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Our Montessori Philosophy and School History

Mountain Pathways is a non-profit, educational organization with the purpose of bringing out the greatest potential in our children by utilizing Montessori methods and strategies. As a community, we believe in the following values:

Mountain Pathways School is unique to this region. The purpose of Mountain Pathways School is to provide education of the highest quality for children of all racial, cultural, religious, and economic backgrounds based on a philosophy that is committed to teaching children in ways they can best learn. The Montessori method of teaching and learning emerged from well-accepted research in child development and learning. We participate in dialogue with the American Montessori Society, International Montessori Council, public schools and Appalachian State University concerning improvements in education. The purpose of this booklet is to present the school’s goals and requirements for our students and to present our beliefs about teaching and learning and how they impact daily classroom activities.

The Montessori Method

Dr. Maria Montessori, a 19th century physician and educator, observed that children teach themselves when provided with a child-centered, rich learning environment.  This environment nurtures the whole child: academically, artistically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually.  Montessori education fosters self-discipline, allowing children to grow to be responsible, creative members of society.  

In 1896, Maria became the first female in Italy to receive a doctorate in medicine. Using her scientific background, she began observing children and began to develop her educational theories. Her observations also led to the development of her unique materials that would be used in a child-centered environment. Maria held the belief that there should be respect for the child and that the child should have freedom of expression and the opportunity for self-education. Montessori teachers prepare an environment where a child can learn self-discipline and the basic human values.

The basic idea of the Montessori approach to education is that every child carries within themselves the person they will someday become. In order to develop physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually, the child must have the freedom to achieve through order and self-discipline.  Maria believed attention should be paid to the child’s sensitive periods of development.  She also held the belief that the prepared environment possesses a certain order and allows the child to develop at his or her own speed in a non-competitive atmosphere. The structure of Montessori learning involves the use of many materials with which the child may work individually or in small groups with his or her peers. At every step of the learning process, the teaching material is designed to test the child’s understanding and self-correct any errors.

Montessori discovered that when the child is free to learn, in a structured, prepared environment, an “inner discipline” develops.  Patterns of concentration, independence, coordination and order established in early childhood produce a self-confident, competent leader in later years.

Montessori education is an approach designed to help the child build within themselves the foundations for a lifetime of creative learning. A love of learning and confidence in oneself as an independent learner are prerequisites in a world of constant change.

Goals for Our Children

Over the course of their years at Mountain Pathways School, students will be encouraged to develop an eagerness to learn and explore the wonderment and variety in their world. Focus is placed upon building the child’s:

A Glance at Our Environment

Classrooms at Mountain Pathways School are designed for the children. The children learn by doing. For example, in the elementary class they might experiment with electricity, write and illustrate their own books, research customs of other countries, tackle challenging math concepts, write and present plays, graph the growth of plants and animals, make pasta, or observe the life cycle of frogs and butterflies – to name only a few of the activities one might routinely encounter. In the primary classroom, children build concentration, coordination, independence, and a sense of order though activities such as table scrubbing, silver polishing, sorting, and pouring. These initial activities lay the groundwork for later academic growth. Children often work together on projects and share their ideas and discoveries. A balance of ages and sexes is sought within each classroom group comprised of three-year age spans. A low student teacher ratio (usually 10:1 or better) promotes individualized instruction.

We Start With the Children- “We follow the child.”

Education should start with the child, and we follow the child at Mountain Pathways. The activities mentioned above, and the ways in which they are structured, emerge from an understanding and respect for the ways that children actually learn. Montessori education is based on principles of child development and is centered around the various needs, interests, and learning styles of children.

At Mountain Pathways School, we are committed to the development of the whole child. We work closely with the parents to foster social, emotional, physical and aesthetic growth, as well as the development of academic skills and knowledge. We are keenly aware of the individuality of each child, and their role as a member of the classroom community. Our expectations for achievement are based on the individual nature of each child. Therefore, we do not follow traditional grade level groupings but rather, natural 3-year cycles.

A Positive Self-Image

At Mountain Pathways School, we believe that a positive self-image is basic to learning. We encourage positive self-concept by respecting children’s feelings and ideas, encouraging the value of work, and encouraging independent learning. Each child can achieve success through concrete and open-ended activities which call for a variety of skills. Cooperation, rather than competition, among students is fostered. Children are thus able to feel confident about their own contributions and abilities, and are able to respect and learn from others. Both can increase motivation and effective learning.

At Mountain Pathways, we support the child in developing self-discipline. Disputes and decisions are dealt with in a fair, problem-solving manner. School policy prohibits corporal punishment. Corporal punishment creates fear and inhibits learning of true self-control on the part of the child. There are, however, clear guidelines for acceptable behavior.

Children Are Respected

        Children are individuals, who have their own unique physical, social, and intellectual characteristics. Children of the same age vary widely in learning style and developmental maturity. Mountain Pathways School creates an environment in which each child can learn at his or her own pace; the child is encouraged to extract learning from an activity as far as he or she is able. To achieve developmentally appropriate curriculum objectives, our faculty guides each individual child within the context of a community environment.

MPS Provides Appropriate Choices

        Children learn best when exploring ideas and activities of interest to them. The educational approach at Mountain Pathways facilitates the child taking ownership of a subject. Teachers provide activity choices (after observing children and including their input) designed to give practice in the particular task. The availability of appropriate choices allows students to work in context of interest to them. This choice in turn contributes to the development of decision-making skills, reinforces their individuality, encourages positive self-concept and heightens motivation and independence.

We Integrate Academic Disciplines

        At Mountain Pathways School, students are able to explore a subject in depth and to develop an appreciation for its complexity. Broad topics are often studied from many different angles. This type of approach allows for the merging of academic subjects, which reflects the natural way children learn. It also provides a concrete and meaningful context for the practice of skills. For example, as students study their community, they may take trips to the university, business and area organizations. Back in the classroom, they may set up their own community. Letters may be written, and then mailed at a class post office, and classroom events discussed during student run class meetings. Students may decorate their town with murals and compose songs about their community. In this example, students are practicing skills related to reading, math, art, and music; they are gaining first-hand understanding of an economic system; they are also developing an appreciation for interrelationships in their social environment. Such activities are carefully designed by teachers to meet curriculum objectives. Each new topic stimulates involvement in a variety of academic subjects and skills, many of which go beyond the usual realm of a preschool or elementary school curriculum.

MPS Values Student Interaction

        At Mountain Pathways School, students learn from each other and stimulate each other’s interest. Interactions during the exploration of materials develop language skills, social skills, greater emotional maturity, and stimulate intellectual growth. Programs enabling students of all ages to interact with each other at play and at work are incorporated. All students benefit from this type of peer instruction and cooperative education.

Children Learn By Doing

        Research in child development shows that children come to understand concepts through repeated active exploration of materials, rather than solely through abstract descriptions. At Mountain Pathways School our projects and activities are designed to encourage active, “hands-on” exploration and experimentation. The process of trial and error occurs regularly in our classrooms, and gives our students the opportunity to learn from mistakes and achievements, in a supportive environment. A wide variety of manipulative materials are provided, and direct experience is emphasized so that a child is “doing”, as well as watching and listening. As their understanding of concepts grows they extend this understanding to more abstract learning during the elementary years (6-9 years). The materials and lessons are sequenced from concrete to abstract, from simple to complex. Field trips and visits from resource people are integrated into the educational program. Children gain the most benefit from a Montessori environment if they begin at age three or four. Parents’ support and respect of a child’s 3-year cycles of development is extremely valuable.

History

        Mountain Pathways School was organized in 1987 by a group of parents and educators. They sought to establish an educational environment that would foster self-disciplined children. Site visits were made to numerous independent schools in the state including Duke School for Children and Carolina Hill. These visits helped to clarify an educational approach for the school.

        A Board of Trustees was formed and the lengthy steps toward establishing a school commenced. These steps included securing seed money from individuals, hiring an Administrator and faculty members, and acquiring facility space. The school opened its doors in August 1987. An enrollment of 10 children the first year grew to 26 the second year, with steady growth thereafter. At the end of the 1991-92 school year, the school adopted the Montessori philosophy as the method to carry out its mission. The 1992-93 school year was the first year of the three-year transition to a Montessori school. The school employed an experienced Montessorian as a Director, grew to 38 students and sent all teachers to training in Montessori methods, strategies, and philosophy.   The Norwood House was added to the campus for the 2004-2005 school year, providing more room for an expanding elementary school program.  We maintain affiliations with the American Montessori Society and International Montessori Council. All of our lead teachers are certified Montessori teachers.

Grouping and Transitions at Mountain Pathways School

        “I am not a first grader, because at Mountain Pathways School there is more than one path to learning, and we can all take the pathway that is right for us.”      (Quote from a 6-year-old student at Mountain Pathways School.)

        We are flexible in our grouping of ages and ability levels at Mountain Pathways School. Classroom groups have small student teacher ratios, and vary in composition depending on the developmental needs of the children. We strive to have a balance of ages, sexes, and special needs in each class. Placements are not based solely on chronological age, but such factors as physical, cognitive and social-emotional development are considered as well.

        Since we follow natural three year cycles, a child may have the same teacher(s) for as many as three years. Since children develop at different paces, not just in line with the calendar, it is also possible that your child could be moved from one group to another during the school year. Our goal is to challenge your child according to the proper developmental level in which they can do their best.

        Children are not “promoted” nor do they “fail”. They work through the interdisciplinary Montessori curriculum at their own pace and are allowed to progress as they acquire competence. Unlike traditional schools, our children are not moved on each year “as a class”, nor are they “held back”. When children feel that teachers respect and value individuality, their sense of self-esteem, competence, and place within the community is enhanced. They should feel secure while being challenged to do their personal best, at whatever level they are working. We strongly believe that the lock-step age/grade groupings that are typical of marking “progression” through school is inappropriate. A primary concern at our school is that each child develops a strong sense of responsibility, self-esteem and achievement. The 3-year cycle promotes this. When enrolling your child, we urge you to consider not only the first 3-year cycle (3-6), but continued Montessori education (6-9), (9-12) and (12-15).

Interdisciplinary Curriculum

        The curriculum at Mountain Pathways School emphasizes and develops the essential skills of written and oral expression, mathematics, and reading needed by each child to understand and contribute to our world. Within the Montessori curriculum, there is room for spontaneity and joy in learning endeavors, as the children develop at his or her own pace and in his or her unique ways. Specific subject areas are integrated into the larger learning atmosphere. Materials and lessons are sequenced from simple to complex, from concrete to abstract.

        Our goal is to nourish all dimensions of a child’s being; therefore, various forms of creative self-expression such as easel painting, drama, movement, music, and visual media are everyday activities. Exposure to the traditions and myths of other people and cultures, combined with explorations of nature, science, and technology, encourages an openness and tolerance for humankind and a respect for the planet earth.

Homework

        A major goal of the school is to help children learn with their parents. Homework is often a means for this kind of interaction. We do not advocate long hours of busy work for children. Children can, however, be engaged in a project or activity (especially reading) that continues their learning at home or sharpens their newly acquired skills. A consistent use of homework also helps children develop a sense of responsibility for their own work.

        As the child’s skills build, homework may consist of book reviews, report preparation, math activities, or other projects. Children need quiet time and work areas where they can concentrate. Parent cooperation is crucial. The child is responsible for taking the work home, doing it, and returning the work to school, completed to the best of his/her ability.

        For the younger children, “homework” consists of reading to your child every night, counting, and practicing the “sounds” of letters. Get the pattern started, and they will remind you to fit it in! Encourage and allow time for children to do things for themselves. Examples: dress themselves, fold towels, wash clothes, socks, pour water, clean up simple spills, etc.

        In the upper levels, emphasis is placed on developing skills such as meeting deadlines, work habits at home, note taking, essay writing, test taking, and research. Students who do not fulfill homework responsibilities will be required to talk with their teacher. Repeated lack of effort will result in the loss of an appropriate privilege during the school day, providing time for the work to be completed.

Observations and Parent Participation

        Parents are partners with teachers, staff and the administration in the educational life of the child. Teachers schedule periodic conferences with each child’s parents. We listen to parents, seek to understand their goals for their children, and are respectful of individual family issues. When the family works closely with the school faculty toward the realization of common goals for a particular child, academic performance benefits.

        Parents’ visits to the school are welcomed and encouraged, however, there is a protocol for parents regarding entering the classroom during school hours. We ask that you communicate with your child through the office rather than entering the classroom- unless prearranged with the teacher- to minimize the interruptions for the children and help them stay on task.

        We consider family support and involvement a crucial part of our educational philosophy. We encourage and seek parent involvement in every aspect of our school life.

        Regular Parent Ed Nights will be held. These educational meetings will center around a program of interest to parents such as Montessori philosophy, Montessori lessons in mathematics and language, community building, and parenting skills. Other meetings might simply be covered dish suppers followed by a general discussion of the school, its programs and operations. We feel that through these regular meetings, the Administration, Board members, and teachers can foster a greater sense of community. Parents in each class elect a representative each year to help organize classroom supplemental activities. This representative serves as a resource for parents and will coordinate school-home communications with their respective classrooms. All parents are invited to attend any and all board meetings and to contact parent representatives, the director, or any board members at any time.

              Parents are asked to serve on at least one of the committee/work groups and sign up for volunteer jobs at the school throughout the year. A list of these committees and volunteer positions will be available throughout the year for sign up. Parents are asked to participate though a variety of channels: serving as a prearranged volunteer in the classroom; assisting the teachers during lunch; sharing talents and skills such as art and music; tutoring; driving and chaperoning on field trips; substituting; visiting the child’s classroom to observe; and participating in fundraising activities.

        Fundraising activities and tax-deductible contributions contribute a significant amount to both the operating expenses and the scholarship fund at Mountain Pathways.  Parents also assist the school by:

In summary, Mountain Pathways is a community of families working together to further the education of all our children. We want to guide these children toward the betterment of their lives and society in general. The help of everyone is needed, and we ask that you please take part in this noble goal as much as possible.