When a child walks into George Watts Elementary, they begin a unique learning experience. The school is both public and Montessori. Public, we understand — it’s open to everyone, no matter their background. But what does it mean to be Montessori?
Classrooms are multi-aged, allowing the children to learn from and work with one another in new and different ways. Each child is given an individualized work plan and learns at his or her own level. If you walk into a classroom, you are as likely to see children stretched out on the floor as sitting in a desk. You will hear children talking as they work out a solution together. Other children settle down by themselves to read or spread out math materials. You are likely to find a teacher sitting on the floor, surrounded by six or seven children as she gives a lesson for the next assignment.
Once children complete required work, they move on to coveted “free choice” time, during which brain teasers, books, art materials, or play with a number of the interactive learning tools are free to be explored and enjoyed. This approach is designed to allow children to be self-directed and independent. Materials that provide children with hands-on opportunities for all activities are on shelves they can easily reach and help move the child from a concrete way of viewing the work to abstraction.
The Montessori Model assumes that all children want to learn, and it respects the individual’s style and pace of learning. Classroom communities operate on the principle of freedom within limits, translating into respect for self, others and the environment. The mission of George Watts is to prepare students to be responsible, productive citizens who have a sense of personal fulfillment and a feeling of love and respect for others. The most important goals for each child are to develop confidence for learning, maintain the desire to learn and obtain the knowledge, and to learn skills to support growth.
The best way to understand is to hear what the experience is from the teachers, students and parents. Here are voices from our community:
“I especially love the independent research aspect of Montessori. Once I find out what subjects excite the mind of a child, I can design a research project for them. Independent and/or group research projects can integrate a variety of subjects and skills that students need to know. Learning occurs even when I am not teaching, which is a wonderful thing to see happening. Every day I get to I see how students who become more confidence as they accomplish more and more tasks and projects on their own.”Lauren Vejvoda, Lower Elementary Teacher
“The best thing for Megan is being able to go at her own pace. She’s always been a really good reader. So if she was stuck with kindergarten work and not being able to go a little faster, she would have been bored out of her mind.”Liz Healy, Parent of Megan (1st) and Caroline (Kindergarten)
“I was pleasantly surprised at how much my personal philosophy of education met with Maria’s philosophy because she is all about the child being independent and following the child. And that’s what I tell the kids in here… ‘Just because you have choice doesn’t mean you have the choice NOT to do something. That’s not what life is about. But you can choose how you’re going to do it, where you’re going to do it, when you’re going to do it. So you have some freedom.”Ms. Carinder, Upper Elementary Teacher (also attended Watts as a child)
“I’ve really enjoyed seeing how the younger kids work together with the older kids within the same classroom. They become more confident about how to work with people that are different than they are. The older kids really take on a feeling of being leaders and being helpers to the younger children. It also helps set an example of how the younger children need to behave then you can kind of utilize the older kids in the classroom to help you set good examples and encourage the younger kids to follow the rules.”Ms. Watson, Primary Teacher
“Traditional was more boring because we were all doing the exact same stuff every day, in the same order. Now in Montessori it’s much better because you get to choose how easy or hard your work is. I get to decide whether I’m doing square roots or adding two addends. I like school now.”John Rust, Third grader who was in a traditional school before coming to Watts
