Why I homeschool in Rochester

My first experience with Montessori education was when my little brother attended a Montessori preschool as part of his speech therapy. He absolutely loved the teachers, the environment, the other children, it was like his home away from home. I was impressed that such a school could take a three year old with limited language skills and help him feel so successful and happy, especially when he was so easily frustrated at home.

When I had my first child, I knew that I would homeschool her. We moved to Rochester when she was almost four and had the good fortune to meet a trained Montessori teacher who taught out of her home, just a few blocks from us. I immediately enrolled my daughter and soon realized how enriching the environment was for her and how well the teacher came to know my daughter. As a trained reading teacher, I was impressed by her careful observations of my child and how she could teach every student at their own individual level.

As a teacher, I knew that “center work” was inspired by Maria Montessori, but never really understood the philosophy behind learning centers. I also had the opportunity to be trained in Reading Recovery, developed by Marie Clay, who was heavily influenced by Montessori’s work, but longed to know more.

Since then, I have had the opportunity to observe a Montessori classroom and visit a Montessori school. After seeing everything in action and taking the parent workshops offered by my daughter’s Montessori teacher, I began to see that the Montessori philosophy is really an entirely different way to approach education. And you can’t really grasp that philosophy until you experience an internal transformation because it is so all-encompassing.

Our Montessori preschool in Rochester

I am now homeschooling my two children using what I know about the Montessori method. Because I heard so many other parents in Rochester who were interested in Montessori but not wanting to commit to a full day private school or private preschool, I decided to share my children’s instruction with other interested families.  I am looking forward to these classes helping me to become more Montessori-like as I guide my children through their homeschooling years.

I am attracted to the concept of cosmic education, meeting children’s needs at a variety of levels and giving them both freedom and responsibility to work and structure their time within a prepared environment. Even though I consider myself an eclectic homeschooling mom, I feel very honored to share my Montessori Homeschool with preschool children here in Rochester.

Rebecca Wolf