Our policy requires for all our Montessori directresses (class teachers) to be Diploma holders of the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI). This ensures that members of our staff are properly trained to direct Montessori classes for children aged 2 1/2 - 6 years. Please read the history of teacher training for better insight into the origins of training.
Dr. Maria Montessori founded AMI in 1929. You may visit the AMI's website through our home page for more information about the Association and its teacher training program. Our Directresses are competent and experienced. They have trained at AMI-affiliated training centers to receive their Diplomas. They keep themselves fully informed of various benchmarks and other standards of education adopted locally and internationally to ensure that children who complete their program with us and move on to the next phase of their education, are confident to do so.
An important aspect of the Montessori Method of Education is, for Directresses to maintain regular records of their students. In our organization, work records are compiled during every work cycle and these records are used to create internal reports that are carefully analyzed to ensure a child's progress with us. Data gathered from these reports will be shared with parents at regular parent-teacher conferences and also, posted as web reports that may be accessed via a secure log-in process. In addition, parents may seek conferences with their child's class teacher whenever the need arises. A comprehensively written evaluation is given to parents when their child leaves us after completing the recommended 3-year program.
We firmly believe that educating your child is a partnership between a parent and the child's teachers. A primary objective of our Directresses is to help your child to learn to think and, to be self-motivated. Achieving this with a sense of self-confidence and enjoyment is our goal.
When introducing a new child to the Montessori environment, we encourage parents and their children who are incoming students to visit the school a few times before the commencement of the child's term. We also arrange for new children to visit in groups of 2 – 5 and stay in the school for a short while to help them to familiarise themselves with the classroom and teachers. We find that such procedures make it less traumatic for the children to part with their parents. At the beginning of the child's term, we advise parents or other accompanying adults, to leave the children at the gate rather than walk them into the school as in our experience, this eases the parting from the adult. Thereafter, the child accepts the parting and does not find the parting, a problem.
In the beginning, we do not try to present any Montessori materials to the new children as they may be unsettled and not receptive to such materials. In these circumstances, it is advisable to gather the new children in a small group and offer them, what we call, “ the preliminary activities”. These activities are not necessarily a method of development but are offered to help the new children settle down.
The essence of all subject matters and methods explained here constitute that the Montessori Method of education develops the child at his/her own pace. The child becomes aware of the environment and learns in an absorbent manner. The classroom does not have a specific timetable, although, self-motivation of the children and unobtrusive direction by the adults ensure that the children receive a well-rounded and comprehensive education fully preparing them for entry to primary school. This has been well proven.
The Montessori curriculum is non-graded and non-competitive, thus allowing the children to work and grow in an environment that permits their potential to reach its level and at its own pace, without any negative or judgmental pressure.
The teachers in the school will be qualified AMI (ASSOCIATION MONTESSORI INTERNATIONALE) Directresses, who are trained to observe the children and present them with activities according to their individual needs.
The Montessori Method of education which is our curriculum was founded by Dr. Maria Montessori who also founded the Association Montessori Internationale, (AMI, in 1929, within whose constitution she enshrined both her philosophy of education and standards of pedagogy, that were to ensure her legacy - the method, in posterity.
We believe that a class of mixed ages is advantageous to both younger and older children as the younger children learn by observing the older children and the older children reinforce what they have already mastered when helping the younger children.
