Frequently Asked Questions

For children six and under, Montessori emphasizes learning through all five senses, not just through listening, watching, or reading. Children in Montessori classes learn at their own, individual pace and according to their own choice of activities from hundreds of possibilities. They do not spend their days siting and listening to a teacher talk to them as a group. They are engaged in individual or group activities of their own, with materials that have been introduced to them one-on-one by the teacher who knows what each child is ready to do. Learning is an exciting process of discovery, leading to concentration, motivation, self-discipline, and a love of learning. Above age six children learn to do independent research, arrange field trips to gather information, interview specialists, create group presentation, dramas, art exhibits, musical productions, science projects, and so forth. There is no limit to what they create in this kind of intelligently guided freedom. There are no text books or adult-directed whole class lessons. There is great respect for the children's choices, and they easily keep up with or surpass what they would be doing in a traditional educational setting. There is no wasted time and children enjoy their work and study. The children ask each other for lessons, as well as the teacher, and much of the learning comes from sharing and inspiring each other instead of competing.

Multi-age classrooms afford us the luxury of adapting the curriculum to the individual child. Each child can work at their own pace while remaining in the community with their peers. In addition, the multi-age format allows older children, even those children who may be shy or quiet, to be the leaders.

Montessori is designed to help all children reach their fullest potential at their own unique pace. A classroom whose children have varying abilities is a community in which everyone learns from one another and everyone contributes. Moreover, multi-age grouping allows each child to find their own pace without feeling “ahead” or “behind” in relation to peers.

Yes, Peaceful Pathways is non-denominational Christian Montessori program. Children are encouraged to explore God's world and hear how important God thinks each living thing is. We celebrate Christian holidays. Our Christian views are brought up spontaneously as they occur as well as in purposeful prayer each day.

Montessori is not a franchise. The term Montessori is not trademarked and anyone, regardless of training, experience or affiliation can open a “Montessori” school. It is essential that parents researching Montessori act as good consumers to ensure the authenticity of their chosen program. Peaceful Pathways Montessori Academy is fully accreditated by the American Montessori Society and the National Council for Private School Accreditation.

Dr. Maria Montessori wanted to be sure that guides were trained correctly, methods were applied as she intended, and a complete set of authentic materials graced the shelves of classrooms. Today, there are two major organizations that carry on her work and are generally regarded as the standard for Montessori education. They are AMI (Association Montessori International), which was created by Dr. Montessori herself, and AMS (American Montessori Society), which branched off from AMI in 1960. The two organizations maintain a positive working relationship and mutual respect for the work they both do. If you are looking for a high fidelity Montessori program, it’s important to find a school that is connected to either AMI or AMS. There are different levels of connection, depending on how closely a school aligns their work with what is considered ideal. Peaceful Pathways Montessori Academy has the highest recognition from AMS as a fully accredited school.

Montessori schools may be best known for their programs with young children, but the underlying educational method describes programs for students up through high school.

Montessori children are free to choose within limits, and have only as much freedom as they can handle with appropriate responsibility. The classroom teacher and assistant ensure that children do not interfere with each other, and that each child is progressing at her appropriate pace in all subjects.

The different arrangement of a Montessori classroom mirrors the Montessori method's differences from traditional education. Rather than putting the teacher at the focal point of the class, with children dependent on her for information and activity, the classroom shows a literally child-centered approach. Children work at tables or on floor mats where they can spread out their materials, and the teacher circulates about the room, giving lessons, supporting relationships, assessing student work, and evaluating student progress.

Yes. Montessori classrooms encourage deep learning of the concepts behind academic skills rather than rote practice of abstract techniques. The success of our students is clear in the experiences of our alumni, who compete successfully with traditionally educated students in a variety of high schools and universities.

Montessori classrooms emphasize competition with oneself: self-monitoring, self-correction, and a variety of other executive skills aimed at continuous improvement. Students typically become comfortable with their strengths and learn how to address their weaknesses. Older students commonly participate in competitive activities with clear “winners” in which students give their best performances while encouraging peers to do the same. It is a healthy competition in which all contenders do their best in an environment with clear and consistent rules.

Early childhood specialists agree that young children thrive in a secure, consistent environment with a steady routine. Young children adjust very well to this schedule and bond most easily with their teachers and peers when they have at least four consecutive days in their new community — which quickly becomes a beloved and special place for them. The steady rhythm of coming to their school helps create a positive attitude towards school and their activities there. It also gives the children a strong feeling of belonging to a community they help create and in which they are valued and respected. They can count on seeing their friends regularly.

Toddler: 1:5

Pre-K/K: 1:15

Elementary: 1:15

These ratios, however, are not the most important question. It is actually the teaching ratio that is what defines the Peaceful Pathways Montessori experience. During the Early Childhood years, teachers are giving direct instruction almost always in a 1 to 1 ratio. At the Elementary level, teachers are giving direct instruction to in groups most often in groups of 1 to 6-8. Teachers are rarely trying to teach the entire class at the same time. While a teacher is teaching, the rest of the students are diligently working on concepts that they have been introduced to but have not yet mastered. This approach allows students to follow interests and work on concepts when they feel most excited about them. It also allows teachers to be constantly assessing student mastery in informal ways.

Our goal is to have children internalize good behavior, not just respond to an adult. To do this, we again are focused on respect, responsibility, and resourcefulness. Children do not come to us with all of these qualities in place. When a child behaves in an unacceptable manner, he is held accountable with a logical consequence, one that is related to the misbehavior.

For example, if a child chooses a particular material and is misusing it, perhaps even damaging it, he will at first be redirected to use it appropriately. If this does not remedy the problem, the child will be told to put the material away and may not be able to use it again for several days.

We do not use time-outs. If a child consistently runs in the class, endangering himself and others, he might be asked to stay with the teacher or sit at a table. But this problem was related to movement; thus, the consequence is the restriction of movement. This is not the same as the notion of a time-out.

Our Montessori classroom has only one rule: to take care and be respectful of everyone and everything. It would make for a more harmonious world if everyone practiced the rule. Our teachers are aware of the importance of self-discipline. They have a robust enthusiasm for learning, a deep respect for all life, kindness, humor, gentleness, and patience. The nature of the Montessori materials and activities, along with the freedom of the prepared environment, help the child to realize and develop their sense of self-direction, independence, confidence, cooperation, and self-control.