In all thriving Montessori classrooms, students and guides are constantly balancing freedom and responsibility. Students enjoy several freedoms that might be inhibited elsewhere: freedom to move around the classroom, freedom to choose their own work, freedom to socialize, freedom to question, and freedom to learn according to their interests. These freedoms are always balanced against a high level of responsibility: to themselves, to their peers, and to their classroom. Read on to understand how the freedoms and responsibilities are balanced in the Elementary program at Wheaton Montessori School. What Kind of Classroom Do You Want to Have? One of the ways that teachers guide students towards being accountable for their actions and within the classroom is a classroom meeting early in the year, during which the students discuss what "kind of classroom" they want to be a part of - and what rules or expectations will help them achieve their goals. This photograph shows what students in one of our Lower Elementary classrooms (grades 1st-3rd) shared when asked, "What kind of classroom do you want to have?"