The Montessori method is a markedly different educational method that allows for a high degree of student autonomy and responsibility from an early age. Executive function skills are embedded in the day-to-day learning as students plan and carry out their learning activities with teacher guidance during a three-hour work period each day. 

Multi-age classrooms allow students to move from novice to mentor in a collaborative environment where cross peer-teaching is valued. Materials are always available in multiple levels so that students can work in their zone of proximal development, even if that is different across the subject areas. Students who struggle academically still have opportunities to lead younger students, maintaining their identity as an important person in a learning environment.

Hands-on Montessori materials allow even the youngest children to practice complex math and language skills and move them to abstraction through a spiraling curriculum. 

Three years in the same classroom help children develop strong, supportive relationships with their teachers and peers and leads to the development of robust classroom cultures. 

Students in Montessori classrooms help care for the environment of the room every day. This can mean sharpening pencils, organizing books, caring for plants and animals, etc. Each child has a job that helps them become a valuable member of the community. The classroom belongs to the students. They are responsible for it and it is also a safe space for them to learn and grow. 

Concentration is highly valued, as is the student’s learning process, rather than product. Montessori educators observe students for evidence of their intellectual, social-emotional, and physical development and plan all activities around the children’s developmental levels. 

The Montessori curriculum goes from the whole to the parts so that learning is always embedded in a broad context.

Mountain City Public Montessori teachers utilize the strengths of the Montessori method and their experience in serving often-marginalized students to ensure that all children see themselves as learners and realize their potential. You can learn more about the Montessori Scope and Sequence through the Montessori Foundation.