such an environment is necessary for peace and happiness.”
Maria Montessori. The Secret of Childhood. Chapter 8, page 52.
Today I took a break from sitting in the Practical Life lectures of WSMS so I could work on organizing our living room. After school closed for good, teachers were encouraged to bring whatever we needed from school home, so I brought home a lot of materials and whatever I thought I could use for homeschooling Joule next year. After several tiring trips back to school to pack, luckily we were able to borrow my father-in-law’s car to haul more stuff home. Then we had to figure out how to keep all the materials. Initially I considered renting a storage unit nearby but I don’t really want to add recurring costs to our life, so we decided to get IKEA Pax closets for our living room, with bins for organization inside.
Growing up, I did not really develop the best sense of order because I always had more than enough space to put my stuff in, and we had helpers at home to assist in picking up after ourselves. Now that I’m raising my own child, in a New York City apartment while I’m training to be a Montessori teacher, I need to set a better example. Catherine McTamaney’s blog post from today talks about it so eloquently.
My husband went to a Montessori preschool when he was young and his sense of order and habit of putting things back in their proper place is stronger. I’ve always aspired to be tidier, and now I really have a compelling reason to do it. If I don’t get better at picking up after myself right away, Joule will be exactly the same.
I’m grateful for Joule’s grandparents, who are taking care of her while my husband and I do this major home project. It would be close to impossible to do it while she’s here. Joule is turning three soon, so I want to make sure that our apartment is a calm, peaceful environment where she can be a contributing member of the household. We still have more work to do in her room, like creating more floor space by switching to a trundle bed, so hopefully, we get it done in time for her birthday. She still cosleeps with us, and perhaps with her room all fixed up she will want to sleep there by herself.