About us.
The History of Montessori Education.
Dr Maria Montessori, the founder of Montessori education, started her work with children in a clinic for “defectives” as they were known. As the first Italian female medical doctor, she was given the difficult task of educating children who had nervous and mental diseases. Most of society had deemed these children to have little to no learning abilities. However, she eventually discovered and unlocked the potential of these children. Through her medical training, she used clinical and scientific observation as the instrument for developing her pedagogy,
She called this hidden potential, the “Secret of Childhood”, and is a universal application to all children. Her discoveries led her to see that every child holds a pattern of development that follows its own unique timing. This timing and pattern must be respected by the adults through indirectly providing what the child needs to grow and removing obstacles in its path. The help that we as the adult should give should never be a hindrance to the child’s independence, but neither should the child be left wanting when help is necessary. Only then, will the child reveal his/her individual potential.
Dr Maria Montessori envisioned that the unlocking of the child’s potential was not just for educational purposes. She was working towards life, for the formation of the whole man with integrity and quality, that begins at the moment of conception. For Dr Maria Montessori, what began as an endeavour to educate, ended as a deep love for children and humanity that marked a life time’s work.
Our Philosophy.
At P&J we are dedicated to nurturing the children in the same way that Maria Montessori did. By holding on to the vision of preparation of the child for life, we follow the child’s developmental needs according to their plane of growth. For the child between 3 to 6 years of age, the emphasis on independence is of utmost importance. Children are given the freedom to work at their own pace with their own choice of activity. We believe that by giving the child freedom within limits, they can channel their creative energies towards the development of their inner potential.
The History of P&J.
P&J has been in operations since 1991. Passionate about the Montessori method, two ladies, Patricia Cordeiro and Julie Ong, set up the school that bears the initials of their first names. Patricia has since emigrated to the U.S. with her family but Julie remains and continues to provide guidance and direction for P&J. Since inception, P&J has grown with the years and has established itself as a Montessori kindergarten that adheres to the characteristics of a traditional Montessori classroom. This includes:
having the full suite of Montessori materials,
maintaining a mixed age group throughout the environment
providing two, uninterrupted, 3 hour work cycles in a day
upholding the principles of freedom within discipline
striving for normalization of the children
As such, it bears the hallmark of providing quality education for children between the ages of 2 1/2 to 6 1/2 years. In 2009, P&J won the Innovation award and was also selected as a finalist for Best Practices by the Ministry of Education, Singapore. The Montessori method brings out not just the creativity within the children but also from its teachers. The team went on to win 3 more innovation grants in subsequent years. With a constant drive towards an integrated approach to nurturing children, P&J has continued to provide a holistic way of learning. “Follow the child” is not just a mantra, but a daily commitment to see that each child’s educational needs are provided for at an individual level. Each child graduates from the school with the “keys” to independent learning in the areas of English, Mandarin, Math, Science, Geography, History, Botany, Zoology, Art and Music.