Why Montessori?

What Is It?
Montessori is a philosophy directed toward children. A unique educational program has stemmed from that philosophy. It is based on the child’s developmental needs for freedom within limits, and it uses a carefully prepared environment. The special Montessori materials help develop intelligence as well as physical and psychological abilities. A Montessori environment takes full advantage of the unique ability of young children to develop their own capabilities.

Some key premises of a Montessori education are:

  • Children are to be respected
  • Children possess unusual sensitivity for absorbing knowledge from their environment.
  • The most important years of growth are the first 6 years of life when unconscious learning is gradually brought to a conscious level.
  • Children have a deep love and need for purposeful work. They work not for profit or compliments as adults do but for the sake of the activity alone. When they accomplish an activity, they achieve a very important goal: their own development of mental, physical and psychological powers.
How Did It Begin?
Dr. Maria Montessori, the first woman graduate from the University of Rome Medical School, became interested in education as a doctor treating retarded children. After returning to the University for further study, she began her work with normal children in 1907 when she was invited to organize schools on a reconstructed slum of Rome.

Dr. Montessori’s medical background led her to approach education as a scientist. She considered the classroom as a laboratory for observing children and as a place to test the validity of her revolutionary ideas. Her open-minded attitude and he respect for children became the fundamentals for Montessori education. Her ideas have been adapted and borrowed by many types of schools throughout the world.

Montessori education came to the United States in 1912. An early school was established by Alexander Graham Bell (in his own home.) There are now about 5,000 Montessori schools in this country.

Is It For All Children?
The Montessori method has been used successfully with children ages two and a half through eighteen from all socio-economic levels and from all levels of development. Because of its individual approach, it is especially suited to a classroom where children of many backgrounds are grouped together. It is also appropriate for classes where the student-teacher ratio is high, because children learn to work independently at an early age. The only student profile we have found to have some difficulty with adjustment is a child who has had little or no interaction with other children prior to preschool. It is very helpful to have had your child in a playgroup, Sunday school, or other setting where some time has been spent in a group with other children away from a constant one-on-one parent/caregiver and child involvement.

Do We Encourage Parent Involvement In The School?
Yes! We are a Parent run Non-Profit Co-operative. Parents are expected to participate in every part of the school except the classroom. We leave that to our highly trained and dedicated teachers and aides. Parents are obligated to do 20 hours worth of co-operative work over the school year. This work takes many forms such as participation in our monthly school and yard spruce ups (done on weekends), any scheduled Board or education evenings, as well as many other options which can be "invented" by the parent to utilize their individual skills that contribute to the school. We have set parent conferences, parent education meetings, and parent nights at the school. Parents with special talents are invited to share their expertise with the children in the classroom.

A COMPARISON BETWEEN MONTESSORI AND TRADITIONAL PRESCHOOLS

The goal of both the Montessori and traditional preschools is the same to provide a positive learning experience for the child. However, the approach to this goal differs in the structure of the classroom and the kind of learning experiences provided.

MONTESSORI
TRADITIONAL

* Child directed - child is focal point

* Environment and method encourage self-discipline

* Mixed age grouping - child benefits from teaching, helping and interacting with other ages

* Purposeful, multi-sensory equipment

* Mainly individualized instruction

* Freedom of the child to explore classroom environment

* Child sets own learning pace

* Noncompetitive - child measured against self

* Organized program for learning care of self and environment (pouring, cleaning, dressing, etc.)

* Child spots own errors from feedback of materials as well as teacher

* Child works as long as desired on activities

* Teacher directed - teacher is focal point of classroom

* Teacher acts as primary enforcer of discipline

* Same age grouping

* Traditional toys

* Mainly group instruction

* Child often restricted to own chair or space

* Pace of learning based on group norm

* Competitive - child measured against peers

* Less emphasis on self care instruction

* If work is corrected, errors usually pointed out by teacher

* Child generally allotted specific time for activities