A parent’s perspective on Guidepost Montessori
Spend time in the presence of any well-informed parent of a preschooler and it won’t be long before you hear the word Montessori.
Developed by Italian physician Maria Montessori, the term refers to a teaching method that is rooted in self-directed activity with hands-on learning at its core.
The technique places emphasis on the importance of fostering independence with the assumption that children are naturally eager for knowledge and capable of initiating learning in a structured environment. Classes follow a scientifically designed curriculum, tailored to individual interests and abilities with a focus on the whole child.
While conventional measures of achievement, such as grades and exams are discouraged, the teaching methods are clearly effective with Montessori students ranking highly in terms of academic achievement, social and emotional development and overall happiness.
Guidepost Montessori
Guidepost is the world’s largest global Montessori network, with over 80 campuses across the US, Europe and Asia.
In Hong Kong, classes cater to children aged from six months to six years. Parents can choose from two convenient Guidepost locations – Kennedy Town and Chai Wan.
One Hong Kong parent who has chosen the Montessori path for her son is Julia Ma.
After being impressed with the summer courses at Guidepost, Julia enrolled her four-and-a-half year old Daniel at the Children’s House Kindergarten in Kennedy Town almost one year ago.
“I was struck by how caring and nurturing the teachers were,” Julia says.
“During Covid, Guidepost remained open to serve its families under Emergency Day Care. The school became indispensable to many families in our neighborhood. Daniel was at an age where he was interested in everything around him and a face-to-face environment was crucial to his development,” she adds.
Read more: Montessori education and the joys of learning
The learning environment
Over the past year, Julia has continued to be impressed by the school.
“The facilities are excellent – classrooms are very spacious and beautifully set up with lots of interesting academic Montessori materials. In the Kennedy Town campus, there are two large indoor playground areas across two floors while the Chai Wan campus boasts a large rooftop playground area,” she says.
Teachers keep track of each child’s learning via a transparent classroom app and photos are shared with parents on a daily basis so they can see what their children have been working on.
“We have exciting conversations about what Daniel has learnt when we’re all at home,” says Julia.
Collaboration is a core element of the Montessori environment and as such, Julia notes that Daniel has excelled socially and made great friends over the past year. “Daniel’s creativity, ability to think independently and problem solving skills have blossomed,” she says.
“In terms of his academic advancement, the Montessori maths materials have really stimulated Daniel’s interest and he has become confident in speaking English and Mandarin,” she adds.
Mixed age groups
Montessori classrooms are divided into multi-age grouping, for example, from three to six years old. “At Guidepost, both younger and older students have the opportunity to implicitly develop a growth mindset,” says Carol Wong, Director of Marketing and Admissions.
“Watching younger students progress from one material to the next teaches older students the value of practice and hard work. Conversely, younger students look up to their older classmates, and look forward to reaching their level of ability. Having this growth mindset—the attitude that progress and valuable skills and traits aren’t innate but come from learning, change and growth – is incredibly important for future success,” she adds.
“Daniel is one of the oldest in the classroom and he has enjoyed teaching some of the younger students. This has given him a lot of confidence and really built up his self-esteem,” adds Julia.
What’s next?
After the summer break, Daniel will join a K-12 international school. His experience and learning at Guidepost has supported a smooth admissions process for him into a top international school in Hong Kong. Although the new adventure brings with it plenty of excitement, Daniel and his family will be sad to leave Guidepost.
“For Daniel, Guidepost is like a second family. We are really going to miss them. Fortunately, we’re joining the school’s summer camp classes, so we’re not leaving yet,” adds Julia.
