WHY MONTESSORI
The Montessori Approach
When you visit a Montessori classroom, you can immediately see that it’s an ideal space for children to learn. It’s full of specially-designed, engaging, hands-on materials, but it’s also a carefully organized, beautiful, and peaceful space.
The Montessori approach is a child-centered, hands-on-learning pedagogy rooted in peace education and global mindedness. The holistic approach of Dr. Maria Montessori helps all children become truly capable and productive individuals by focusing on their moral, behavioral, emotional, and intellectual development.
Learn to Love Learning
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The Montessori Method helps children learn to love learning — a crucial lifelong benefit. We know that all children are naturally curious and want to learn. Our students stay excited about learning because they are allowed to follow their curiosity at their own pace, taking the time they need to fully understand each concept and meet their learning goals. This student-led, self-paced learning keeps them from being bored or feeling pressured.
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In the traditional school model, children of the same age are grouped together to attempt to learn the same things at the same pace. In Montessori schools, children learn in multi-age classrooms and have the same teacher for three years. This structure reduces comparison with other students and allows children to focus on doing their personal best. It also provides more continuity in a student’s education since they aren’t changing teachers every year.
The Montessori Method is designed to help students develop the social and emotional skills needed to live their best lives. From an early age, they learn to make decisions, focus and complete work by themselves. While learning that they are responsible for themselves, they also learn their responsibility to the group. They help set rules and goals for the whole class. They learn to regulate their actions in support of the greater good of the group. They learn to collaborate with classmates to achieve shared goals.
Research shows that spending even a few years in a Montessori environment has a long-term impact on student well-being and achievement. One of the founders of the national Wildflower Schools network is an accomplished tech entrepreneur and MIT professor who chose Montessori for his children after researching the best possible early education he could find for them. He was so inspired, he co-founded Wildflower Schools to provide this opportunity for more children. He’s not the only one inspired by Montessori...
Check out a list of famous Montessori alums, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and NBA champion Steph Curry, who credit Montessori for helping them succeed.
Growing Wildflowers
While Wildflower Montessori Charter Schools use a different style of education than traditional public schools, our curriculum is fully aligned with the Common Core State Standards.
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Wildflower Montessori schools are free and open to all eligible students in our area. Click the button below or scroll to the bottom of the page to sign up for our emails.
Montessori Elementary
What sets Montessori apart in the Elementary years—ages 6 – 12—is the individually paced curriculum that challenges children academically and safeguards their well-being and sense of self. Engaging as contributing members of a respectful community, they learn to question, think critically, and take responsibility for their own learning—skills that will support them in later education and in life.As at all Montessori levels, the Elementary program is based on the belief that children learn best through movement and work with their hands, and provides cognitive, social, and emotional support to help them reach their full potential.
This includes addressing their needs as they enter a new period of development characterized by:
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A transition from concrete to abstract thinking
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Growing interest in socialization
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Thinking and memory that is enhanced by creativity and imagination
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An interest in fairness, social justice, and compassion
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To learn more, visit the AMS website.
