If you’ve ever driven by Hurley Park in Pass-a-Grille, you passed a small school called Montessori by the Sea. Recently, I had an opportunity to sit down with Director Nicole Wilson I’ve always wondered about the little blue building; who went there and what it was all about. The school looks so idyllic as you sometimes see the children playing by the beach. You are brought back to yesteryear, a forgotten time, when children played outside and walked in their communities as part of their learning. After talking, I realized that Montessori by the Sea is much more than a special school; it is a special philosophy and a part of our community.
Nicole was brought to Montessori by the Sea in 2009. Her journey began much like other parents, by having her children enrolled. It wasn’t long before she became a volunteer and the five years since has brought her to her current position as Director.
“I think a Montessori environment allows children to develop a love of learning,” Wilson says. “Children have the opportunity to dig deeper into subjects, find what they enjoy and explore. One thing that makes Montessori special is that it offers all children a place to learn at a pace that fits where they are developmentally. The teachers prepare the environment that allows children to have the opportunity to explore and learn. For example when my youngest son Nicholas was four, he had a great desire to learn how to read. In the Montessori classroom, the materials were available to him and there was flexibility and freedom of choice that allowed him to progress at his pace so he didn’t lose interest.”
As we walked through and explored the materials, I could see that the Montessori approach was unique. One of the iconic Montessori resources is the famous pink tower. Used in the primary classroom, it is a graduated series of 10 wooden cubes, each decreasing by 1 cubic centimeter. This, along with other equally well-designed materials, becomes the foundation for children to draw on later as they explore and learn more abstract concepts.
“We are proud to offer an authentic Montessori program. Our carefully prepared classrooms are filled with materials that provide children an opportunity for hands-on learning,” says Nicole, “and our staff are Montessori certified and are all committed to Montessori.”
The school offers programs as early as 3 years of age and goes all the way to grade 3 when most are 9 years old. With only 52 children currently and a maximum school enrollment of 60, you could also see how close knit everyone had become.
When it comes to the beach, the kids not only use it for recreation, they use it as a learning tool. While each classroom is different, the primary children may go exploring to find shells and items to incorporate into their artwork. When they move on to the elementary classroom, they will explore the same beach, but this time bringing the items back to examine under a microscope and research, creating reports and presenting their findings to the rest of the class. This provides students with a hands-on understanding of their ecosystem, how it works, how it survives and what happens to the living things within the environment.
Taking advantage of the small community environment, the lower elementary class was also able to take a number of day trips to the local library and the supermarket using the local trolley. These outings allowed the children to apply their school knowledge in practical ways, utilizing everything from mathematics to purchase trolley tickets and shopping items, to geography as they navigated their community. They also explored meal preparation and nutrition, using the items purchased at the supermarket to make a meal back in class.
Another interesting geography project, took the primary kids exploring the neighborhood. There they took pictures and drew diagrams of where they had gone, in the end providing a handmade map of Pass-a-Grille. Of course the teachers also took advantage of the journey, making a visit to the local Historical Museum and discussing the history of the community.
For more information: Nicole Wilson, 813 244-2652, nicole@montessori-by-sea.org