Montessori Compass: Parent Education

With many new students in the classroom this year, I am giving extra attention to a critical component to any successful Montessori program - parent education.  While many of our new students are siblings from previous families, parents can still benefit from learning more about Montessori theory and philosophy. After all, there is always more to learn!  Thankfully, we utilize a valuable tool that not only aids us in general record keeping in the classroom, but also in educating parents about all things Montessori.

If you are not familiar with the online recording keeping system, Montessori Compass, please be sure to read a brief description on THIS POST or visit their website.  The purpose of this post is to bring to your awareness the incredible resource Montessori Compass provides for parents.

Parents of students whose teachers utilize this program have a huge amount of information available at their fingertips!  Having logged into their personal accounts, users can find the tab 'Parent Resources' in the 'My Backpack' heading.  Clicking here, a parent is brought to a page with the headings 'Montessori 101' and 'Montessori Materials.'  Under 'Montessori 101,' Tim Seldin, President of the Montessori Foundation, has prepared an extensive explanation of Montessori philosophy and links to details about specific curriculum areas.  Included in a 'General' section, is information and history of Maria Montessori, philosophy, and explanation of common myths associated with Montessori education.  This  alone would be more than adequate to begin educating parents, but there is more.

The Parent Resource page also includes a heading, 'Montessori Materials' which is an extensive list of many Montessori materials/lessons with detailed explanations and photographs.   There is no denying that such a resource is instrumental in helping parents to better understand not only their children's experiences in a Montessori setting, but also supports their own decision to have their child attend a Montessori school.  If you are a parent of one of my students, I recommend preparing a cup of coffee or tea before exploring this page, then ENJOY!