MONTESSORI HOMESCHOOLINGCreated by and for homeschooling families |
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Montessori Homeschooling Questions and Answers |
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Q. Who or What is "Montessori" Q. What is "Montessori Method"
of education? AGE 3-6: Q. Can I use Montessori idease at home with
my child? In the Montessori 3-6 class the environment is filled with cultural, artistic, scientific activities . There is no junk food, no television, no computer. Books, toys, and other educational materials are carefully chosen and of the best quality. The child is never forced to attend a lesson or do a piece of work. The teacher is trained to model kindness and consideration, to observe the child and follow her interests in suggesting work, to give careful, individual lessons, and to refrain from interrupting when the child is concentrating on an activity. Much of this can be created in the home. ALL AGES Q. What about socialization? AGE 6-18: Q. What Montessori ideas can I use for school
age children? Although we will not be able
to respond personally to each question, Thank you. MONTESSORI HOMESCHOOL GROUPS: This page was begun by a few families who are using Montessori philosophy and educational practice to educate their children at home. Families interested in forming a Montessori Homeschooling group. Click on: Montessori Homeschool Groups VALUABLE RELATED SITES: Michael Olaf's Montessori
E-book and PDF catalogue Montessori Educational Products: Practical Montessori - Renaissance
Parenting The International Montessori Index The California High School Proficiency
Exam (CHSPE) |
A MONTESSORI HOMESCHOOL STORY Written at the request of the organizers of the California Home-Education Conference, for homeschoolers interested in using Montessori philosophy and practice at home: Michael attended a Montessori school from age 2.5-5, and one semester at a Montessori elementary class. From then on, at his choice, he was homeschooled. His educational materials consisted, for the most part, products from the family Michael Olaf Montessori company which he reviewed for the catalogue, weekly visits to the library to research the interest of the moment, daily music practice, and exploration in nature. There was no TV in the home. He was allowed unlimited time whenever possible—days, nights, weekends—to explore and chose his own path. Many experiences and study directions were offered by his parents, and periodically by other mentors and teachers, but his choices and his passions were always respected. The parents both worked full time (mother in her home office) and spent very little time "educating" Michael. During the elementary years, they helped him make weekly work/study plans which included roughly grade level math and English suggestions, but was otherwise made up of his own choices in many areas such as music, literature, mythology, history, astronomy and the arts. There was no TV, and no video or computer games in the home as distractions and time wasters. He loved exploring and learning, and having his own interests respected. Over the years Michael studied Suzuki piano and violin and attended the local music academy at Humboldt State University for several hours every Saturday. For some years he attended a "homeschooling school" for one or two days a week. This provided sports, group activities, and a very interesting social life often found in homeschooling communities. His best friends were not just those people of his own age, but his young students, friends of his older sisters and parents, people of all ages. At age fifteen Michael passed the CHSPE (California High School Proficiency Exam) and received an official high school certificate. Then he was allowed to take classes at Humboldt State University. Looking always for the best teachers, rather than specific subjects, he earned 35 units at HSU, in drama, math, physics, and music. During the summer of his fifteenth year Michael went to the Calgary Conservatory in Canada and became a certified Suzuki piano teacher and began teaching — both adults and children. For one year Michael attended a new local academic and arts high school but found that this traditional method of education broke up academic subjects into choppy, boring segments which he found frustrating, and interfered with his own research and reading, music and academic progress. Although a wonderful school it was based on competition and an adult directed curriculum which is not necessary for a self-directed motivated student. The following year, having returned to "homeschooling" he taught a jazz ensemble for this school. TESTS: Michael was not "educated for tests", nor did he take any tests during his school years except in classes at Humboldt State University, and a California assessment test at the end of 6th grade. Instead he learned to enjoy learning and to work hard and do his best. When it came time to apply for college he took practice ACT and SAT tests, scoring very low, and then worked steadily for 2-3 months to learn what was needed to raise his scores to a consistently high level. He was admitted to Brown University. His sophomore year at Brown he was a TA for the music department, a role previously held only by music graduate students. For years Michael earned his own money teaching music and playing with professional groups, and learned to budget it for tithe, savings, and food, clothing and other necessities. He has toured or traveled in the Northwest USA, Cuba, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. He graduated in three years from Brown University, interned for an environmental NGO in India, and now is studying law at the University of Oregon where he works as a tutor for first year students. We believe that education should be cooperative instead of competitive. It should feed curiosity and create joy and compassion toward others. It works best when a child feels the intrinsic rewards of mastering subject matter, overcoming obstacles and finding his own answers to questions rather than the extrinsic rewards of praise, grades, or threats of failure. It should teach practical and social skills such as helping others, and teach one how to balance work and play and be healthy. If we can help children develop these goals we are giving them experiences that can lead to a productive and happy life. Over the last fifteen years we have learned a lot by homeschooling, and from other homeschooling families and from Montessori teachers and parents. The Michael Olaf Montessori catalogues have been constantly rewritten to reflect this learning and they are considered to be excellent overviews of Montessori philosophy and practice for use in many situations, and a source of materials for homes and schools, for children from birth through age 12 and beyond. We constantly questioned ourselves as parents "Are we doing the right thing?" "Are we ruining our child's life" as there really is no recipe for how to homeschool successfully. In the end we followed our gut feelings, we observed our only family and experience, and other homeschoolers carefully and "followed the child." Jim & Susan Stephenson |
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Email: MParents@aol.com
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The main education in this homeschooling experiment can be found within the pages of The Joyful Child, Essential Montessori for Birth to Three and Child of the World, Essential Montessori for Three to Twelve+ Years. These publications are available from www.amazon.com, or from The Michael Olaf Montessori Company, Arcata, CA. 707-826-1557, michaelola@aol.com, or www.michaelolaf.net |
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