Monticello Montessori, a new public charter school in Bonneville County, welcomes all students in Bonneville County and the surrounding area to apply. The school will provide a high-quality elementary Montessori education, tuition-free. The Idaho Public Charter School Commission approved the Monticello charter July 22, 2009.
The Board of Trustees for Monticello Montessori intends to construct a new building which will be located within the boundaries of Bonneville Joint School District No. 93. Monticello Montessori will first serve students residing in District No. 93, and then all other students from Bonneville County and the surrounding area. Initially the school will serve grades K-3. Each subsequent year the school intends to add at least one more grade level through 6th Grade.
The Montessori Method is a unique approach to learning that meets the needs of students with disabilities, the gifted and talented, and all students in between, in an inclusive, supportive environment. Developed by Maria Montessori, an Italian educator and physician in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Montessori Method is a highly sensorial and tactile instructional program.
Montessori provides hands-on learning materials for all subject areas. Children experience the curriculum with the five senses, and develop skills by engaging in physical activities. Movement is essential to learning in the Montessori classroom. Children enjoy uninterrupted work periods which allow them to focus intently on what they are learning. Teachers observe students and present new material when students master concepts and skills. Being child-centered, students are treated with great respect and given a great deal of freedom to guide their own learning within a highly structured and orderly environment.
Montessori classrooms are beautiful, open spaces with furniture and shelves sized to accommodate children. Classrooms are arranged in “areas,” each area having “works” (educational objects) that address particular subject areas. Each work has a specific purpose intended to teach children as they learn to use it correctly. The works are designed to be self-correcting, meaning students correct their own mistakes instead of relying on a teacher to give them the correct answer. Students learn to work independently and cooperatively, and to respect the space and privacy of others.
The school was envisioned by David Meyer, a teacher at Ucon Elementary in Bonneville Joint School District No. 93. Due to his twin sons’ special needs (developmental delays and sensory integration dysfunction), David enrolled them at a private Montessori school and was amazed at the progress they made. Feeling that many more children could benefit from this same approach, David started writing a charter school petition that would make a Montessori education available tuition-free to residents of Bonneville County and the surrounding area who cannot afford private school.
