Pictured: Tianna Gertge, Head of School, and Madi Nichols, Director of Providence Montessori Academy
A recent interview with Head of School, Tianna Gertge, shows why she chose (and continues to choose) the Montessori way:
1. What interested you most in the Montessori Method of education?
I learned about the Montessori Method my freshman year of college. The concept really intrigued me but it wasn’t until I was in my senior year of my bachelor’s degree that I started doing more research about the method. I was required to do observation hours at a few different schools, so I made sure one of them was a Montessori school.
First I visited a traditional preschool. It was very chaotic and it didn’t seem like a ton of learning was being done. The teachers seemed overwhelmed by the number of children and the children were not engaged.
The following day, I visited a Montessori school. The students were significantly younger than the students I had observed the day before, yet they were doing more work and seemed happy to be there. The classroom was peaceful, classical music was playing, there was a light “hum” in the room, not a ton of talking, but minor conversations happening throughout. The children continually took materials to a mat or table and concentrated deeply on their activities. I instantly fell in love with the method and began structuring all my lesson plans to the Montessori philosophy.
2. What does your hiring process look like?
We hired qualified teachers to work at PMA. We ask that our Lead Teachers hold a bachelor’s degree or are in their final year of college (internship year). The Lead Teacher in your child’s classroom must also be Montessori certified to teach that grade level. Our Assistants go through Assistant Training from the Center for Guided Montessori Studies. We also hold our own PMA assistant training that is unique to our school.
3. How does a Montessori curriculum differ from traditional school?
Montessori is holistic. Meaning, we care about educating the whole child. This goes beyond academics; we want to make sure we are helping raise good people.
- Grace and courtesy are a large part of our curriculum
- We teach children how to prepare meals
- We teach children to work through disagreements with friends
- We teach children to self-regulate
- We teach children to have good manners.
Academically, we believe children are much more capable than we give them credit for. For example, we ask that children as young as 12 months put away their materials and help serve themselves.
By teaching concrete concepts for math and language, children comprehend large concepts at younger age levels. We don’t expect our students in our rooms to all be at the same academic level. If a student doesn’t understand a concept, we are able to work with them until they are successful. When they understand a concept, we continue to move forward. Our small class sizes allow for one-on-one learning, which is crucial for knowing where each student lies academically.