Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions of students and parents.
Can I do Montessori at home with my child?
Yes, you can use Montessori principles of child development at home. Look at your home through your child's eyes. Children need a sense of belonging, and they get it by participating fully in the routines of everyday life. "Help me do it by myself" is the life theme of the preschooler. Can you find ways for your child to participate in meal preparation, cleaning, gardening, caring for clothes, shoes, and toys? Providing opportunities for independence is the surest way to build your child's self-esteem. At the school level, many homeschoolers and other parents, use the Montessori philosophy of following the child's interest and not interrupting concentration to educate their children. In school only a trained Montessori teacher can properly implement Montessori education, using the specialized learning equipment of the Montessori "prepared environment." Here social development comes from being in a positive and unique environment with other children -- an integral part of Montessori education.Back to Top
Is Montessori good for children with learning disabilities? What about gifted
Montessori is designed to help all children reach their fullest potential at their own unique pace. A classroom whose children have varying abilities is a community in which everyone learns from one another and everyone contributes. Moreover, multiage grouping allows each child to find his or her own pace without feeling "ahead" or "behind" in relation to peers.Back to Top
What is special about Montessori materials?
The classroom has top-quality, child-sized furnishings and learning apparatus. Materials sit on shelves designed specifically for them. Children are taught how to use the materials and are then free to move about the room, selecting their activities and pursuing their work, either individually or in small groups. Montessori materials are specifically designed to be self-correcting for errors, allowing children to learn on their own, under the guidance of the teacher.Back to Top
What is different about a Montessori teacher?
A Montessori education means that a child has a very special guide for his or her self-led journey. Montessori teachers are called Guides and are certified after hundreds of hours of specialized training. They are skilled at asking questions rather than providing answers. They know how to observe children as they learn. They know how to help a child build self-confidence and self-esteem. The carefully prepared environment and method provide discipline. The Montessori teacher provides guidance.Back to Top
Are Montessori children successful later in life?
Research studies show that Montessori children are well prepared later in life academically, socially, and emotionally. In addition to scoring well on standardized tests, Montessori children are ranked above average on such criteria as following directions, turning in work on time, listening attentively, using basic skills, showing responsibility, asking provocative questions, showing enthusiasm for learning, and adapting to new situations. Famous Montessori graduates include: Katherine Graham (deceased), owner/editor of the Washington Post Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis (deceased), editor, former first lady Sean 'P.Diddy' (formerly known as Puffy) Combs, RAP mega-star and businessman Anne Frank, famous diarist from world war II Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Nobel Prize winner for Literature Jeff Bezos, financial analyst, founder, AMAZON.COM Prince William and Prince Harry, English royal family T. Berry Brazelton, noted pediatrician and author Julia Child, famous chef and author Melissa and Sarah Gilbert, actors Others with a Montessori Connection: Alexander Graham Bell, noted inventor, and his wife Mabel provided Financial support directly to Dr. Montessori and helped establish the first Montessori Class in the United States in 1913. Mister Rogers, childrens TV personality, was a strong supporter of Montessori Education. Thomas Edison, noted scientist and inventor, helped found a Montessori school. President Wilsons daughter was a Montessori teacher. There was a Montessori Classroom in the White House during Wilsons presidency. On the Barbara Walters ABC-TV Special "The 10 Most Fascinating People Of 2004" Larry Page and Sergey Brin, founders of the popular Internet search engine Google.com, credited their years as Montessori students as a major factor behind their success. When Barbara Walters asked if the fact that their parents were college professors was a factor behind their success, they said no, that it was their going to Montessori school where they learned to be self-directed and self-starters. They said that Montessori allowed them to learn to think for themselves and gave them freedom to pursue their own interests.Back to Top
When should I start my child in Montessori?
Most children begin Montessori school between the ages of 2 1/2 and 4, and stay through the end of their kindergarten year when they are 5 1/2 or 6. The Montessori program is designed to work in harmony with the childs natural developmental stages, building each year upon the previous competencies and successes. The children typically stay with the same teacher for the full 3 years, which allows the relationship between teacher and child to grow and deepen; this trust and understanding is an important part of a childs emotional security and has a profound impact on their educational success.Back to Top
Why do children come 5 days a week?
Early childhood specialists all agree that young children thrive in a secure, consistent environment with a steady routine. Young children adjust very well to this schedule and bond most easily with their teachers and peers when they have consecutive days in their new community which quickly becomes a beloved and special place for them. The steady rhythm of coming to their school helps create a very positive attitude towards "school" and their activities there. It also gives the children a strong feeling of belonging to a community that they help create, and of which they are valued and respected members. They can count on seeing their friends on a regular basis.Back to Top