Montessori School
The Montessori Way of Teaching
The History of Montessori
The Montessori method is an educational process which has existed for over 100 years. It was founded by an Italian physician and educator, Dr. Maria Montessori. Her first school, Casa dei Bambini (Children’s Home), was opened in a slum area of Rome in 1906.
Observers from around the world visited the school to see children who, before the age of five, had learned to read and write, preferred work to play, loved and preserved order in their environment, and combined initiative with ready obedience. These children were hailed the ‘New Creation’. The first years of a child’s life are crucial and have great influence on the formation of character. Dr. Montessori believed there were ‘sensitive periods’ in children’s lives when they were driven to acquire certain traits.
The Virtues Education Program
Added to the Montessori Method, the Brilliant Star Montessori School uses the Virtues Program to assist the children’s moral, behavioural and character development.
Virtues are inherent qualities in children, such as helpfulness, sharing, love, patience, respect determination and cleanliness that need to be trained and developed by practice and reflection.
We strongly recommend the children to stay in the Montessori school until the age of six in order to allow them to get the maximum benefit from the method and provide them with an excellent educational and social skills foundation.
A copy of the Virtues Program curriculum is available from the principal for your perusal.
Discipline
In the words of Maria Montessori, “The first dawning of discipline comes through work … it must be work which the individual human being instinctively desires to do, work towards which latent tendencies in life naturally turn, or towards which the individual step by step ascends.”
This principle is carefully fostered in the School environment where children are encouraged to become absorbed in their work, to learn self-discipline and obedience, to have order in their lives, to be cheerful and courteous, and to work in a spirit of co-operation with other children and adults.
Dr. Montessori also states, “If one accomplished something especially fine, his achievement is a source of admiration and joy to others; no heart suffers from another’s wealth, but the triumph of one is a delight to all.” Discipline is not obtained through commands, sermons or reprimands.
The School staff do not practice corporal punishment. If a child misbehaves by, for example, throwing sand at another child in the sandpit, the child must first apologize to the hurt child, then sit alone for five minutes to reflect on his/her behaviour. It is hoped that parents will continue with this spirit of discipline at home, so there is continuity in the child’s learning and character development.