Middle School - Ages 12 to 15
(Ages 12 to 15)
Grades Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth
Are you wondering about what to do for middle school? Are you afraid the middle school years will become the “lost years”?
Montessori pedagogy answers the vital needs of adolescents: to develop their intellectual abilities – abstraction, conjecture, prediction, creation; to be accepted by peers and mentoring adults; to form a personal identity; to know how one fits into the world. Adolescents meet these needs through a real community which provides them with meaningful work. Work challenges mind and body. The Montessori adolescent integrates academic studies and real work in order to become self-sufficient. Work is real – valued by society as legitimate. Work done with integrity and passion is noble.
The Montessori Middle School experience features six integrated components to address all of the needs of the adolescents during their transition to adulthood: academic, entrepreneurial, service to community , apprenticeship, adventure, and life-strategies. By addressing the social and emotional needs of the adolescent, s/he can better focus on academic endeavors. This deliberate approach to adolescent education provides the experiences needed to expose our young adults to many valuable life lessons where they can connect with peers and bond with supportive adult teachers.
Students prepare a progress report for parents and plan and initiate parent-student-teacher conferences three times a year. They evaluate themselves in 3 areas: academic growth, individual responsibility and group responsibility. Students must demonstrate mastery of each area of study through presentations as well as test scores. Independent study projects are required each year Electives are offered each cycle in order to address the adolescent need to explore new ideas.
Unique features of GLTW Montessori Middle School:
- Many leadership opportunities
- Strong and challenging academics
- Small class size/great student to teacher ratios
- Internships and service projects
- Emphasis on community outreach
- Broad spectrum of enrichment and elective classes
- Themed 6-week cycles for multi-disciplinary learning
- Participation in a class-run business
- Week long adventure trip
How do you know if Go Like the Wind Montessori Middle School is the right choice for your child? If you can answer yes to the questions below, then your child is a likely candidate for our school.
- Is your child self-motivated in the areas of their education?
- Is your child feeling lost in the large class size?
- Is your child learning to be a leader?
- Is your child participating in a broad spectrum of enrichment classes?
- Is your child wanting to learn how to run a small business?
- Is your child donating their time in community outreach?
- Is your child interested in reaching their highest potential, both academically and socially?
It is a positive community for early adolescent education!
The Middle School years encompass a time of rapid growth and change in the early adolescent. In response to the developmental needs of this age group, GLTW implemented a Middle School program which seeks the empowerment of adolescents through the encouragement of both individual responsibility and cooperative skills. Dr. Montessori spoke of a center for study and work where adolescents could safely transform into adults. Our model focuses on helping them find where their talents intersect with the world’s needs. Not only does our program promote academic excellence in all core subjects, but it also gives students practical experience in a variety of community settings.
