At Montessori Children's Academy, our philosophy of education is based on that of Dr. Maria Montessori (1870-1952), world famous educator and observer of children. The focus of this philosophy is the use of materials, educational techniques, and observations which support the natural development of children.

Dr. Montessori believed that each child has an inner guide who directs the child toward activities which are appropriate for the growth of the person the child will become. Therefore, the teacher in a Montessori classroom serves less as an "instructor" and more as a guide and facilitator. Children are encouraged to "learn how to learn," thus gaining independence and self-confidence. Because the method is based upon developmentally appropriate activities, the child often learns through the process of education--by doing.

In order to develop physical, intellectual, and spiritual potential to the fullest, the child must have freedom: a freedom to be achieved through order and self-discipline. Dr. Montessori described what she called the prepared environment, which possesses a certain order and allows children to learn at their own speed, according to their own capacities, and in a non-competitive atmosphere. "Never let children risk failure until they have a reasonable chance of success."

Dr. Montessori recognized that the only valid impulse to learning is self-motivation; children move themselves toward learning. The teacher prepares the environment, directs the activity, and offers the child stimulation, but it is the child who learns, who is motivated through work itself (not solely by the teacher's personality) to persist in a given task. If Montessori children are free to learn, it is because they have acquired an inner discipline from their exposure to both physical and mental order.

This is the foundation of Dr. Montessori's philosophy. Patterns of concentration, "stick-to-itiveness" and thoroughness, established in early childhood, produce a confident, competent learner in later years. A Montessori environment helps children learn to observe, to think, to judge. It introduces children to the joy of learning at an early age and provides a framework in which intellectual and social discipline go hand-in-hand.

Links provided elsewhere on this site provide articles and comprehensive lists of books, videos, research material, etc.. Please visit them for more information.

Dr. Maria Montessori

In 1896, Maria Montessori was the first female to graduate from the University of Rome Medical School. After joining the staff of the University's Psychiatric Clinic, she became interested in the children who were treated there. She devoted her energies to studying and developing educational theories and to working directly with these children who began to learn things that had seemed impossible for them before. When they took an examination at a local school, the children succeeded on a par with the students there. Dr. Montessori theorized that if her methods could be so effective with children who were mentally disadvantaged, they might, if used with "normal" children, "develop or set free their personality in a marvelous and surprising way."

In 1908, Dr. Montessori had a chance to use her innovative approach with a group of children from a slum area in Rome. Within a year, her accomplishments earned world wide acclaim as a landmark in the education of young children.

Dr. Montessori spent her life developing her philosophy. She began formulating her approach for elementary children in 1912. She founded teacher training centers throughout the world and eventually wrote 25 books on the various aspects of her theory and practice.