At Glen Abbey Montessori School, we fully embrace the Montessori philosophy and all the principles.  We do so, not only by providing our students with the requisite Montessori materials but also, by creating an emotional, social, developmental, and physical environment designed specifically to cater to the “Absorbent Mind”.

So, what exactly is the Montessori method?  Glen Abbey Montessori School’s motto “The key to independence, respect and confidence” captures the essence of Montessori, where the classroom environment and teachers are there to guide students in becoming independent, to respecting themselves, others, and the environment, while practicing self-confidence.

Please take some time to familiarize yourself with the Montessori philosophy and its principles.  A reading list has been created, to enhance your understanding of the Montessori method.

The Montessori philosophy can be found within the writings of Dr. Maria Montessori:

“Ours was a house for children, rather than a real school. We had prepared a place for children, where a diffused culture could be assimilated, without any need for direct instruction… Yet these children learned to read and write before they were five, and no one had given them any lessons. At that time it seemed miraculous those children four and a half should be able to write, and that they should have learned without the feeling of having been taught.

We puzzled over it for a long time. Only after repeated experiments did we conclude with certainty that all children are endowed with this capacity to ‘absorb’ culture. If this is true- we then argued- if culture can be acquired without effort, let us provide the children with other elements of culture. And then we saw them ‘absorb’ far more than reading and writing: botany, zoology, mathematics, geography, and all with the same ease, spontaneously and without getting tired.

And so we discovered that education is not something which the teacher does, but that it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being. It is not acquired by listening to words but in virtue of experiences in which the child acts on his environment. The teacher’s task is not to talk, but to prepare and arrange a series of motives for cultural activity in a special environment made for the child.”
Dr. Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind

One of the main philosophies, of the Montessori method, is to allow children to discover and learn for themselves, at their own pace.  The children are guided in a carefully prepared environment, by their Guides/Teachers. Pure Montessori does not only focus on academics but aims in developing the “Whole Child.”  Not only do the children learn how to read, write and perform mathematical equations, but they are also exposed to “culture” such as the world around them, the environment, different cultures, music, and arts.  The Montessori method also promotes respect for self as well as for others in the world around them, independence, and self-confidence.  This creates a foundation for our young leaders, where they develop the characteristics to become good citizens of the world thereby developing a deep love for learning.