About

Classrooms have an ample supply of quality Montessori material and other educational aids that support the Montessori Program.

Montessori classes bring children of mixed ages together.

There are no grades, or other forms of reward or punishment, subtle or overt. Assessment is by the teacher's observation and record keeping. The test of whether or not the system is working lies in the accomplishment and behavior of the children, their happiness, maturity, kindness, and love of learning and level of work.

To accommodate the needs of individual learners, our classrooms include curriculum to cover the entire span of grade and ability levels.

The environment is arranged according to subject area, and children are always free to move around the room instead of staying at desks. There is no limit to how long a child can work with a piece of material. At any one time in a day all subjects -- math, language, science, history, geography, art, music, etc., will be being studied, at all levels.

Our Graduates consistently obtain higher scores than those required for their age level.

All subjects are interwoven, not taught in isolation, the teacher modeling a "Renaissance" person of broad interests for the children. A child can work on any material he understands at any time.

DISCIPLINE:

The development of self-discipline is a basic part of our curriculum. We instruct our children on the common rules of courtesy, respect and etiquette and teach them communication and conflict resolution skills. Our goal is to help the children become self-disciplined.

When a behavior problem arises, we remind the children of the particular rule governing their actions and encourage them to “think about it and talk it over”. If the misbehavior is extreme the child will be taken out of the class until he/she regains control. All steps will be carried out in a firm, but respectful and loving manner.

About Montessori

Where did Montessori come from?
Montessori (pronounced MON-tuh-SORE-ee) education was founded in 1907 by Dr. Maria Montessori, the first woman in Italy to become a physician. She based her educational methods on scientific observation of children's learning processes. Guided by her discovery that children teach themselves, Dr. Montessori designed a "prepared environment" in which children could freely choose from a number of developmentally appropriate activities. Now, nearly a century after Maria Montessori's first casa dei bambini ("children's house") in Rome, Montessori education is found all over the world, spanning ages from birth to adolescence.

What is the difference between Montessori and traditional school?
Montessori emphasizes learning through all five senses, not just through listening, watching, or reading. Children in Montessori classes learn at their own, individual pace and according to their own choice of activities from hundreds of possibilities. Learning is an exciting process of discovery, leading to concentration, motivation, self-discipline, and a love of learning. Montessori classes place children in combined age groups, forming communities in which the older children spontaneously share their knowledge with the younger ones. Montessori represents an entirely different approach to education.

Opportunity for pretend play? Creativity? Interaction?
When Dr. Montessori opened the first Children's House it was full of pretend play things. The children never played with them as long as they were allowed to do real things - i.e. cooking instead of pretending to cook. It is still true.
the materials teach specific things and then the creativity is incredible. Like learning how to handle a good violin and then playing music. It is not considered "creative" to use a violin as a hammer, or a bridge while playing with blocks. We consider it "creative" to learn how to use the violin properly and then create music. The same goes for the materials in a Montessori classroom.
There is as much interaction as the children desire, but the tasks are so satisfying that, for these few hours a day, children want to master the challenges offered by them. Then they become happier and kinder—true socialization. Also, since concentration is protected above all, as all "work" is respected, children learn early on not to interrupt someone who is concentrating.

A wide variety of activities are included in our curriculum