Three ages are grouped together and form a close bond with their teacher for those three years. If the children become disinterested in the materials and start horsing around with each other, the teacher knows he or she has incorrectly prepared the environment. Children work at their own pace and as long as they like in a particular area, so none feel as if they're falling behind the group. Step into any classroom and you will realize that it doesn't feel or look like a typical school setting, but rather like a home. There are cozy reading nooks and pets, full kitchens and lots of child-sized domestic articles since the children are taught cooking and housecleaning.
Children often work on the carpet using small rugs to define their work area.
They are so absorbed in their work a visitor barely causes a ripple. Individual textbooks or workbooks are used at the discretion of each school, although reading, writing and research are an integral part of the curriculum. The materials used are often self-correcting so the child can easily internalize feedback. Children receive no grades in a Montessori classroom and are not chided for mistakes although their progress against a checklist is noted. She compares the approach to parents helping their baby learn to walk.