Montessori offers a wealth of benefits.
By Jenny James Photography – Exclusive Montessori Photographer
I first heard about Montessori from a friend. I thought it was some type of religion. But as she shared with me the philosophy of Maria Montessori, the creator of the Montessori educational theory, she had me ready to sign my preschool daughter up.
My daughter is now about to graduate high school and I still see her Montessori ways shining through in the way she studies, learns, leads her classmates and challenges herself to achieve her goals. Learning how to choose works in the classroom at a young age taught her how to challenge herself. When it was time to choose her high school classes she made sure that they were challenging and would benefit her well into her college years.
Montessori is a method of teaching the whole child, allowing them to learn at their own pace. This method supports the individuality, independence and curiosity of the child. The classroom is carefully planned out with age-appropriate, hands-on lessons and projects that the children choose for themselves, helping them to become independent learners. Multiple ages in the classroom help the students work together and teach each other, preparing them for the adult world.
Classrooms have four areas of work
- Practical life: This consists of self-care, daily living (sewing scrubbing, etc.) and care of the child’s environment.
- Sensorial: Colors, shapes, size, textures, sounds and smell. The pink tower is a great example of this type of work.
- Language: Naming and matching words of objects and pictures. Writing sentences with the moveable alphabet. Using sandpaper letters for texture.
- Math: Using concrete items to know what a thousand cube looks like before they can even verbalize the information. The bead cabinet is a great example of this work.
When we made the choice for our daughter to begin Montessori, we were surprised as parents how much we had to learn also. When you begin to raise an independent student it will carry over into your home life. My daughter became curious about everything and we wanted to give her the same open and challenging learning environment that she had during the day. This meant I was no longer allowed to do things for her that she could do for herself. Even if it meant on those days, where you just need to get out the door, we had to slow down because she had to tie her shoes or put on her own jacket. Or having to pick up a thousand rocks everywhere we go so that she can take them home and look at every inch of them.
I have a 10 year old that we have also chosen Montessori learning for. Our home environment is still ever-changing. Every child is different. Instead of picking up rocks all the time we now pick up sticks. I am still learning and growing as a parent and I am very thankful for the Montessori community that supports us.
Being a photographer and a supporter of Montessori, I was over the moon when Holistic Montessori Solutions, a consulting resource specializing in supporting effective Montessori ownership, leadership and administration, invited me to document Montessori for them.
Being a professional photographer, I have found another way to support my love of the Montessori environment by telling the story of these classrooms through photography. I absolutely love my job helping Montessori schools document their classrooms. I am invited to come into the classroom and capture the children working. They are always so excited to share their work with me and sometimes I even get a lesson from them, which is my favorite part of my day!
When I am invited to schools to document what Montessori is all about, that is my favorite work to photograph. I am helping them share something that is so close to my heart and something I truly believe in.
To learn more about Jennie James Photography and how I can help document your school or family, visit me at www.jenniejamesphotography.com.