FAQ

The MBA prides itself on the children achieving self-discipline which is acquired gradually though the absorption in meaningful work. When a child becomes vitally interested in a particular classroom activity, his behavior almost always matures. If a child misbehaves in the classroom, the teacher usually helps him to select work which will more fully absorb his attention.

Each child in the Montessori classroom work individually with the materials, there is no competition in the Montessori classroom. Each child relates only to his own previous work, and his progress is not compared to the achievement of other children. Dr. Montessori believed that competition in education should be introduced only after the child has gained the confidence in the use of the basic skills. “Never let a child risk failure until he has a reasonable chance of success”.

The use of individual materials permits a varied pace that accommodates many levels of ability in the classroom. A younger or slower child may work for many weeks on the same piece of equipment without slowing the other members of the classroom. Advanced children in the same room can move from on piece of equipment to another very quickly, thus avoiding the boredom of waiting for other members of the class to catch up. The children with a high level of ability are constantly challenged by the wide variety of materials and their many uses.

The period of normalization is the time it takes for the child to become familiar with the program and follow the rules.