Who was Maria Montessori and Montessori Gold Coast?

“Montessori” isn’t a tradename, and Montessori Gold Coast childcare centres/education centres are those that follow the methods of Maria Montessori, who pioneered a school of thought, in both senses of the phrase.

Maria Montessori was an Italian woman who was born in 1870 and was one of those “uppity women” who refused to accept the traditional role for women. In her teens, she wanted to be an engineer, and attended what had been all-boys school. However, she later became a doctor – the first woman to graduate from the University of Rome’s medical school. She soon found her area to specialise in: she worked in the areas of psychiatry and psychology, and soon became deeply involved in helping to educate children who had been labelled as “uneducable” (we’d call them “special needs” children; she called them “poor little ones”). The children she taught did well and caught up to their age-group peers.

Maria Montessori then wondered what would happen if she applied her techniques to “normal” children. How would they develop? She believed that children learn by experience and doing rather than by listening, and that the teacher should be there to help the child develop more and more complex skills that are tackled at their (the child’s) own pace. Dr Montessori soon had her chance to put her ideas into action when a school was needed in a housing development in a poorer area in Rome.

Dr Montessori’s first “Children’s House” was a huge success, and many other centres where children could learn according to Montessori Gold Coast methods were opened. International interest was sparked in her methods. However, Montessori had to leave her homeland of Italy and go into political exile because she refused to cooperate with the demands of the Fascist dictator Mussolini and use her schools to indoctrinate children and to train them to become soldiers. At first, she lived in the Netherlands, but spent the years of World War II in India, returning to the Netherlands after the war was over.

One valuable contribution Dr Montessori made not only to the Montessori Gold Coast method of education but to understanding of childhood development as a whole is the idea that all children develop at their own pace. Certainly, children can be grouped in rough three-year age bands, but some children are ready for, say, learning to read earlier than others. Another aspect of education pioneered by Montessori is the use of sensorial materials (classic examples are the moveable alphabet and the sandpaper letters used for learning to read). Today, all teachers (not just Montessori teachers) are told about different learning styles (kinaesthetic, audio and visual), but this was part of Montessori learning from the very beginning. Montessori asserted that children are fully fledged and independent human beings who have the potential to solve problems and learn things for themselves; the role of the teacher is to provide learning opportunities suited to the stage the child is at, which is done by observing the child and seeing what they’re ready for.

Maria Montessori died in 1952. During her lifetime, some experts had predicted that her movement and methods would fade out without her personality behind them, but history has proven them wrong: after over 50 years after her death, Montessori’s philosophy lives on and Montessori Gold Coast child care centres are as popular as ever.

When making a decision about what Gold Coast Montessori pre-school school to enroll your child in, take a close look at Friday’s Child Montessori.  It is a Gold Coast childcare centre that uses the Montessori method and lives the Montessori philosophy.

The school opened in 1986 and is run by Laurena Rakauskas.

Because there are other choices out there, before you make a decision be sure to research each facility and get to know something about each school’s program first.  You can do some research into the Montessori method on the internet or schedule a day when you can actually visit each possible choice and see how the teachers and students interact with each other.

It is important that you feel completely at ease with whatever learning environment you choose for your child.

Laurena Rakauskas has a passion for helping little minds develop naturally. She is an expert at early childhood education and is there joyfully teaching the children in her charge every day.  She earned a three year Diploma of Teaching (Primary) from Murray Park College in South Australia, a diploma from the London Montessori School, and a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood). In addition she has first aid training and a number of other workplace and health and safety certficates.

At Friday’s Child Gold Coast childcare, safety is a priority so you can be sure that your child is safe.  Laurena’s own children were taught using the Montessori method. Children who have attended Fridays Child have become high acheivers in university, school captains, a lot are in business, with happy fulfilling careers.

Because Friday’s Child Montessori is a fully staffed preschool with a 3 staff to 21 student ratio, it is an excellent choice when considering a Gold Coast Montessori pre-school.  This allows for plenty of attention and interaction with the children.

It is a homelike environment with a natural canopy of shady trees. Even though there is plenty of shade the children use chemical free sunscreen and hats as it is a “Sun Smart” center. They cater to pre-school age children with mixed age children that range from two and a half years old to five.

They accept all children for Gold Coast childcare regardless of ability. They teach with an emphasis on manners, respect for others and their environment, how to put things away, as well as the importance of good hygeine.

In keeping with the Montessori prepared environment, they provide extensive group activities and have a broad array of learning materials.  They make sure to rotate the activities to keep boredom from setting in.

Here is how it works…

Laurena and her staff encourage the children to do an activity correctly the first time and then allow them to experiment with it on their own. This reduces fear of failure and builds self esteem.

They give the children the freedom to choose activities that they feel comfortable in doing.  Each activity is designed to extend the child’s knowledge and skills while challenging them.  They encourage the children to work independently this allows their natural love of learning to blossom while building on their self motivation.  Sometimes the children will form small groups and teach and motivate each other.

By teaching the children in the Montessori way, the emphasis is on teaching the whole child.  That is including mentally, physically and emotionally. In this way the children become bright, loving, people who are high acheivers.

Gold Coast childcare staff treat the children as individuals who learn in different ways. They empower the children to look after themselves, stick up for themselves and not be afraid to ask for help if they need it.

Because Fridays Child teaches the children to cooperate, communicate and play together quietly they learn to deal with problems appropriately and without violence.

Children educated in the Montessori method are happier, love learning and challenging themselves and ultimately become adults that value themselves and their contributions to Society.

So when you are ready to see why Friday’s Child is the best option for Gold Coast Montessori education, call Laurena at (07) 55782092 and schedule your free Gold Coast childcare trial day!