HUDSON COUNTRY MONTESSORI SCHOOL

Why We Choose Montessori Elementary

By Denise Howard

My daughter, now 8 years old, brought me to Montessori. She began at a Montessori school when she was 3 years old. I was amazed at how she transformed from an active child who always seemed to be getting into trouble into one who was confident and responsible. She was more independent than ever, but learned to channel her energy. Rather than being bored, she had become focused and content.

When she finished her three years in the Montessori primary classroom, we realized it was time to make a change. Her Montessori school did not offer an elementary program. Our local public school is consistently rated in the top 10 in the state. Our older daughter went to the local school. It seemed like an easy decision…she would go to public school.

She transitioned very easily, loving her new school, her new friends and her new teacher. She did very well, often receiving praise for her citizenship and her kindness.

Soon, however, we began to notices changes. She stopped enjoying reading. Rather than reading her favorite chapter books, she began reading shorter, easier books, and then only when she had to do so for homework. Rather than asking for math problems and memorizing her math facts on her own, she began to dread her math homework. She loved “school”, but she no longer loved learning....

Coming Full Circle

JOHN LELAND
NYTimes.com > Education
Published: October 30, 2008

IN a colorfully decorated room on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, a half-dozen bright minds were engaged in a Montessori exercise called category-sorting. The categories were “dessert” and “non-dessert.” Pheona Yaw, who led the exercise, held up yellow cards with words on them. “Carrots,” she said, reading from the first rectangular card. “Dessert or non-dessert?”

That was an easy one, the group agreed. “Not dessert,” they said. Ms. Yaw placed the card over a rectangular outline on the non-dessert side of the board.

She moved on.

“Strawberry shortcake,” she said, holding up the next card. “Dessert?”

“No, that’s not a dessert at all,” said Holly Kromer-Sharpe, decisively. Others disagreed. Ms. Yaw put the card aside and moved on to pizza, on which there was agreement: pizza was not a dessert. Then she returned to strawberry shortcake.

“Dessert or non-dessert?” she asked.

Holly Kromer-Sharpe again spoke first. “I think that’s a dessert, yeah,” she said, just as firmly, as if the question itself were an affront. “What’re you trying to do, anyway?”

In a typical Montessori classroom, teachers use category-sorting exercises to help young students see patterns and connections. But the participants in this group were mostly in their 80s and on the other side of the cognitive development curve. They are residents at an assisted-living facility for people with dementia called Hearthstone at the Esplanade, which has six other homes in New York State and Massachusetts. Since July the residents have participated in a full-time program of Montessori-based activities designed for people with memory deficiencies.

Public School Stakes Its Future on the Montessori Way

By RICHARD COURAGE
NYTimes.com > Education
Published: February 2, 2005

PRINGFIELD, Mass. - The old brick public school is sandwiched between Interstate 91 and the Western Massachusetts Correctional Alcohol Center. The surrounding neighborhood is run-down and starkly commercial. The available playground space is filled with parked cars.

Yet the Alfred G. Zanetti School consistently has one of the longest waiting lists under Springfield's districtwide program of school choice.

Zanetti owes its popularity not to some new approach to education, but to the methods developed by the Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori almost 100 years ago. It is one of only 245 public Montessori schools in the nation, most of them charter or magnet schools.

Dr. Montessori believed that learning is a natural process. Montessori teachers see their primary role as creating rich environments where children teach themselves by manipulating specially designed materials and interacting in mixed age groups.

John Vazquez is thrilled at how articulate and independent his children - Johnny, 3, and Katia, 4 - are becoming.

"Everything you see on those 'practical life' shelves you could find in your home," he says, pointing to neatly arranged trays displaying tweezers, dried beans, cutting boards, apples, plates and pitchers. "When Johnny gets home now, he wants to pour his own juice. I learned the hard way not to help, to let him do it himself."

It wasn't always this way at Zanetti. Until 1999, it exhibited "the classic symptoms of a failing urban school," said Josh Bogin, director of the city's magnet school program. It had low test scores, high absenteeism and a student turnover rate of almost 50 percent a year.

To reverse things, Peter Negroni, the superintendent at the time, decided to turn it into a Montessori school.

The school's transformation entailed retraining teachers and equipping classrooms with special materials, thanks in part to a grant for magnet schools.

Most teachers transferred or retired rather than take additional preparation, and the incoming principal, Analida Munera, had to hire 41 new teachers. After only eight weeks of a multiyear training program, they faced rooms full of pupils.

In the first year, 1999, only prekindergarten through second grade students were in Montessori classrooms, so the school operated with two very different educational philosophies. The strain of transition caused some teachers to leave. Others quit as a result of temporary layoffs faced each year by the district's teachers lowest in seniority.

Today, Zanetti's Montessori program extends from prekindergarten through eighth grade, and the school's turnaround is evident. Its demographics have begun to approach those of the city as a whole. Of 478 pupils, 41 percent are Latino, 37 percent African-American, 19 percent white, and 3 percent Asian or American Indian. Seventy-three percent come from low-income families, a drop from 98 percent in earlier days.

Ms. Munera reports steady academic progress.

"Assessment, all the way down to the youngest classrooms, exhibits a record of success," she says, citing improvements in scores on city and state tests, especially in English language arts. The turnover rate has dropped to 5 percent.

Read the full story...

By Peter Sims
as posted on Wall Street Journal: Ideas Market

It may seem like a laughable “only in New York” story that Manhattan mother, Nicole Imprescia, is suing her 4-year-old daughter’s untraditional private preschool for failing to prepare her for a private school admissions exam.

But her daughter’s future and ours might be much brighter with a little less conditioning to perform well on tests and more encouragement to discover as they teach in Montessori schools. Ironically, the Montessori educational approach might be the surest route to joining the creative elite, which are so overrepresented by the school’s alumni that one might suspect a Montessori Mafia: Google’s founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, videogame pioneer Will Wright, and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, not to mention Julia Child and rapper Sean “P.Diddy” Combs.

Is there something going on here?  Is there something about the Montessori approach that nurtures creativity and inventiveness that we can all learn from?

Read More...

By Laura Flores Shaw
Head of School, Oak Knoll Kinderhaus Montessori
As posted on Huffington Post

Over a century ago, Dr. Maria Montessori discovered through scientific observations of children that they are not empty vessels to be filled -- they are intrinsically motivated doers. She saw that providing a hands-on learning environment that valued choice, concentration, collaboration, community, curiosity, and real-world application produced lifelong learners who viewed "work" as something interesting
and fulfilling instead of drudgery to be avoided. Now, research in psychology and neuroscience continually validates Dr. Montessori's conclusions about children and learning, and Montessori schools are flourishing -- not just preschools but, increasingly, elementary, middle and secondary schools. So as the education reform debate thunders on, with the many sides agreeing on little beyond the fact that our schools as they are currently designed are failing our children, I can't help but wonder: Where is the voice of the Montessori movement in the American school reform conversation?

Read More...

Every year many parents wonder what happens the first day of school.  Below hopefully will help you and your child transition into the program without stress and to answer some possible questions:

Q.  Can I stay with my child the first day of school?

A. It depends on the age of your child.  Infant and Toddler parents are required to stay with their children the first week they are at school.  A younger child who cannot verbally explain how his day went may need more time to adjust than let's say a four year old.  Parents of younger children may need special time as well to feel comfortable in their infant or toddler class.  The Primary age child, three through kindergarten can express how their day went. Staying with your child will not allow them to trust the environment that you have placed them in. Leave your child with his teacher, and saying "you will have the best day", "I'll be back later", I will miss you, but I can't wait to hear about your great day", will tell your child that you approve of his new environment.  Always feel free to come to the front office and stay awhile if you feel your child may need a slower transition.

Q. How can I find my child's classroom?

A. Hopefully, you came to our "Meet your Teacher" day.  You would have met your child's teachers as well as seen your child's new classroom environment and classroom locker.  If you were not able to make the "Meet your Teacher" day, you can go to the front office and ask an Administrator, someone will be more than happy to show you to the classroom.

Q. Can anyone drop my child off?

A. Anyone can drop off your child, but only persons on your emergency / release form may pick up your child.

Q. How do the staff know who are on my child's release form?

A. All staff, including afterschool,  have access to the release forms of the children they are responsible for and can access the information.  Your pick up person will need to bring in a picture I.D. everytime they come to pick up as there may be a change in staff.  If your pick up person does not have a picture I.D. they WILL NOT be able to take your child out of school.

Q. What does my child need to bring to school?

A.  There is a "Welcome Package" sent to all parents yearly before the beginning of school that explains what your child will need to be sucessful in school.  Additional packages are available in the front office.

Q.  My child has an allergy to peanuts, how does the school make sure my child is safe?

A.  We are a "Peanut Free" school.  When a child comes to school with a sandwich that resembles peanut butter, a call is made to that childs parent to confirm that it is not "peanut butter" and will offer another option if it is. If it is peanut butter, the sandwich will not be allowed and will be disposed of in the outside garbage bin. A constant reminder to parents on our "Peanut Free"  policy is sent out on a regular basis through-out the school year.

Q. What is an "incident report"?

A. We have a saying here:  "If it needs a bandaid it gets a written report".  The report is information for you to be aware of any bumps or  bruises that accure during the school day.  Any head injuries are written up as well as a call to the parent is made. 

Any other questions you may have, feel free to contact us or ask your teacher. 203-744-8088