Maria Montessori believes that in order to be free, one should be independent. According to Maria Montessori, the prince, who does not dare to take off his boots as a social fact, fell into the same situation with a paralyzed person who cannot take off his/her boots. Independence of the person who is served is limited.
The Montessori philosophy offers a guide to giving the child independence.. The child needs to be independent in order to gain his/her freedom. The most discussed thing about this philosophy is the thought that the child has the freedom to do whatever he/she wants. But freedom only takes place with a self-discipline. It has limits and requires respect.
Children should not be helped to dress, bath and eat their meals at the point of being independent and not in need of parents. Helping children to do these things makes them enslaved and dependent on parents, and it is dangerous because it tends to disrupt the urge to self-learn and perform.
Adults generally think that children cannot do these things and they do it themselves. However children are equipped with the physical means to do and emntal means to learn these activities.
In each case, the task of the adult is to help the child to carry out his own actions.
”Unnecessary help is a real obstacle to the development of natural competence.“
In one study, the aspects of Montessori education which contributes to the development of autonomy were examined (The Development of Autonomy in Children: An Examination of the Montessori Educational Model). Research has shown that Montessori teachers feed the children’s ability to trust, freedom initiative and regulating themselves more.