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What
about tests, how do you know a
child is ready to move on?
Tests
are written in our Montessori
Primary school, but the emphasis
is not placed on a mark but
rather, “Do I know enough to
move on or do I still need to
work at this a bit more?” For
this reason self-test cards are
often used by the children on
their own and they correct their
own work. Work corrected by the
teacher is discussed with the
individual child or he may be
directed to where he can find
the correct answer. A child does
not move on to new work until
the teacher is satisfied that
they have consolidated their
knowledge.
What
do we do with a 5 or 6-year old
that is academically ready to
move to Primary School, but who
is still too young?
The
advantage of the Montessori
environment is that we always
cater for the abilities of the
individual child and are so able
to carry on with reading, math
and perceptual activities that
will keep them growing
academically as well as
emotionally.
Why
don’t we have competitive sport?
Children of this age are
naturally competitive, but in
the Montessori environment we
try to prepare the children for
life and this means that each
child is encouraged to make the
effort to the best of their
abilities. Emphasising
competition only benefits the
child that wins and demoralises
any child that doesn’t. We want
to boost every child in our
care.
What
about discipline? Is the child
allowed to do what he likes?
Montessori schools believe that
discipline is something that
should come from inside rather
than something that is always
imposed by others. They do not
rely on reward and punishments.
By being allowed to be free in
the environment, and learning to
love and care for other people,
the child develops confidence
and control over his own
behaviour.
Montessori never tolerated
ill-disciplined children and
realised that it was the role of
the educator and the parent to
discipline the child until he
had the ability to discipline
himself. In the Primary school
we have a disciplinary procedure
which is a guideline for
teachers who need to address
individual problems. Montessori
teachers only step in when a
child’s behaviour is upsetting
or disruptive to others. And
then the child will be handled
with deep respect and
sensitivity. The belief is that
the children are by nature
loving and caring, and the
emphasis is on helping them
develop the vital social and
emotional skills needed for
participating in true community.
Where
a problem occurs within a group
of children then it is discussed
in the group and problem-solving
techniques are applied. The
children decide on the action to
be taken. From time to time we
may ask parents to sit in as
observers at these meetings.
Do we
have religious instruction in
the school?
Our
philosophy is based on strong
moral values. We are not
sectarian and are tolerant of
the religious beliefs of
families in our school.
What
do you expect of us as parents?
We
expect you to respect our role
as educators, that we are
knowledgeable and have your
children’s best interests at
heart. We expect you to support
your child by showing an
interest in what he is doing at
school. We expect you to read
with your child every day and
make sure that homework is being
done. You are not expected to
teach your child or do his
homework for him. If he is
having difficulty we expect you
to communicate this to the
teacher immediately by writing a
note in his homework book. We
expect you to respect the hard
work the teacher is putting into
the development of your child
and not to undermine her by
cross-examining your child, or
showing you have doubts, or
making negative comments about
her in front of your child.
If
you have any doubts address the
issues straight away with the
teacher concerned or with
management so that problems may
be sorted out as soon as
possible. Remember, your child’s
interests are our whole reason
for being. Never think that your
problems are too small to
mention, we welcome your input
and are constantly trying to
improve our service to you.
Making negative comments about
your child’s teacher in front of
him causes conflict within your
child and damages his trust
relationship with his teacher.
Please keep your discussions
with teachers outside of school
hours so that time may not be
taken away from the child’s
school day.
How
will my child adapt in a
traditional school?
Montessori children tend to be
very socially comfortable.
Because they have been
encouraged to problem-solve and
think independently they also
happy, confident and
resourceful. Most children,
without learning or emotional
problems, leave the Montessori
environment with a very strong
sense of self-confidence in
their abilities. Consequently,
although there is always a
period of adjustment to change,
they usually cope well in any
environment they move to.
In
fact most schools are often
delighted to hear that your
child has been in a Montessori
school.
Do we
have a lot of remedial children
in the school?
Because we have small classes
and get to know the children
very well within a short space
of time we often pick up
learning problems early. We are
not a remedial school but have
become very experienced in
recognising problems that can be
remediated fairly easily with
the intervention of specialists.
We believe in early intervention
if any problem, whether
psychological, social, physical
or educational is identified and
so insist parents respond
quickly if we recommend an
assessment. Early intervention
minimises the emotional problems
or compensating behaviour that
children develop to cope when
they are in difficulty.
Experience has taught us that
the Montessori environment is
not suitable for children with
severe ADD or ADHD problems, so
prefer to refer them elsewhere.
According to therapists who do
therapy at our school the
proportion of children in
therapy is slightly less in our
school than the average they
encounter in GDE schools.
How
do Montessori schools view
imaginative play?
Maria
Montessori saw that there was a
difference between imagination
(based on reality) and fantasy
(based on non-real events). When
she watched children play she
realised that they really wanted
to be able to do real things in
a real world, rather than just
pretend. So Montessori schools
really value imaginative play
but will always try to help
children work with real objects
and situations.
Does
Montessori encourage creativity?
Montessori believe that true
creativity stems from individual
freedom of expression. What you
won’t (or shouldn’t) find in a
Montessori school is 20 pieces
of art to take home that all
look the same! Your child will
encouraged to express him or
herself through singing,
dancing, acting, talking,
drawing, painting, sticking,
gluing, cutting, arranging and
writing. What we know is that,
unlike adults, children aren’t
really interested in the end
result … they are much more
interested in the fun and
fascination of the creative
process.
What
kind of training do Montessori
teachers have?
Montessori teachers tend to be
people who really love being
with children and who feel
strongly about the importance of
holistic approaches to learning.
The philosophy often attracts
more mature students, from very
diverse backgrounds, who are
disillusioned with conventional
educational systems.
The
training is comprehensive and
includes: in-depth investigation
of the Montessori philosophy and
materials, exercises of
practical life, education of the
senses, literacy skills,
mathematics, cultural subjects,
art and craft, music and
movement, drama, child
development, observation and
assessment, contemporary issues,
childcare and health, safety,
nutrition and special needs.
Is
Montessori still relevant?
Research shows us that, far from
being old-fashioned and
obsolete, Montessori’s ideas are
now being recognised by
educationalists, cognitive
psychologist and neuroscientists
worldwide. Her emphasis on
holistic learning with the
importance of structure,
intrinsic motivation, sociality
and emotional intelligence were
all ideas ahead of their time.
She felt that it was education
that lay at the root of social
dis-function and that it was
only by celebrating children as
the hope of mankind, that we
would ever be able to change the
nature of society. She fought
for a peaceful world that
celebrated the fundamental unity
underlying diversity and her
words remain as applicable today
as they were then.
What
are the benefits of the mixed
age classes?
Montessori classes are separated
into three year cycles so that
the child is placed with others
in a classroom of peers that are
in the same developmental stage
as they are.
The
children benefit from this
arrangement in many ways:
Younger children learn from
older children through
observation.
Older
children can present work to
younger children – this benefits
the younger child and the older
child’s sense of self esteem and
competence is enhanced.
The
daily interaction between the
older and younger children gives
them the advantage of observing
conflict resolution and other
social skills at their level of
understanding and stage of
development. Older children
learn tolerance and patience
with the younger children and
begin to see themselves as role
models. The younger children in
turn look up to older children
and turn to them for guidance
and help.
Because we encourage children to
work at their own pace, they are
not pressured to achieve what
others in their age group are
achieving. This not only
benefits the child who needs
more time to consolidate
information and skills, but
gives the child who is ready to
move onto more advanced work the
opportunity to do so.
A
sense of community is enhanced,
where everyone plays a role in
the smooth running of the class.
The
behaviours that frustrate us as
parents (like children refusing
to put things away), often don’t
present themselves in the
classroom where the peer group
quickly step in and correct the
issue. This is done in such a
way that the child doesn’t feel
like she/he is being
reprimanded, and easily
complies.
Parents and caregivers
acknowledge that every place in
the school can be reviewed at
the beginning of each year.
Compliance with the Terms of
Enrolment is also reviewed.
Special Needs
The
Enrolment Committee reserves the
right to limit the number of
children with special needs to
ensure we can meet the needs of
that child as well as the needs
of all other children in the
class.
Application Form
If
you would like to apply, you can
download an application form by
clicking on the following link.
DOWNLOAD APPLICATION FORM
Please print out this form and
fill it in. You can then either
fax it to us, drop it off at the
school, or rescan and email it
to us.
Please contact
enrollments@villagemontessorischool.co.za
for more details on the courses
available and the fee structure.
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