Why Montessori?

Learning to code fits naturally with the Montessori philosophy. Digital literacy is an important skill to develop and through coding, students can learn through real life, hands on, experiential activities. Leveraging industry standard coding languages, students foster their curiosity for learning by developing their own websites, apps, and video games within the context of their interests and passions. The process of programming a computer teaches students about cause and effect and gives them an understanding for how systems work in the real world.

If asked to choose one quality you want your child to have, what would you say? Empathy, courtesy, curiosity? A Pew Research Study from 2014 asked 3000 parents that very question and the result was striking; regardless of  social, political, and ethnic background, the majority of the respondents chose responsibility as the top quality they wanted their kids to have. How is responsibility developed in children?

It is enrollment season and parents all over the country are intent on making the just-right decision for their children for the upcoming school year. As a mother of a rising college junior, a rising college freshman and a rising high school freshman, I look back to when my boys were the ages of your children and I wish I could push a reset button and enroll them in a Montessori school for as long as possible. I can only imagine how differently they would approach learning today if they had been given the gift of a full Montessori experience!

On April 22, Carrie Kries, Head of School, announced the establishment of the Maggie Brown Dougherty Endowed Scholarship, which will benefit students at Gladwyne Montessori for years to come. This scholarship was made possible through the generosity of members of the Gladwyne Montessori community who have been positively impacted by Maggie during her tenure at our school. Learn more about how you can contribute to this scholarship.

Nature is crucial to a child’s physical and emotional development, which is why we incorporate the natural world into the Montessori curriculum and environment as much as possible. Gardening, fruit and vegetable serving, recycling, and composting are all classroom activities that begin as early as 2 years old. As adults and caregivers, it is our responsibility for our children to set the foundation for developing an appreciation for nature.