manchester montessori house
Manchester
Manchester Montessori House is the first bilingual English- French kindergarten
in Manchester, in the United Kingdom for children ages 3 to 6. Initially it had
started as a Montessori group for Home Educating families in Greater Manchester
in 2008. There was, and still is, a big demand for alternative education and
Montessori is one of these options. Montessori methodology, well known
worldwide, does offer holistic approach and supports all areas of children’s
development. It places the child in the centre, where he/she can develop his/her
full potential through carefully and purposefully offered ‘hands on’ activities.
The highly qualify staff ( with a lot of teaching experiences), implement
valuable principals of Montessori philosophy while educating young children in
their formative years of grow. The staff aims are to provide Prepared
Environment that enables children to express their full potential over the most
important and crucial first six years of life, but also later on. Teachers are
‘to offer the child an environment rich in motives for activity, in which he/she
can choose what he/she will take and use. In this choice he/she is free from any
teacher’s control, or indeed from adult control in general’ (Montessori, 2007,
p. 186). Children who attend to our setting are carefully observed and
‘scaffold’ by the experienced practitioners on the way to ‘Normalisation’ as Dr
Montessori called this process and cited it as “the most important single result
of our whole work” (Montessori, The Absorbent Mind, 1949). Children natural
phenomena, potential and internal energy horme, – ‘this universal force is not
physical, but is the force of life itself in the process of evolution’ (Polk
Lillard, 1972, p.42), are directed on the most natural way of holistic
development. All the little learners are treated with the respect, are given
attention they deserve, are being looked after as a unique individuals. Peers in
our setting are given opportunity to grow in consistency and harmony which helps
them to progress in all areas of grow ‘to follow the child, adapting himself to
the child’s rhythm and the psychological needs of his growth’ (Polk Lillard,
1972, p.39). It is important for us that children grow in calm, safe and
beautiful environment and are learning to be creators of the world around them.
They acquire how to develop self-discipline, motivation and love of work as a
natural response to their internal needs. Educational materials in our
kindergarten are purchased from the licensed manufacturers of Montessori
materials and are the same, which are taught in all over the world. The
furniture are comfortable and accessible for children. All the apparatus are
made of wood or natural resources and comply with high safety requirements. We
focus on each child individually to help him/ her evolve the curiosity to the
nature and to the surrounding world. We promote individuals who grow free, are
independent, be self-motivated and confident. They are empathic and tolerant,
can recognize their own feelings but also, which is very important, can respond
to the needs of others. We give children the opportunity to develop according to
their respective capabilities and to easily adapt themselves in multicultural
societies. The Montessori system of education provides an environment rich in
activities for every area of learning. Montessori called her schools “Casa dei
Bambini” or “the children’s home”. In their home from home the children find
room full of mysteries, challenges and discoveries. Our Montessori approach is
holistic and aims to develop the whole child when they have the greatest
capacity to learn. Follow by Montessori we aim to: help children become
confident, compassionate, happy, calm, purposeful, free and independent, empower
them and be creative. Awaken children’s interest in all subjects and to
encourage in them a love of learning. Give children an understanding of the
world and respect for all they find in it. The Montessori Method is a dynamic
and complete approach to the enrichment of young children and as such represents
the very best that a parent can give during these formative years. ‘The child is
in a continual state of growth and metamorphosis, where as the adult has reached
the norm of the species’ (E.M. Standing, 1984, p. 106).
