MONTESSORI: EDUCATING THE ADOLESCENT
Published 7:29 am, Thursday, October 10, 2013
Adolescence is a powerful age of growth and change on physical, social, emotional, and intellectual levels. The Montessori School’s Middle School is grounded in understanding the particular needs of this age and offers an innovative and challenging program where students are leaders and their voices are heard.
A Montessori education prepares students to think deeply and critically, to be intellectually independent, and to value the viewpoints of others. A four-day week of rigorous and challenging academics is followed by a fifth day devoted to outdoor expeditions, community outreach, and opportunities for uninterrupted work on long term research projects.
Outdoor Expeditions offer experiences on both land and water while instilling an environmental ethic that includes respect and reverence for the natural world. Skills learned include rock climbing, caving, orienteering, farming, hiking, sailing, and kayaking. Community service is a priority at our school. Each student lives as a member of a larger group that thrives only when each member contributes. Students initiate, organize, and run programs both at the local and international level. Long term projects, such as Marketplace, deepen the students’ educational experience. In studying Economics, students develop a business plan, design, produce, and market a product that is sold in a marketplace setting. Marketplace empowers students to test their entrepreneurial skills through a hands-on business experience that encourages mental fortitude and willingness to take risks.
Our students and alumni exemplify the highest purpose of a Montessori education through scholarly awards, leadership recognition, and ongoing devotion to outreach. As one Eighth Year graduate put it: “I have challenged myself and now understand my potential.” The Montessori Middle School meets students where they are developmentally in an environment in which they can safely take risks, stretch their wings, and discover the best of themselves.