Middle School Program
Why Choose Montessori Middle School?
Your child attended a Montessori school and wants to continue in an autonomous, student driven learning community.
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Your child is an independent learner who is excited about having a voice in their educational journey.
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Your child thrives when given choice and responsibility.
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Your child is an adolescent who wants to learn how to be an adult and wants to be treated as a valuable individual within their community.
Quotes from John McNamara about Montessori Middle School.
John McNamara founded his own adolescent community in 1976 at Ruffing Montessori in Ohio. He was one of the major voices in the development of adolescent programs and what they should look like
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“If I’ve learned anything from my students, it’s that caring relationships form the foundation of all lasting learning. Our emotions affect how and what we learn. Students need an environment that frees their minds, their souls, their bodies from those limitations that can hamper them and hold them back.”
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“Our class motto is: ‘If you can’t be right, be wrong.’ We want a fearless approach to learning. Education today has a tendency to encourage risk avoidance as opposed to risk-taking. We want adolescents to be in the position where they can learn from their mistakes and not be afraid to make them.”
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“Another real aspect [of adolescence] is an age of silliness. They just need to be silly to have fun.”
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“Laughter is our safety valve. Because we are capable of laughter, we are able to see ourselves in perspective to others and to unattainable ideals, and at the same time to develop compassion for others by learning to laugh at ourselves, to laugh at our feelings.”
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