Published Article

Written by Stephen Putnam, Educational Director of Meeting House Montessori School

By nature, I am a skeptical person. So you can imagine my skepticism when my future mother- in-law told me about a school philosophy she thought might interest me. At the time ( 16 years ago), I was recently out of college and very interested in education. I was, however, unimpressed with the educational system that was in place. I felt strongly that there should be more to schooling than sitting and listening. Armed with a degree in psychology with an emphasis on child development, I took my mother-in-law’s advice and observed at a Montessori pre-school. That was the beginning of an inspirational journey that continues to this day.

Here is what I observed then and now understand about Montessori education:

- Children are treated with respect. They are seen as competent contributors to the communities in which they are living and that they have important things to say and experiences to share. When given the opportunity and proper support, they will make sound choices for the betterment of the group and not simply for themselves. Montessori schooled children are given the opportunity to trust themselves. They make mistakes and have success and use both experiences as learning tools. The children are spoken to in a calm and quiet manner and therefore do the same with their peers. They are given the chance to express their feelings while being held accountable for their actions. The children are combined by age groupings ( for example the pre-school is made up of children between the ages of 2.9 to 6 years.). These groupings allow children to see both their past and future. Like a community, the many levels of ability from the mixed age groupings create the need for patience and understanding between the ages. The students learn to rely on each other rather than simply relying on the adult in their classroom to meet their needs. Older children help younger students with many day to day tasks. This empowers the older student as he realizes what he is capable of doing and how important he is for the other children. Essentially the children of a Montessori classroom are re-creating and reinforcing all the social expectations and standards that adults are expected to uphold in every day life- often with better results.

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