FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions)

The Montessori learning environment is much different than the traditional model. Instead of information passing from the teacher to the student, the teacher is skilled in putting the child in touch with the environment, and helping him learn to make intelligent choices and to carry out research in a prepared environment. The teacher then protects the student's concentration from interruption. This fosters a love of lifetime learning in the student.

What is Montessori?

Exactly 100 years ago in 1906, Dr. Maria Montessori created a new vision of education for children, which is often thought of as the "education for life." The child is a unique individual who is naturally driven to grow, develop and learn. The goals of Montessori education include instilling in children a love of learning, the ability to make appropriate learning choices, and respect for oneself, other people, and physical surroundings.

To enter a Montessori classroom is to enter a world specially prepared for the comfort and stimulation of the child. It's a carefully designed environment where children of mixed ages work together or independently with multi-sensory materials that invite them to touch, to think, to experience. Children move freely about, choose an activity, work on it until a sense of accomplishment is achieved. Before the child chooses another activity, materials are put back in place. With the freedom to chose, children develop self-confidence, self-discipline, and self-mastery.

Within this prepared environment, great care is taken to lead the child through successive levels of educational activities without unnecessary help from the adult. Although the children talk and move around the room at will, their absorption in their activities and their respect for each other contributes to the calm atmosphere. Children work with a concentration seldom seen at this age.

Because the Montessori classroom is child-centered, the Montessori teacher is more a facilitator than an instructor. The teacher serves as the link between the student and the learning environment, observing each child's progress, introducing the next step to enable the child to master a skill.

What is the difference between a Montessori and a Traditional School?

TRADITIONAL SCHOOL	MONTESSORI SCHOOL
Teacher oriented	Child Oriented
Direct approach	Indirect approach
Enforces discipline	Spontaneous discipline due to freedom
Same age group Children	Mixed age group
No freedom of movement	Freedom of movement
Children are dependent	Children are independent
Materials are abstract	Concrete and Reality Oriented Material
Teacher is always the control of error	The control of error is inbuilt in the material
Learning is enforced	Child learns out of joy
No co-operation among children	Children help one another

What happens when my child leaves Montessori?

Even though the benefits of process-oriented, non-competitive education and a nurturing environment are evident in the daily Montessori experience of each child, parents still tend to be goal oriented when it comes to their children. They need to know that their child will be ready for "the next step," whatever that may be.

Academic preparation to enter the next environment is evident throughout all our Montessori classrooms. However, that is not the only preparation a child needs. The social aspects of the Montessori education cannot be dismissed. The self-confidence that is seen in students and a willingness on their part to try just about anything when it comes to learning are amazing. All of the children love learning and coming to school. And the motivation for learning is internal rather than external. It's what they want to do! These skills will serve all the children well, whatever comes next for them.

Children also leave Aakruti with certain values. They have a deep respect for the needs and capabilities of other people and an appreciation for diversity in all forms. We believe that when the children leave us, they will take with them:

Academic preparation	Intrinsic motivation
The joy of learning	Autonomy
Confidence and competence	Creativity and originality of thought
Exposure to multi-cultural environment	Friendships

We want for them what most parents want for their children: to be well rounded, happy, responsible and fulfilled. The answer to the question, "What's next for my child?" is inevitably a personal one for each and every child we serve. And that's just as it should be. Providing the educational challenge and personal concern needed by each child in our program is the pledge we make to our families and the mission we set for ourselves.