Philosophy and Purpose

The Montessori Vision

of

Bainbridge~Solon Montessori School

As Expounded by:

Nelunika Gunawardena Rajapakse

FREEDOM, RESPECT & RESPONSIBILITY 
~ The Three Pivotal Truths of the Human Condition ~

As members of civilized society,
We are privileged to enjoy freedom
As one of the greatest endowments of all,
That men and women alike may cherish.

~ It is in the refuge of freedom that one must cultivate
The virtues of respect and responsibility ~
The necessary counterparts for learning -
The natural, as well as, the supra-natural wonders of life. 

The very inception of our learning process
 Is essentially marked from the moment of conception.

Learning ~ the natural consequence of lived experience ~
 is inherently propelled by tendencies 
~ which may be complemented with wholesome opportunity ~
 to explore and discover
the interdependent marvels of life in the universe
as they continue to affect us.

Our journey of exploration and discovery
~ that finds momentum from the first breath of life ~
becomes a continuum of useful experiences
 as we evolve and unfold to total maturity
through the different phases of our lives.

As an academic institution chartered by the State Board of Education of Ohio, Bainbridge - Solon Montessori School caters to the scholastic needs of children from grades pre-kindergarten through 6 in an authentic Montessori environment.  This is a  quality alternative to a conventional approach to education.  It prepares the child to meet the challenges of the 21st century with depth and understanding.

In an open environment such as a Montessori classroom, ideally known as 'the prepared environment', children of a particular biological phase (for example:  0-3 years, 3-6 years, 6-9 years, 9-12 years, and so on, as opposed to a chronological age), work to the best of their potential according to their developmental needs and tendencies.  In order to aid this process, scientifically devised and deliberately prepared Montessori apparatus (appropriately defined as 'means of development'), together with specially trained adults called 'directresses' make due allowance for autonomous, undisturbed and well-rounded activity according to each child's inner promptings.

In observation of the school's highest educational mission, children are respected for their natural developmental capacities to learn - at their own pace - in synchrony with their individual biological/psychological clocks of time.  Hence, we neither look to stereotype nor to label children under adult-oriented norms and standards, but rather, we help each and every child to receive within his own capacity to absorb and assimilate to the fullest.  Therefore, children's developmental sensitivities are consistently and continuously matched with opportunity to help them realize the best of their individual human potential.

Structure and order in the Montessori classroom are thus maintained by the sustained inner peace of children whose needs have been fulfilled.