Augusta, MI

Montessori Education at Light of Christ Academy

- Academics
the outdoor classroom

An outdoor classroom at Light of Christ Academy offers a child a break from the atrium during the three-hour morning work cycle. This is a self-selected activity that offers students the opportunity to interact with each other as they explore the garden, paint pictures, and utilize sandpaper and stick letters. While interacting they are engaging in grace and courtesy lessons as they practice sharing.

Children who learn to spend more time outdoors exploring the wonders of God’s creation find themselves wanting more engagement with the natural world. They learn to have more patience and do not need constant entertainment. Their sense of wonder about the outdoors becomes very satisfying and they seek to know more.
maria montessori

It seems that the capacity of really understanding is connected with discussion, with criticism, or with assent of others.The end result of this learning is knowledge, “the privilege of initiation to the knowledge that is the pride of our civilization.”
How does Montessori education prepare our students for the classical curriculum?

The importance of positive language development is a vital component as the child enters into the early childhood Montessori classroom. Our role is to provide the gift of language for each child as he navigates through the most important years of his language acquisition. By providing the children with the appropriate words, good listening skills and the ability to discern for oneself about someone else’s point of view, they are beginning to practice dialectic communication. Once they understand the practice of dialoguing in small group through peer-to-peer learning or at the morning line, they are beginning their journey towards the Socratic method of education practiced in the Classical curriculum.
Learn more about montessori education at Light of Christ Academy
- Maria Montessori and the Classical Tradition
- Montessori Schools-The Jesuit Review

At Light of Christ Academy Montessori, we educate the whole child through modeling appropriate behavior (lessons in grace and courtesy), the study of virtues (through our Catholic Faith) and the hands-on works of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program.

Students also learn
- Theology
- Mathematics (counting, fractions, decimal system, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division).
- Reading and writing (using phonics)
- Natural sciences (physical science, botany, and zoology)
- Geography and cultures
- Foreign Languages
- Art
- Music
- Physical Education
THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT (Teachers as guides)

We honor the three-hour work cycle providing opportunities for the older children to lead younger ones. Inside of the Montessori atrium, it is known as a “children’s house” because they function as one community mentoring and guiding each other.

We respect the parent as the primary educator of the child. We are guides who help children develop a community that practices virtue and fosters deep learning through a family atmosphere.

Our children practice servant leadership through community outreach by honoring our firefighters and police officers in the Richland area with random acts of kindness. Through these opportunities, students grow in their lessons with grace and courtesy and the opportunity to practice hospitality.

Children are taught Latin through direct instruction by a classically trained Latin teacher. We recognize this as important because Latin is the root of many languages. It is considered the best preparation for learning any language.

We have before and after school care in a loving environment where children join the staff in prayer and daily chores if they choose. They also have the opportunity to share works with students from the Upper Academy or spend time with them at our Monday Makerspace program.

Students are mentored by Upper Academy students through daily interactions at lunch and recess as well as through our reading buddies program.

Children experience daily Mass and the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program (which was designed by Maria Montessori as a way to reach children during their sensitive period for spirituality).

Students are exposed to poetry, hymns, chants, and classical fairytales. They then have the opportunity to participate in Socratic discussions during which they practice listening to others and sharing their own insights while using language to justify their opinion.
Parent Testimony

"I just wanted to share something about mom's night.

So my husband doesn't do strong emotions. It's just not his thing. When he feels emotional, he always covers it with a bad joke to deflect it, probably because the only girl in his family was his mom, and the guys all inherited the "macho Italian tough guy" gene. (Generally, the worse the joke, the more he's trying to cover his feelings).

So I was shocked when he came up to me last night and told me that he was almost in tears when he was in your classroom with Noah and saw how proud Noah was at showing him his work that he does in class.

He was really moved by Noah's confidence and how he was so connected to the work. Steve never had that opportunity in school to really connect like that to anything until he was in high school and they put him in charge of fixing the networks that were broken. He never realized until mom's night that it was possible for kids as young as Noah to feel that way about their work.

Anyways, he and I divide and conquer when it comes to family life; I decide what we are doing with internal stuff like the kids, and he does the external house stuff. Until now, he's just taken my word for it that this is a great place to send our kids. But he told me yesterday that there's no way he would send them anywhere else.

Thanks so much for allowing him to attend. It really made a huge impact on him."
-An LCA Mom