Montessori Education Week: Celebrating the groundbreaking achievements of Dr. Montessori

Dr. Montessori was truly a woman ahead of her time. She saw the potential in every child. As a physician and a scientist, she used observation and a brilliant understanding of child development to figure out how to best support learning for life. We thank Dr. Montessori for the great school we have today and we relish working with your children. Please join us in celebration:  visit our foyer exhibits, borrow one of our books on Montessori philosophy, check out our website, LIKE us on Facebook, read Montessori Compass  and, if you can, visit our classrooms so you can see it all first-hand.

Learn More about Dr. Montessori's Amazing Life here.

Seeing the World through the Eyes of a Pre-schooler

In a couple of days, we will begin celebrating Montessori Education Week. Dr. Montessori was a physician, a scientist and a child advocate. She remarked how, to the young child, the world is wondrous place, filled with an endless collection of mysteries. The child is life’s little scientist, constantly sleuthing to make sense of the natural world around him.

Over 100 years after Dr. Montessori, yet another child-development specialist stresses the importance of observing children. "Adults often have trouble understanding young children’s needs and inner lives—but paying closer attention to the way they experience the world can be valuable." Read more about what we can learn from and about young children in this article.

Montessori at Home (Taken from American Montessori Society)

Have you marveled at the remarkable order of the Montessori classroom? Has your toddler told you that at school she pours her own juice? Does your teenager hang or put away all her clothes—without being asked?

 Encouraging order, independence, and self-motivation are fundamental to the Montessori approach. Carefully designed classrooms allow students to develop competence in caring for themselves and their surroundings. And from the sense of pride that “I did it myself!” blooms the confidence to take on the world.

Bringing Montessori principles into your home can be a valuable bridge to what your child learns at school. Here are some ways to build that connection.

Celebrating and nurturing each child’s intrinsic desire to learn

This past weekend we came together at The Westmont Montessori School to learn about what makes the “K” year particularly impactful in the Montessori classroom. Our Head of School, Colette Cross, our teachers, and our Curriculum Coordinator shared some of the milestones of the K year.  

Five and six-year olds are going through a period of tremendous brain development--a period when they are developing and honing their reasoning skills. Affording them this year of continued discovery where they have ample opportunity to problem solve as they move from the concrete learning materials to more abstract thinking helps them to really crystallize so many concepts that they have been exposed to in the Early Childhood classroom.

In addition to the academic progress that occurs in the K year, children benefit from continued physical, social, emotional, and spiritual growth. During this “pivotal” year, Kindergarteners take on a real leadership role in the classroom and even the school, serving as role models and helping younger friends in their classroom community.

To learn more about what makes Montessori education the most widely used pedagogy in the world, read more about the Montessori approach. Or just ask one of our Kindergarten alumni!