Unlike some private schools, which strive for very small classes, Montessori values the lessons of community when the size of the class is somewhat larger. Montessori classes for children above the infant & toddler level might include 20–30 students whose ages span 3 years. All members of the community benefit from this setup. Older students are proud to act as role models; younger ones feel supported and gain confidence about the challenges ahead. Feel free to ask
Dr. Montessori realized that children’s play is their work—their effort to master their own bodies and environment—and out of respect she used the term “work” to describe all their classroom activities. Montessori students work hard, but they don’t experience it as drudgery; rather, it’s an expression of their natural curiosity and desire to learn. Feel free to ask
Although students are free to work at their own pace, they’re not doing it alone. The Montessori teacher closely observes each child and provides materials and activities that advance his learning by building on skills and knowledge already gained. This gentle guidance helps him master the challenge at hand—and protects him from moving on before he’s ready, which is what actually causes children to “fall behind.” Feel free to ask
Montessori teachers are educated as “generalists,” qualified to teach all sections of the curriculum. But many schools choose to also employ specialists in certain subjects, including art, music, foreign language, physical education, and science. Feel free to ask
Montessori schools generally don’t believe in the concept of standardized testing as other schools. However, we do conduct checkpoints at period intervals to track the progress of our children. These checkpoints help in determining the pace of lessons for our children. However, as students reach 6th grade, training in the form of internal standardized exams is given to help students transition into the requirements of board exams for higher grades. Feel free to ask
There is a small but growing body of well-designed research comparing Montessori students to those in traditional schools. These suggest that in academic subjects, Montessori students perform as well as or better than their non-Montessori peers.
In one study, for example, children who had attended Montessori schools at the preschool and elementary levels earned higher scores in high school on standardized math and science tests. Another study found that the essays of 12-year-old Montessori students were more creative and used more complex sentence structures than those produced by the non-Montessori group.