Week Five Post Two

While reading the chapter, what stuck out most to me was the concept of Montessori schools. I have never even heard of such a thing. A Montessori school offers early childhood education based on the philosophy of Maria Montessori, which emphasizes careful work and tasks that each young child can do. It is a child-centered school that began hundreds of years ago by Maria Montessori, who opened these nursery schools for poor children in Rome. Montessori believed that children needed structured, individualized projects to give them a sense of accomplishment. In her schools teachers gave tasks that dovetailed each child’s cognitive eagerness by learning from activities. A study of 5 year-olds in Milwaukee who were chosen by lottery to attend Montessori programs found that they were better at pre-reading and early math tasks as well as developing a theory of mind, than their peers on other schools. I think the idea of Montessori schools is great. Young children have the opportunity to engage in learning and still feel proud of them selves. They don’t have to sit still and listen to a teacher instruct them, instead they learn hands on by outlining letters, and looking at books.  They are also encouraged to feel proud of them selves that encourage them to succeed. My parents sent me to catholic school to obtain a better education I would in public school, but it was not a hands on experience that made me feel proud of myself.  I still had to sit and be instructed by teachers, rather than structured projects. I would honestly think about looking in to a Montessori type of schools for my own children.