Montessori Philosophy

 

Dr. Montessori believed that each individual human being has an innate unique talent which, when fulfilled, is the individual’s essential contribution to life and the human community on this planet.  To discover his or her unique talent, each child needs to be exposed to experiences pertaining to all facets of life.  To this end, Dr. Montessori designed manipulative materials for all subject areas; activities which children experience sensorially and interactively in a multi-age classroom setting.  Freedom within limits leads children to responsible choices, self discipline, and high self-esteem.

 

Our Curriculum

 

The Three-Year Cycle

Our programs are designed on a three-year basis.  Parents are encouraged to allow their child to participate for the entire program. This allows the child to work in all areas of the curriculum and take full advantage of his or her years in the Montessori Method.

The three year cycle and mixed age grouping further aid social development by giving the children an opportunity to learn from each other and to accept different levels of ability. Dr. Montessori realized that children of the same age do not necessarily develop at the same rate.  The multi-age grouping is designed to meet the individual developmental needs of each child. This results in a stimulating, cooperative atmosphere. It also alleviates the competition between children.  Each child is encouraged to better himself and not worry about where anyone else is. The three year curriculum also allows the student the luxury of exploring knowledge that is of interest to him/her for days or even weeks at a time knowing that by the end of the three years the child’s educational growth will be balanced in all areas. Dr. Montessori observed that children exhibit certain common characteristics during the periods of

3-6, 6-9 and 9-12 years. They do not necessarily develop at a steady rate every nine months, September through May. The Montessori classroom allows for this type of sporadic growth.

The older child benefits from helping the younger child. The older child reinforces his/her own knowledge by teaching younger children. He can humanize his own character by empathizing with the needs and expressions of younger children. It is an opportunity for that shy and introverted student to be outgoing and confidant, to assume a leadership role, and to gain skills that he/she will then apply to his/her own age group.

In addition to the Montessori curriculum, Spanish, Physical Education and Computer classes are offered as part of the weekly school program.

 

A Comparison of Montessori and Traditional Education

The Montessori philosophy differs from traditional school primarily in three areas:

1. Multi-aged classrooms that provide the opportunity for the young child for social and academic guidance.  The older child in turn gains a sense of responsibility and a high level of self-esteem.

2. Abstract ideas taught in a concrete way enabling the child to truly understand the concept.

3. An individualized program for each child where children are treated as individuals and their strengths are capitalized.