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Here you will find some common questions about Montessori Education and Havelock Montessori School. If you have a question that is not answered here please contact the principal at hms@nexicom.net or 705-778-7333 1) Montessori is a religion isn't it? Absolutely not. Montessori is the last name of the women who started her own school in Italy. Last year in 2007 was the 100 year anniversary of the first Montessori school in Italy. Havelock Montessori School is a private school licensed under the Day Nurseries Act. Montessori education is an internationally respected form of high quality education with hundreds of schools in Canada and thousands of schools world wide. 2) Montessori is a unstructured environment, do the children learn anything? The children experience freedom in the classroom, but this is freedom within limits. There are very strict rules in our school that the children must follow. The rules are; respect for the school, materials, furnishings, people, plants and animals. The children must also respect and not disturb their friends when they are working. This develops the child's self discipline and because they are self disciplined they can explore their classroom environment and be free to choose the activity that interests them. Research shows that Montessori children are very prepared for later life and they generally score higher on standardized tests. Montessori children are more creative, more advanced socially and academically when compared to public school or daycare children. They also score above average on tests with criteria such as turning in work on time, listening skills, being responsible, asking intelligent questions, showing a love for learning and the ability to adapt to new situations. 3) How is Montessori different then daycare and public school? In public school and daycare children are taught as a group by a teacher. They are all expected to be interested in the same subjects, complete them at the same time and learn in the same way. Anyone who has spent time with a group of children knows that they are all individuals and no two children are alike. Montessori Schools are different because instead of "teaching" the children they direct the child's natural curiosity and learning. The teacher presents activities to the children on a one on one basis, then the child is able to use the materials as long and as often as they wish. When the child is ready the teacher will present a new activity. The materials teach the children lessons in math, geometry, science, language, botany, zoology, geography and life skills. For example by using the materials our kindergarten students can add, subtract, divide and multiply numbers in the thousands, learn the map of Canada, parts of the plant and names of triangles. The teacher also presents small or large group activities such as cooking, songs, stories and drama. 4) Montessori is private school, I cannot afford that. Actually our fees are very low. If you can afford daycare you can afford to send your child to Havelock Montessori School. A regular school day is just 25$ per day (from 9-4) This includes 2 snacks and lunch, all cooked on site and the majority made from scratch. We also offer before school care from 7am-9am and after school care from 4pm-5:30pm for a small fee. We will have subsidized spaces soon and there is also a grant available for children starting junior kindergarten and up. Please enquire with the principal. 5) How old does my child have to be to attend Havelock Montessori School? We have a toddler room for children 18 months to 3 years. A casa room for children 3- 5.6 years and elementary for children grade 1 and up. For more information about our classes please click on the classes button. 6) What happens if Montessori children attend public school? Children who have attended Montessori Schools adapt quite easily and are very flexible. They are generally better students because they use their time more efficiently and have a love for learning. 7) Are you open all summer? Yes, we are open all summer. Our summer program includes nature walks, sports, art, science, music and drama . 8) Why don't Montessori schools let the children have an imagination? People often assume that because Montessori teachers do not encourage children to spend their time pretending to be fairies, dragons or Spiderman that the children are lacking in imagination. However that is fantasy, not imagination. Montessori education focuses on real, hands-on experiences with concrete Montessori materials, art, music and story-telling. Montessori schools develop the child's imagination in many ways. For example by working with the map of Canada puzzle the child is learning where Ontario is located or what British Columbia looks like. When the child hears someone speak of British Columbia they will remember what the province looked like and where it is located in Canada.
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"Where Life and Learning Meet" |
