The more you know about Montessori, the more you realize it is an educational method rooted in a very simple concept: children are independent, self-constructing human beings developing along a natural, predictable path. Our job as Montessori educators is to respect each child as they progress along that path at an individual pace, on the way to becoming a unique self.

Education of the Whole Child: While it is true that our curriculum is academically rigorous, a Montessori education is about more than excelling in academics. We take pride in educating the whole child. In the classroom environments, students have access to materials that allow them to explore reading, handwriting, mathematics, biology, earth science, chemistry, literature, storytelling, grammar, physics, world geography, drawing, botany, history, cultural diversity and so much more. Science projects, research projects, field trips and class events enrich the academic curriculum and allow students to explore the subjects that most interest them. Our ultimate goal, though, is to help each child construct a unique and meaningful existence, to enter adulthood as their best selves. In order to get there, we cannot focus solely on academics. Instead, students here engage their imaginations, their critical minds, and their social development.

Competence and Confidence: We provide each child the opportunity to work and accomplish tasks independently, without adult-imposed barriers. We allow them to struggle and to make mistakes. The children gain confidence through the experiences of doing for themselves. Because they are allowed this confidence, they begin to learn they are competent. That competence inspires further confidence, and a virtuous cycle begins.

Independence and the Role of the Guide: Montessori is not a teacher-led method. At VdM, the children lead the way. Guides prepare and maintain classroom environments in which each child is able to progress through an established structure that furthers their education. Children move through that structure at their own pace. Much of the time, the Guide remains in the background to let the children self-direct their learning. Our ultimate goal is that each student have the ability to engage in work independently and with enthusiasm, within the defined structure of the classroom. To ensure that students are functioning independently and also meeting the academic and social expectations of the structured classroom, Guides and children engage in periodic one-on-one and group lessons as well as weekly one-on-one conferences.

Dr. Maria Montessori was a pioneer of women in the medical field, a respected scientist, educator, and an advocate for children at the turn of the 20th century. Through her work in a children’s hospital, researching developmental and cognitive disabilities, Dr. Montessori observed what she believed to be an intrinsic intelligence and drive to learn in the children—an intelligence and drive to learn that were not being nurtured.

As a member of what was then called the National League for the Protection of Retarded Children, Dr. Montessori spoke publicly about the need for education and support, rather than hospitalization, for children with cognitive disabilities. She and her colleagues led a wave of education reform in Italy, as they began to develop ways to meet the needs of children who were otherwise neglected or seen as unteachable.

Dr. Montessori pursued further studies in anthropology, psychology, and philosophy and developed a “scientific pedagogy” that she believed would apply to all children. Her method of teaching was borne of observation, research, and first-hand work with children. Soon she was invited to an impoverished, industrial neighborhood of Rome to supervise the children there who were left alone during the days as their parents worked in nearby factories. There were between 50 and 70 children, ages 3 to 7, and Dr. Montessori created a school for them: Casa dei Bambini. It was the culmination of a decade of Dr. Montessori’s work in educational reform, as well as the beginning of what would become known as the Montessori School.

Dr. Montessori provided the children in Casa dei Bambini practical activities that allowed them to care for themselves and their environment. She furnished the classroom with lessons she had designed and allowed the children to direct themselves, to follow their own interests. The children absorbed the order and language in their surroundings, began to concentrate, to learn from each other and to work independently. They were succeeding in their school.

Over the next few years Dr. Montessori continued to hone her methods and speak about her work. News of her innovative educational method spread quickly and schools opened throughout Italy and Switzerland. Dr. Montessori was invited to lecture throughout Europe and the UK, and eventually the United States. She held training courses for educators and authored several books, and over the next four decades Montessori schools opened throughout much of the world.

Which brings us to today, more than a century after the first Casa dei Bambini opened its doors. It is estimated that there are 20,000 Montessori schools throughout the world today—schools based on the observations, hard work and principles of Dr. Maria Montessori. Villa di Maria is proud and honored to be one of them.

Because the name “Montessori” lacks trademark status, any school or daycare can claim to offer an authentic Montessori education. However, only those schools accredited by AMI, the Association Montessori Internationale adhere to the principles and educational method developed by Dr. Maria Montessori. Villa di Maria is one of those schools, and one of only four schools who can claim this status in the St. Louis area

AMI maintains rigorous standards of training as well as periodic in-classroom evaluations and consultations for our Guides. The Association approves the production and acquisition of Montessori materials. The branch office AMI-USA approves the accreditation of schools.

To maintain our accredited status with AMI-USA, Villa di Maria provides the following:

• Each Guide holds an AMI diploma at the appropriate level.

• Each Children’s House and Elementary classroom is a mixed-age environment, with a three-year age span among the children.

• Mandatory 5-day-per-week enrollment for all students.

• The daily schedule offers a three-hour uninterrupted work cycle for every student.

• Each classroom environment is equipped with a full set of AMI-approved Montessori materials.

Websites:

Association Montessori International/USA

North American Montessori Teachers Association

Montessori 101

Montessori Training Center of St. Louis

Books:

The Absorbent Mind by Maria Montessori 

The Secret of Childhood by Maria Montessori  

Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work by E.M. Standing 

Montessori from the Start: The Child at Home, from Birth to Age Three by Lynn Jessen and Paula Polk Lillard

Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius by Angeline Stoll Lillard

Understanding the Human Being: The Importance of the First Three Years of Life by Silvana Montanaro

Montessori Madness: A Parent to Parent Argument for Montessori Education by Trevor  Eissler