Montessori at Bay Farm

Bay Farm Montessori Academy is fully accredited by the American Montessori Society, an honor that positions the school among less than 15% of other Montessori schools across the country. Being fully accredited is different from being affiliated. Bay Farm underwent a thorough process of examining and documenting every aspect of our school, including our mission, curriculum, policies, practices, facilities, teachers, professional development, and learner outcomes to prove a strict adherence to the high quality of standards to which the AMS holds its accredited schools. 

“Our care of the child should be governed, not by the desire to make him learn things, but by the endeavor always to keep burning within him that light which is called intelligence.”

Maria Montessori  

“The Montessori Method” has been successfully practiced for over a century. Created by Maria Montessori, a PhD candidate and Rhode Scholar, this method concentrates on the specific developmental needs of the child. Dr. Montessori studied education in depth and postulated that everyone learns differently, at their own pace. She created a new type of classroom, a prepared environment, to accommodate and stimulate the individual interests of her students.

What makes Montessori so relevant in our fast-paced world today? It stands out as a program of learning that prepares children for real experiences. The focus is not on how to memorize, recite, or even how to solve a problem, but instead on how to think through, understand, and ultimately invent new questions for tasks yet to be determined.

One of the most important things to consider when choosing a Montessori program is if the school is associated with or accredited by a Montessori governing body and if the teachers are Montessori trained. It is important to research the qualifications of the school and find a place with highly trained teachers that honors the Montessori Method.

Bay Farm offers programs with the following characteristics of a Montessori school:

  • Mixed-age classrooms, where children learn from one another and learn to respect those more and less competent than themselves.

  • Carefully prepared environments, rich in Montessori and other educational materials.

  • Encouragement of independence and fostering healthy social development.

  • Hands-on learning.

  • Respect for the child.

  • Teachers who share a common philosophy and have training in the method and the materials.

  • Devotion to a curriculum that fosters peace and respect for diversity.

Bay Farm Montessori Academy Private School Duxbury

Bay Farm Montessori Academy Private School Duxbury

Bay Farm Montessori Academy Private School Duxbury

Unique Class Structure

Bay Farm classrooms are structured to create a sense of order and beauty. They are organized by curriculum areas, with shelved materials in sequence by complexity. Students are free to move around the classroom as they learn how to manage their time. Older students are guided by the daily requirements, schedule and high expectations.

Bay Farm Montessori

Education for Life

Practical life skills prepare a student to become independent. In the classroom, this “education for life” takes place as students accept responsibility for themselves, their environment, and others. Students are assigned jobs/tasks in their classrooms, and have a sense of pride and self-confidence in their accomplishments. Exploring the environment beyond Bay Farm, students, beginning in Kindergarten, take regular educational field trips to enhance the curriculum and broaden the scope of the meaning of their studies.

Bay Farm Graduation

Hands-On

Bay Farm is well-known for a hands-on approach to learning. The Montessori philosophy of working from the concrete (hands-on) to the abstract (conceptual) gives students a working knowledge of the principles to be applied. For example, the Montessori math materials engage students in the concrete manipulation of their parts. As the students work with the beads, rods, cubes, or other math manipulatives, their understanding of the relationship of numbers as symbol supports the practical application of math concepts in the classroom and beyond.

Bay farm

Parent Resources

Choosing a Montessori education for your child is the first step in what should be an ongoing process of education for both parents and children. Learning more about Montessori philosophy and child development is an excellent way to grow with your child and to better understand the inner workings of his/her classroom.