Philosophy
The term “Montessori” embodies both a philosophy and a method of education. We are committed to the Montessori “whole child” approach to education by using teachers specially trained in the Montessori Method and philosophy. In our integrated Montessori program, teachers use concrete, abstract and tactile teaching materials during child -directed activities and individual lessons. Daily activities are guided by a curriculum emphasizing individuality and interaction.
As the children progress into their small group classrooms, materials and lessons are prepared by the teacher for each child to reach developmental, educational, social and emotional milestones. Lastly, the larger, multi-age gathering during the day provides a multitude of benefits for the child. The young child has the opportunity to observe and imitate the older students as they work. The older student serves as a mentor by reinforcing their own knowledge in explaining and modeling their work to the young. This multi-age exposure is empowering to the child’s self-esteem, developing mutual respect and the acceptance of guidance. In addition, there is a well-defined innovative curriculum that accompanies each age group in the three to four year cycle at Serenity Montessori Academy. It is the mission of Serenity Montessori Academy to produce students that can “do and think for themselves”, cognitively capable of asking superior questions while continuing to probe for in depth answers. We are committed in creating global citizens committed to a better world, not just good students.
Our philosophy stands on four pillars of education:
- Academic Excellence- creating joyful, lifelong scholars in the search for excellence;
- Universal Values- teaching values that are common to all cultures, such as respect, honesty, integrity, compassion, kindness, and peace;
- Global Understanding- teaching appreciation and understanding of other cultures in order to achieve global citizenship
- Community Service– participating in “Giving” and “Receiving” as integral aspects of compassion
As an extended part of their curriculum, a children will participate in lessons of “Grace and Courtesy”, Peace Education and “Values and Virtues”. There are also weekly lessons planned in Biology, Botany, Geography, Maps, Earth Science, Cultural Awareness, Language(Italian), Music and Movement . Additional classes offered during the week are Yoga, Dance, Computers and Music Theory.