Montessori Children’s House and School (MCHS) was established in 1970 as an Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) school. AMI is the longest-established, purest form of the Montessori philosophy.
MCHS is the sole Dallas-area AMI Montessori school which has elected to focus solely on children 3 to 6 years of age. This is the developmental period during which children possess the unique ability to continuously absorb the knowledge made available for their discovery.
The mission of MCHS is to meet the developmental needs of each child, assisting in the total development of the child, helping him construct himself emotionally, socially and intellectually. This goal is accomplished by creating a prepared environment that helps foster the development of each child’s self-reliance, confidence, and respect. The nurturing of these characteristics helps the child become an independent, enthusiastic, problem-solving, lifelong learner.
There are a number of unique aspects to the Montessori classroom environment and philosophy.
First, and perhaps the most obvious difference from traditional education, is that children are grouped in three-year age brackets. Each of MCHS’ three classrooms has children between the ages of 3 and 6 in the room together. The grouped ages involve the younger students in many levels of activities and allows them to watch their older classmates working on the more complex lessons – a strong motivational tool. The older students evolve into leaders and teachers in the classroom, building confidence and reinforcing their old lessons as they help their younger classmates.
Another distinctive aspect to the Montessori approach is respect for each child’s individuality. Children primarily receive new lessons from the guide on classroom materials on a one-on-one basis or in small groups, allowing each child to progress at his own rate.
The students return each year to the same classroom, primarily the same group of friends, and the same guide, making the classroom a familiar, stable environment in which the child can simply concentrate on building the person that he will become.