Elementary

Achieving Full Potential

Teachers meet with individual students periodically to create a plan for meeting these requirements and to monitor the progress toward these goals. Here the focus is on each child’s individual learning style and areas of interest. For instance, one child may want to fulfill all the week’s requirements on Mondays, while another may want to work on those for the first hour or so each morning. Together, the student and teacher will make a list for the week or the month — complete with appropriate deadlines — with the child responsible for meeting those deadlines. As time goes on children are free to progress on a more independent track, giving them a feeling of personal achievement that inspires them to even greater heights.

Where some may see the mixture of different age groups as counter-intuitive in an elementary program, we believe it is essential to the Montessori experience. After all, there are three years worth of wonderful possibilities to which every child is exposed — some of which are taught directly, while others are absorbed through the environment. A three-year span also helps the teacher avoid group lessons and teacher-centered work, helping the children reach a much higher level of independence.

After saying their goodbyes to parents and shaking hands and greeting their teachers, the day begins. Students start by meeting with teachers to discuss the entries to be made in their daily journals. Topics might include the most exciting thing they saw over the weekend or the changes they may have noticed on their drive to school. After the initial meeting, students go into their classrooms to review the daily agenda.

Next, students enter a work plan into their planners so that it can be checked by the teachers before beginning work. First grade students may engage in Stamp Work or work with Golden Bead Multiplication, while older students may work on a project on amphibians or meet with teachers to learn about the edible portions of different plants.

At lunchtime, students take responsibility for setting the table, and, after a brief non-denominational expression of thanks, sit with friends. Afterwards, there is time outside to play tag in the on-campus apple orchard, or have fun on the sports court or  playground equipment. Gym is also part of the outdoor curriculum, with activities like horseback riding and tennis.

Upon returning to the classroom, the students shift academic gears, moving on to subjects like reptiles, with discussions that may even draw upon the class pet. Each year the science work becomes more complex, and may involve tasks like classifying mammals. Later, the emphasis shifts once again, this time to the arts, where students may begin to learn to paint in preparation for a school-wide art show. The academic day officially ends at 3:00pm, but the school offers a myriad of on-campus activities after school, led by our own teachers or outside instructors.