Montessori school discourages ‘one size fits all’ teaching methods
After a few years of teaching at the same school, Lana Strong and Aja Staniszewski noticed a recurring theme.
"We found ourselves saying, ‘If this was my school, I’d do it this way,’ " Strong said.
So they took money out of their retirement savings and never had to say "if" again.
Strong and Staniszewski opened Mountain Heights Montessori, 3412 S. Decatur Blvd., in 2007 with six students. Enrollment is more than 50 this school year, serving kids from 12 months old through third grade.
Montessori education is a teaching method developed by Maria Montessori in the early 1900s in Italy.
"Hippie" is a term that is associated with Montessori schools, Strong said, but she is OK with that.
At Mountain Heights Montessori, the school’s staff of eight prepares organic meals for breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack. Teachers do not give grades or traditional homework. Strong said students may have project-based homework such as cooking a meal with their families or creating a project about their cultures but not anything "pencil and paper."
The school has computers available for use, but students do not use a lot of technology in classrooms.
"We prefer our kids do hands-on stuff," Strong said. "I think it’s better for kids that way."
Whereas in traditional schools students might spend 45 minutes to an hour learning about the same subjects, at this school they get two hours of "work time" in the morning and afternoon to study the day’s subjects individually in any order they choose.
Strong also said they are "big" on outside play and have classroom tables and supplies set up outside to allow kids to work on arts and crafts or other projects. Students are also put in age groups of 2 or younger, 3 to 5 and 6 to 9.
And although the school does not give traditional grades, Strong said teachers are constantly assessing students, tracking their progress within individualized work plans and communicating with parents.
Kathy Pape has two boys at the school and said she appreciates the access she has to her son’s teachers.
"There are not very many schools where you’ll get a text about how your child’s doing," Pape said. "… It fosters a relationship between the parents (and teachers). It comes from talking to them all the time. I talk to them every day and can text them at any time and get an answer.
"I think a lot of parents feel really lost in the (public) school system, and they don’t know how their kids are doing. You might get a 15-minute conference, and that’s all you get. You don’t just need a grade to learn how your kids are doing; you need a conversation."
Strong said most of the students who grow out of her school end up at other Montessori schools in town that offer higher age groups or at private and magnet schools that are similar to Montessori schools. Strong said that while "standardized testing is against what we believe in," those students typically tend to do well on them.
Strong learned about Montessori education from some of her friends and sent her kids to Montessori schools. She said she was attracted to the Montessori method because of the "freedom it gives the child."
"It’s all about discovering on your own and not just filling in the bubbles," Strong said. "The best classroom exists like the teacher isn’t in the room."
The school also offers after-school classes, some taught by parents, in subjects such as Spanish, French, Chinese, sign language, music, dance, yoga, art and more.
Staniszewski said the school also organizes monthly family field trips to encourage a feeling of community among the parents and students at the school.
Staniszewski, who is in charge of curriculum, knows about Montessori education from her childhood. She grew up in Naples, Italy, and attended a Montessori school before moving to America during high school.
Staniszewski said she has tried working at other schools in the past but just could not do it.
"I can’t teach to the test," she said. "I can’t teach one size fits all."
Mountain Heights Montessori offers before- and after-school care from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., with tuition ranging from $700 to $900 per month. For more information, call 702-877-7021 or visit mhmlv.com.
Contact View education reporter Jeff Mosier at jmosier@viewnews.com or 702-224-5524.
