FAQ

Montessori Schools are structured around a 3 year age range or cycle, 3-6, 6-9, 9-12. These cycles correspond to definite developmental stages. Three to six is the seed sowing time. It is a time for learning the skills necessary for later learning. Your child is building his/her personality and knowledge. The third year at Montessori, when your child is between the ages of 5 and 6, is a crucial one. They need this time to build on their fairly newly acquired skills and knowledge. In the third year, children take on increasing responsibility for themselves, their class, and their environment. This is the time they begin to consolidate their knowledge.

Montessori classes bring children together in multi-age groups, rather than a class of one age group. Children stay with their teacher for three years. This allows the teacher to develop close and long-term relationships with their students, allowing them to know each child’s learning style, while encouraging a strong sense of community among the children.

Through observation. We observe the needs of the child and understand their sensitive periods for acquiring knowledge. We present an activity to a child, observe if they understand the concept, and then leave the child to continue working with the activity independently. The multi-age, multi-level curriculum allows the children to work as far and as fast as they need, or to work slowly with a more gentle increase of challenge. This means that individual students do not have to wait while the whole class catches up, or struggle with activities that are too complex. They each work at their own pace and their own independent level.

The Montessori classroom is a microcosm of society where mutual acceptance and cooperation flourish within a context of individual freedom. It is a social and caring environment where the children are respected but also responsible for their own actions.

The freedom allowed in the room is contained within very strict parameters, which are clearly defined very early on in the school year. Yes the child is free to move around, talk to others, work at his/her own pace, as long as all this activity is with a purpose and does not infringe on the rights of his/her fellow students to do the same. Walk into a classroom at any given day, and you will witness a quiet hum of activity, and that is how it should be. We do not expect the children to sit quietly waiting to be directed by the teacher. After a lesson is given, the children are expected to proceed on their own, and in order to do this there will be a certain amount of movement and discussion. Being children, of course there are some who take longer than others to deal with this freedom. The teacher has to be adept at monitoring and redirecting children as and when necessary. Children are very visual, and some use this to help maintain discipline, by means of a “Good Citizen Chart.” Each child has four cards on the chart: green, yellow, orange, and red. The day starts with all green cards, and if a freedom rule is infringed the card goes to yellow, then orange then red. The children do not like to see the chart change color, and are therefore given an effective reminder to use their freedom wisely. Each child has a citizenship form and if they stay away from the red card all week, they get a smile sticker that week. This helps give the children a feeling of accomplishment and well-being while at the same time instilling good discipline.

Montessori is built around the traits and tendencies of all children, including those who are gifted. Dr. Maria Montessori’s scientific research examined many different kinds of children, not just one select group.

Montessori children develop self-discipline and self-motivation, enabling them to adapt easily to new environments. The value of community instills in children the ability to form secure relationships wherever they go.