“Our care of the child should be governed, not by the desire to make him learn things,
but by the endeavor to always keep burning within him that light which is called intelligence.”
-Dr. Maria Montessori
The ambition of Dr. Maria Montessori to fan the flame of intelligence is the central aim of education in a Montessori environment. Through her work as an educator and curriculum specialist, Dr. Montessori identified commonalities among children within specific planes of development, and created a paradigm of learning that fosters growth and independence across those planes. The focus in Montessori education is always on encouraging the curiosity and intelligence in a learner. Dr.Montessori was convinced that every child was capable of learning, and that the joy of discovery and mastery is innate in all of us. Her view was that education should bolster that innate joy, through carefully curated environments and trained teacher-guides. Over 100 years of application and research has demonstrated that this model is both innovative and effective, fostering life-longer learners.
Steamboat Montessori offers an authentic Montessori program that is integrated with Colorado state standards to create a well-balanced, holistic and academically challenging educational setting. Montessori offers a proven educational method that fosters 21st century skills through five key principles:
- Freedom within limits is the key to self-discipline, and enables students to take ownership over their own education, creating life-long learners.
- Learning is intrinsic; students grow, discover and learn because it is innate to do so, and because it brings joy.
- Students learn best in a carefully prepared environment, that allows for multiple different learning styles.
- Individualized learning in a multi-age setting fosters collaboration, critical thinking and leadership.
- A holistic approach to education builds the skills of collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and leadership (21st skills).
Montessori is an intentional, rigorous and carefully applied educational framework that has been tested all over the world for over a century. Several of the most prominent leaders in business, technology and the arts were the beneficiaries of Montessori education as children. Among them are Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, author Gabriel Garcia Marquez, NBA MVP Steph Curry, and multi-time Grammy winner Taylor Swift, among many others.
At Steamboat Montessori, we bring a love of community to the rigors of the Montessori framework, incorporating ample outdoor opportunities, a focus on community service and peace education, and a deep appreciation for our beautiful Yampa Valley home.
