Philosophy

Philosophy/Vision

Our Vision and Ideas:

In establishing the MMLCC, Gail Longo, MMLCC director and instructor for the Lab School, has drawn upon over fifteen years of experience as owner and designer of Cinquegranelli Montessori School (CMS) an award-winning* early childhood and elementary education program. Upon the establishment of the partnership with the Seattle Public Schools Community Alignment Initiative, the MMLCC brought its pre-school operations to Ballard HS as the Casa Maria Montessori Lab School. Her unique vision has combined with the skills and talents of the Casa Maria Montessori Lab School staff, Ballard High School instructors, students, and community members to create a truly innovative, intergenerational program. We believe the principles of Montessori education will foster an empowered, aware, thoughtful community, capable of addressing the complex issues of our time.

* Cinquegranelli Montessori School awards
Seattle Millennium Project 2000, Dept of Parks and Recreation
Earth Hero Award for environmental stewardship of
Crown Hill's Baker Park; May 1, 2002
Cinquegranelli focused on environmental awareness and participated in creating and caring for a new city park. The school community provided a natural area with native plants.
Golden Apple Award nomination.
In 1995, Gail Longo was nominated for a Golden Apple Award for Italian performances with the children at the Northwest Heritage foundation Festival and Festa Italiana

Valuing Diversity through Culture

MMLCC recognizes and values diversity as essential for strengthening the web of life. We focus on raising awareness of world cultures by providing experiences of different traditions, exploring multiple technologies, and inviting community members to share time and activities with the children. The children learn to understand concepts from different perspectives. Drawing from Italian and Chinese cultures in particular, children explore traditions of human expression through language, movement, and art.

Fostering Self-development through Valuing Independence, Uniqueness and Relatedness

Through Montessori education, children learn self-care, independence, and cooperation, which together build self-confidence. We model open emotional communication: the children learn to use positive words to communicate their needs and frustrations, as well as their sense of accomplishment. Children work independently and at their own pace.

Materials are easily accessible to the children and have been developed to encourage exploration and personal discovery, which contributes to a sense of effectiveness and independence. Movement, verbal communication, a structured environment, accessible and thoughtfully developed materials, and contact with real people are the cornerstones of our fostering a healthy sense of self and opportunity for exploration and development.

In a Montessori setting, a child who feels competent and comfortable with the learning materials may guide a younger child to share in an activity.

Fostering Community

Today, particularly in the United States, children come together in communities where their cultural roots intertwine. We use physical movement, constructive imagination, and supportive emotional environments to create and sustain a vibrant community. Children learn their unique gifts, interests, and differences contribute to the well-being and enrichment of the whole community.

Philosophy of Dr. Maria Montessori:

      Dr. Maria Montessori, Italian physician and educator, lived through two world wars and attended personally to the suffering of children and their families. As a pediatrician, anthropologist, philosopher, teacher, author, and lecturer, she spent her lifetime advocating for children’s rights and social reform. Her work and her lectures on peace led her to be nominated for the Novel Peace Prize three times. Her inspiration was rooted in her observations of children. She said that each child born on this earth “brings light into the world” and that “each child holds the potential for creating a better humanity.” Her work revealed important discoveries about human development.
      “When a child lives in an atmosphere congenial to his vital needs, he proves to have character traits quite different from those usually associated with children. The child provides living proof that human kind can change and improve from its very origin. But the world of adults must change. We must unite; we must reach out to the child in faith and construct the proper climate and change our very selves.”