It is through the loving, trusting relationship of the teacher that the child first makes contact with the environment and then is given the confidence and support to explore. Montessori teachers are trained to observe a child and judge appropriately when it is time to step in to help and when that help would rob the child of the joy of his own achievement. The teacher in a Montessori classroom is a facilitator rather than an instructor and serves as a link between the child and the learning environment.