What is normalization?

A Montessori education is not a child care or playgroup.  There are many goals of a Montessori classroom, but a benchmark is to help provide opportunities for children to become 'normalized'.  In Montessori education, the term 'normalization' has a specialized meaning.  Normal does not refer to what is considered to be typical, average, or usual.  Rather, Maria Montessori used this term, 'normalization', to describe a unique process she observed in child development.  She observed that when children are allowed freedom in an environment that is set up and created to meet their developmental, social, emotional, and academic needs, they thrive and blossom.  After some time of intense concentration (which we observe daily in our classroom), working with wonderful materials that fully engage their interest and attention, children appear to be refreshed, content, and satisfied.  Through a child's work of their own choice, children grow inner discipline, peace, and self-control.  She called this process 'normalization' and cited it as "the most important single result of our whole work" (The Absorbent Mind, 1949).

People who may not be familiar with Montessori may think children are doing what they want when they want and it can seem that way.  But, we believe that children know themselves and choose based on what their interests are as well as what their brains are ready to learn.  We see the choices the children make as purposeful and important.  Children who are given opportunity to work in this type of environment are free to develop the fruit of what comes with this 'normalization' process:  spontaneous discipline, continuous and happy work, social maturity and sympathy and care for others.  Other benefits include love of order, love of work, concentration, attachment to reality, love of silence and working alone, power to act from real choices, obedience, independence and initiative, self-discipline and joy.  Montessori believed these characteristics are the true characteristics of childhood which emerge when children's developmental needs are met.

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