education
the quote by Dr
Montessori that appears on the school’s
website: “The essence of independence
is to be able to do something for one’s
self. Adults work to finish a task, but the
child works in order to grow…”
The school offers a morning
session for children age 2.5 years
to around 5.5 years, and a separate
afternoon session catering to
children age 3.5 to 6 years. Children
work in three-hour cycles, which
are completely uninterrupted. “In a
Montessori classroom children make
work choices for themselves. They
choose whether to work by themselves
or with a friend. They do a variety of
activities; so a 4.5 year old may be
practicing their penmanship while
another child is slicing apples for a
snack.” The curriculum is diverse and
provides the child with “keys”, which
they can use to unlock the world
around them. “The children work with
grace and courtesy and learn how
to peacefully and respectfully work
alongside each other,” Melody shares.
In a Montessori classroom the
teacher is discreet and, ideally, you
won’t really notice them as they make
themselves available to the pupils.
Each child has their own individual
lesson plan and the teacher gives
one-on-one or small group lessons to
various children throughout the day. “It
is important to me that parents know
Montessori has a structured curriculum.
There is a tremendous amount of
freedom with regards to how the child
moves through that curriculum, but
there are developmental and academic
milestones that are observed.”
At Sai Kung Montessori there
are two Association Montessori
International (AMI) English language-
lead teachers,
of which
Melody is
one, and two
Mandarin-
speaking
teaching
assistants.
AMI was
created by Dr
Maria Montessori
in 1929 to train teachers, and to
monitor publications and Montessori
materials. AMI accreditation is
incredibly difficult to achieve, and the
association does not license in Asia.
Melody aims for Sai Kung Montessori
to be the first AMI-accredited school in
Hong Kong.
Much of the material used at
Sai Kung Montessori is from highly
regarded Nienhuis Montessori,
which was founded in 1929 by Albert
Nienhuis, who collaborated with Maria
Montessori to create products that
reflected her vision of education. As
the centre of a Montessori classroom
is the quality of the material, it needs
to be the best quality possible for the
students, and Melody has honoured
this wherever possible. It may be
small with just one classroom, but
Sai Kung Montessori is equipped
with everything a child could possibly
need in order to get the most from
a Montessori education. And the
centre’s glass wall allows them to see
the world outside the classroom, and
makes the space bright and airy.
But why Sai Kung, I ask Melody?
“Our location makes us special.
There’s a lot of non-urban time,
so much outdoor time – that's not
restricted to playgrounds.” During their
time at school the children plant seeds
and harvest fruit, which they grow in
the courtyard in front of the school;
the cherry tomatoes often forming
part of the children’s snack (which
they can eat whenever they choose).
Rather than seeing Sai Kung’s
other kindergartens as competition,
Melody sees them as a positive. “I
feel like we all have a similar ethos,
so it was a good place to have a tiny
kindergarten.”
The location and size also helps
the school achieve its intimate,
community spirit, which is just what
Melody wants. “I want parents to feel
that we really have their child’s best
interests at heart. Schools in Asia are
big business and, sadly, the student
often comes last.”
“A key part of the school’s ethos
is community,” Melody says. With the
afternoon class, the whole group goes
to the park with their parents after
school on a Friday. The morning class
does a lot together, too; sometimes
they go fishing or camping together. If
that’s not your thing, you don’t have to
participate, but it’s there.”
Melody doesn’t interview children
before offering a place, she does
ask parents to attend an information
session, though, to be sure that
they understand what a Montessori
education is. “It’s not so much ‘are
you a good match for us’, but ‘are we
a good choice for you’”, she explains.
Traditionally with Montessori, if a
child leaves during the year that spot
is kept open, as Melody wants to
be sure that the school can meet
the educational goals of the parents
and the child. Sixty per cent of the
parents at the school are teachers,
which would seem a big ‘thumbs up’
for the work Melody and Sai Kung
Montessori are doing.
Montessori children tend to excel
in language and maths, but they are
also known for being peacekeepers
on the playground and helpers in the
class because they’re used to helping
younger students. Observing the
children learn, which they definitely
consider more as play, they are
engaged and happy, and it’s easy to see
how they progress well. But what next
for Sai Kung Montessori; does Melody
plan to expand? Melody hopes to move
into primary years education and also
to expand with a toddler class. She is in
discussions with the Education Bureau
for a new area, so watch this space!
www.saikungmontessori.com/
Spring 2019
45