The signs of spring are emerging: chirping songbirds, fluttering butterflies and budding blossoms can be seen outside. With this time of year, we also witness a fresh energy in our classrooms. This is my favorite time of year. Teachers and I delight in the explosion of mastery happening in the classroom. Children’s reading, mathematics and…
Montessori Teachers – Go Team!
The Montessori team of teachers is a perfect example of collaboration and teamwork. One definition of teamwork is “the combined action of a group of people, especially when effective and efficient”. While most teams measure effectiveness by some level of success, a Montessori team of teachers focus on the happiness and contentment of the children…
Spiral Development
With each season, birthday, and school year in our classrooms there exists a pattern to each child’s individual growth. The pattern resembles a spiral; a continuous upward progression centered on an axis. The axis is the child’s environment (composed of the teachers and the materials). The spiral is the child’s development, through various areas of…
What is Montessori?
Montessori is about a kid with a stick, digging a hole in the mud — hands dirty, engaged, fascinated, uninterrupted. — Trevor Eissler
Montessori Classroom and Control of Error
A key principal within the Montessori classroom, is “control of error” within the materials and presentations. So what does this mean? Simply stated, it allows children to recognize the proper manipulation of the Montessori work, allowing them to test the materials, use their reasoning skills and correct their work themselves. You can imagine the great…
Imagination
Imagination does not become great until human beings, given the courage and the strength, use it to create. — Maria Montessori
The hands are the instruments
The hands are the instruments of man’s intelligence. — Maria Montessori
Let the children free
Let the children free; encourage them; let them run outside when it is raining; let them remove their shoes when they find a puddle of water; and, when the grass of the meadows is damp with dew, let them run on it and trample it with their bare feet; let them rest peacefully when a…
Children’s Success AND Happiness: Social + Emotional Growth in Montessori
One of our original BMS families had three sons who each attended our school. Upon the youngest son starting with us, his brother (then in middle school) proclaimed that BMS was his “favorite school because it is so happy.” The reason that our classrooms at BMS, RMS and SMS are joyful is largely due to…
A Perfect Balance: Freedom & Structure
An interesting dynamic in the classroom, and often a misinterpreted one by outsiders, is the delicate balance of freedom and structure (also known in Montessori as freedom within limits). Because the classroom is orderly (arranged logically to inspire natural exploration and development), the children are free to choose the work they are drawn to. Enticing…
