Denton County Living Well Magazine March/April 2019 | Page 28

WHAT IS MONTESSORI?
By Jennie James Photography
Exclusive Montessori Photographer
I
first heard about Montessori from a friend. I
thought it was some type of religion. But as
she shared with me the philosophy of Ma-
ria Montessori, the creator of the Montes-
sori educational theory, she had me ready
to sign my preschool daughter up.
My daughter is now about to graduate high school and I still see her
Montessori ways shining through in the way she studies, learns, leads
her classmates and challenges herself to achieve her goals. Learning
how to choose works in the classroom at a young age taught her how to
challenge herself. When it was time to choose her high school classes
she made sure that they were challenging and would benefit her well
into her college years.
Montessori is a method of teaching the whole child, allowing them to
learn at their own pace. This method supports the individuality, indepen-
dence and curiosity of the child. The classroom is carefully planned
out with age-appropriate, hands-on lessons and projects that the
children choose for themselves, helping them to become indepen-
dent learners. Multiple ages in the classroom help the students work
together and teach each other, preparing them for the adult world.
26
DENTON COUNTY Living Well Magazine | MARCH/APRIL 2019