Forest Park Montessori School

Like Montessori schools everywhere, Forest Park Montessori teaches children how to learn. During the Covid-19 crisis, we observed that the children who attend Montessori at any level were well prepared for a home schooling experience. They'd been coached to be independent learners, curious, self-motivated and resistant to distractions.

The core content they've been offered has given them a framework to help them understand new information they may receive from many other sources. In early biology lessons, for example, they've learned where birds fit in the Animal Kingdom and how their body parts, beak, feathers, wings and legs help them adapt to their unique environments. With that knowledge, Montessori children can make better use of books, nature videos, and hikes or trips to the zoo. Even folk tales and poetry can be enriched by this kind of knowledge base. So it is across the curriculum.

Last year we had to offer the children extra space to regain their social skills. This year we are seeing them settle back into the deeper levels of learning we had seen previously. Our Montessori educators are well-prepared to adapt to changing conditions because they are trained to recognize each child as a unique learner. The one-size-fits-all approach of the traditional classroom will fail the children who have special needs, or live in over-crowded housing or have minimal online access. Your support today means so much when our children and our society have never needed Montessori education more.