Minds on Montessori

To create a Montessori classroom, you need a prepared environment with specially designed materials tailored to the sensitive periods and characteristics of children in the particular plane of development.   You need a prepared directress to connect the children to the prepared environment.   And you need the children.   Many adults who study Montessori feel strongly that it is the best way to educate children.   Some of these adults go on to become Montessori directresses. These directresses-in-training learn the history of Montessori education and the facets of its theory.   They learn precise purposes and extensions of materials and the ways to present them.   They study details such as how to walk across a classroom, how to position one’s body when talking to a child, how to use encouragement instead of praise, and the list goes on.   Through observation, these directresses learn to follow the child. Some directress training happens in lectu...

Becoming an AMI - trained Montessori directress or a student in an AMI-recognized Montessori school can be expensive.  Fortunately, there are an increasing number of scholarships available for trainees and students and a growing presence of Montessori in the public school sector .* For Trainees: AMI's Margaret E. Stephenson Fund  AMI's School Sponsorships (list updated yearly) Montessori Schools of Massachusetts Some AMI-recognized schools offer loan options for trainees For Students: Open Montessori Initiative Montessori For All Public Montessori schools *Keep in mind that Montessori is not a patented name, so schools can say they are Montessori but not sufficiently adhere to the tenets of the philosophy.  For a full list of the AMI-recognized Montessori schools in the U.S., click here .

Dear Parent, I know you love and know your child better than anyone.  However, when you pick her up from Montessori school, remember this: The Montessori classroom is her space, and you can respect this by waiting for her to emerge with her belongings.  You are teaching your daughter that you honor boundaries and, in an adult world, she has her own place .  When she emerges from the classroom holding her coat rather than wearing it, wait for her to put it on instead of doing it for her.  You are teaching your daughter to be independent and helping her build confidence in herself and her skills. When she shows you a picture she made, try to frame your response in interest rather than praise.  "Can you tell me what this is?" or "I see you used lots of colors," rather than "I love it" or "You're so good at coloring." You are teaching your daughter to value her work and the process of creating it, rather than to seek external r...