Montessori School of Concord

When you visit different Montessori schools, you might think you’re looking at different kinds of Montessori. What you’re really seeing is how Montessori practices are responsive to a community of parents, teachers and children. This flexibility explains why Montessori schools are so widespread; they are found on every inhabited continent. In the U.S. there are thousands of independent and public Montessori schools, each reflecting its own community and
historical roots.

Dr. Maria Montessori, an anthropologist and the first woman physician in Italy, left us a legacy of hands-on learning materials
that foster scientific and mathematical aptitudes, nurture an appreciation of history and support the creativity of every child.

Dr. Montessori said, “If houses suitable for children do not exist, let us build them” The first Children’s House, or Casa Dei Bambini was created in Rome in 1906. Since then, all over the world, millions of children have benefited and grown in houses, or environments, created especially for them.

The Montessori classroom is not a nursery school. It is a “prepared environment” for children of two years and up. Children are free to work undisturbed, without unnecessary interference from adults. Although group lessons and activities are included in the program, they are not the central factor. The children work at their own pace, individually or in small groups, on projects of their own choosing.

The older children help the younger ones, just as they would in a family, and in doing so reinforce what they have already learned and strengthen their own integrity and responsibility. The younger children benefit because they learn readily through the help and example of their peers.

The Montessori classroom exemplifies the principles of order and freedom. Children learn more readily in a structured, or ordered,
environment; freedom of choice within that environment also encourages learning.

Order in the classroom is seen in physical order, the order in the design of the materials, the orderly sequence in which the exercises are presented and accomplished, and the child’s orderly use of the materials. A child selects the materials to use and is responsible for returning the materials when done. A teacher or another child will help the child to understand what to
do with the material. By having the freedom to select their own work, interest is readily maintained.

Freedom in the classroom includes the right to choose one’s own work, to work alone uninterrupted, to work with another child (if that is the wish of both), to move about freely and to talk quietly.

The children’s spirit motivates the entire class and the adult influence is on the periphery as guide, mentor and model.

By attending a Montessori School of Concord tour, you learn about our Montessori community and how we tap into her legacy to meet the needs of today’s children.

During our twenty-five years the skilled and sensitive teachers of Montessori School of Concord have been creating a place to learn how to learn. . . which at the same time engages the imaginations and intellects of young children.

• Ana Delmy Metrock
• Melissa Metrock
• Monica Souders