Montessori FAQ
What is the Montessori Method?
Montessori is a philosophy and method of education which
emphasizes the potential of the child and which develops this potential by
utilizing specially trained teachers (referred to as Guides) and specially designed teaching materials.
 
Montessori recognizes in each child a natural curiosity and desire to learn: the Montessori materials awaken this desire and channel
this curiosity into a learning experience which each child can enjoy. Montessori
materials help the child to better understand what they learn by associating an
abstract concept with a concrete sensorial experience. In this manner, the
Montessori child is actually learning, and not simply memorizing. The Montessori
Method stresses that the child learns and progresses at their own pace so that
fast learners are not held back, and slow learners are not frustrated by their
inability to keep up.
What does Montessori offer my child?
Montessori allows children to experience the excitement of
learning by their own choice. Dr. Montessori observed that it was easier for a
child to learn a particular skill during the corresponding "sensitive period"
than at any other time in life. These are periods of intense fascination for
learning a particular skill and are an optimal time to master a new ability.
 
Montessori allows children the freedom to select
individual activities which correspond to their own interest and readiness,
allowing them to progress at their own pace. A child who acquires the basic
skills of reading and arithmetic in this natural way has the advantage of
beginning education without drudgery, boredom, or discouragement.
Is Montessori right for our family?
Montessori believes in the developmental potential of all children. Montessori may not, however, be right for all families. A positive experience for the child requires that parents and the school share a common idea of the purpose of education. If parents enroll their child for the wrong reasons, the child may experience tension and unhappiness.
The following questions can help you determine if Montessori is the right choice for your family.
- Do I encourage my child to make choices and to take responsibility at home?
- Do I support the emphasis on cooperation rather than competition in the Montessori Program?
- Do I support the Montessori belief in fostering children's self-reliance, responsibility, and independence?
- Is my approach to discipline based upon natural and logical consequences rather than "rewards and punishments?"
- Do I believe that my child would benefit from having the responsibility for choosing appropriate learning activities and materials?
- Do I support the Montessori classroom organization that includes three "grades" of students?
- Do I support the three-year learning cycle as many learning goals are long term?
- Do I support Maria Montessori's statement that, "education is not what the teacher gives, it is a natural process spontaneously carried out by the human individual?"
- Am I prepared to participate in parent meetings and workshops to learn more about Montessori principles at school and at home?
- Do I believe in using anecdotal notes and Montessori checklists, rather than traditional, graded report cards?
If you answer "no" to one or more of these statements you must seek more information before registering in a Montessori program. If your beliefs are not reasonably similar to the underlying principles of Montessori education, then your child will face confusion and uncertainty as they move between home and school.
MMEC will provide opportunities for families to continue to learn and grow in understanding Montessori philosophy.
Why are Montessori children generally self-confident,
outgoing and selfreliant?
Montessori is based on a profound respect for each child's
personality. Children make decisions about what they will learn, choosing from
activities provided by the Directress. Children are allowed a large measure of
independence which in turn forms the basis of selfdiscipline.
complete the self-correcting exercises, they develop confidence in their ability
to understand what they are learning.
Montessori presents endless opportunities among the
children for mutual help, help which is joyfully given and joyfully received.
Cooperative social interaction among children of different ages engenders
feelings of friendship, respect for the rights of others, and self-confidence.
This approach helps eliminate the necessity for coercion,
which often causes feelings of inferiority and stress for children.
What is the Montessori concept of freedom in the
classroom?
The Montessori environment includes a fine balance between
structure and freedom. The concept of freedom, a freedom which entails
responsibility, is gradually introduced from the time the children enter school.
Montessori children have a wide variety of constructive paths to choose. They
gain the skills and tools to accomplish their choices and are taught the social
values that enable them to make enlightened choices.
Undisciplined and unskilled children are not free, but
rather are slaves to their immediate desires. Allowing undisciplined behaviour
to proliferate merely forms a habit that is later hard to change. Children do
not benefit from destructive behaviour; they become unhappy. Freedom does not
involve only being able to do what you want to do. It involves being able to
distinguish what is constructive and beneficial and then being able to carry it
out.
Does the Montessori environment foster creativity?
 Experience tells us that creativity cannot be taught and
that the child's environment tends to either foster or restrict creativity. To
foster creativity, Montessori realized that the environment must itself be
beautiful, harmonious, and based on reality in order for children to organize
their perceptions of it. Then they will be capable of selecting and emphasizing
those processes necessary for creative endeavours. Children, therefore, need
freedom to develop creativityfreedom to select what attracts them in their
environment, to relate to it without interruption and for as long as they like,
to discover solutions and ideas and select answers on their own, and to
communicate and share their discoveries with others at will. Children in the
Montessori classroom are free from the judgment of an outside authority which
only serves to inhibit the creative impulse.
What happens when a Montessori child enters another
school?
The habits and skills which a child develops in a
Montessori class last a lifetime. Since a Montessori education is successful in
developing concentration, selfdiscipline, a love of learning, and social
skills, the child is better equipped to enter new situations and to easily
adjust to the traditional school environment. Good habits that are acquired
early in a child's life result in a lifelong pursuit of knowledge.
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