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J.J. Hill Montessori, an international peace site, prides itself on the continuity of its staff, and the diversity of its children. Many teachers have been with the program since elementary grades were introduced in 1989. The student body mixes students of all nationalities. J. J. Hill has multi-age classrooms. Younger children are indirectly prepared for the lessons they will receive when they are older; older children offer help and guidance to those who are younger. H.E.A.R.T is an ongoing committee that writes grants, and renews fine arts programs for the school: drama, visual art, multi-media, and dance. The school offers developmental education at its finest.
Children in the typical Montessori classroom are relaxed and concentrated. It may take you a few moments to locate the teacher, whose presence is supportive rather than dominant. You might find her working with a small group on a raised platform, or with a single individual. Montessori children work with specially made materials; physicality and color pervade the room. Montessori said that education passes from "the hand to the brain."
A "prepared environment" allows choice of work; choice of work stimulates concentration; the responsibility for taking things out and putting them away develops order; and the ability to move about the room enhances coordination, maturity and independence. Serious about the child's capacity as well as the propitiousness of the age, Montessori claimed it is our job to "prepare children for life." Our own longitudinal study verifies students' academic success when they leave for traditional schools. But the invisible part, the education of character, is our fundamental goal.
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