Helping a child develop independence and self-sufficiency is a hallmark of Montessori programs. Children who are independent and make self-directed choices develop self-confidence and experience pride when they accomplish their goals.

In the Montessori classroom, young children are supported to become autonomous in caring for their personal needs and in taking care of their classroom environment. Children are given freedom of movement and choice over their activities in the classroom and are encouraged and supported to “do it for themselves.”

Montessori students are self-confident learners who believe in their own abilities to accomplish a task. This confidence and self-reliance set the stage for all future learning.

Unlike some private schools, which strive for very small classes, Montessori values the lessons of community that can happen when the size of the class is somewhat larger. A larger, multi-age class encourages students to rely on themselves and their peers as resources, rather than going directly to a teacher for support first. In elementary the students benefit from having a larger classroom as there is a lot of group and project work.

While it may seem that within a Montessori classroom, testing does not take place, it actually does. Dr. Montessori built self-testing into the use of her materials so that when a student uses the materials in an incorrect manner, they are able to detect the error and may then self-correct. Additionally, the teacher in a Montessori classroom is constantly observing each student, taking notes and assessing the student’s progress and need for additional presentations or work. The teacher knows the child’s work so intimately from this experience that they can assess first hand whether the student has mastered the piece of work or area of knowledge and is ready to move on. This happens every day in a Montessori classroom. Additionally, while traditional forms of testing are not implemented in a Montessori school, we recognize that eventually our students will have to take tests as they move on to high school or college/university. That is why at LMMH we do the CAT test every year at the elementary level to get the students used to writing tests.

In a Montessori classroom, time management is encouraged from an early age. In Year 3 (and sometimes earlier depending on the child), each child is introduced to a journal that they use to record their daily and weekly work, plan for the week ahead and outline what work remains to be completed. Students are responsible for completing this each week, and in doing so, time management becomes second nature to them.

At LMMH technology is introduced when it is developmentally appropriate. While today’s technological society requires us to be knowledgeable and adept at using technology, there is a specific time for this to be introduced to the child so that they can engage with it in an appropriate way. Additionally, because technology changes at such a rapid pace, we need not worry that our children will be unable to catch up. At the Elementary level, technology is introduced to support the acquisition of keyboarding skills as a path toward the utilization of the computer to complete work reports/presentations, which is required at the high school level. The students in upper elementary are also introduced to research and project presentations using the computer. Some of the programs they are introduced to are Power Point, Word, Excel as well as Google Slides,  and many more as they are required.

The elementary student’s gym program is all about learning different sports. They attend 7 to 8 week programs with professional instructors and are divided by their level for each individual sport. The various sports that are taught at LMMH are; skiing or snowboarding (student choice), tennis, golf as well as others that will change from year to year such as; hip hop, badminton, soccer etc.

There are a number of researchers who have tracked the outcomes of Montessori students in comparison with other groups of children and as they leave the Montessori environment. Overwhelmingly, they suggest that Montessori students can adjust with little or no trouble. In fact, research points to the fact that Montessori students are very well prepared for the “real world” and are able to adjust to new and different contexts easily. Please refer to a number of key pieces of research that support this notion including:

• Biello, David, “Students Prosper with Montessori Method”, Scientific American, September 29, 2006. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/students-prosper-with-mon/
• Hughes, Dr. Steven, “Good at Doing Things”
• Rathunde, Kevin (2003): A Comparison of Montessori and Traditional Middle Schools: Motivation, Quality of Experience, and Social Context; NAMTA Journal, Vol. 28, No. 3.b.
• Stoll Lillard, Angeline, Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius, Oxford University Press, New York: 2005.

Montessori schools teach the same basic skills as traditional schools and offer an advanced academic program. The subject areas are familiar—such as math, science, history, geography, and language—but they are presented through an integrated approach that weaves separate strands of the curriculum together. While studying a map of Africa, for example, students may explore the art, history, and inventions of several African nations. This may lead them to examine ancient Egypt, including hieroglyphs and their place in the history of writing. And the study of the pyramids is a natural bridge to geometry! This approach to curriculum demonstrates the interrelatedness of all things. It also allows students to become thoroughly immersed in a topic—and to give their curiosity full rein.

Montessori students typically do not receive letter or number grades for their work. Grades, like other external rewards, have little lasting effect on a child’s efforts or achievements. The Montessori approach nurtures the motivation that comes from within, kindling the child’s natural desire to learn. A self-motivated learner also learns to be self-sufficient, without needing external reinforcement. In the classroom, of course, the teacher is always available to provide students with guidance and support. Although most Montessori teachers don’t assign grades, they closely and continuously observe and assess each student’s progress and readiness to advance to new lessons. Most schools hold family conferences a few times a year so parents may see samples of their child’s work and hear the teacher’s assessment—and perhaps even their child’s self-assessment.

The child-centered approach of Montessori, emphasizing independence and personal responsibility, is the type of experience that leads to an accomplished student who is comfortable with an independent approach to learning. Continuing a Montessori education provides consistent reinforcement that can prove to be invaluable to the first year university or college student. “Providing a Montessori education today may have added benefits for tomorrow. That is one of the reasons we selected Montessori for our child.” Doug McCann, Ph.D. Department of Psychology York University Toronto, Canada.

Research shows that learning social skills at the elementary age improves both academic performance as well as a child’s attitude toward school and about themselves and others. That being said, we believe that social skills should be taught and practiced with guidance just like any other skill. As they learn communication and cooperation skills, their level of emotional distress decreases and confidence increases. At LMMH we believe in setting up the students for successful socialization. Having a smaller population of students allows us to manage, direct and coach the students when they have a conflict with another student. At LMMH the students are taught to be respectful to all the students regardless of age, culture etc. After developing these necessary skills in our smaller, safe, and inclusive community, children in our elementary program are given the tools they will need to be prepared for the social challenges they will inevitably face in secondary school, university/college, adulthood, work, and life. At the same time, they will be in ‘training’ to handle the social life of high school and will easily adapt and make new friends with like-minded attitudes towards school.