MONTESSORI > Why Montessori?
With so many educational choices available, why do families choose Montessori?
Honoring Each Child’s Individual Journey
Every child develops, learns, and discovers the world in their own unique way. Yet many educational environments are built around a common pace and a standardized approach, expecting groups of children to learn the same skills at the same time.
Montessori education is intentionally designed around the understanding that learning is not linear and that children are not all ready for the same challenges at the same moment. The Montessori environment allows each child to move at their own pace, follow their interests, and receive lessons when they are developmentally ready.
Children who need additional support are given the time and guidance they need, while children who are ready for greater challenges are encouraged to continue exploring and growing. Rather than teaching every child the same skill at the same time, Montessori educators observe each child closely and provide individualized support that honors their strengths, needs, and natural development.
Because no two children grow in exactly the same way, Montessori meets children where they are and helps each child reach their fullest potential.
A Connected Montessori Community
A Montessori school is more than a place where children learn. It is a community built on meaningful relationships. While our primary focus is always the growth and development of our students, we believe children thrive when they are surrounded by supportive guides, engaged families, and a strong sense of belonging.
At Crabapple Montessori School, we intentionally create opportunities for connection through ongoing collaboration among educators, meaningful partnerships between families and guides, parent education, school-wide gatherings, relationships across age levels, and engagement with our local community.
We believe strong communities do not happen by chance. Through intentional structures, open communication, and shared experiences, we create an environment where children, families, and educators feel connected, valued, and supported.
More Than Just Academics...
Many schools speak of educating the whole child, but in Montessori, this philosophy is woven into every aspect of what we do. Academics share equal emphasis with our efforts to support a child's emotional, social, sensorial, and practical life development. We integrate the arts and movement into everything our children do rather than isolating these areas of study into separate classes. We intentionally teach children how to navigate and resolve conflict, as well as how to interact with others through Grace and Courtesy.
Our greatest task, we believe, is to give children a global view of the world. We want them to understand the interconnectedness of all things so that they may become fully integrated members of their greater community as they grow and mature.
...But Academics Are a Huge Strength
Montessori academics are often recognized as being among the highest standards of educational excellence.
It is not uncommon to see four-year-olds in our schools reading, six-year-olds completing long division problems, and nine-year-olds classifying botanical specimens. These tasks are completed joyfully, in part because we present information in such a way that children discover it for themselves rather than passively taking in facts given by an adult.
One of the reasons Montessori students seem to work at an advanced academic level is because of what we call sensitive periods. Dr. Maria Montessori’s observations led her to identify certain times in a child's life when they are especially prepared and motivated to develop certain skills. Modern neuroscience continues to support the importance of these early developmental windows, showing that young children have remarkable capacities for learning when they are provided with the right environment and experiences.
Because Montessori follows the child’s natural development, young children are often introduced to concepts that are traditionally reserved for older students.
Montessori Aims to Lift Up Humanity
We know. This is quite a lofty goal. From the very beginning, Dr. Montessori saw it as her mission to improve the world through education. She believed that by giving children the honor and respect they deserved, the benefits would extend to families, communities, and society as a whole. She believed in the equality of all people and saw that education has the potential to be a great leveler.
Montessori schools prioritize peace education. This begins by guiding our youngest students to be kind and gracious toward one another. A deep respect for the environment and all living beings is another important aspect of our work, as is a reverence for the wide diversity of cultures around the globe. Together, these elements cultivate within the child a respect for themselves and others, as well as a desire to foster connection, compassion, and fairness for all.
