Montessori Philosophy Archives

May 25 2023

On the Topic of Competition

By Denice Scala FMS Values, Montessori Basics, Montessori Philosophy No Comments

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...

May 11 2023

5 Simple Ways to Show Her You Care on Mother’s Day

By Denice Scala Montessori Philosophy, Parenting No Comments

Everyone loves to feel appreciated. With Mother’s Day just around the corner, it’s a great time to think of how you might show the mums and special others in your life what they mean to you. We offer five simple ideas to celebrate and care for the woman who cares for everyone. Remember to have a card ready. You could absolutely buy a Mother’s Day card; there are plenty of...

Nov 24 2022

Shifting from “Stuff” to the Spirit of the Season

By Denice Scala FMS Values, Montessori Philosophy No Comments

All too often the holiday season becomes about “stuff”–presents, decorations, more presents. How do we wean our children away from their focus on getting gifts and instead shift attention to the spirit of togetherness, generosity, peace, and goodwill? It can be helpful to hold a family meeting and talk about everyone’s feelings about the holidays. We can ask our children about what, besides the gifts, they really like about the...

Nov 17 2022

How Do Our Staff Address Avoidance?

By Denice Scala Montessori Educators, Montessori Philosophy No Comments

One of the top questions parents ask about Montessori is: How do teachers deal with children avoiding work they don’t want to do? This is a really important concern and becomes increasingly so as children get older. Most families know Montessori centers on student choice, and it can be hard to envision that value working in conjunction with accountability. The good news is it’s something we take very seriously. In...

Nov 10 2022

Focused on Friends (or Fenemies!)

By Denice Scala Montessori Educators, Montessori Learning, Montessori Philosophy No Comments

During their primary years, it can seem like our children are only focused on friends (and frenemies!). We hear about what happened at recess or who they sat with at lunch. They come home with elaborate accounts of being wronged. It’s easy to begin to wonder what they are really learning at school! In Montessori we always try to understand what is happening developmentally, so we can address children’s needs...

Oct 27 2022

The Role of the Montessori Teacher?

By Denice Scala Montessori Educators, Montessori Learning, Montessori Philosophy No Comments

What, exactly, is the role of the Montessori teacher? How is it so different from that of any other teacher? Sometimes it’s easiest to begin by explaining what a Montessori teacher isn’t. A Montessori teacher is less like the traditional idea of an instructor, and more like a gentle guide. They don’t consider it their job to give a child information. They rather lead children in the general direction and...

Sep 07 2022

Follow the Child

By Denice Scala Montessori Philosophy No Comments

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...

Sep 01 2022

A Note of Gratitude on Montessori’s Birthday

By Denice Scala Montessori Philosophy No Comments

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...

Aug 25 2022

From Independence to Interdependence

By Denice Scala FMS Values, Montessori Philosophy, Parenting No Comments

In Montessori, we talk a lot about independence. However, one of the lesser known or understood aspects of Montessori is that independence isn’t the end goal. As humans, we are each wonderful, unique individuals. But we don’t exist in isolation. We live amongst other wonderful, unique individuals! In order to effectively live in community with other people, though, we need to be able to function independently. Said another way, before...

Jul 19 2022

Resetting our Thinking: Why the Montessori Environment for 6-12 Year Olds is Different from the 3-6 Environment.

By Anthony Milano Montessori Philosophy No Comments

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...

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