What is Montessori Education anyway?

When I meet people and tell them that I teach in a Montessori classroom they have no clue, to what is it that I actually teach. I usually hear something like "Montessori" what's that or if they've heard of Montessori education they usually think of it is as some type of religious school because it sounds so similar to the word Monastery.

First of all, the vast majority of Montessori schools are secular. They follow no religious philosophy or religious curriculum. In a Montessori classroom, there are children from all different religious backgrounds and nationalities who work and learn together in harmony. The focus of a Montessori education is to expose children to a wide variety of different cultures and help them to develop tolerance for people of all nationalities and religious backgrounds.

I have also heard people mention that isn't Montessori that kind of school where the children are allowed to run wild and do whatever they want. This is a misconception about Montessori education.

Children in a Montessori classroom can choose activities from a wide range of learning materials. This is a key element of the Montessori philosophy, in an ideal classroom environment children come to school with their own academic plan. The teachers job is to guide them towards it and still maintain academic standards.

At the elementary level students hold short individual conferences with their teacher to plan the work they will accomplish for the day, week or month. In some classrooms, they use a checklist or work journal to record what they have accomplished or plan to accomplish.

It is truly amazing to see six and seven year old students come to school and say here is my plan for today. I am going to work independently on Math, Music, Language, world history after that I will read a novel and then I will work on a science or research project with a group of friends.

What I have observed from teaching in a Montessori classroom is that the children can and are learning to think for themselves. They come to school with an idea of what they would like to accomplish.

I hope more people are exposed to Montessori education and the benefits it offers.