Empowering Kids in Unimaginable Ways
Since the middle of the 20th century, preschool programs have been increasingly widespread given the recognition of the importance of learning during early childhood when brain development is very rapid. One of the important functions of preschool programs is to help children acquire learning-related skills, such as the ability to express thoughts, adapt behaviors to situational demands, control impulsivity, show curiosity, remain concentrated and be socially competent. As such, school readiness is not only about teaching children basic language and mathematics skills, but is also about promoting self-regulation. Although beneficial for all children, these early childhood learning opportunities are especially important for children in disadvantaged groups as they play a critical role in reducing the impact of negative early experiences and in redirecting their development into a more productive trajectory. Accordingly, preschool programs can help to reduce the educational gap between children from vulnerable and more affluent families. One such pre-school that promises the fulfilment of the school commitments is Linden Montessori.
As a Montessori School, the focus has always been-“Experiential Learning”. Children at a young age are always making sense about the world around them through their senses. The school has always strived as a school to create stimulating environments for the young learners where each section of the school provides them a chance to be explorers and learners. Hence learning is not just confined to classrooms but activity areas, dining areas and play areas too. It has been 8 years since the inception of Linden Montessori as a preschool. This journey has been pretty fascinating and rewarding as the school has witnessed the significant changes in the development of children who were a part of Linden. The school proudly claims to be an independent school (not a franchise model) in a location of established brands in Whitefield, Bangalore. Our growth by and large has been by the word of parents.
Linden Montessori believes that children are capable of amazing things. In order to help a child achieve his/her fullest potential, the school gives a lot of emphasis on active learning where the children work on hands-on materials and absorb knowledge through their senses. Montessori education is regarded as one of the finest learning techniques for young pupils owing to its emphasis on hands-on learning, collaborative play, and self-directed activities. Under the supervision and guidance of a highly qualified teacher, children are encouraged to make creative decisions in the classroom. The curriculum equips children with a well-rounded education. Even the classrooms are wonderfully built and created to appeal to children’s visual senses. It offers a tranquil and welcoming atmosphere in which they may learn and grow. There are various areas in the classroom for dining, reading, listening to stories, and other learning activities. This design allows toddlers to maintain the physical mobility required to keep the mind engaged.
Understanding Uniqueness of Each Child
Pre-schoolers have a highly absorbent mind. Their capacity to learn and create is much more in the first six years than any other time in their life. Therefore, a pre-school has a significant role to play. Dr. Maria Montessori (Founder of the Montessori Method) believed that the aim of education should be to prepare a child for life. Hence the goal as a pre-school is to encourage children to think critically, ask questions, think out-of-the-box, be creative, independent, confident and curious learners. The team of teachers at the school focuses on preparing the students to be learners for life hence, evolving themselves with new research, learnings, applications, sharing of best practices and effective communication. This ensures the school’s novelty and dynamism in comparison to the other schools.
The Montessori Method is all about “Following the Child”. This is the exact opposite of the old conventional method i.e. “Following the Teachers”. Though many schools still continue with the approach of children following the teachers, we as a school greatly understand and respect the uniqueness of each child. Therefore, learning happens at a child’s pace. On child development Stuti Mehrotra, Founder, states- “Children define their own pace of learning and understanding things and it’s beautiful to see the metamorphosis happening in their development because of the freedom and space given to their choices and learning needs”.
The pandemic has shown some remarkable changes in each sector. It was not easy for the schools to move to online teaching which seemed the opposite of the experiential and hands-on approach at school. At Linden Montessori, the team was apprehensive and skeptical about this move. However, over time they realized that this was indeed a boon for the school as it made everyone more tech-savvy, the teachers rediscovered their creativity and confidence in a different mode of teaching and how one could overcome challenges with positivity and will. The school started its own YouTube Channel with amazing videos that can be viewed by parents and teachers across the world for teaching concepts to the preschoolers.
Taking Steps For a Zero-Waste Environment
Lindel Montessori also contributes to maintaining a zero-waste green planet to which Stuti Mehrotra, Founder, states- “We are proud of the fact that we are contributing towards a cleaner and greener planet by having gardening as part of our curriculum for children. At a very young age they learn how to sow seeds and grow a plant and more importantly why we need them in our ecosystem. Also, we have set up our own composting in the school building which has helped us in reducing our carbon footprint.” In alignment with the vision of a better planet, the school has repeatedly hosted zero-waste annual events wherein no balloons, plastics etc were used. The school was also featured in NDTV’s website for waste-free Annual Days.
The Year 2022 is when Linden will be venturing into the Elementary Years. The magic of the Montessori methodology followed is soon going to continue into the primary years for children. The school has always believed that “It takes a village to raise a child”. Therefore, the Parent Community and School work in close collaboration for the development of the children. The school is always approachable and open to feedback and suggestions from the parent community.
Stuti Mehrotra – Founder
Stuti Mehrotra being the founder of Linden Montessori is a passionate educationist and loves being and working with children. As a child, she always dreamt of becoming a teacher. The book “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish” by Rashmi Bansal inspired Stuti to start her own school. Currently she is pursuing the School Leaders Program at IIM-Kolkata called EdLeap which is a first of its kind for School Leaders.
