Anger is one of those failings held in check by the determined reaction of others. It is one of the things that proves how difficult it is for one man to be subjugated by another. Therefore he is a prisoner when he meets a really strong person. A man is ashamed of showing anger before others because he at once seems himself in a humiliating position; that of having to retire by force.
It is therefore a real relief to be able to mix with people who are incapable of defending themselves or understanding; people who believe everything as children do. Children not only forget our offenses immediately but feel themselves guilty of everything of which we accuse them.
The teacher is here invited to reflect carefully on the serious effects of such a state of things on the life of a child. A child's understanding would not see through the deception; but his spirit feels it, and is oppressed and often warped by it. Then the childish reactions appear which really represent an unconscious self-defense. Timidity, deceit, caprice, the frequent weeping, which they seem to justify, night fears, any form of exaggerated fear--and similar obscure things--represent the unconscious state of defense of a little child who has not yet sufficient reasoning power to understand the real conditions of its contacts with adults.
Whew! And later she continues...
What our method asks of a teacher as preparation is that she should examine herself, and purge herself of the defect of tyranny, eradicating the ancient mixture of pride and anger with which her heart is unconsciously encrusted. She must cast off pride and anger and--first of all--become humble before she can put on charity. That is the state of mind which she must attain. This is the central point of equilibrium without which it is impossible to advance. This is the inward "preparation," the point of departure and arrival.
This does not imply that we should approve of everything the child does, or abstain from criticizing him, or do nothing to help the development of his intelligence and feelings. On the contrary, we must never forget that the whole point of the argument is to educate, to become the real masters (maestri) of the child.
What is called for is an act of humility. We must pluck from our hearts a rooted prejudice, just as the priest before ascending to the altar recites his Confiteor. Only thus can it be done.
There is so much to comtemplate in this chapter. I hope I am not doing a disservice or misrepresenting Dr. Montessori's ideas by offering only excerpts to my readers. In studying her methods I have been amazed by how much they reflect her love and admiration for the Church, so I considered myself blessed when I came across this book wherein her spirituality is so clearly laid out for us.
