Montessori preschool students cooking seed to table buscuits

Primary sweet potato biscuits keep students warm on a cold morning.

At Greensboro Montessori School, Environmental Education Curriculum is based on seasonal cycles, the outdoor environment at the School, and the age of the students. We invite spontaneity and often pause to watch and identify insects, marvel at life in the garden, and discuss questions or insights as a community. In all levels we teach about soil, decomposition and compost, pollination, and biodiversity. But what is it we do in winter when the gardens are resting? The short answer is, we teach seasonality and ecology in organic gardens.

Primary students study birds, concentrating on basic identification by sight and sound. They love making binoculars (out of recycled toilet paper rolls) and using them on our bird walks around campus. Along the way, they learn to empathize with birds and their needs, to stop and slow down as not to miss a moment of wonder, and to make an ecological connection between our gardens and the needs of birds: shelter, food, water, and spaces to nest. As the weather warms up, we explore our winter stores of food from the fall gardens - sweet potatoes, garlic, ginger, and honey - in cooking classes, and venture outdoors to observe and relish in the signs of spring!

Elementary bird watching environmental education

Lower Elementary students' binoculars are treasured tools in class this month.

Lower Elementary students delve even deeper into their bird study, concentrating not only on the basic identification of birds, but also on prolonged observation of bird behavior, habitat, and appreciation for their ecological significance in our organic, permaculture gardens. They love learning how to use and read field guides like ornithologists! I find bird study with this age is a wonderful way to remind children how to sit and soak in the surrounding environment, something we often don’t take time to do when the garden gets growing in spring. Bird watching in winter offers students opportunities to experience peace, critical thought, and insight that they so desperately need after the holiday rush and just before the end of year crunch! As spring break draws near, we share our bird findings with area scientists, cook with our winter food stores, and begin preparing ourselves for spring planting in the garden.

Elementary bee keeping environmental education Montessori

Upper Elementary students save bees wax from a hive that died over the winter. Honey bees and other native bees are a focal point for these students' climate change project.

Upper Elementary winter studies range from native tree and animal projects to redesigning of our Upper School outdoor classroom. This year, we're up to something BIG ... we’re tackling the subject of climate change and how it affects each of us and our experience at Greensboro Montessori School. We're thrilled the culmination of this project will include an art installation we collectively create and participation at the Student Climate Change Summit at UNCG on March 29. The event will be from 5 to 8 p.m. at Weatherspoon Art Museum. Open to the public, the Student Climate Change Summit will feature a wide-array of student participants representing several generations. In addition to our Upper Elementary students presenting their artwork, undergraduate students from UNCG will present research posters around a variety of climate change topics. A student from NC State will describe the work of The Climate Reality Project Campus Corps on their campus. Last but not least, students from the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program at Grimsley High School will present posters highlighting their IB papers on climate change. We hope you will join us at Weatherspoon Art Museum on March 29!

Eliza HudsonAbout the Author

Eliza Hudson is Greensboro Montessori School's lead environmental educator. Eliza holds her bachelor's degree in biology from Earlham College in Richmond, Ind. She has built and tended school gardens, taught hands-on cooking lessons and connected local farms to school programs working for FoodCorps. Prior to joining Greensboro Montessori School in 2014, Eliza was a classroom and after-school assistant at the Richmond Friends School, a farm intern at a family-owned farm in Ohio, and served as assistant director at a summer day camp in an urban community garden in Durham.

Greensboro Montessori School has taught environmental education since 1995 and has been permaculture gardening on its campus since 1997.

Have you ever been reminded of an Abbott and Costello skit when talking with your three year old? Ever fallen down a rabbit hole of questions, only to hit the rock bottom of your ability to come up with an answer? If so, you have encountered the phenomenon that is the "Why?" stage. Where does this dizzying vortex of inquiry come from? And, more importantly, when will it stop?

"Get your shoes on, honey. We're going to the store."
"Why?"
"Because we need groceries."
"Why?"
"Because we ate up all our food."
"Why?"
"Because we were hungry."
"Why?"

Maria Montessori provides us with profound insight into the seismic shift in children's cognitive development that takes place around the third birthday. Before this milestone, infants and toddlers are "unconscious, absorbent" learners who acquire skills such as walking and talking without self-awareness or intention, by simply following their own innate desire for autonomy and imitating others in their environment. Around age three, however, they become "conscious" learners, who actively seek knowledge and master new skills through purposeful, deliberate inquiry and practice. It is around this time that many children stumble upon a magical word; one that elicits a seemingly endless wellspring of useful information from adults. Thus begins the litany: "Why? Why? Why?”

In truth, a child's "why?" is not the same question we ask as adults. Yes, children do crave our explanations as they seek to understand their world, but they are not necessarily expecting any elegant, logical, or scientific answers. More often, "why?" translates to: "I'm curious about this topic. I like it when you explain what will happen next. I cherish your attention and the love I feel from you when you talk to me. I want to hear all of the words you know so that I can learn how to use them, too. I want to use long sentences and have conversations, just like you do. Let's practice talking together!" Like a game of verbal ping-pong, each thread of "whys" and responses helps children develop engaging, socially adept conversation skills that will serve them well throughout their lives.

For a great perspective on the whys behind "why," click here for a great article from child psychologist Dr. Alan Green. And to learn more about Montessori's research on the developing brain, please visit our Parent Resource Library, or ask your child's teacher at GMS. (Why? Because we love talking about this stuff.)

Throughout the school year, the Junior High students at Greensboro Montessori School have multiple opportunities to delve into the study of economics through entrepreneurial experiences in both individual and group projects.

One project culminates in a Holiday Marketplace event that occurs annually during the second or third week of December.

Parents, students, friends and neighbors are welcome to come and shop at the 2017 Holiday Marketplace on Wednesday, Dec 13 from 9am-2pm in the gym.

The students work in small teams of two to three partners over the course of several weeks to develop a small business plan and manufacture a variety of hand-made products (art, food, clothing, gifts, etc.). These products are offered for sale to the entire community on the day of the marketplace event. The students are encouraged not only to design products that will make a profit but also products that are ethical and sustainable, benefiting the whole. This is a unique opportunity for the students to use their creativity, drive, talents, and business skills to make take home cash profits, which many use to fund their out of pocket expenses for overnight school field trips at the end of the school year.

In the Holiday Marketplace project, our young adolescents experience the true life of an emerging entrepreneur and small business owner:

The "utilities, taxes and booth rental fees" that they pay are deposited into a school account that goes back into the Junior High to cover curricular and program expenses.

The Holiday Marketplace project represents just one aspect of how our students experience and study the principles and realities of economics. Another way is through their participation in a year-long micro-economy program that occurs every Friday. Unlike the marketplace project where the proceeds result in personal profit, the micro-economy program is designed so that any proceeds are reaped communally and expenditure must be decided on by the whole group. In some ways the micro-economy program is a “grown-up” version of the practical life lessons that are so effective in teaching our youngest students about respect for self, respect for the environment, and respect for the community as well as basic executive function skills.

The regular micro-economy program in the Junior High occurs in organized weekly sessions where the students experiment with practical life experiences in preparation for later life work. This emphasis on “real work,” as some would call it, is rooted in Dr. Maria Montessori’s belief that adolescents should learn about economic principles that govern production and exchange. By doing so, she proposed that adolescents would develop a deeper appreciation for  available resources, the importance of hospitality, and that the work would provide a context for understanding human civilization and their role within it. This is work with the head and the hands! As part of micro-economy program, students engage in a plethora of meaningful work, which builds professionally applicable skills, encourages interdependence, and peaks intellectual curiosity.

Early in the school year, students begin the micro-economy program by preparing a resumé and applying for specific jobs. These jobs fall within three basic career areas, most of which directly relate to the operation of Maria’s Café, our commercially inspected restaurant program that serves a hot home-made lunch on Fridays. One team manages the kitchen including the menus, ingredients (both store bought and sourced from our gardens), food preparation and food service. Another team oversees the financial and marketing aspect of the micro-economy, and plans Junior High community events, outreach and fundraisers. The third team comprises a research and design lab that develops and fabricates new marketable products through use of tools and technology (3-D printer, state of the art design software, wood shop. etc.) and also produces the school’s yearbook.

This experience for our students is an example of applied learning at its best!

After two years worth of planning, design, collaboration, development and fabrication, our Junior High students will be hosting a grand opening of their newest venture, Maria's Market Farm Cart, including a special ribbon cutting ceremony with the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce. (The ceremony is being planned for early 2018. It was originally scheduled for December but was postponed due to inclement weather.)  This project has been a near perfect example of how our students work together to bring an idea to life while engaging in real, purposeful work that not only stimulates their intellect but also teaches them valuable, lifelong skills in entrepreneurship and economics.

Maria’s Market Farm Cart was developed through an aspect of the Junior High Curriculum known as the Micro Economy Program. The 2017-18 school year marks the fifth year running the program as an integrated "Farm to Fork” business. At the beginning of each school year, students apply for jobs in the program based on their interests, talents, and abilities. Branches of the business include Research and Development, Design and Fabrication, Finance, Tribal Council, an on-site Restaurant, and a Farm Team. Click here to read more about the Micro Economy Program.

At the beginning of the 2016-17 school year, the Farm Team submitted a proposal to the Design and Fabrication Team to build a mobile market stand where produce from the School's gardens, eggs from the School’s chickens, and original student art could be sold. The Design Team jumped at the project, pledging to retrofit an old trailer bed generously donated by the School’s garden manager, Aubrey Cupit.

3D SketchUp of the farm cart design

As the team envisioned a functional design for the mobile market stand, the team members, guided by Upper School Performance and Visual Arts Teacher Jonathan McLean, used an application called Sketchup to create the first 2D images of a mobile cart.

Student designer, Lily Wagoner, studied images, took real time measurements, and made a cut and materials list. After this thorough research phase, students began the process of building the cart. Bit by bit, the project came together with the final stages including staining and painting the cart.

Maria’s Market Farm Cart officially debuted at the 2017 Fall Festival on October 15 and has been open for business several times since then. Every Friday afternoon that Junior High has a Micro Economy day the farm cart will be open from 3:00-4:00 PM during the afternoon carline. All of the produce for sale is harvested by the students from the School's gardens. Students also make crafts and original artwork to contribute to the market, including items made by the Research and Development Team in the metal forge.

Junior High students work together to fabricate the farm cart applying principles of geometry and physics.

The Farm Cart and all of the integrated work throughout the student-run Micro Economy Program is a wonderful example of how these entrepreneurs are able to use their intellectual abilities to produce viable work that relates to real life, while simultaneously teaching them to be leaders and entrepreneurs. It also addresses the complexities of doing ethical work that benefits the community and ultimately the world. In the process, they learn the meaning and pleasure that can be derived from such work. It is what Maria Montessori envisioned for the adolescent and we couldn’t be more excited about encouraging this vital work.

 

“The shop would also necessitate a genuine study of commerce and exchange, of the art of ascertaining the demand and being ready to meet it, of the strict and rigid rules of bookkeeping. But the thing that is important above everything else is that the adolescent should have a life of activity and variety and that one occupation should act a “holiday” from another occupation. The shop would be in respect to the studies of economics and politics an educational object, similar to the aquarium or terrarium in the case of the study of biology.”   - Maria Montessori (From Childhood to Adolescence, 70)

“Their spirit will dry up if the grandeur of the practical reality of our days is completely shut away from them, as if it did not exist. Men with hands and no head, and men with head and no hands are equally out of place in the modern community."  - Maria Montessori (From Childhood to Adolescence p. 61)

Simon Sinek, best-selling author and renowned lecturer, made his mark with a famous TED Talk encouraging leaders and organizations to “Start with Why.” Knowing “what” you do and “how” you do it does not matter if you don’t know “why” you’re doing it. As we embark on a new journey for Greensboro Montessori School through 70 in 70: The Fund for GMS, we’re excited to examine Mr. Sinek’s model of what, how and why as it relates to revitalizing our Primary classrooms. This exploration provides transparency, meaning and context … all of which are necessary to effectively educate our children and be responsible stewards of our donors’ contributions.

An example of the table and chairs, wood-grain tile and carpet selected for our Primary classrooms should we raise $70,000 by December 31, 2017.

What: One of the main goals of 70 in 70: The Fund for GMS is to revitalize our Primary classroom environments. “Revitalize” can be ambiguous, so let’s unpack this concept. If we raise $70,000 in 70 days, all four Primary classrooms will receive:

In addition to the Primary classroom revitalization, we will also award faculty grants to the professional educators in our other divisions: Toddler, Lower ELementary, Upper Elementary and Junior High. This democratic school process includes a committee of students, faculty, and administration who review and approve grant requests from faculty. Grants focus on specific needs that will propel a classroom's or division's curriculum to the next level.

How: It’s simple - not easy - but simple. By raising $70,000 by December 31, 2017, we will have the funding to support this immediately actionable, strategic imperative for our School, the Primary classroom revitalization. $70,000 also supports our powerful tradition of awarding faculty grants.

Why: The environments in which we live, work and play directly influence the levels of joy, productivity and success we experience in each of these endeavors. Think about the time and effort we, as adults, place in building warm, pleasant and efficient environments for ourselves, our families and guests. The spaces we design impart value on the people who spent time in them.

The same goes for a child’s classroom. While we may take this for granted, Maria Montessori revolutionized education by designing her classroom environments for her students, not for the teachers. Furthermore, she trained teachers in classroom design so they could create environments that optimize student learning. But why?

Students require freedom of movement in their living and learning spaces. Classrooms must have child-sized small tables for group work, tables for a single student to work independently, and chairs that can easily be moved by the student. Students are able to make themselves comfortable and find their place in the room where they best work.

Classroom furniture also facilitates learning attention to detail, control of error, and self-regulation. Students receive lessons on how to carry chairs safely; how to walk in a controlled manner carefully navigating friends and materials laid out on rugs; and how to learn when a work or space is not available in a specific moment. Carrying a chair without dropping it, knocking a friend, or disturbing a group is a challenge to be repeated for success. And is all done by design.

Another key element in a Montessori classroom is the consideration of aesthetics: beauty and simplicity are what draw the child’s interest into the purposeful work available throughout the classroom. Each and every day, our teachers prepare their learning environment by arranging materials on the shelves in an order and sequence that facilitates their use. Our teachers’ goal is to connect their students to the materials, which then become the active “teacher” of abstract concepts giving the student opportunities for discovery-based learning.

In describing the importance of the teaching-role played by the materials in the classroom, Dr. Montessori wrote: “As a teacher, the material is always ready, always patient, constant in mood, and prepared to repeat its lesson. It is truly a striking teacher in that it imparts a deep mastery, constantly leading to analysis and discovery until the root of the problem is reached. The pupil will never again forget that lesson.”

An investment in our students’ learning environment is an investment in them. Upon crossing the threshold of their rejuvenated classrooms for the first time, our Primary students will know they are valuable members of our community. The improved aesthetics of their classrooms will instill a greater sense of purpose, clarity, motivation, ownership and belonging in each of them, and their learning will be maximized.

At face value, flooring, furniture and countertops may not seem important or inspirational. But when we know why design and beauty play a leading a role in the Montessori classroom, we understand the significance of our investment. (We also see how Montessori’s classroom design remains on the cutting edge of education.) Just like gathering places of our adult lives - living rooms, kitchens, offices, conference rooms, even that special corner at your local coffee shop - prepare us for our best work, so do our classrooms for our children.

Great schools are made up of great educators, and when you step into Catherine Froelich’s classroom in the Primary division you can feel it. There is laughter, there is joy, and there is learning all around. Watching her move around a classroom of three, four and five year olds is like watching a busy bee tending to all of the cells of the hive. She carefully and consciously interacts with each individual student as she weaves her way through the tables and chairs and small work rugs on the floor. “In Montessori, I love that the children can work at their own pace and I get to be the facilitator. They can work on the floor and they can move around the room as they need to,” Catherine shared.

Catherine has a fun-loving, adventurous and out-going personality, and when you delve below the surface you learn that her bubbly nature is paired with a deeply personal commitment to the Montessori approach to education. “When I was growing up, I didn’t learn like everybody else and I knew it. I had teachers that sent me out of the classroom a lot. So I have empathy for kids who learn differently. I work to create an learning environment where each child is allowed to be their own person, quirks and all.”

Being a master at facilitating learning in the classroom is just one element that makes her an extraordinary educator. Catherine also has a deep appreciation for the role of parent partnership in shaping a successful school experience. According to Catherine, “building trust with the child and with the family is the most important thing that I do." This fall she worked with fellow faculty member, Tracy Carr, to translate this passion into a presentation on family communication at the 2017 Annual Educators Conference of the NC Association of Independent Schools.

Her work to build trusting and lasting relationships with the families resonates with families long after they leave her class. Lower Elementary parent, Mary Kristen Clark, shared this special sentiment about Catherine:

"In the three years our son, Avery, spent with Catherine in Primary, not a day went by that I didn't thank my lucky stars that his growth and development was influenced by such a phenomenal teacher. He walked through her door a hesitant preschooler and left a confident boy. Catherine instilled in him a love of learning and validated the merits of the Montessori approach to education for us. Isaac and I will forever be grateful for her guidance and patience, not only for our son but for us, as well!”

Catherine has been a member of the Primary faculty since 2011 and holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from UNC Chapel Hill and a Montessori teaching credential from the Santa Monica Montessori Institute in California. In recent years, she has also emerged as a faculty leader and is currently serving as the Primary Division Head. In reflecting on her role as division head, she said:

"I enjoy being part of something new and laying the ground work for a new vision for the future! Our team is so excited about the plans for refurbishing the Primary classrooms with proceeds from our new fundraising campaign 70 in 70: The Fund for GMS. The children will be the main beneficiaries of this project. It will make them feel valued! I hope that all of our families will find a way to participate whether their child is a past, present or future Primary student."

 

A toddler is seated at a small table, carefully guiding a toothpick through the tiny hole in the top of an oil & vinegar shaker. Beside him, a classmate pours water into a vase before adding a few small stems of flowers. Nearby, a teacher and children use blunt slicers to prepare cucumbers for the morning snack. Scenes like these are hallmarks of the Montessori toddler classroom, and look quite different from many other early childhood settings.

To the unaccustomed eye, the purpose of these activities, cobbled together from seemingly random household items, can be difficult to discern. But upon close inspection, one notices that the first child holds the toothpick with a grasp closely resembling the pencil grip he'll eventually master. His classmate is developing focus and concentration as the flowers engage her senses of sight, smell, touch, and aesthetic awareness. And those involved in the preparation of the healthy snack are now inclined to sample it themselves. The holidays, with their family feasts and seasonal crafts, are a great time to bring new Practical Life work into your own home!

Practical Life work extends far beyond a single shelf in the classroom. It comprises the child-sized mops, brooms, and window-washing materials; the boots that beckon a child to practice removing and replacing his shoes; the watering can being carefully hauled between the sink and the classroom plants; the dishwashing table awaiting the morning's plates and cups; and much more. These materials and experiences are deeply enriching to the toddler's developing sense of self. Practical Life activities:

Best of all, these activities are some of the easiest to duplicate in the home environment. Many parents are surprised to discover how much their toddlers enjoy simply pouring water from one cup to another, matching socks from the day's laundry, or using a whisk broom and dustpan to help with sweeping. The results aren't always perfect, yet every experience brings a child closer to mastery of these helpful household skills. A little time, space, and patience now can create young children who are eager and capable helpers down the road. And nothing quite compares to the pride on a child's face - and in a parent's heart - when they work and succeed together!

These websites offer some great ideas for creating Practical Life experiences at home:

www.LivingMontessoriNow.com
www.montessorimom.com/practical-life/
www.howwemontessori.com/how-we-montessori/practical-life/

In 1997, Greensboro Montessori School held its very first graduation ceremony honoring three eighth grade students. In the fall of 2017, exactly twenty years after that defining moment in the school’s history, we welcomed our inaugural 9th grade class, interestingly enough, also composed of three remarkable students: Theo Fenske, Owen Jacobs and Alex Kotis.  It has been affirming to watch these boys step up to be the leaders of the student body of our school.  They have each taken on the position with confidence and grace.

To support these students in their new leadership position, this year they have been meeting and interviewing local leaders in the greater Greensboro community. So far the students met with Abu Zaeem, the principal of The Newcomers School and our very own leader, Kevin Navarro, whose dissertation was written about what it means to be a vulnerable leader. Next they meet with Kevin H. Gray, the president of the Weaver Foundation.

Another important element built into our 9th grade curriculum is the completion of a year-long capstone project that challenges each student to apply his or her skills to an area of personal interest that will improve and enhance their world. Similar to a thesis or senior project, the capstone project provides a framework for demonstrating leadership and advanced application of critical thinking skills. The project is comprised of three main components: documented service learning, a written research paper, and an oral presentation, in the style of a TED talk, to the greater school community.

To further extend their learning, the students were challenged to custom design an end-of-year 9th grade field trip that would incorporate research opportunities for each of their individual capstone projects. They have been collaborating with a faculty advisor to explore a range of possibilities, and have settled on an itinerary that involves traveling throughout the Pacific Northwest. Their route will take them to explore tidal pools, tour museums in Seattle, visit a military base in Tacoma and interview refugees in Vancouver.

The three projects are as diverse as the students who developed them and include topics of refugee resettlement, marine ecology and military engineering.

In addition to making steady progress on their capstone projects, the students are taking a full academic course load which fulfills and surpasses the North Carolina state requirements for 9th grade.  Their course load includes an honors level English class, an honors level biology class, an online Economics and Civics class, Math 1 or Math 2, and either Spanish 1 or Spanish 2.

So far this has been a productive, busy year for our three inaugural students. As they look ahead at matriculation into 10th grade in fall 2018, they will be well poised for any high school of their choosing whether public, private, charter or otherwise.

Their experience has paved the way for others to follow and their leadership in the realignment of the Upper School (4th-5th-6th and 7th-8th-9th) has reinforced the validity and tremendous benefits of the three-year developmental cycle.

In 2005, Greensboro Montessori School eighth graders first traveled to Costa Rica for a cultural immersion experience. We were eager to connect with another Montessori school abroad with a similar adolescent program. Our research led us to The Summit School in Coronado, Costa Rica which is very close to the capital city of San José. On our first expedition to Costa Rica, we incorporated a formal school visit to The Summit School and it was the highlight of our trip. The parents made a special lunch for us, and our students assisted the younger Costa Rican children with a school project. When we returned the following year, students from The Summit School accompanied our students in our daily travels and service learning adventures. At that point, Greensboro Montessori School and The Summit School became sister schools.

Since then, the eighth grade trip to Costa Rica has morphed into an authentic immersion experience. Our students stay with the Costa Rican families of The Summit School students, and together, our students and the Ticos (a colloquial term for natives of Costa Rica) go everywhere together. We visit volcanoes, complete high ropes courses and sail through the rainforest canopy on zip lines. We travel to the Caribbean Coast where we walk the beach at night looking for turtle eggs to bury in a nearby protected hatchery. We travel to the Pacific side to snorkel and explore rain forests and animal sanctuaries. We spend a day in downtown San José learning about Costa Rican history, art, and government. Our weekends are spent with the host families doing what they usually do. The students also do things you would expect them to do on the weekends: they get together and go to the mall or a movie or a party at someone’s home.

Every year, when asked what our students’ favorite part of the trip is, they always say their homestay with the Tico families. Our students make friendships that last for years, and some even return to Costa Rica on their own to visit their “families.”

In 2009, the Ticos first ventured to Greensboro Montessori School to stay with our students and learn more about North Carolina. Even though we don’t have erupting volcanoes or zip lines through the rain forest, we still have a great time sharing the landmarks and natural wonders of our state with them. Our visits have included such destinations as the Duke Lemur Center, the North Carolina Museum of History, and Hanging Rock State Park. On a recent visit, our itinerary included kayaking on the Dan River, exploring Grandfather Mountain, and a tour of the Duke University Marine Lab in Beaufort. Our homestay hosts always arrange social gatherings for the students on the weekends. The Ticos typically experience some classroom time with us as well as a trip to The Land in Oak Ridge.

Our students benefit tremendously from the life-changing experiences resulting from our relationship with The Summit School. With every visit to Costa Rica, our students return with their eyes a little wider and their lives a little richer as they have their first experience actually living in another culture. They begin to see the world in a different light and develop a new appreciation for the abundance in their lives.

"An Education for Life," has become a marketing catchphrase in education. What was first coined by Dr. Maria Montessori and unique to her research-based approach, is now overused to the point of meaninglessness. But rather than give up on Dr. Montessori's philosophy, let's explore it's origin and provide the context needed to rescue this phrase from educational pop culture.

In 1949, Dr. Montessori wrote "The Absorbent Mind" based on her decades of childhood research. She writes of her pedagogical theory: "This is education, understood as a help to life.” Dr. Maria Montessori applied a scientific technique to the observation of natural development in students and concluded there are a number of important concepts concerning childhood growth and development:

An Education for Life. When you hear this phrase in our hallways, know it's not some quip or expression resulting from a focus group. It is tenet of the Montessori method highlighting the dual role of education: to meet the child where she is in her developmental growth and to prepare the child for that which lies ahead.