The teacher is a guide or facilitator whose task it is to support the young child in his or her process of self-development. They are foremost an observer, unobtrusively yet carefully monitoring each child’s development, recognising, and interpreting each child’s needs.

The teacher provides a link between the child and the prepared environment, introducing the child to each piece of equipment when he or she is ready in a precise, clear and enticing way. The most important attribute of a Montessori teacher is the love and respect she holds for each child’s total being.

• Encourage concentration, reflection, and growth
• Champion the triumphs of each day, removing or easing obstacles.
• Watch, listen, and communicate to assess and assist each child’s development
• Calm, confident, and caring
• Connect children to the materials by sparking their curiosity
• Facilitators, not the focus, of the classroom
• Patiently, flexibly, and compassionately encourage a joyful perseverance in each child