Children'sEssentials Summer 2014 | Page 11

FEATURED Montessori Children's Schoolhouse Upon entering any classroom at Montessori Children's Schoolhouse, you observe a child-centered environment with students actively engaged in a variety of learning activities. A child might be on a floor mat with manipulatives designed to assist in the understanding of numbers and math processes. Another child might be at a table arranging a "moveable" alphabet into words or sentences to strengthen their understanding of the relationship between groups of letters and sounds. A small group of students might be gathered around the teacher who introduces them to the various parts of an amphibian. Elsewhere in the classroom, students are working on tasks that promote daily living skills, sensorial awareness, language arts and reading, mathematics, geography, general science, botany, and zoology. The role of our Montessori-trained lead teachers is to design and prepare stimulating and enriching environments that encourage each student's creativity and exploration. The environments are designed to challenge our diverse student population and to encourage them to develop independence and a love of learning. Our teachers are the connective link between the students and their environment. They provide warm and sensitive guidance to encourage each child to achieve his own potential. Our classroom communities strive to work together as a family unit. The social, emotional, physical, and cognitive strengths and weaknesses of each student are accepted as "norms" in the environment, not as points of comparison. The Montessori philosophy encourages children to develop a sense of self-worth as each child works at their own pace to develop and enhance skills. MCS places a strong emphasis on the "basic" skills. Our three-year learning cycle allows the child to build upon skills, knowledge, and un