Learning as Unique as You

As I entered the door of the Montessori Children’s House for the first time I was astonished by the work ethic and maturity of each child; and it only grew as I walked through and saw each age group.  At such an early age, each child had clearly mastered a variety of tasks such as doing laundry, washing dishes, making pizza and even cleaning up after themselves. These are tasks that I never would have been able to do at that age (considering I just learned how to do laundry two years ago.)  The children at MCH were extremely self-sufficient for their age. 

Not only was the maturity of the children apparent but their intelligence stood out as well.  My two 12-year old tour guides were extremely articulate and mature for 6^th graders.  They shared with me their love for MCH during my entire tour.  They had both been at MCH since a very young age, and because of that they were able to provide me with great detail about each school and age group.  They showed me the different paintings and crafts they had done at that age, the tools they used to assist their learning and even the class garden they were all a part of.  As I walked through the different schools I saw students interacting with their teachers one-on-one, kids working on their spelling assignments, preschoolers cutting carrots, and toddlers painting portraits.  They also showed me the many different learning mechanisms that they used to assist them with their spelling, counting, and even object identification.  Some of the tools I had recognized from when I was their age, but there was one that I had never seen before.

They first introduced me to the beaded cube  while in the preschool.  It is a cube made up of singular beads in a 10-by-10 fashion.  The preschoolers would take the cube to help them learn how to count.  They would touch and feel the cube to understand how each row of 10 made up the cube of 1000, called the thousands cube (See picture above).  As we continued on through the school they showed me many different variations of the beaded cube that made it more complex for the older children.  They had different sized cubes, different chains of colored beads, and even single beads.  The older children used these to help them with learning their addition, multiplication, and even division skills.  I was astonished as to how complex this one beaded cube had become, but at the same time just how simply helpful it became in their learning process. And it didn’t stop there. 

The upper elementary was the last stop of the tour and the first thing I spotted was a 2-by-2 foot wooden cube.  I had a feeling this had something to do with the beaded cube; and it did.  This was the life size cube for the older children to use to continue with their studies of mathematics.  It is amazing how something as small as a beaded cube that pre-school children played with had turned into something as large as the wooden cube that the 6^th graders still used to learn their mathematics. 

 -Annabelle Javellana

Outside the Curriculum

            Until a couple of weeks ago, I had never heard of the “Montessori Method.” And I have to say after learning about the Montessori Children’s House’s flexible curriculum and unique ways of teaching students, I was skeptical. But after visiting MCH I realized that the school prides itself on helping children learn skills that correspond to their natural way of learning. It’s independent, interactive and hands-on—because you must do to learn.

            When walking through the classrooms with my two sixth-grade tour guides what caught my attention the most were the colorful watercolor paintings hung on the wall and keyboard instruments laid out on the ground. My tour guides explained how they received recorders for Christmas from MCH and how they have taken Spanish since preschool. After leaving I did not think I could be any more impressed, until I did a little more research on the school’s three enrichment programs: art, music and Spanish.

Smart Art

            When I first think of children’s art classes I immediately picture finger painting, paper mache and playing with clay. But at Montessori, students are doing much more. They learn drawing and painting skills and even have a segment on sculpture. Not only do they make art, but they actually learn about its history. Children learn an outstanding variety of skills from the arts—from collaboration to accountability. Montessori itself uses the art classes to improve students’ critical thinking, problem solving and visual awareness while also fostering individual creativity. I could already see all of these qualities in my two tour guides. The Montessori school does not just teach their students how to paint; they use painting to teach them how to better themselves.

“Note”-worthy Teachings

            Instead of most other schools where the students clap to simple rhythms and sing a few songs, Montessori actually calls its music class a music literacy program. The students learn flow, meter and texture of music in a fun atmosphere. Montessori gives them the opportunity to get their hands on instruments they have never seen or heard before. As they move up, they even learn to play the keyboard by ear! As a music lover myself, I know that there are an enormous benefits to having music education at such a young age. The Montessori students are off to a great start!

Move over Rosetta Stone

            I don’t know about you, but I don’t hear very often about students starting to learn Spanish at the preschool level. But at Montessori, no one turns heads at a 4-year-old who knows basic vocabulary and phrases in the Spanish language. At Montessori, the students do not only learn the language; they learn the culture. The classes highlight dances, foods, celebrations, folktales and much more. Montessori knows that learning a language at a young age can spur many benefits for the future, and the research backs it up! I personally started learning Spanish at a young age, so I know first-hand that this skill set has already gotten me so far in my personal and professional life today. I was thrilled to see the Montessori students getting a head start on learning a second language.  

-Michelle McCain

An Education Beyond the Books: My First trip to the Fort Worth Montessori Children’s House

As I drove towards the Montessori Children’s House for the first time, I looked around for a big red brick building with a big parking lot in front and a playground on the side.  When my handy smart phone alerted me that I had reached my destination, I was almost in a state of disbelief to see a charming little house surrounded by a bed of freshly planted flowers and a sign that read “The Montessori Children’s House.”  Needless to say, within the first 10 seconds of experiencing MCH, it was clear to me that this was no ordinary school.

When I walked inside the painted wooden door, two boys who appeared to be in middle school greeted me. The moment that the boys introduced themselves, I could tell right off the bat that there was something different about these two. As they both extended their hands for a firm handshake, they spoke with confidence and maintained eye contact- something that is foreign to most sixth-graders their age.

Once the tour officially began, we were first taken into the toddler’s area. The first thing that I noticed were the miniature sinks.  I was later told that those sinks were for the toddler’s to clean off their dishes after they eat. “Toddlers, doing dishes?!” I was shocked.  I then looked around at the different activities and tools that the toddlers used to learn. The thing that I was blown away by is how strategically the Montessori Children’s House uses activities to teach the kids how to count and perform other fundamental educational skills. 

We then made our way into the rooms for the older children, ranging from ages 10-13. Our tour guides, the two sixth grade boys, showed us how they are able to work at their own pace.  One of the boys pulled out a thick binder that had all of the work that he had completed this year, separated by months. On the first page in the binder, they had a schedule and a goal sheet.  He explained to me how, at the beginning of each month, they sit down with their teachers and together they create a timeline for what kind of objectives they want to achieve and when they want to achieve them by. 

I could tell by the tone in the boy’s voice that he was proud to show me this book and all of his achievements.  When he started to tell me what all he had been working on, I could hear the motivation and excitement in his voice.  Right then and there I immediately realized that this method of organization and planning taught these boys how to manage their time, how to set goals and how to recognize what objectives they need to work on-all life skills that are crucial to our future success. 

On my drive back home I could not stop thinking about how foreign this way of learning is to me, yet how effective it seemed to be!  Although I went to a wonderful school as a child, my peers and I leaned the same things, the same way, at the same time.  What the Montessori method has grasped is the fact that no child is the same.  Other schools seem to treat their students as a homogenous group of learners, when really no one person has the same exact way of processing information.  

By visiting MCH, I was able to see how engaged students were in their work, and how mature they were in their communication skills.  Montessori provides an education beyond the books, and develops skills beyond students’ time in school.  To hear about another writer’s opinion on the Montessori education, visit Laura Flores Shaw’s Post, “Montessori, The Missing Voice in the Education Reform Debate”.

-Anne Kelly