For the past two days, I was on an assignment in a Montessori centre, located in the Western Sydney surburbs. I was actually rather excited and was looking forward to seeing what is called "normalized" children in a Montessori centre.
During my time there, I observed that though the children in the preschool group do engage and work with the Montessori materials and equipment each time I passed through the room...but this was more of name than in practice.
STAFF
The centre is staffed by staff holding a Cert III, and some Diploma. trained as well as some trainee staff. The majority of the staff is of Lebanese background, with some others Greek.
The children however come a lot from Vietnamese, Lebanese as well as other Arabic backgrounds. The centre meets the Department of Community Service (DOCS) requirements, and like most centres, employ a daily diary for daily programming, besides the weekly program which is updated by a permanent staff.
MANAGEMENT & CURRICULUM
However, due to certain circumstances, the centre justifies the employment of a management strategy that employs more of the common, than on what is supposedly to be Montessori.
Hence, if parents were aspiring of wanting to look for a centre that truly employs the Montessori Method, I believe that they should thoroughly do their homework; as some may be said to be Montessori by name, and less in practice as most are.
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