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Maria Montessori described education as a help to the unfolding of the child’s inborn psychic powers. Each person comes with a mind able to absorb knowledge, the power to teach himself. Education is not something the teacher or parent does, it is something that develops spontaneously in the human being. It is acquired through the experiences in which the child acts on his environment. In the period between birth and three years of age, Montessori asserted that the child’s mind is an unconscious absorbent mind. In other words, whereas adults acquire knowledge by using their minds, impressions that enter the child’s mind form his mind.
My approach involves observation, guidance when necessary, and a heartfelt respect for where and who each child “is”. As a teacher, my role is to support the natural unfolding and developing of your child and to provide the most responsive and best-prepared environment for this.
One key element of my classroom is in keeping with the maxim “follow the child”. The activities and materials I provide and present, Montessori and others, speak to what is developmentally appropriate and needed for each child. The classroom environment includes areas for practical life, sensorial, language, math, manipulatives, dramatic play, and art. Through exploration, as well as individual, small and large group lessons, each child will be presented with materials that are appropriate to her unique needs, perspective, and personality. |
Philosophy |
