About Us : The Montessori Philosophy
"Joy, feeling one’s own value, being appreciated and loved by others, feeling useful and capable of production are all factors of enormous value for the human soul. "
- Maria Montessori. Childhood to Adolescence.
We believe that Montessori education is both a method and a philosophy based on over 45 years of observation and work with children by Maria Montessori, an Italian doctor and educator. (1870 – 1952)
At Smart Start the Montessori approach begins with acknowledging the potential of each child to provide cognitive, physical and spiritual development. As Montessori recognized that true learning only resulted from the self motivation of the child, the learning environment at Smart Start preschool facilitates children to observe, to think, to judge. It introduces children to the joy of learning at an early stage and provides a framework in which intellectual and social disciplines go hand in hand.
Dr Montessori placed strong emphasis on providing a peaceful and orderly environment. At Smart Start we encourage children to work independently but always within the context of a wider community, with differing ages, races and abilities. The younger child is exposed to the exciting work of older classmates, while the older child has the chance to reinforce knowledge through demonstration to the younger ones. Opportunities to practice newly acquired social skills – grace, courtesy, and respect for others, occur naturally within everyday class life. The environment provides natural social interaction and development.
