Ecole La Marelle

Our school is located in Chêne-Bourg, near the French border, and welcomes children from all backgrounds. If you are interested in Montessori education, regular nature and farm outings, and a small, friendly environment, we would be delighted to meet you for an individual interview and a tour of the school!

A child is a human being in the making, still developing, and must draw from their environment everything they need at different stages of their development. To do this, children must be given freedom of action.
Children must be able to exercise their freedom of choice in their activities, according to their sensitive period and desires.

Thus, the atmosphere is Maria Montessori's response to children, allowing them to engage in independent activity and achieve optimal psychological and intellectual development. It is about giving children the essential foundations for the development of their thinking and their future social being, and allowing them to move freely.

Adults are also constantly evolving, adjusting their behavior to each child and responsiblefor creating an atmosphere of joy and freedom so that children are in the best possible position to learn.

Children aged 3 to 6: Help me to do it myself

In a Montessori environment, children are grouped together in mixed age groups, which is essential to ensure the group is well balanced. This creates a "natural mental osmosis" between them, as Maria Montessori put it.

There is no spirit of competition or jealousy, but rather a spirit of mutual aid and respect, love, admiration, and enthusiasm. They stimulate each other.

A micro-society is formed, with its own rules and rights. Children aged three to six are "social embryos." Maria Montessori says that this society, created before the age of six, is a cohesive society, "a society of young children guided by the magical powers of nature." The absorbent mind.

Thus, every child has their place in a Montessori environment. They find everything they need to develop and grow in harmony. They progress at their own pace, thanks to individualized teaching, without fear of the gaze of adults or their peers.
Children with high intellectual potential, or not, are welcome in a Montessori environment.

 

Children aged 6 to 12: Help me to think for myself

At age six, children become social newborns and develop a gregarious instinct.

At the end of the 3-6 age cycle, Montessori children have undergone a learning process based on trust and self-esteem. Their knowledge, acquired at a sensory level, has enabled them to grasp concepts that are difficult for their age but not beyond their reach.
They have also developed a sense of the group, its culture, and its strength, and are ready to join another group, aware of their status as members of the group and the position they may have within it.

This is why it is important to offer them the opportunity to continue their learning under the same conditions. They must be able to continue to be free in their choices and to use sensory materials to access abstraction.
Their minds are then described as "understanding minds" by Maria Montessori.

Children are thus encouraged to become independent and take responsibility for their work on a weekly basis, thanks to roadmaps that provide them with time references.
The teacher is also at the heart of this process and conducts a weekly review with the child to prepare this sheet.

 

Recommendations...

We recommend that you read up on Montessori pedagogy, as it is very important that teachers and parents work together for the well-being of your child.

Our team puts all its knowledge at the service of your child's mind and we consider them as individuals, capable of autonomy and reflection. In this sense, they cannot bring any toys, costumes, or pacifiers with them. A "security blanket" can make it easier for them to settle into our class at first.

In the same vein, parents are not allowed in the classroom and are asked to remain outside. From the second term onwards, it is recommended that children dress and undress themselves, in line with the independence and self-confidence they develop at school throughout the day.

Individual assessments are offered to parents each term. It is also possible to meet with teachers by appointment throughout the year. There is no daily assessment of the child's progress.

In keeping with everyone's traditions and beliefs, the school aims to be free of any religious, political, intellectual, or philosophical movement in order to maintain its independence and freedom of action with regard to its educational project.