Why Educators Must Do Our "Inner Work" To Truly Serve Students
If you want to really connect with your students, you need to be humble.
This was one of the first lessons I learned from my mentor, Pat Ludick. As a Montessori adolescent educator for over 40 years, and an international Montessori consultant, Pat has taught me a lot. It is this lesson however, on humility, which continues to stand out as the most important part of my practice.
Being humble is a component of teacher preparation that often goes overlooked because it relates to the emotional nature of our work. Technical knowledge is critical, however educators are not robots. We will bring our own baggage right into our classrooms, whether we realize it or not, if we do not do our “inner work.”
Maria Montessori called this inner work the “spiritual preparation” of the teacher. In The Secret of Childhood, she wrote “The educator must prepare themselves inwardly. They must examine themselves methodically in order to discover certain definite defects that may become obstacles in their relation with the child… The educator needs to be initiated into their inner preparation.”
For Montessori, spiritual preparation did not mean that teachers needed to subscribe to a religious philosophy. Rather, she compelled educators to examine their own dispositions and outlooks on their students and the world, and to ensure that their own emotional labor was taken care of outside of school.
Only through this spiritual preparation could adults truly serve each child.
While this is a crucial aspect of Montessori education, it is true across all education settings. At each level of education, teaching is emotional work. In a paper titled “The Positive Personality of the Montessori Adolescent,” Pat wrote:
“Perhaps we come to see that serving our young people takes a generosity beyond comprehension, a magnanimity of spirit… We are cast into the realm of understanding life (often our own lives), of clarifying citizenship roles (often our own), of sorting spiritual and social dilemmas, of dealing with the grand mysteries of life on this planet and then embracing the wonder of human development, all on a daily basis.”
And this is on the good days! Recognizing just how enormous the emotional work is for the guide is the first step in spiritual preparation.
In my experience working in schools and with teachers across the U.S. and internationally, this spiritual preparation (or lack thereof) is the key to whether or not we can meaningfully serve our students. And while spiritual preparation is talked about frequently in Montessori circles, it is seldom discussed in other education spaces until after something catastrophic has happened in the life of an educator, by which point it is too late to begin the journey.
If we are serious about reforming education, we must pay serious attention to the spiritual preparation of the adults in our schools.
What does spiritual preparation look like?
Spiritual preparation takes many forms. I will speak briefly about what it means to me, acknowledging that true spiritual preparation looks differently for each person.
Finding a Mentor
Part of my spiritual preparation is working closely with Pat. She is someone who deeply understands the work I do with adolescents in a Montessori setting. We engage in deep dialogue about the grand to the mundane and our dialogue helps me see my work in new ways.
It is also critically important that she does not work at my school, because I can be honest about dynamics among students and adults, avoiding gossiping with colleagues (which is the opposite of spiritual preparation). Pat has been with me through the great highs and lows of my career and without her support, I certainly would have burned out by now. If you are looking to deepen your spiritual preparation, finding a trusted mentor or colleague who understands your work, but does not work closely with you, is critical.
Finding your “Marigold”
The blog Cult of Pedagogy featured a post a few years ago about finding the people in your school who bring the best out of you. Those people can be compared to marigold flowers, which improve the life of all plants around them.
While an outside mentor is key, without a “marigold” that you can see on a daily basis, spiritual preparation is hard to maintain. Having spent a few years without a marigold, and then finding one after changing schools, I can attest that the work is significantly easier when someone else in your building “gets it” and helps you be the best version of yourself.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is another key part of my spiritual preparation as it keeps me grounded when tense situations arise. Many years ago, I spent time as a substitute teacher in a charter school in Philadelphia where every teacher screamed at their students.
This was not how I operated. I even had a student ask me why I refused to yell at him, since “all my other teachers do.”
Yet one day, in a moment of deep overwhelm in front of a classroom of thirty fourth graders, I began to raise my voice to a yell. Catching myself mid-sentence, I realized that my mindfulness needed to be stronger in order to regulate my own emotions while in front of students, families, and colleagues.
It is because of mindfulness that I’ve been able to calmly stand down manipulative or inappropriate conversations with parents and administrators. Mindfulness helps me stay “me” even in the most difficult of situations.
Saying “No”
The last major component of my spiritual preparation is knowing when to say no.
I am someone who enjoys jumping into work and supporting others as much as I can. However, saying “no” to one thing means being better equipped for the things I have already said yes to.
The same goes for taking time off, which often comes with a lot of guilt in education. If you need a mental health day, take it. You are better serving your students by taking care of yourself rather than grinding down your emotional bandwidth.
Avoiding the “Sage” and embracing the “Guide”
For those seeking to teach in a learner-centered, progressive manner, this spiritual preparation is the bridge between the traditional “sage on the stage” and the progressive “guide on the side.”
The sage on the stage is “protected” by being the dispenser of knowledge. They are not questioned by their students and can “never” be wrong. They prescribe the movements, thoughts, and work of each student, because control leads to predictability, which means they will not have to be vulnerable or deal with the unexpected. Since their spiritual preparation is incomplete, they are not prepared to be humble and vulnerable in service to their students.
The sage maintains this protection at the expense of their students reaching their full potential.
For the guide on the side who is engaged in their spiritual preparation (because it’s a journey, not a destination), being humble and vulnerable in front of their students is common place. Since they are not positioned as the sole dispenser of knowledge, they can partner with students in meaningful ways. In modeling humility and vulnerability to their students, relationships blossom and students begin to demonstrate those same qualities.
The guide on the side has given up the “protection” of having all the answers in order to support each student in developing their full potential.
How do you engage in spiritual preparation? Let me know in the comments!
Interested in reading more on this topic? Check out the following!
The Secret of Childhood by Maria Montessori
Citizen of the World by Maria Montessori
The Courage to Teach by Parker Palmer
The Tao of Montessori by Catherine McTamaney
To Know as We Are Known by Parker Palmer
The Power of Giving Away Power by Matthew Barzun