In Dr. Montessori’s work, strong emphasis is placed on the Child’s task, regardless of gender. The Child is the constructor of Man. Our role is to protect this construction, ensuring the formation of a complete and balanced individual who cherishes life, loves and understands others, and is freed from prejudice.
According to Montessori, each child is unique, holding a mystery we cannot solve. We cannot know who she will become; our duty is to remove the obstacles preventing her development. “Education is the element to reach the loftiness destined to humanity”.
Education, for Montessori, was not the transfer of knowledge but the cultivation of hidden potentialities, like flowers to be nurtured. When the child flourishes, humanity flourishes. This makes the first six years of life vital. Early childhood is a sensitive period before prejudices take hold: “Nothing exists but the infinite scope of latent possibilities to either separate or unite future men”.
Education must begin at birth. Research shows gender stereotyping appears as early as age two and is solidified by the end of preschool. If we seek equality beyond gender, race, or religion, adults must recognise the child’s potential and provide the right environment. Yet adults—parents and educators—often transmit prejudices unconsciously, molding children into rigid roles. Girls are expected to be obedient and gentle; boys, tough and disobedient.
Montessori saw beyond these molds. Within the child lies a universal spiritual force, a source of love capable of uniting humanity. She witnessed unity emerging among her students from diverse backgrounds. “If the child can teach us something, it is not just the child, but the power of Love… placed there by God”.
Research shows teachers acknowledge gender’s impact but often reinforce stereotypes through habitual practices. Counter-stereotypical materials and mixed-gender activities help reduce them, yet stereotypes persist. Montessori argued that teachers must prepare inwardly—examining beliefs and breaking free from molds—to become “new teachers” of Love. “No adult can become a teacher of love without a special effort, without opening the eyes of his consciousness in order to see a world more vast than his own”.
Children learn through observation more than words. What we do speaks louder than what we say. Thus, the child needs inwardly prepared adults who embody peace and acceptance. With the Absorbent Mind, the child incarnates impressions from her environment; if stereotypes dominate, she will reproduce them. If education truly grasped the power of the Absorbent Mind, not only gender but all forms of discrimination could vanish.
Maria Makri, AMI 3–6 Trainer
