Sunshine Montessori

What is Montessori?

Maria Montessori, an Italian physician, educator, and innovator is known for establishing the Montessori method of education. She is known for her educational method that builds on the way multi-age group children learn naturally and at their own pace. She opened the first Montessori school, Casa dei Bambini, in Rome. She traveled the world giving courses and lectures and wrote extensively about her approach to education and encouraging the launch of new schools. In the U.S. alone, approximately 5,000 Montessori schools now serve over one million children, from infancy through adolescence. Thousands more Montessori schools exist worldwide.

As soon as we walk into a Montessori classroom, the first thing we notice is that they are beautiful, well designed with child size furniture and shelves that are easily accessible to the children and materials that are neatly organized and interesting. This well designed environment is called a “Prepared Environment” as it provides independence to children and opportunities for exploration and self development. Each child has the freedom to choose a material they would like to work on either independently or with a friend for as long as they want. Each child works on one material at a time and once they are done with it, they place it back on the shelf from where they picked it up. This sense of order encourages exploration, independence, responsibility and concentration. The use of child size furniture and well made didactic materials that can fit in a child’s hands allows them to work with them properly and complete the work without frustration or help from an adult. 

A Montessori teacher is very different from a traditional teacher.  A Montessori teacher does not lead the class or the children. They believe in, respect, trust and follow the children.  A Montessori teacher provides the children with the freedom to choose their work, let them work independently and observe.  They do not teach and often seem invisible in the class.  They act as a guide and a facilitator, observe the children in the background and prepare a beautiful, joyful and peaceful environment for the children so that they can learn. The role of a teacher is very important in a “Prepared Environment” as they are the creators of this environment who are also responsible for maintaining it . They spend a lot of time setting this environment so that it becomes interesting and appeals to the children so that they are continually learning and are challenged to master new skills and are always set up for success.