philosophy

Montessori Philosophy:  HeartSong Montessori provides multi-age classes, a carefully prepared student-centered environment, hands-on learning materials, uninterrupted work periods promoting deep engagement, and "teacher-as-guide" who nurtures the spirit of each child. 

Community:   We seek connection and partnership with every parent and family, aiming to be part of the web of relations that comprise each child's social world. "School," we hope, is not just a drop-off place-- another fragment in a fragmented world. We embrace differences and work to always maintain a safe, caring environment hospitable to all. The multi-age classroom in particular provides rich opportunities for children to practice "unity in diversity" as they each learn from, care for, lean on, teach and lead one another. 

Peace Education: Peace education is a less well-known aspect of Montessori but is integral to the whole approach. Woven into the classroom environment, it is not a special curriculum but is instead an outcome of the school culture. Students are continually supported to make choices that promote mindfulness, self-awareness, and joy, and to resolve conflicts amicably by, for example, the use of the Peace Rose.

CORE VALUES

Because a school environment powerfully influences a child's moral and character development, we affirm our commitment to modeling, teaching, and supporting the following values:

Respect: for self, others, and the natural world

Compassion: as a central aspect of all relationships

Learning: a labor of love and a journey of wonder that lasts a lifetime

Community: the dance of diversity, belonging, and interdependence 

Purpose: every child is endowed with, and obligated to, an innate, unique sense of calling

Courage: a core capacity of the heart and the antidote to fear

Creativity: joyfully connects us with the deepest parts of ourselves and the world