Our Montessori elementary education program takes into account the child’s growing transformation from one who learns through concrete examples to one who can learn from and make abstractions. Consequently, one finds an array of educational hands-on materials, sequenced and structured to guide the child through the passage from the concrete to the abstract. These materials span lessons of language, mathematics, and cultural subjects.
The elementary child’s interests have broadened from the family of the primary classroom to the world at large. Interest-based research becomes an integral part of the elementary child’s curriculum and is supported by lessons in the basic skills of reading, writing, grammar, and spelling.
As the child’s skills, discoveries, and understandings expand, the elementary curriculum accommodates the child’s advancing abilities with a broad-based cultural program including geography, history, botany, zoology, physical science, art, and art history. These are intended to equip the child with the survival skills of the culture.
Special lessons are also given in art, foreign language, music, computer literacy, and physical education. Curriculum-related field trips complement the classroom experience.
The Montessori elementary family is divided into Elementary I for children 6-9 years of age, and Elementary II for children 9-12 years of age. This affords the child the opportunity to work on different levels of difficulty depending on the child’s individual skills and interests rather than being restricted by artificial grade level barriers. Once a concept is mastered, the child moves on to the next concept, regardless of the placement of fellow students. In this way, the child’s individual learning needs are met and enhanced.
Because the child is naturally curious and interested in learning, every effort is made not to interfere with the child’s own learning style by comparing children, encouraging competition between them, or evaluating work by the use of letter grades. Instead, attention is given to preserving the child’s sense of self by respecting the child as one who counts.
Because the elementary child is becoming more socially aware, sensitivity is used in teaching interpersonal skills of communication. Problem-solving strategies are explored and implemented in an effort to guide the child to the democratic principles and responsibilities of social interactions. When problems occur, solutions rather than punishments are sought. Mutual respect, consideration, cooperation, and fairness are cornerstones of this work.