Children at Elizabeth Academy have the privilege of staying with the same teacher for several years in a row.  Children in Montessori settings remain with their teacher from ages 3-6 (traditionally pre-school - kindergarten).  This means that their teacher has every opportunity to intimately understand their developmental levels, learning styles, and family support systems.  For children with learning differences, this means there is no “starting over period” which often requires a lengthy adjustment period that often occurs from changing teachers each year.  Starting in the Fall of 2010, Elizabeth Academy will offer 3 Programs:  Emerging/Early Childhood, Early Childhood, and Elementary I.

Always adapting as we follow the needs of our children at Elizabeth Academy, we will include two new programs next year (2010-2011).  They are the EMERGING/EARLY CHILDHOOD (ages 2-4) and the ELEMENTARY I (ages 6-9) classes.  In keeping with Montessori philosophy, the children in these classes will also be multi-age grouped just as they are in the EARLY CHILDHOOD (ages 3-6) class.  Please go to our PROGRAMS section to read a detailed description about each of these programs.

THE TEACHER AND THE CLASSROOM

The teacher acts as a facilitator.  She prepares the environment for the child in a way which invites learning.  A Montessori education values the principles of autonomy, choice and spontaneity which can only be achieved through an orderly environment.  The teacher models order, respecting every element in the child’s environment, and encourages the children to respect and maintain that order through gentle persuasion; “this is not ready for the next person”.  Order is essential to the child’s experience.

The teacher acts as a support to each child by preparing materials and creating a climate of trust.  She relies heavily on the powers of intuition and observation, watching each child in his discovery of knowledge, taking notes and introducing new materials and concepts as the child is ready.  Experiencing an environment which is free from noise, reprimand or competition, the classroom exudes a happy joyful air as children revel in the delight of learning.

The Montessori method differs from a traditional education in that it challenges the child’s own critical thinking skills and allows time and space for his ideas to come to fruition.  Designated time blocks and persistent teacher intervention found in traditional schools are not part of the Montessori experience.  Subjects are not segmented, but are interrelated with thematic connections.