Shalom Montessori

The primary experience at SHALOM MONTESSORI is just the beginning. The Montessori approach continues into the child's elementary development and one day hopefully the adolescent years. Dr. Montessori wrote, "The successive level of education must conform to the successive personalities of the child." And we at SHALOM MONTESSORI believe and embrace that thought. As the elementary-aged child gradually moves from the concrete learning pathways of Primary to the more abstract ones of the elementary program, Montessori meets his or her developmental needs every step of the way.

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The lower elementary curriculum is a rich one, inspiring students to explore and give full range to their natural enthusiasm for learning. Because the children's experiences at this level lay the ground work for skills needed at the next level, this curriculum includes ample opportunity for writing essays and reports, using basic research tools, and developing the ability to organize and present information.

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The six-year-old has the mark of a philosopher. Wonder is intrinsic to his or her learning. The stars, nature, technology and social life induce great questions. Where did I come from? What are the stars made of? What is the purpose for living? What is justice? What is happiness, what is right and what is wrong?

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Dr. Montessori once said "Everything invented by man, physical or mental, is the fruit of someone's imagination. In the study of history and geography we are helpless without imagination, and when we propose to introduce the universe to the child, what but imagination can be of use to us?" In the Montessori elementary program, the child's own questions provide the basis for exploration of the world. Because these questions are heeded and nurtured, the child really connects with knowledge. Subject matter, then, is made relevant to the child's personal quest, providing an inner motivation. A Montessori elementary education does not give the child a collection of trivial facts but rather bestows a vision of interrelated knowledge and a love of learning.

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The elementary-aged child wants to know everything. He or she has a natural tendency to explore the expansive "cosmic" perspective within disciplines such as the sciences, the arts and social studies. To study is to be immersed in nothing more nor less than the infinite domain of the universal. The "cosmic" perspective does not mean, however, that Montessori elementary ignores the "basics" of reading, writing and arithmetic.

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During the Primary years at SHALOM MONTESSORI, the Montessori child has already acquired an early knowledge of literacy, of letters, numbers and writing. In the elementary years, these basic skills are polished in the meaningful context of a "big picture". The child's own philosophical spirit motivates skill mastery. Dr. Montessori once said "My vision of the future is no longer of people taking exams and proceeding on that certification. But of individuals passing from one stage of independence to a higher one, by means of their own activity, through their own effort of will, which constitutes the inner evolution of the individual." Dr. Montessori wrote that "human consciousness comes into the world as a flaming ball of imagination." A child's imagination provides the mental impetus for exploration of the universe. Montessori elementary education speaks to a child's imagination and sets him or her off on a lifelong voyage of discovery.

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Every six year old loves a story. "Many many years ago, nothing existed. It is said that in those times there was a great emptiness. In this great emptiness there was darkness and cold. In the darkness and cold however, something did exist. Something that you could not see with the human eye - Hashem. Hashem constricted himself and crated a tzimtzum - making a small space where life could begin......... So begins one version of "The Story of the Universe," the first of five stories known as the Great Lessons and told in the Montessori elementary program here at SHALOM MONTESSORI. As the children ponder the story, questions beget questions: I wonder how many solar systems there are? I wonder how the volcanoes cooled? I wonder what color the first ocean was. I wonder... .The Great Lessons are connected stories that span the enormous historical frames of time and space. "The Coming of Life" introduces the history of life on earth including single-celled animals and plants and human beings. "The Coming of Humans" relates the significance of human beings, their special abilities and what differentiates them from other life forms. "The Story of Communication in Signs" and "The Story of Numbers" provides a look at human invention in the context of expanding civilization. The essential underlying theme, throughout these Great Lessons is that everything, living or static, follows its own natural laws in the development of the whole. From the core of story frameworks emanate the details of the disciplines, science, mathematics, social studies and language.

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The story provides an overview; the children then investigate the disciplines in detail. However, because of the unifying thread of the Great Lessons, no subject is studied in isolation from the others. Knowledge is intertwined even though discrete in its parts. After exposure to each story the children, in small groups or individually, freely explore their own questions prompted by the story. Some may work with timelines and other materials designed to support the stories and carefully presented by the teacher in response to a child's question. Some may perform experiments using materials available in the classroom. Some may gather information from library books or a local elder in the community, enjoying the dignity of conducting research on their own, at their own pace, following their own interests. The Great Lessons develop sustained conviction in the child around the themes of progress and interdependency. The stories present not only the changes the earth has undergone since its beginnings but also the ways in which each new animal or plant affects all the others. The stories inspire awe and wonder about the ecology of the natural world. They also build a sense of the importance of making a contribution to the continuing stream of human progress. Thus the Montessori elementary program at SHALOM MONTESSORI provides the foundations for life commitment.

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The Montessori elementary environment at SHALOM MONTESSORI balances the child's developing imagination and powers of abstraction with down-to-earth, concrete, hands-on materials. Each material has its structured sequences designed to lead to discovery and understanding. Because of his or her experience with the primary Materials, the child understands just how the Montessori apparatus will show the way. The elementary-aged child is moving from an understanding of the physical world to an understanding of abstract concepts. Montessori provides diverse and creative passages from concrete experience to abstraction. Mathematics, for instance, is presented through three-dimensional, manipulative materials that reveal simultaneously arithmetic, geometric and algebraic correlations - each providing a concrete way to experience an abstract concept. Likewise, the grammar materials use symbols and visual patterns to assist the child in discovering the parts of speech and analyzing the structure, style and logic of the sentences. The materials for disciplines such as geometry, botany, zoology and geography present basic terminology as the groundwork for future in-depth study here at SHALOM MONTESSORI.

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The prepared environment provides the "keys" of each discipline in a manner that meets the elementary child's needs for inspiration as well as order. In an elementary classroom here at SHALOM MONTESSORI students pursue their own interests at their own pace, without textbooks or time blocks for each subject; parents often ask whether their child will receive a well-rounded education?

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What if a child completely avoids a certain area of the environment, such as mathematics or grammar? The answers to this question are many. First, because the disciplines are so fully integrated and the child's natural curiosity aroused, avoidance of an entire area is not as likely as one might think. Second, the Montessori educator is intimately familiar not only with every aspect of the prepared environment but also with every child in the class. Because of the teacher's careful observation, any avoidance becomes apparent, and the teacher works on drawing out the child's curiosity about the area being avoided. Finally, in contrast to a grade-level classroom where the child has one year to cover certain learning objectives, here at SHALOM MONTESSORI the elementary classroom provides flexibility over three years. The areas that do not attract the child's interest this year may hold great fascination next year. He or she can explore them whenever the interest arises, without ever being "behind." However, a strong academic challenge is presented to every child at SHALOM MONTESSORI; a challenge I and my faculty know the children are well prepared for and a challenge we will guide them through each and every day.

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Our lower elementary curriculum includes English, math, geography, world history, chemistry, zoology, botany, Spanish, French, Russian, Hungarian, conversational Hebrew, dikduk (grammar), sefirut (writing), Chumash, chagim v'dinim, parashat hashavuah, Mishna, Tefilot, Jewish history, art/art history, music/music history, in-house piano and guitar lessons, physical education, nutrition/biology, computers, and research skills. Materials are custom made for each child's interests and children are usually proficient above their grade level.

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The sequence of study is directed by qualified teachers. Each subject's shelves are arranged sequentially so that students can choose any subject and easily find work appropriate to their individual level of skill and development. Students are encouraged to reach beyond the confines of the classroom for additional information.