As you look at options for your child’s education, there are two important factors to consider: the experience your child will have in the classroom and how that experience will prepare her or him for the future. You want things to be good for your child in the classroom day in and day out. And, you want to feel confident that the school you choose will prepare your child for the future. Montessori school can provide your child with a wonderful experience in the classroom while simultaneously preparing him or her for the future. Montessori education will prepare your child for the future by encouraging exploration, fostering independence, developing personal responsibility, and allowing for mastery.

Encourages exploration

The ability and desire to explore are essential parts of learning both inside and outside of the classroom. Exploration is a part of education at all levels and in life beyond the classroom. When Maria Montessori developed the Montessori Method, she understood the importance of exploration. She learned through her work with a wide range of children that learning comes easier and in greater depth when it is part of natural exploration. In Montessori school, children are provided with daily opportunities to explore on their own and follow their natural curiosities in an age-appropriate environment. A child who is interested in dinosaurs, for example, can explore dinosaurs and learn about a variety of subjects through that exploration. Developing a strong sense of exploration will help your child in the future when exploration is essential for continued learning.

Fosters independence

The Montessori school fosters independence in each student. From the very beginning, students are given responsibilities in the classroom. They are expected to clean up after themselves and try to find solutions to their questions before going to the teacher. Fostering independence helps students as they get older and find themselves in settings where they have no choice but to work independently. This independence can help children in their future studies as well as future careers.

Develops personal responsibility

Students in Montessori school develop a sense of personal responsibility through the design of the classroom and the curriculum. The classroom is set up in a way that allows students to move about and engage with various hands-on learning activities. In addition, the curriculum is individualized and gives the student options when it comes to how and what to learn. Part of the responsibility for learning is put on the student. This responsibility helps students develop a sense that what they learn is up to them. Personal responsibility when it comes to learning, can help your child become a person who is always finding new ways to gain more knowledge.

Allows for mastery

The Montessori classroom helps prepare students for higher-level classrooms by allowing for mastery of topics. Students in Montessori school can move at different paces. This design allows students to move through a concept quickly – if they have mastered it – or spend more time on a concept that is difficult. Truly mastering the foundational elements in lower education is an important part of success in the upper levels.

The Montessori classroom is designed to help your child be successful in life. This focus on long-term success informs every element of the Montessori school. You can see each of these elements put into practice by scheduling a time to observe a class.