CHM adheres to the unique educational philosophy set out a century ago by Dr. Maria Montessori. The Montessori philosophy aims to develop the child’s innate desire to learn by using a child’s natural curiosity and love of knowledge. The child is able to learn and acquire an ‘inner discipline’ free of the need for external reinforcements.
To educate the whole child Dr. Montessori felt the child must have the freedom to learn at his or her own pace and in an individualized manner. The Montessori teachers direct the child’s energies into constructive learning channels, taking into account the differences in learning styles and pace. The environment is specially prepared to encourage directed, independent learning. The teachers guide the activity by providing knowledge in the form of presentations. This is the core of the Dr. Montessori educational philosophy.
We cannot stress enough the importance of full completion of the Three Year Cycle at Children’s House Montessori School. The progression of the Three Year Cycle was laid out by Maria Montessori to follow the natural acquisition of skills and knowledge from year to year throughout the early developmental period of a child’s life. At CHM, every single activity that the children works with are building blocks for the next skill. Nothing is arbitrary or isolated. For later knowledge building, the steps before need to be followed and to ensure acquisition of the full skill set, the final steps must also be taken. That is why we stress the completion of all three years of our program.
The first year students spend a majority of their time in the Practical Life area developing self help skills, fine motor abilities and a sense of order in order to cultivate independence, focus and confidence in his or her own abilities. The Sensorial area is also introduced to refine his or her senses in preparation for later scientific study.
The second year student study Language, Math, Geography and Social Sciences. Introductory reading, writing and math skills are presented to the children. This year allows students the opportunity to assist their younger peers while still following the leadership of their older classmates.
The third year Montessori child takes on great responsibilities within the classroom, among their peers and for their own learning. The teachers continue guiding the children to reach their full academic and social potential in this capstone year of the Three Year Cycle.