As a Montessori parent, I can imagine you have heard numerous times the importance of independence. I hope that you see how, inside the classroom, independence is encouraged and fostered. Maybe your child is asserting his or her independence at home too.

But the Montessori Method is over 100 years old!

Historically, Montessori students do better mastering specific tasks than their counterparts in traditional schools primarily due to what, when, and where preschoolers are taught.

Traditional School Methodology

By the time a five or six-year-old enters a California public Kindergarten school, a teacher can quickly spot who has not attended Toddler and Primary programs. Those first-timers are less fundamentally educated in academic, social, and emotional arenas.

Here are some guidelines on how to observe.   

The Montessori Environment is a prepared environment designed to aid your child in their search for independence, concentration, and happiness. Children need an interactive, hands-on, educational environment to become self-motivated and successful learners. Here, children are free to explore with their senses to fully understand the world around them. They are free to learn at their own pace.

At Lifetime Montessori School (LMS) in San Diego, a private toddler, preschool, and elementary school in Santaluz, our teachers work on identifying skill sets in children at an early age. 

How? 

Since students focus their daily attention on topics they like, we can identify, observe and evaluate a body of work that engages and engrosses them. 

In California, transitional kindergarten (TK) was designed to be a bridge between preschool and Kindergarten. If a child turns five years of age between September 2 and December 2, he or she can join TK as Year I of a two-year K program in any free public school. However, if the child’s birthday is December 3, he or she can’t. The child is held back simply based on chronological age! Sadly, this birthdate designation has little to do with a child’s academic, social or emotional development.

This upcoming year, I have a different set of hopes for our school. 

My 2021 Montessori school resolution: getting back to normal! 

2021: Where Old Normal Meets New Normal

The Old Normal seems like a lifetime ago! It’s how we used to do things before COVID-19. 

Dr. Maria Montessori spent her life observing and interpreting children’s behaviors. 

Her approach to education focused on teaching each child as an individual, thereby creating unparalleled Montessori benefits.

The Montessori Method philosophy she created believes that every child has a specific set of inherent skills that teachers can find and focus on creating an independent and successful adult.

The 2020 pandemic has thrown our lives all out of whack. Parents are running on empty. Many families are juggling work and life balance while struggling to patch together child care-- leaving parents with less time and motivation for self-care. 

As parents, we play a bigger role in how things turn out and have more influence on the resilience, confidence, and assuredness of our children's psychological wellness during stressful situations.