Children coming into the elementary years begin to ask questions about themselves and the world. "Where do I come from?" "How does this work?" "Why do anteaters have sticky tongues?" They ask spontaneous humanistic questions which Montessori believes are universal to all children. "Who am I?" "What is human about humans?" "What are universal human needs?" "How do I cooperate with the world?"

The Montessori Elementary curriculum is inter-disciplinary, where concepts of biology, geology and history converge on the study of life's evolution from the origin of the universe to the emergence of man and civilization. For the elementary child there is a new level of order, of abstraction. In Montessori Elementary, the child is directed toward abstraction, away from the pedagogical materials. The elementary child has a sensitive period for imagination which is not present in the younger child. The mature imagination of the six-year-old embraces larger ideas which go beyond the immediate environment. The elementary child learns to coordinate abstract movement and takes imaginative steps beyond the physical limits of home, neighborhood, classroom and community.

YOUR ELEMENTARY CHILD AT MEHER MONTESSORI SCHOOL

We want you to understand as much as possible about the nature of your elementary age child and his or her experience at Meher Montessori School. Parents of children in the Montessori Elementary Program usually have a set of concerns that are quite different from the questions that parents have about their preschool age children attending traditional schools. The following issues are important to new Meher Montessori School elementary children and their parents.

WELL-ROUNDED PERSONALITY

In Montessori, we are as much interested in children learning how to learn as in the content of learning itself. Also, we care very much about the children learning to cooperate and learn together. The child's social and emotional nature is important to us.

PAPERWORK vs. MANIPULATIVES

In Montessori the children work with manipulatives designed to give them a concrete idea of the concept being taught. Once they have abstracted that idea they leave the manipulative behind. In contrast, public/parochial schools mostly use textbooks and workbooks to teach concepts. But in Montessori, the paperwork usually comes after the concept has been understood.

THE CHILDREN MAKE CHOICES

In Montessori, the children themselves make choices as to what they will work with on a given day; in public/parochial school the teachers decide. Therefore, in Montessori, a child who has intense interest in multiplication (perhaps the multiplication process is finally making sense!) is able to spend extended periods of time absorbed in multiplication exercises of his choosing. In public/parochial school that enthusiasm must be contained until the period arises in which multiplication is offered, and even then the child can only do those exercises which the whole class is working on and only for the period within which the class is doing them.

FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION

In Montessori the children are able to freely move about the classroom and work in groups. This promotes a great deal of interaction with peer help and stimulation. This principle of freedom of movement allows for spontaneous and active education.

SPONTANEOUS ACTIVITY IN EDUCATION

Some examples from one of our classrooms: The children thought of giving their teacher a surprise birthday party. They made a poster, found someone to make a cake, made confetti, etc. Another example: The children have been taught a lot about music, both theory and practice, and they have a number of instruments to practice on. They will then spontaneously get together to play duets and compose songs. This is all without any adult suggestion. In short, their motivation, interest, desire and energy all combine to make for motivated, enthusiastic learners.

CHILDREN PROGRESS AT THEIR OWN PACE

Since the children are of mixed ages, each one is able to progress at his or her own pace. The slower child is not hurried along and the rapid learner is not held back to progress at some "average." In contrast to schools where children are under a lot of academic pressure, in our School the children learn at a relaxed pace. In short, we are not a "brain factory!

PHYSICAL EDUCATION/ATHLETICS

Elementary age children need more vigorous physical activity than their primary age counterparts. All Meher Montessori School children participate in a weekly physical education program taught by our physical education teacher. This is in addition to whatever games and other activities they have on the playground during recess. Because we don't have a large playing field we recommend that if you want your child to participate in group team sports you sign him up for AYSO soccer, Little League, etc. Team sports programs outside an elementary school are most always better organized and coached than in-school programs.

SOCIAL LIFE

In our small school, how can we offer the broad social atmosphere of a large public school? The truth is that your child's social skills and peer interactions are much less a factor of the quantity of children in a school, but more of the quality of the atmosphere of the school in general and of the child's Meher Montessori School is a small school, which lends to much individual attention. Our teachers get to know the children very well and are often better aware of the child's emotional needs and know the family better than in a large institution Parents who are working and cannot pick up their children until the late afternoon have expressed appreciation for the family atmosphere that our school provides. Each child is an important member of in the school family. This enhances the children's feelings of community, comfort and security.