At The Hockessin Montessori School, 52% of elementary and middle school students currently rank in the top 95%ile nationally. Any parent of a gifted child knows the struggle of ensuring that their child is appropriately challenged in school. Often, specialized gifted programs are not challenging enough or may be lacking in other ways for their child’s needs. A gifted child needs not only a challenging, individualized academic experience that feeds their hunger for learning, they also need emotional and social support. According to The National Society for The Gifted and Talented, there are four components that one should seek in a gifted program for their child. These include procedures that are equitable and comprehensive, multiple options for individual needs, staff that is well-trained, and a differentiated curriculum. As a parent of a gifted child and an educator who has researched gifted education, I have found that Montessori is the ideal learning environment for gifted learners of any grade level.

“With a doctorate in medicine, Maria Montessori approached education from a scientific approach. She developed an educational design based on observation, a prepared environment and pedagogy based upon the developmental needs of children. Montessori philosophy stresses the importance of meaningful, interesting work for children and the availability of choices. Montessori described the effective teacher as a guide who observes children, identifying what motivates them. The environment is prepared with appropriate materials that foster a child’s innate desire to learn through exploration. Success of Montessori students is measured in terms of mastery; a child does not progress to more complex concepts until mastering the previous one as opposed to traditional education in which all students study the same material working through the curriculum as a whole (Greene, 2005).” Montessori teachers are trained to challenge each child as an individual. As a child masters a concept in the math curriculum, for example, the teacher then presents the next lesson regardless of their grade level. As a result, gifted children are never held back by their age, the abilities of their peers, or by program parameters. A gifted child in a Montessori school has the benefit of staying with their peer group while receiving challenging work far beyond their grade level.

Montessori is the ideal learning environment for gifted children. Research supports that an environment that meets the needs of each child, academically and emotionally, is the most effective. The Montessori approach is effective due to its focus on developing intrinsic motivation. In Daniel Pink’s book entitled “Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us,” Pink argues that to better prepare students for the workforce, education must be based upon autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Academic programs must incorporate these three components in order to foster the intrinsic motivation necessary for success in the modern era. One such educational design already exists - Montessori! This educational philosophy incorporates autonomy, mastery and purpose as essential elements and bases motivation solely on the innate desire to learn in children.

The Montessori classroom continues to be the ideal learning environment for children throughout elementary and middle school. Student success at The Hockessin Montessori School is proof. It’s not the result of intense, high-stakes environments, rather a caring, exciting environment that results in happy, successful children! As parents, we know that the education and emotional support our children receive are the result of their incredible Montessori teachers and we cannot imagine them in any other setting!

Want to learn more about Montessori - Click to schedule a tour!​​​​​​​