Montessori Philosophy

Follow the child. It’s a beautiful, perfect, profound, and frequently used Montessori mantra. Our entire educational approach is built upon those three words. They are backed by science, proven by generations of children, and consistently revered by families around the world. It seems so simple, but the truth is, everyday life can make them seem so challenging. Today we break it down into five real, manageable ways to “follow the...

Dear Dr. Montessori,  Wednesday, August 31, 2022, marked 152 years since you were born.   The world is a very different place today than it was then. I wonder if you ever contemplated your own early days and how your world shaped you. You once said: “The greatness of the human personality begins at the hour of birth.” Would anyone have guessed that baby Maria would eventually become one of the...

This article was originally published by Trillium Montessori and is adapted to reflect FMS learning environments.  When people talk about Montessori education often what is described is a 3-6 classroom experience. Most people think it is an education only for pre-schoolers and are quite surprised that there are Montessori environments for primary and high school students, and even the aged! We know that the 3-6 is the age of development...

You may have noticed that in Montessori schools, we do not typically encourage competition between children.  Our lack of traditional grading is one obvious marker of this approach, but you will notice that the lack of peer competition threads itself pretty much throughout the entire program.  This is quite intentional, and we work hard to give children a foundation built on competition with oneself, rather than with others.    It is...