Meeting Mrs. Carrico

At the beginning of each year, the teachers at Montessori Episcopal School make a home visit to each child that will be in their class. It gives them an opportunity to meet each student in their own environment where they are most relaxed. They let the child lead the time together but they also spend time talking to the parents about the coming year and answering parents' many questions.

Nicholas had his home visit scheduled for this afternoon and since he is feeling perfectly fine today we didn't bother to reschedule it. Mrs. Carrico and her assistant, Mrs. McBride, came right on time. Nicholas tried to pretend to be shy when they first came in the door but he couldn't help but get excited that they were here and he soon started showing them his toys. He even got Mrs. Carrico to play a game of air hockey with him!

I really enjoyed talking with Mrs. Carrico. She is very nurturing and I can see why she has been so highly recommended by others. I could really tell that she is passionate about what she does. As we talked I was reminded of why we chose a Montessori school for Nicholas. It is so remarkable to me how much the Montessori philosophy aligns with my own philosophy on teaching. To quote Aline Wolf in A Parent's Guide to the Montessori Classroom, "Dr. Maria Montessori believed that no human being is educated by another person. He must do it himself or it will never be done. A truly educated individual continues learning long after the hours and years he spends in the classroom because he is motivated from within by a natural curiosity and love for knowledge. Dr. Montessori felt, therefore, that the goal of early childhood education should not be to fill the child with facts from a preselected course of studies, but rather to cultivate his own natural desire to learn."

At Montessori, the children are introduced to many concepts such as music, arts, science, cooking, math, physical education, and phonics through fun ways such as songs and interactive activities. However, each child is allowed to choose what they will work on for the day so the curriculum is very individualized and encourages children to focus on learning more about the areas that they are most interested in. I feel like this encourages the joy of learning and increases self-esteem as children can are allowed to make independent choices about what they want to learn. The philosophy is child-centered and it is process-oriented rather than product-oriented.

Nicholas will be in class Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings. His class will consist of about 10 children and two teachers. They have library time and they can check out two books each week. They go to recess every day. They go to Chapel once a week. They have about 3 field trips a year. Parents are encouraged to be involved in the school, classes and field trips. I've already signed up for five volunteer activities for next year including participating in two Scholastic book fairs, the fundraising committee, uniform resale at the end of the year, and "reading mom" to participate with the children in class by reading to them. I also offered to help out with field trips if that is needed as well.

I've heard a lot about The Absorbent Mind by Maria Montessori. It's next on my book wish list because I'm fascinated about her approach to education.