A true Montessori classroom has these basic characteristics:
- Teachers certified in Montessori philosophy and methodology appropriate to the age level they teach.
- A multi-aged, diverse group of students.
- A wide array of Montessori materials, activities, and experiences designed to foster physical, intellectual, creative, and social independence.
- A schedule of large blocks of uninterrupted time to problem-solve, see various connections of knowledge, and create new ideas.
- A classroom atmosphere that encourages social interaction for cooperative learning and peer teaching.
- The Montessori method uses a series of unique and specifically designed materials geared toward each individual lesson. The system cannot function or be successful without these special objects.
The prepared environment and the role of the teacher in the classroom distinguish Montessori from other approaches. Independent activity constitutes most of the work. Teacher-directed activity is a small percentage.
The prepared environment offers practical ways to introducing social relationships. The logical, sequential nature of the classroom provides orderly structures that guide discovery. Theorems are discovered, not presented; spelling rules are figured out through patterns, not memorized. Every aspect of the curriculum involves creative invention and careful, thoughtful analysis. Why and how students arrive at what they know is just as important as what they know.
Our Program Outcomes
Our students are highly educated and literate children who start their future with confidence and purposeful minds. These children have cultivated imaginations, compassionate hearts, and superior intellectual skills. They have the power to shape the future of their communities. We strongly believe that what we are doing, will eventually change the child’s personal life and the world for the better.
Our Program Success
Mutual trust, respect, and partnership with our parents is the key to our success. The tangible measurement of success of our program is validated by the encouraging feedback from the leaders of education in our community, as well as from our alumni parents. Our graduates rank highly among their peers during school years. Our graduates leave our school with high academic mastery, executive functioning skills, initiative, and independence. Real learning engages the child’s whole being. Children and their parents take something valuable with them to share with their communities as they move on. This is evidence of our true success, not only for the present time, but also for decades to come.
