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Goals & Principles

Montessori Goals for Developing Your Child’s Full Potential

  1. To impart ethical living practices; developing courage, integrity, honesty, and kindness.
  2. To develop independent, critical thinkers.
  3. To instill curiosity and a passion for learning.
  4. To guide in responsive, reflective problem solving and communication.
  5. To champion leadership and innovation.
  6. To promote inner-directed discipline.
  7. To support creating harmony in themselves and others.
  8. To encourage healthy living practices.
  9. To foster respect for the environment and contribute to their community and planet.
  10. To nurture authenticity.

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Montessori Principles to Guide Your Child’s Development

  1. Active listening and encouragement in an emotionally safe atmosphere.

    Your child is free to express him/herself emotionally, socially, physically and spiritually at Living Montessori because we use reflective, nonjudgmental listening to create a safe environment. When your child is able to accept the full range of emotions that we all have as human beings, it is a crucial step towards self-acceptance, true understanding and healthy sense of self.

  2. Freedom of choice in a prepared, literacy-rich, scientific environment.

    Your child is immersed in an environment rich in age-appropriate language, math, science, history, geography, botany, zoology, health, nutrition, social studies and arts. He or she may choose to be involved in a variety of scientific experiments and question the assumptions, join a discussion, express a viewpoint or spend hours exploring language materials. Regardless of your child’s choices, the classroom is prepared to motivate the students to question, think, invite, explore, experiment and work at their own pace, allowing the learning to deepen.

  3. Child-centered, inquiry-based learning.

    Your child will be able to experience success and develop a passion for learning in an atmosphere designed to be emotionally safe, engaging, manageable, comfortable and meaningful. Learning materials are prepared to encourage your child’s curiosity, and while we do follow a curriculum, following a child’s interest is the greatest springboard towards driving their education.

  4. Coaching, role modeling and involving children in creating solutions.

    Your child is heard at Living Montessori. Your child will receive gentle guidance to reflect on issues, contribute ideas toward resolution and take responsibility. This will allow your child to experience life as a responsive, empowered being rather than a reactive, powerless person seeking control over others. Your child will see our faculty model and coach appropriate social skills, self-reflection and respect for others.

  5. Abundant opportunities for children to mentor and have a voice.

    Your child will be encouraged to think and question at Living Montessori. Students are listened to with respect and, when age-appropriate, invited to participate in setting classroom rules and take leadership roles. As children mature in their development, their leadership becomes more conscientious and they give lessons to their peers so they may master their skills and gain depth and confidence in their growth.

  6. Implementing intentional guidance practices.

    Your child’s discipline at Living Montessori is based on an understanding of each student’s individual needs, limitations, abilities and developmental stage. Misbehavior is viewed as undeveloped skills and used as teachable moments with a positive approach. As your child grows with us, he or she is coached to practice understanding, act from intrinsic motivation, have conscious awareness, respect of self and others and restraint of impulsivity.

  7. Encouraging self-acceptance and tolerance in a pluralistic community.

    Your child learns at Living Montessori in an atmosphere of acceptance, cooperation and respect. We discuss similarities that connect us and learn about differences by encouraging curiosity. Leadership training fosters consistency, routine, clear expectations and calm and peaceful behavior in the classroom. Your child has the freedom to work without interruptions and share the space with respect, thus developing a higher tolerance for others.

  8. Participating in sustainable-living practices.

    Your child is exposed to practical life experiences, community outreach programs, health and fitness participation, excellence in academics, yoga, dance, gymnastics, swimming and other fitness programs. These experiences support healthy early childhood development of sustainable practices. Your child is served organic meals and learns organic gardening practices at Living Montessori. Your child also benefits from our purchasing fresh, locally-grown produce, using safe cleaning agents, applying zero-VOC paints in our school and utilizing green materials, living green wherever possible. At Living Montessori, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle are just some of the responsible-living practices modeled for your child to avoid the depletion of natural resources and to give back more than what is taken from the earth.

  9. Promoting a sense of ownership through community and planetary involvement.

    Your child begins to take responsibility through self-care, and environmental care and respect. Children learn to work together in a democratic classroom, to clean up after themselves, to treat the materials with respect and gradually move toward caring for plants and nurturing the environment. Fulfilled children seem to naturally participate and contribute outside of their immediate environment. At Living Montessori, your child engages in community-supported activities that encourage other children. Experiencing this beautiful, innate quality of generosity touches their hearts and brings joy. Students are allowed these experiences in a gradual process that brings out their innate qualities rather than any virtue being forced upon them in a moralistic fashion.

  10. Nurturing self-reflection.

    Your child’s self-reflection is delicate, lifelong process. For healthy development, your child needs our love, acceptance and guidance. Children need the space to make mistakes, the encouragement to pick up and start over, the experience of “doing it my way,” and the freedom to be and explore in a safe environment. They need to grapple with difficulties, using their intellect and their heart. Graceful observation of the true self requires living fully. Your child will experience all that and more at Living Montessori.

Join Us for a Tour

Come tour our school and learn how Living Montessori will maximize your child's potential.

Schedule a Tour