City’s first Montessori hits half-century mark

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This article was published 18/09/2017 (3098 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When a group of parents launched Winnipeg’s first Montessori school in 1967, they made it a non-profit corporation open to children of all social and economic backgrounds.

To accomplish that, they fundraised exuberantly so parents such as Jamie Nelson-Dixon and Don Dixon could put their three sons through the alternative school.

“Don and I couldn’t afford (the tuition) back then,” said Nelson-Dixon, who would later become a teacher at Montessori for 25 years, before retiring in 2005. “That was a huge commitment by the people who started it, and Children’s House Montessori continues to fundraise and provide partial bursaries to families.”

Children’s House Montessori celebrates its 50th anniversary this month, proving it was more than just a flavour of the month in children’s education.

Since then, about 20 more Montessori schools have opened in the city, most of them offering preschool programs, but there are also now two Montessori elementary schools.

Children’s House is preschool for ages three to six.

In the 1970s, TV program Sesame Street even shot some of its Canadian content there, said Caroline Le Nabat, co-ordinator of Children’s House, located in the city’s theatre district.

“No, it’s been more than just a fad. There’s a really solid foundation to the educational program,” Le Nabat said.

Children’s House is holding an open house and street party to celebrate its first half-century on Sunday, Sept. 24, from 1-4 p.m. at 150 Pacific Ave. All alumni are invited to attend. No word yet on whether Big Bird can make it.

Whether or not it’s deserved, Montessori has a reputation for giving children an educational advantage. Maria Montessori of Italy invented her teaching methods in the early 1900s. She designed materials to help children develop skills in basic disciplines such as arithmetic, science, language and geography. That included innovations since adopted by public schools of making furniture sized for children and shelves that children could reach.

She insisted that lessons be more child-driven rather than the exclusive purview of teachers. Teachers follow a child to see what interests him or her and then work from there. “The philosophy is more about a child learning to control their environment in a respectful way, so the children are followed rather than led,” Le Nabat said.

That includes putting material away when finished. Children also do tasks such as sweeping and cleaning tables. “These activities really appeal to children because they’re copying what they see grown-ups do,” she said. “The children develop a sense of there being a beginning, middle and end to their work.”

Jamie Nelson-Dixon said the Montessori experience is not so much about making children smarter as giving children the freedom to find their individual interests.

“If a child has an interest and ability in a certain area, the Montessori classroom is a huge gift for them because they are allowed and encouraged in that area,” Nelson-Dixon said.

For her sons, Montessori allowed them to engage their “gross motor skills,” i.e. a lot of physical activity, rather than just their fine motor skills. Facilities in the basement included climbing structures made of rubber tires, and another made from railway ties, but with a mathematical element.

“Those probably wouldn’t be allowed now,” she said.

Children’s House still fundraises each year so it can provide bursaries for some families to offset up to half of the tuition.

Children’s House Montessori started in the St. Mary’s Parochial School on St. Mary Avenue, where the Delta Hotel stands today, but was forced to move two years later because of a fire. It settled permanently at its current Pacific Avenue location in the early 1970s.

For its birthday party, Children’s House promises a children’s entertainer, archival photos, refreshments, snacks, games and perhaps bumping into former classmates from 50 years ago.

bill.redekop@freepress.mb.ca