At this point, I don’t think that my husband and I have specific educational goals for Milo. However, we want him to be excited and interested in learning and to continue to be curious. We hope that he will be able to take risks in his learning by putting forth effort when he is unsure, or by asking questions when he wants some help. We would like our son to be resilient and to keep trying even when he is discouraged. We hope that he finds topics that inspire him to want to learn and discover.

After learning about the Montessori Method, I can see how it fosters a child’s curiosity and confidence as a young learner. I really like how the Montessori Method focuses on the individual child and their own unique developmental level, as opposed to thinking about their age and what they “should” be able to do. I like how the teachers are trained to pay attention to what level a child is at in the various areas of development and to be able to find activities that would challenge them but also to set them up for success. 

More specifically, in terms of the areas of learning, it makes a lot of sense to me that there is a focus on practical life skills, as a way to help children to generalize their learning and help them to foster a sense of independence outside of the classroom. The hands-on approach also makes a lot of sense to me, as little ones are such tactile and experiential creatures! It is so fun watching Milo learn and develop through play and more hands-on activities.  As a parent and a psychologist, I also appreciate how thought out the educational tools are and how much research there is that provides a rationale for the types of learning material available. 
