Montessori Philosophy

We are committed to providing your student with an educational experience rooted in the Montessori philosophy while still adhering to the recently adopted Common Core standards. In actuality, the two complement each other well. While it is difficult to summarize the Montessori Method in a few bullet points, we want to highlight what we consider the foundation of our Montessori classroom community.

First and foremost, this is the student’s environment. As teachers, it is our job to prepare the environment for each student, guide them through the learning process, and assist them in reaching their full potential.
The Montessori philosophy is based on a symbiotic relationship between student, teacher, and environment. To that we add that the connection between school and home is of the utmost importance.
Movement is central to our classroom environment. Students are allowed the freedom of purposeful movement.
Responsibility for time management and work completion is placed upon the students.
We make use of hands-on didactic materials as much as possible to reinforce abstract concepts.
Our expectation is that students work for intrinsic rewards rather than extrinsic rewards.
Our elementary program recognizes peer-to-peer interaction as a valid and critical method of learning. Often times, students are more willing to take instruction from a peer than their teacher.
Students are assessed individually, and we strive to provide differentiated instruction that reaches each student at their level of understanding. While we do teach some whole group and grade level lessons, instruction is often provided in small groups or individually. Students are provided a three hour, uninterrupted morning work period to allow time for focus and in-depth study of subject matter.
Dr. Montessori was an advocate for peace. It is our intent that our classroom community be one of peace and respect. We teach character education and give lessons on grace and courtesy.
It is our goal that every Aqua Room student love learning for the sake of learning. We want them to share their individual passions, overcome their fears and obstacles, and become lifelong citizens of our world.