Grace and Courtesy Lessons and the Birth of Social Life

In her article “Grace & Courtesy Lessons and the Birth of Social Life” Ginni Sackett, an AMI Teacher Trainer at the Primary Level, explores the underlying philosophy and practice of this very important aspect in Montessori education. As she points out ‘the lessons are an essential component of the Practical Life Area of the Casa: offered when and as needed to all children from the time they enter the Casa until they leave. As a part of Practical Life, offered to children in the First Plane of Development, these lessons specifically address the development and refinement of order and of movement by an emergent personality, and provide raw material for the child’s adaptation to her culture and society. They isolate and model controlled and orderly movements that have a social effect or a social significance in the community, including the controlled and orderly movement which is spoken language. The extent of Grace and Courtesy is wide. They guide each child’s participation in the real social life of the Casa and facilitate skills to meet the everyday challenge of ‘solving social problems, behaving properly, and pursuing aims acceptable to all’.