Brooklyn Heights Montessori School
BHMS offers each student a distinctive educational experience: the opportunity to work at an individual pace and pursue personal interests and, at the same time, to collaborate, learn from, and teach others, to be a productive, active part of a community.
At BHMS students learn reading, writing, and mathematics skills while focusing on understanding the process of discovery. Our students thrive in an environment that is supportive of individual learning styles and alleviates undue pressure by giving them the freedom to learn at their own pace. They develop critical thinking skills by actively conceptualizing, analyzing, and evaluating information through observation, experience, reflection, reasoning and communication.
Montessori is a worldwide proven educational philosophy that supports every child's exploration and self-discovery, encouraging students to be active rather than passive learners.
Above all else, BHMS emphasizes that our community depends on each of us: teachers, parents, students. Respect for self and others, respect for the community and environment, and respect for diversity provide the foundation for our students' strong sense of compassion, empathy, and the responsibilities inherent as a global citizen.
Unique Elements of a BHMS Education
Mixed-age classes - Guided by the teacher, students learn from and teach each other. Students develop collaboration and leadership skills, compassion and mastery of the material.
Three-year cycle - Teachers gain an intimate knowledge of each student's individual learning style and potential. A spiraling curriculum develops a deeper understanding of academic subjects.
Prepared environment – Students have choice within a carefully designed environment. A structure that develops independent problem solving skills by allowing students time to explore, discover, concentrate, research and learn at their own pace. Teachers monitor each student's progress, helping them make choices that support learning and exploration of all academic subjects.
Montessori materials – Self-correcting, hands-on materials designed to develop a students independence, self-confidence, and depth of knowledge through tactile experiences.
Intrinsic Motivation – Students work towards their own goals, satisfaction, and interest and not for external rewards. Motivation is increased through the student's natural curiosity in their individual pursuits and goals.
Preschool - 8th Grade – A PS-8 education provides an emotionally safe environment for adolescents to build self-confidence and leadership skills. By the 8th grade students' interests and learning styles are more defined. Their involvement in the selection process results in a greater commitment to their high school education.
Research shows that attending a Montessori program can predict significantly higher mathematics and science standardized test scores in high school. A research study was conducted by the Association Montessori Internationale on the performance of Montessori students when they transition to more conventional academic environments. A significant finding of this study is the association between a Montessori education and superior performance in Math and Science. The full study can be found on our Parent Resources page: Research Study: Outcomes for Montessori Students.
