Written by Directress Denise Pawlukiewicz Our school community is made up of diverse cultures, ethnicities and traditions. With that in mind, our approach to holiday celebrations is very simple. We prepare our room in advance of the holiday, talk to the children about the event, and then celebrate in a manner appropriate for a toddler. […]
Author Archives: Diana Betts
Work and Play in Montessori
“The children in our schools have proved to us that their real wish is to be always at work —a thing never before suspected. Just as no one had ever before noticed the child’s power of choosing his work spontaneously. Following an inner guide, the children busied themselves with something (different for each)which gave them […]
7 Key Phrases Montessori Teachers Use, and Why We Should, Too
by Christina Clemer Montessori can be hard to sum up in just a few words—it is a philosophy on education and child development that runs deep. It’s a way of seeing the world. I think one of the easiest ways to get an idea for what Montessori means is to listen to the language that […]
Montessori and Learning Styles
In many of the lessons used in the Montessori Classroom, we appeal to the variety of learning styles a child might have – visual, kinetic, rational, etc. You might have heard of these types as Gardner’s “Theory of Multiple Intelligences.” When he first theorized about multiple intelligences in 1983, Howard Gardner was writing about something […]
Welcome to Westshore
Tips and suggestions for the new school year! You may recognize this from our 2019 Parent Meeting.
Ms. Jessica Reflects on Another Fantastic Summer Program
Dear Parents, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for sharing your wonderful children with us this summer! Each and every child brought a very special element to our program. The children were able to share their knowledge, their personalities and their opportunities with peers from every classroom at Westshore Montessori. Because of […]
Joining the Toddler Classroom
Contributed by Denise Pawlukiewicz, Toddler Classroom Lead Teacher Parents often ask me what they can expect when their children join the Toddler class. The simple answer is that even I don’t know what to expect from year to year, since every child and every class is unique. Of course, this is part of the joy […]
Allowing Opportunities For Movement
A kid’s got to move. Observing a few minutes at a playground will attest to that. You don’t see children sitting around if they have the chance to run, jump, climb, or skip. Children are in a sensitive period of development for movement from birth to about age five-and-a-half. Around age four-and-a-half, children have a […]
Introduction from Peaceful Children, Peaceful World
Following World War I and the Great Depression leading into World War II, Maria Montessori made a dramatic plea for the pursuit of peace. In 1932, 7 years prior to the beginning of World War II and 29 years before the first human being journeyed into space, she addressed a convention at the international Office […]