My Montessori Story - Pt. 1
I want to start out by saying I had no idea that Montessori style education was so trendy. When I became a mother and when I was preparing to become a mother, I had planned on using the Montessori method for reference as I raised my children. This was because I had the privilege of attending an AMI Montessori school from preschool through third grade. I loved my experience as a young child in a Montessori school and the more I read and understood the philosophies, theories, and science behind the method as an adult, the more eager I was to apply it. Instead of walking you through my whole life history and listing all the benefits etc that you can read on any other blog, I’d like to share a handful of memories I have from those early years that have stuck with me for decades. As I wrote this out, it turns out I have many fond memories, so I will be sharing them in installments. Today I want to share some thoughts and memories about the Montessori mixed-age classrooms.
Me and my classmates making a human pyramid (I’m at the bottom middle)
Diverse Friendships
When I was eight years old or so, one of my best friends was a six year-old girl in my class named Nina. Nina was not only several years younger than I, but I was one of the biggest girls in the class and she was one of the tiniest. But somehow we were really good friends. I think that’s just how childhood is. I loved how the mixed-age classrooms had children 3-6 in one classroom (Primary or The Children’s House) and children 6-9 years old in another classroom. It really allowed us to have less prejudice against older or younger children. It also helped us create a stronger sense of community through our diversity. The older children had the opportunity to help the younger children. The younger children had older children to look up to and see what their future would soon look like. To see their own potential and to get them excited for what they would soon be capable of. This is more is more similar to real-life. When you go to work and even in college not everyone is your exact same age. By experiencing a very simple level of diversity in the mixed-age classroom, children start out on a path of empathy and understanding of those different than they are in their communities.
Flexible (Non-existent?) Grade Levels
I have a summer birthday, and if any of you parents have a child with a summer birthday you know that means that your kid is usually one of the oldest in their class or one of the youngest. Deciding whether to push them ahead or keep them back can be a difficult decision. My parents had to make that decision with me when I transitioned to public school, and we decided to go for fourth grade. I don’t regret that decision, but my parents and I appreciated the process at the Montessori school which felt much more natural: I was simply moved up to the next classroom when we felt I was ready. And that was usually mid-school year. Additionally, because both the Primary class (3-6 year olds) and Lower Elementary (6-9 year olds) were mixed-age classrooms, I only had to move classes one time, not for every single grade. This also allowed me to grow without the rigid guidelines of a single-aged classroom. If I needed to spend more time on some work or concept, I could easily do it without any judgment. If I was ready to move on to something new or more complex, the materials were already right there in the classroom for me to learn and work with.
In the coming weeks I look forward to sharing sweet memories of community and growth and hope you’ll be here reading them as you learn more about Montessori style education and parenting. Any specific questions? Please feel free to comment below!
