Working with Everything

Thoughts & Reflections

We thought we would take this opportunity to address the beauty of a simple question, and the equally meritorious response. Mom asks, “What did you do today?” The student responds, “Everything!”.

What’s at work here? What does “everything” really mean? Could my sweet, precious child really be acting coy? Or, is there more than a kernal of truth to this statement?

When children express that they are working on “everything”, this can mean scores and dozens of activities. You see, in Montessori, we don’t work on the exact same thing, at the exact same time.

“Everything” might include: writing and reading and cooking and meeting new friends, and collaborating with older students, and washing hands, and, and, and so much more!

When a student utters, “Everything”, it’s as if the whole world of a Montessori classrooms comes alive in their imaginations! They are, literally, working with everything.