PHILOSOPHY

Oakhaven Montessori School is a private community school dedicated to offering a quality learning experience for children aged 2.5 - 6 years. We are a small, peaceful community of 12 -14 children guided by 2 teachers. We follow the principals of Dr. Maria Montessori, 1870-1952, Italy’s first woman doctor. Montessori Children’s Houses go back to 1906, In addition to authoring over 30 volumes on education and opening teacher training centers all over the globe, Maria Montessori demonstrated that the child’s development is best aided by preparing a diverse environment where the children choose their own activities. Her approach crosses all socioeconomic, cultural, gender, differently-abled boundaries and is used with great success around the world.

Montessorians believe that there is no better teacher than the inner one that each of us brings into this life. We follow the child’s developmental need for freedom within limits to create an environment where your child can follow these inner dictates and meet his own needs. Our carefully prepared environment guarantees a wide exposure to a rich curriculum so broad as to include practical life activities, sensorial development, keys to cultural studies in science, music, art, plants, animals, geography and Spanish, hands on phonics and math materials to gardening, animal care, business management and swimming. Your child will literally teach herself through the magic of discovery and self directed activities. The Montessori approach is renowned for the beautiful three dimensional wooden materials. These materials call to your child and entice her to stay on a fulfilling path of self discovery.

We recognize the developmental planes, human tendencies, process of learning and sensitive periods that your child passes through and take them into consideration at every step and with each activity. Dr. Montessori observed that man passes through three year developmental cycles, from birth until death. She further identified the particular needs of each stage. For example the 3 - 6 year old is passing through a motor sensorial period where learning is best achieved through self directed, purposeful activity with three dimensional materials. The indirect approach is used so that your child is prepared for each skill long before they need it. We recognize that the 0 - 6 year old functions with an absorbent mind, so that everything in your child’s experience is absorbed into her very being and creates the foundation for who she will be throughout life. Using our developmental philosophy and our nearly 100 years of time proven experience we are able to create the optimal learning environment.

The welfare of the community is at the heart of Montessori with respect for the self, others, and the environment. We use an ungraded, noncompetitive approach so that each child is honored for her/his unique abilities. Our community consists of mixed age groups, following what is in the natural world. During the three year curriculum your child begins as a novice and progresses through to a mentor ship taking on ever more responsibilities for themselves, the social group and the environment. Montessori children are joyful, independent, respectful, focused, grounded, balanced, self reliant and equipped with skills and tools for life.

The teacher (guide) serves as the keeper of the environment and the observer of the individual child and group, stepping in to guide and direct energies. Our indirect approach creates for the adult the role of a “helper” in which we observe what each individual child needs to successfully reach his goal and offer that specific point of interest, never imposing as in direct teaching, nor leaving him alone as in a non directed, permissive approach.