There are lots of schools out there: big schools, small schools, affordable schools, expensive schools. There are lots of different teaching programs, too, and they’re mostly good in their own way.
However, please see the video below in its entirety. It excellently explains what I think is the finest educational method out there when it comes to developing the whole child. Please watch the video before scrolling below.
Now, the problem is that there’s no patent to the name “Montessori,” and so any school can put “Montessori” on its name and people will think that it is a Montessori school, when it is actually very far from one in practice.
The video talked about two things that real Montessori schools do to enhance learning. Here’s a few more, which can also help you tell the genuine Montessori schools from the fakes (the two reasons told in the video being 1. and 2. respectively):
3. No uniforms. A uniform can be subconsciously thought of like an apron. When a cook wears an apron, he knows it’s cooking time. When he takes it off, he knows that cooking time’s done. A student can make the same subconscious connection between his uniform and learning, and that’s not a good thing. Learning never stops…and to make sure that students don’t make that mistake, real Montessori schools do not have their students wear uniforms.
4. No grades. As the video said, Montessori schools do not have grades in the first two levels (Casa and Elementary; Erdkinder has grades). You’ll be surprised how doing this makes excellent students. Why? The kids are motivated primarily from the inside, not from carrot-and-stick devices like good grades or awards or ribbons. The results are kids who are very self-motivated, who have strong resistance against cheating (they’re after mastery, not the grade), and who pursue excellence sometimes far beyond “A” material.
5. Use of materials. You’ll know a Montessori school is the real deal if its curriculum revolves around the use of materials (some with the Montessori names may have the materials, but they don’t use them much). Materials are the Montessori bread and butter, and it’s amazing to see how these colorful things teach you about math, science, English, and so on. I have highlighted some of these materials in the following blog entries:
• Casa (preschool)
• Elementary
So do you want to know of a genuine Montessori school near you? A school that can keep your child’s eyes from dimming, and instead increase his joy for learning?
In Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines (and in Mindanao for that matter) there is but one, as far as I know: The Abba’s Orchard. If you really want to know more about the Montessori method, you can visit the upcoming parent orientations listed below (The school also has other campuses in Manila, Cebu, Davao, each with their own parent orientations).
To get the addresses of the campuses where the parent orientations are to be held, click here. There are already ones happening this Friday and Saturday, so I hope you can visit the schools.
If you want your child to love learning, then give The Abba’s Orchard a try. I did, and I'm very satisfied by the way my kids are turning out.