List of 20 news stories.
-
Montessori Materials: What are they?!
Read MoreLast week, across the globe, Montessorians celebrated the life of Maria Montessori, who revolutionized the future of education. In honor of her work that we so deeply admire and treasure, we would like to share with you a deeper understanding of some of the material that is used in Montessori schools around the world. These unique materials and the training we have gone through as teachers make the Montessori method come alive at West Side Montessori!!! -
Staff Spotlight: Molly Bernhardt
Molly Bernhardt is a Lower Elementary teacher at West Side Montessori and has been teaching for 27 years.Read More
"I love that a true Montessori experience allows the children to be themselves and create and construct who they will be. I love that children are free to follow a passion, or a need or a challenge and are trusted to make these choices." -
Positive Discipline
Children's House teacher Chelsea Seals discusses the basics of Positive Discipline from a Montessori perspective.Read More -
Staff Spotlight: Chelsea Seals
Chelsea Seals is a Children's House teacher in the Emerald Room at the Perrysburg Campus.Read More -
Staff Spotlight: Sarah Bell
Read MoreSarah Bell is passionate about guiding Middle School students not only with academic competencies but with social and emotional proficiencies as well. -
Staff Spotlight: Sarah Kreinbrink
Sarah Krienbrink has been teaching at WSM for 19 years and is passionate about student-led learning!Read More -
Staff Spotlight: Natalie Fisher
Natalie Fisher is a Lower Elementary teacher in the Goldfinch classroom and has been teaching at West Side for 27 years.Read More -
The Normalized Classroom
When normalization happens, the children are now working as if the teacher doesn't exist. Maria Montessori calls normalization the greatest sign of success for a teacher.Read More -
Staff Spotlight: Katie Bellman
Katie Bellman is a Children's House teacher in the Sycamore classroom.Read More -
Incorporating Peace Education in the Montessori Classroom
As International Day of Peace approaches, I think of my classroom, my students as individuals, and even myself and wonder, “Is there enough focus on Peace Education as much as I teach math and language?” To be honest, I, as a teacher, sometimes find it hard to find a good balance. Schools, administration, parents, and even teachers themselves can get hung up on the academics part and forget the true purpose of this education and what makes it special and important.Read More
For Montessori, peace was on the forefront of her mind when she created this model of education. Montessori said, “Establishing lasting peace is the work of education.” (Education and Peace, p viii, Foreword) -
The Gift of Time
Child development is not a competition. It is a gradual unfolding of the human potential. Just as each child’s timetable for physical growth is unique, so is the timetable for emotional, social, and academic growth.Read More -
Peer Inspiration: A Glimpse into a Montessori Classroom
I was sitting next to Natalie (age 4) at a rug. We had just finished a lesson on the Montessori Continent Map. She was deciding whether or not she wanted to make a book of the continents, a pin-pushed map, or a painting. After much contemplation, Natalie decided on a book. She gathered the supplies she would need: a floor table, an art mat, paper, and her pencil box.Read More -
Crossing the Midline!
As your child develops, her brain is rapidly forming. Children require lots of sleep to process the immense amount of information the brain has absorbed. The midline is an invisible line that begins between the two hemispheres of the brain. When educators and physicians discuss “Crossing the Midline,” they are referring to any tasks that require bilateral movement- from reading across a page to swimming, alternating arms, and legs while moving through the water.Read More -
Adrienne (Sack) Gallagher
Former West Side student Adrienne (Sack) Gallagher was thrilled and honored to receive a Sports Emmy in the Outstanding Short Feature Category. Her winning piece was a 12-minute video, detailing the life of former Southern Methodist University men’s golf coach Jason Enloe as he dealt with losing his wife to cancer and his team’s subsequent run toward an NCAA Division I National Championship.Read More -
Focusing on our Students' Mental Health
As I was back to school shopping this year for face masks, I reflected on just how different this school year will be. As a school counselor, how can I best support students? In what ways can I support school staff? What can I do to help parents? So many questions and I do not have all the answers. So I started researching. What I discovered was that a lot of other mental health professionals are also trying to figure out the answers to these and so many other questions. And while there are many unknowns that we must cope with daily, here is what we do know...Read More -
Montessori classrooms have big feelings and even bigger outcomes!
Read MoreMontessori classrooms have big feelings and even bigger outcomes!Fact: Emotional intelligence (EQ) is like IQ in the way that we are all born with an innate starting point, and it can be strengthened or diminished with nourishment or neglect. EQ is often described as the ability to recognize, understand, cope with, and express our emotions in appropriate ways. -
The Fisher Outdoor Education Program Launches this Fall!
Read MoreAn interview with West Side Montessori’s Fisher Outdoor Education Program Coordinator, Cody Murnen -
Shohan Shetty (Class of 2012)
This past spring, WSM alum Shohan Shetty (‘12) graduated with College Honors from Washington University with a major in Neuroscience and a minor in Anthropology.Read More -
We Respect the Dignity of Every Person
As I have reflected on the recent police killings and subsequent unrest in our community and across the globe, it is with utter heartache that I write this message. The tragedies reflect patterns of structural and institutional racism in our country. The West Side community stands on the side of social justice and condemns racism and violence.Read More -
Caring for the Environment
“The land is where our roots are. The children must be taught to feel and live in harmony with the Earth.” - Maria MontessoriRead More
Toledo Campus
Perrysburg Campus
West Side Montessori is an independent, accredited Montessori school educating children 13 months through 8th grade (preschool, kindergarten, elementary school and middle school). We are one of the leading private schools in Toledo, and the nation.