For decades, The Montessori School has brought the Montessori educational method to Montgomery County and its neighboring communities for children ranging from 18 months to 12 years old. Now, alumni are returning to the school to share stories of leadership, confidence, and accomplishment.

 

Understanding the Montessori Method

So what exactly is the Montessori method and what makes it so uniquely successful? The Montessori School Director of Montessori Education, Johanna Wood, credits continuity, individuality, respect, attention to detail, and more as she shared her insights in a recent interview.

 

“We mirror what Montessori education delivers across the world,” Wood said. “If you come into any of our classrooms, you’re going to see the same materials, the same age grouping as you would see at a school in South America, in Italy where it all started, or any country. It is exactly the same because it works.”

 

The Origins and Core Values of Montessori Education

Founded by Dr. Maria Montessori, the child-focused Montessori approach fosters self-motivated cognitive, emotional, social, and physical growth. According to the American Montessori Society, the first Montessori school, known as the Casa dei Bambini or “Children’s House”, opened in Rome in 1907, dating the method back more than a century.

 

Bringing this method to eastern PA, The Montessori School in Dresher operates under four core values; Respect for self, for others, for our world, Integrity in everything that we do, Patience with the development of the child, and Recognition that each of us is an ambassador of peace.

 

Multi-Age Grouping: A Unique Approach to Learning

The Montessori School provides an experience that differs from those found in most traditional education settings, offering a multi-age grouping that is “rare for the Philadelphia region” according to Wood. This consists of an 18 months to 3 years old group, a Children’s House educating 3, 4 and 5 year olds, and both Lower and Upper Elementary levels.

 

Within these cohorts, children have the benefit of learning from the same teacher, or “guide” as they’re called at the school, for 3 years at a time, nurturing a strong connection and a deep understanding of each student.

 

Specialized Training for Montessori Guides

“Here at our school, our guides have their undergraduate degrees and then their Montessori certification,” Wood explained, which is typically an additional 2-3 years of intensive study. This prepares the guides to deliver “very detailed” lesson plans in areas such as practical life, math, language, sensorial, and culture, as they carry out the school’s mission to provide a “multi-sensory curriculum that allows for individualized teaching and for students to learn and be challenged at their own pace”.

 

Carefully Designed Learning Environments

The lessons are delivered in environments that are entirely accessible to the age group they support. A typical classroom is clutter-free, and contains small furniture and reachable, self-serve materials, carefully organized with a high degree of order.

 

“There’s a very clear order to each classroom,” Wood shared. “For example, if you walk into a Children’s house classroom, you’re not going to see fraction learning materials before general number learning materials. They’re laid out in progressive order to promote hands-on education and active sensory input.”

 

Promoting Independence and Discovery

The materials also inspire independence and discovery using what the school calls a control of error. “Suppose the lesson covers counting from 1 to 10, you’re going to find that number of beads with that material,” Wood elaborated.

 

All authentic Montessori classrooms and materials share a meticulous and similar aesthetic from school to school so that children can flourish in their own learning paths.

 

The Natural Progression of Learning

“When you enter a classroom during its typical school day, you’re going to see 20 children doing 20 different things,” Wood shared. “In the Toddler and Children’s House stages, the children tend to do more independent activities. Then as their social emotional skills are growing you’ll see more collaboration in the Lower and Upper Elementary stages.”

 

This is the natural progression of the Montessori method, which at its core promotes respect for children, their capabilities, and their intuition. In leaning into a child’s individual developmental timeline, growth is organic.

 

“We don’t force things to happen,” Wood said. “There’s a time when children love to count, and we want to give space for that child to do that.”

 

Accommodating Diverse Needs and Abilities

As a result of such an individualized approach, The Montessori School is able to accommodate children with a variety of needs and abilities.

 

“The syllabus itself contains learning materials that can provide extra support for a child’s specific needs,” Wood shared. “Additionally, if a child has social emotional needs, or maybe there is somebody who needs a quiet space to relax their body and their mind, we’re able to cater our classrooms for that.” This also pertains to children who grasp concepts and materials more quickly and are accelerated in their learning.

 

The Montessori School also welcomes the support of The Montgomery County Intermediate Unit and the incorporation of additional therapies as needed.

 

Extracurricular Activities and Outdoor Learning

When it comes to extracurriculars, The Montessori School greatly honors the individual ideas of their students.

 

“We had a sixth grader who wanted to do an after-school environmental club called the Green Team,” Wood shared. “It was her idea, her mom supported it, and then we supported it, and now there are about 15 children that meet twice a month to support this cause.”

 

As for the outdoors, The Montessori School children are no strangers to the natural world. From nature walks, to chicken coops, to composting, to the preparation of their community snack, a daily effort is made to combine nature with learning.

 

Extended Programs and Financial Aid

In addition to their notably individualized approach to education, The Montessori School offers an Extended Day program, Summer Camp, and Financial Aid opportunities as their reach extends to students from Montgomery County and beyond.

 

Cultural Diversity and Community Engagement

“We do have a large radius that our children come from in terms of their family homes,” Wood added. “We also have many different cultures in school, and many languages, which is amazing because that also is symbiotic with our understanding of our place in the world in terms of respect for all people.”

 

The school’s family community is described as a close knit group, organizing outings, planning charity events, and supporting their school in a number of ways.

 

Alumni Success and Leadership

In light of all that The Montessori School has offered since it first opened its doors in 1970, former students are returning to speak to school families about the profoundly positive impact their Montessori education has had on their lives.

 

“There were a couple of students who spoke, one was a college student and one now attends a public middle school, and they both were talking with families about their experiences transitioning into new schools,” Wood added. “They shared that they became natural leaders.”

 

Wood credits this proclivity for leadership to the ongoing respect given to the children from an early age. The comfortability of talking with peers of all ages due to the school’s multi-age groups, the global message that we are all one person of a larger world, and the empowerment that they can figure anything out; all valuable lessons that children take with them throughout their lives.

 

The Impact of Montessori Education

“When you give children the tools to advocate and be themselves, you see happy children, you see happy families,” Wood said. “When you meet the child where they are, it’s pretty amazing and exciting to witness.”

 

If you have a child that has attended The Montessori School, please visit their profile page and leave them a testimonial. All testimonials are counted as nominations for the Excellence in Education segment of the Philadelphia Family LOVE Awards each year.

 

This story  about The Montessori School supports the Philadelphia Family Community, and was written by Jen Warner.