Rethinking Discipline: Freedom, Independence, and the Whole Child
“What is generally known as discipline in traditional schools is not activity, but immobility and silence. It is not discipline, but something which festers inside a child, arousing his rebellious feelings.” (Montessori, Creative Development in the Child Vol. 2, p.41.)
Real life experiences that allow children to explore with their senses is the basis of Montessori’s philosophy on education.
Freedom and discipline are naturally at odds in the conventional system of rearing or educating children, a child only obtains freedom from the adult after a show of discipline which usually involves immobility and silence. These two requirements of discipline are at their core in direct opposition to the child in the first plane (ages 0–6) and their sensitive period for movement (making a child immobilized is at obvious odds) and order (often times an adult imposes discipline upon a child with no rhyme or reason, no logic and seldom does the “punishment” fit the crime). Another consideration is the absorbent mind that has taken in snapshots of the environment, including the adult’s own “disciplined behavior” which seldom, if ever, involves immobility and silence imposed by others. Adults tend to discuss their “will” and “discipline”, their self-control as their own exertion over themselves, “Mommy isn’t having a piece of cake because she is dieting”.
A new interpretation, based on Montessori philosophy, of discipline and the resulting interpretation of freedom no longer juxtaposes them during conversation, instead they become intertwined and codependent with different denotations. Freedom becomes the internal knowledge, developed from experiences, that one can make choices and follow through on them. It is an internal state best summed up by the idea that even when the body is imprisoned by others, by ailments, we can still have a “mind that is free”, others cannot take away our thoughts, our feelings, or our emotions — we poses these and therefore freedom at its root can never be taken away from or granted to someone because it is a state of being.
Discipline is then a preparation for living and making choices. It is a way to educate children and ourselves, a developmental potential guided by natural laws (for children in the first plane that can be the sensitive period for movement) that undergoes a process of learning. The outer manifestation of discipline is an external window to these internal processes that are ongoing. To look at another system of discipline, or self-control, in meditation the practitioner first allows themselves movement through yoga, readying the body for long periods of immobility, and then they discipline the mind by becoming aware of their thoughts without becoming entrapped or attached to them. This discipline allows for freedom and the realization of atman, the “true self”, a realization of the cosmic connection, an attainment of Samadhi or bliss. It very closely parallels Montessori’s belief that spontaneous self-discipline is an outcome of normalization.
Within this discussion, freedom and discipline are regulated by liberty and limits. Liberty, when given in a complete and non-lacking way supports the development of both freedom and discipline. It is closely connected to choice and action, and has an implication of permission (eg: “How dare you take such a liberty!” meaning you were not given permission to act in that way). Limits are set with the goal to protect the environment and individuals, defined by the context of a situation and based on the capacity of the individual to understand them, act independently and adhere to their parameters; this makes them flexible and varied.
At the heart of all of these ideas is independence. As an individual’s independence increases the personal limitations to their freedom, their ability to make choices lessens, more opportunities exist. Just as the student who completes a degree has lessened the limits of their personal knowledge, the limits to the jobs they can attain are lessened. When they are given the liberty to apply to multiple jobs they are also now capable of the freedom to choose which job suits them best, which has better benefits, etc. The freedom to choose their job would not have been available to them if they had not independently sought out education and lessened their personal limitation of pertinent knowledge. It is that same freedom that allows them to think about the consequences of choosing one job over the other; less time at home versus more money, less time at home and the possibility of an unhappy marriage, etc.
This new interpretation of freedom and discipline seems straight forward at its roots. When Patrick Henry and others before him proclaimed, “Give me liberty or give me death” they were spot on. Liberty is something that can be granted, without it the ability to make a reasoned choice (freedom), the ability to control oneself and follow through on that choice (discipline) and even independence (the ability to act for oneself without reliance on others) is for naught. Without the complete and necessary granting of liberty to an individual, all of the internal self-development is a means to no end; the individual metaphorically dies and in the context of Montessori possibly deviates. An adult dealing with children must be fully aware of this paradigm for it is one very important facet of the prepared environment and helping children develop their executive functioning skills.
