The right education can make a world of difference in your child’s future. A good school doesn’t just teach kids facts, but also the fundamentals of how to learn and how to live. Montessori-style education puts these philosophies front and center, and instills a love for learning, as well as creative growth.
Top Benefits of a Montessori-Style Education for Elementary-Aged Kids
With the four advantages listed below, your student will have all the tools they need to thrive:
A Focus on Social Intelligence
Yes, reading, writing, and arithmetic are undoubtedly important components in any education. However, it’s also important budding students know how to:
- interact with their peers
- communicate their thoughts
Montessori schools strengthen a student’s peer group by partnering them up in groups with children of different ages. This can expand their social interactions significantly. Especially at an early age, partnering students at different levels of development helps them understand what’s coming in the next few years.
Cultivating Independence
Every child has different interests, and that’s a fundamental value that Montessori schools cherish. With a self-directed education, students discover their strengths and pursue the passions that excite them. The result? Students who see learning as a critical component of their lives, rather than a chore, with designated goal posts and aptitude tests. The ability to pursue their own interests can also instill in them a greater level of personal confidence.
Teachers as a Support Network Rather Than Authority Figures
Montessori teachers are less beholden to state standards and aptitude milestones, and that allows them to take on more of a supervisory and counseling position for students. Children lead in this environment. Montessori encourages developing at a child’s own pace. The role of the teacher is to stay as unobtrusive as possible and to simply provide the nudge and advice that kids need at important developmental stages. The result is a classroom that’s democratic more than authoritarian.
Effective Methods for Traditional Learning Skills
While Montessori schools largely eschew structured curriculum and concrete metrics for student success, there are indications that this system may surpass traditional education in some fundamental metrics. A 2006 study conducted in Wisconsin compared the aptitudes of public school and Montessori students. Often, five-year old Montessori students demonstrated a higher grasp of math, as well as reading, skills than their public school peers. Students who were 12 and in the same study demonstrated comparable math and reading skills to their public school peers but a higher social intelligence.
Enrolling your child in a Montessori school is a big decision, and you shouldn’t take it lightly. You may even want to consider a summer program for kids so you can see how the Montessori system works in action before making the plunge.
Author bio: Hannah Whittenly is a freelance writer and mother of two from Sacramento, CA. She enjoys kayaking and reading books by the lake.
