Montessori Magic

A Parents' Perspective - Why We Send Our Children to Montessori

'One of the key reasons is to allow our son the opportunity to practice his choice making skills well before his teenage years. The majority of schools do not allow children to make any choices for themselves during the course of their school day. By the time my child leaves Montessori he will have had 9 years of solid decision making practice ranging from what time to stop for snack to his next work topic as well as his choice of behaviour. He experiences the pleasure of good decision as well as bearing the consequences of not-so-good decisions…I am very clear that I do not want my son's first experience of decision making to be when he is 18 years old at a party where alcohol, drugs and the opposite sex may be involved!' Mother of Cycle 2 child

'Because it is dedicated to peace.' Mother of Cycle 2 child.

'Because it caters for my children's individual needs.' Mother of Cycle 1 child.

'Because my wife said that was where the kids were going to go to school!' Dad of Cycle 2 child

'We wanted an education system that was the same all around the world as we had planned to travel extensively while the children were still young. This has been such a bonus as our children's education has been fantastic and made settling into another country so much easier. The children walked into their new classroom, picked up a piece of equipment they were familiar with and got on with their work. It made the settling in period in a new country so much easier and gave us real peace of mind.' Parents of Cycle 2 children.

'Our children love going to school here. The hardest part of the day is getting them OUT at the end of each day. There is no Monday morning 'I feel sick Mum' routine like I used to try on when I was in primary school. They absolutely love coming here - every Information Night I attend makes me wish there was a Montessori school for parents too!' Parents of Cycle 2 and 3 students.

'The children are encouraged to believe that anything is possible for them to achieve. The approach is holistic and the children are encouraged to be independent learners. The teachers stimulates a need to learn and a love of learning and the children develop at an individual pace. Why wouldn't I send my child here??' From a parent discussion at an Information Night.

'When I studied Maths at school the whole class learnt the same thing at the same time. You had to 'get it' when every body else did. The teacher moved on and if you hadn't 'got it' you were left to flounder. It's no wonder that I dread maths. I want my child to learn at her own pace - without the fear of desperately trying to keep up with everybody else. She is becoming a confident learner - and that is absolutely priceless.' From a discussion with a Cycle 1 parent.

'My very intelligent wife ultimately made the decision (mothers do know best) to afford our children a Montessori education. She did so because the research she performed on the teaching methodology prior to enrolling our precious offspring was all positive. This will ensure that their most important/impressionable years for developing basic; academic, cognitive, coordination, decision making and cooperation skills are given the greatest opportunity. Why wouldn't we offer our children the chance to acquire the skills boasted by some of today's super businessmen who put their success down to a Montessori education.' From a Father of Cycle 1 students in an email written on a business trip.

'Everyone gets on so well here. There are no tears and fights here. The kids work here with a purpose rather than wandering around all day. When you hear about Montessori at University it sounds so weird and you just can't imagine how it could possibly work. But once you see it, you immediately understand. It really is amazing. You have to see it - you can't read about it.'' Discussion with two Victoria University - Melton Campus - Students Studying the Diploma of Childcare students who came to visit the school in May 2005.

'As a mother of 4, I have 4 different reasons for choosing Montessori as my preferred method. My children are 19, 15, 12, 10. My oldest is studying working towards her chosen career interstate. She thanked me recently for helping her to develop the independent skills she realises she needed to make this move. "My friends come to me for help because they don't know how to manage a budget or organise their time"
At Montessori my children have worked within a secure learning environment, learning what it looks like to show respect to someone or something or self - they learn how. They learn that their opinion is valued, as is their work.
When they know how to cope with taking responsibility for themselves they get to make choices, first small choices like "Which tray will I choose?", moving into choices like "Is this the sort of person I want to be?".
My 15 year old now learns in a mainstream setting. She does not believe that Montessori education is the optimum choice - and can clearly enunciate why she believes this. She has the confidence to voice her opinion and debate it.
My 12 year old is completing his final year at Montessori Primary. Today he made a presentation to his peers and those in a younger class about his proposal to develop a bike track at school. His goal is to develop this track this year before he leaves for secondary school. He has developed his plan, his agenda for meeting with management and the sequence required to build this track. His next step is to develop a time line and costing for this development. This project is supported and encouraged by his classroom teacher and the school.
My 10 year old is developing a power point presentation for his development of "Advanced Future Vehicles". He is learning this power point skill from another final year student who is teaching his peers how to create a power point presentation. This "student teacher" has prepared lesson plans and timelines and an evaluation process.' Mother of 4 Montessori children.

'We needed a school that would truly value our children, for us this was paramount. we wanted also, to ensure our children were inan environment where they themselves take ultimate responsibility for learning early. A fascinating concept!". Father of Cycle 1 child

'Because I want my children to maintain their natural love of learning - not have it drilled out of them like I did at both religious based and mainstream schools.' Father of Cycle 2 and Cycle 3 children.

'School is an extension of home. For my children going to school is like walking into another room in the house - values and boundaries exist and so does love and respect.' Parent of Cycle 2 and 3 students.