About Montessori
The Montessori system of education was created by Maria Montessori, the first female doctor in Italy.
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In the early 1900's, the children of the poor did not go to school but were allowed to run wild throughout the city. In Rome, wealthy bankers approached Montessori and asked her to find a solution. They offered her a space. She hired a teacher so that she would be free to observe the children, as she believed that the children themselves would demonstrate their developmental needs to the careful observer. She designed child sized tables and chairs and created auto didactic materials as she saw that the children wanted to make discoveries for themselves.
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She also observed that children go through stages when they are in highly receptive modes for learning certain skills, such as writing and reading, and that these stages occur at much younger ages than was currently thought. Interesting how recent neurological studies have supported her observationally based theories of the existence of what she called sensitive periods.
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She encouraged independence, mannered behavior and self-direction. Word of her great success with these children spread quickly.
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She spent the rest of her life traveling the world and spreading her vision of education for peace.
“Simply put, during normalization, the child is becoming his or her best possible self and doing so without effort and with complete joy.”
Maria Montessori
About the Children's Workshop
The school is open to children between the ages of 3 and 7. All children attend school 5 mornings a week. There are 31 children in the school and 5 teachers.
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The morning session runs from 8:30 to 12.00 each day. We also offer four elective extended afternoons until 2:00. Children bring their own lunches and receive a small group lesson.
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Mondays include a Drama class, Tuesdays include an Odyssey of the Mind class, Wednesdays include a Spanish class and Thursdays include an Art Through Literature class.
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The school has been in operation for 42 years.