ROCKWALL/HEATH, TX (August 17, 2014) This fall, Discovery School at First Baptist Church in Heath will once again open its doors for 3-6-year-olds interested in receiving a Montessori education.
Discovery School Directress Norma Morris has 35 years of experience with the Montessori learning style, and said Discovery School is the only Christian Montessori program in the area. She said there are countless benefits to the Montessori method because it allows children to learn in a way that feels more natural to them than the rote memorization found in standard education procedures.
“It teaches the way the child wants to be taught,” Morris said. “It is natural and easy. Experts have long since identified that traditional methods don’t work as well. Montessori is the only developmental-based education system in the world.”
As a testament to her faith in the Montessori system, Morris used it to teach both of her own children, who are now grown. She founded her first Montessori school in 1978 for her son because she could tell he was academically gifted, and later used the program for her daughter a well. Now her daughter runs a Montessori school of her own.
Morris said the method she has found to be so effective was developed by Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori over 100 years ago.
“She was the first to develop a curriculum based upon a theory, and then a philosophy,” Morris said.
Morris said Montessori also pioneered child-sized furniture, because she was always focused on molding materials to fit children’s perspectives as opposed to forcing children to fit a traditional learning method mold. This theme is carried throughout all of the materials found in the Discovery School classroom. Each of the stations throughout the room is hands-on, with sequential, self-correcting materials. This means that the children can begin to make connections and see patterns through their own discovery rather than from constant auditory instruction.
“The Montessori system uses all three learning styles: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic,” Morris said. “Her system cuts across all three and lets children see and touch materials so that they are not just memorizing, they are understanding concepts.”
Morris said Montessori studied thousands of children and identified that they develop in stages of three. From ages 3-6, it is pivotal for children to grasp foundational concepts.
“From ages 3-6, children are in a stage where they are absorbing concepts,” Morris said. “[Montessori] created an education system that was linked to growth: intellectually, physically, and spiritually.”
At Discovery School, Morris and the rest of her staff infuse the revolutionary Montessori method with a spiritual focus that allows children to develop faith innate within them.
“We recognize that in America spiritual development has become very artificial; it is based on what you do, not who you are,” Morris said. “It is supposed to be a natural part of our life. God is everywhere, we don’t have to have a specific compartment for Him.”
Morris uses what she calls “Hands-On Bible,” which essentially consists of Bible stories and concepts in the Montessori format. There is a specific station in her classroom equipped with things like a large wooden ark and sequential boxes portraying the story of creation.
“The stories are made into pieces of the equipment for the children to use,” Morris said.
Soon enough, Morris’ students will not only consist of preschoolers, but adults too. First Baptist Church is funding a Montessori Certification class taught by Morris in the coming year, in hopes of expanding the number of teachers familiar with the Montessori method. The program will begin in October, and Morris said it will only cost a fraction of the amount typically charged for Montessori certification.
Discovery School is also now open for fall enrollment. Morris said in previous years the school has hosted a class of 15 students led by two teachers.
Morris said parents interested in Discovery School can rest assured that their children will be in an environment where learning feels comfortable.
“Our motto is ‘follow the child,’” Morris said. “We don’t try to force them to fit a curriculum we designed.”
By Julie Anne White, Blue Ribbon News staff writer & reporter.
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