Discover how Montessori education at Lakeview Montessori School in Tecumseh supports independence, hands-on learning, creativity, collaboration, and individualized student growth through authentic Montessori philosophy and prepared learning environments.
Why Montessori Education?
For more than 45 years, Lakeview Montessori School has built a tradition of serving children through the educational philosophy of Dr. Maria Montessori, an Italian physician and pioneer in child development who observed that children have an innate aptitude and desire for acquiring knowledge about their world. Montessori’s approach of “following the child” remains at the foundation of the Lakeview Montessori School philosophy.
Lakeview Montessori School was the first Montessori Preschool and Elementary School in the region and continues to provide authentic Montessori education to children and families throughout Tecumseh and Windsor-Essex.
The Montessori experience begins with a deep respect for children as unique individuals and an internationally developed accredited curriculum rooted in five key pillars:
Practical Life
Sensorial
Math
Language
Cultural Learning
Lakeview Montessori School promotes self-paced, collaborative learning designed to ignite curiosity, creativity, confidence, and a lifelong passion for learning.
Montessori education nurtures each child’s natural desire to learn while helping students develop:
- Strong academic foundations
- Leadership skills
- Independence
- Self-discipline
- Responsibility
- Confidence and self-esteem
These qualities continue supporting students throughout high school, post-secondary education, and beyond.
Lakeview Montessori School is the only Montessori school in the area fully accredited by both Montessori Canada and Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS).
These organizations establish and oversee standards of excellence for Montessori and independent schools. Accreditation is a voluntary and rigorous process that reflects a strong commitment to authentic Montessori education, continuous improvement, and high educational standards.
Fully accredited Montessori schools are held to the highest standards of Maria Montessori’s educational philosophy and scientifically based teaching practices. This distinction reinforces Lakeview Montessori School’s commitment to providing authentic Montessori learning experiences for children and families throughout Tecumseh and Windsor-Essex.
The Montessori Philosophy
Montessori education is a child-centered educational approach that recognizes children as naturally curious, capable learners. Rather than focusing primarily on rote memorization or traditional seatwork, Montessori learning environments encourage hands-on learning, exploration, investigation, independence, concentration, and collaboration.
Montessorians understand that a child’s self-esteem develops from an internal sense of pride in their own accomplishments. Students are encouraged to work independently, solve problems, make decisions, and experience meaningful success through self-directed learning opportunities.
At Lakeview Montessori School, students learn within carefully prepared learning environments designed to support physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development. Montessori guides observe students closely and provide individualized support based on each child’s readiness, interests, strengths, and pace of learning.
Montessori classrooms also foster meaningful collaboration between students of different ages. Younger children learn through observation and mentorship from older students, while older students strengthen leadership, responsibility, confidence, and communication skills by helping guide younger classmates.
The goal of Montessori education is to help prepare young leaders who are academically prepared, socially responsible, confident, independent, and fully equipped to pursue future educational opportunities at the high school, college, or university level.
Freedom Within the Montessori Classroom
A core principle of Montessori education is giving children the freedom to choose meaningful work and progress at their own pace within a carefully prepared learning environment.
The Montessori curriculum is both broad and deep. Rather than requiring every student to complete the same work at the same time, Montessori guides present lessons based on each child’s readiness, interests, and stage of development.
This flexibility allows students the opportunity to:
- Fully absorb concepts before moving forward
- Explore subjects that inspire curiosity and excitement
- Develop confidence and independence
- Experience learning in ways that are appropriately challenging and engaging
Montessori education nurtures intrinsic motivation and encourages children to become active participants in their own learning journey.
Learning Through Exploration, Mistakes & Self-Correction
Montessori materials are intentionally designed as hands-on learning tools that introduce concepts in concrete and meaningful ways. Through repeated exploration and practice, students gradually build deeper understanding and abstract thinking skills.
Many Montessori materials include a built-in control of error, allowing children to identify and correct mistakes independently without relying solely on adult intervention.
Montessori education recognizes mistakes as a valuable and natural part of the learning process.
This process helps students:
- Develop problem-solving skills
- Strengthen confidence and resilience
- Build independence and perseverance
- Learn through discovery and reflection
- Develop a positive relationship with learning
Mixed Age Montessori Classrooms
The mixed-age classroom is a foundational component of authentic Montessori education.
In Montessori environments, children of different ages and developmental stages learn together within the same classroom community. Younger students benefit from observing older classmates, while older students strengthen leadership, communication, and responsibility skills by helping guide and mentor younger children.
Children are welcomed into an established classroom community where learning takes place naturally through observation, collaboration, and shared experiences.
Mixed-age classrooms encourage:
- Collaboration and teamwork
- Leadership and mentorship
- Respect for others
- Community-based learning
- Confidence and independence
- Exposure to a broader range of learning experiences
Prepared Montessori Learning Environments
Montessori guides carefully design classrooms to support children’s physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development.
Child-sized furniture, hands-on materials, and thoughtfully prepared environments encourage independent work, concentration, collaboration, and self-discipline. Beautiful, ordered learning spaces help children develop internal order, confidence, and responsibility.
Within the prepared Montessori environment, children are supported not only academically, but socially and emotionally as well. In these environments, children not only learn, but thrive.
Prepared Montessori environments include:
- Open learning spaces
- Group collaboration areas
- Carefully organized learning materials
- Opportunities for independent exploration
- Calm and respectful classroom settings
Stewardship, Grace & Courtesy
Peace education and lessons in Grace and Courtesy are important components of the Montessori experience at Lakeview Montessori School.
Beginning in the youngest programs, children learn to:
- Respect the work of their peers
- Speak calmly and respectfully
- Care for classroom environments
- Support classmates and community members
- Care for animals and plants within the classroom
As students grow, they continue developing communication, collaboration, conflict resolution, and leadership skills. Older students learn to resolve disagreements respectfully, often through the Montessori Peace Table process, while extending stewardship and service outward into the broader community and world.
Montessori education encourages children to become compassionate, responsible, and engaged members of their communities.
Some Other Graduates of Montessori
Montessori education has influenced many leaders, artists, innovators, and changemakers around the world.
Some notable individuals connected to Montessori education include:
- Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Former First Lady - Gabriel García Márquez
Nobel Prize-winning novelist - Anne Frank
Famous child diarist from World War II
- Yo-Yo Ma
United Nations Peace Ambassador, winner of 15 Grammy Awards, Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and National Medal of the Arts recipient
- Jimmy Wales
Founder of Wikipedia - Melissa Gilbert and Sarah Gilbert
Actresses
Understanding Assessment in Montessori Education
Montessori education emphasizes a holistic approach to child development, focusing on individualized learning, independence, confidence, and the development of the whole child. Assessment practices within Montessori education are designed to reflect these core principles.
Rather than relying solely on traditional grades or standardized testing, Montessori assessments help educators better understand each child’s academic, emotional, social, and developmental progress.
At Lakeview Montessori School, assessments are individualized and designed to support each student’s unique learning journey while fostering confidence, independence, and mastery.
Assessing the Whole Child
Montessori assessments consider many aspects of a child’s development, including:
- Cognitive development
- Emotional growth
- Social development
- Independence and responsibility
- Communication and collaboration skills
- Problem-solving and critical thinking abilities
This holistic approach allows Montessori guides to tailor learning experiences that support each child’s unique strengths, readiness, and developmental needs.
Assessment in Montessori education extends beyond academic performance alone and recognizes the importance of developing confident, capable, and well-rounded learners.
Authentic Montessori Assessments
Montessori assessments often involve authentic, hands-on, and real-world learning experiences rather than relying exclusively on conventional testing methods.
Students demonstrate understanding through:
- Hands-on learning activities
- Classroom participation
- Independent work
- Collaboration with peers
- Problem-solving tasks
- Practical application of concepts
This approach provides a more meaningful and accurate reflection of a child’s understanding, growth, and ability to apply knowledge in real learning environments.
Observation-Based Assessment
Observation is one of the most important assessment tools within Montessori education.
Montessori guides carefully observe children throughout the learning process to better understand:
- Academic readiness
- Learning styles and interests
- Social interactions
- Independence and concentration
- Emotional development
- Areas requiring additional support or enrichment
These observations allow teachers to provide individualized lessons and personalized learning experiences tailored to each child’s development and readiness.
Observation-based assessment helps create a supportive learning environment where children are encouraged to progress with confidence and curiosity.
Individualized Progress Tracking
Unlike traditional grading systems that compare students against standardized benchmarks, Montessori education focuses on tracking individual student growth and development.
This individualized approach recognizes that:
- Every child develops differently
- Students progress at different rates
- Learning should support readiness rather than pressure
- Growth and mastery are more important than comparison
Montessori education celebrates each child’s personal learning journey while supporting long-term confidence, independence, and academic success.
Mastery-Based Learning in Montessori Education
Assessment in Montessori education is centered around mastery-based learning.
Students move forward to new lessons and materials once they have developed confidence and understanding of current concepts. This process helps ensure strong foundational learning before progressing to more advanced material.
Repetition, exploration, and hands-on practice help students:
- Develop confidence
- Strengthen concentration
- Build independence
- Achieve deeper understanding
- Apply knowledge more effectively
Montessori education values mastery and long-term understanding over memorization or rushed progression.
Montessori Assessment Stages
At Lakeview Montessori School, student progress is often viewed through developmental stages that reflect a child’s growing understanding, confidence, and independence.
1
Presented
The teacher introduces a new concept, skill, or topic to a student. This presentation opens the door for exploration and encourages students to begin practicing concepts using Montessori materials.
2
Practicing
Students engage with hands-on Montessori materials to further discover and develop understanding of concepts introduced by the teacher. Montessori guides support students throughout the learning process while encouraging independence and exploration.
3
Improving
Through continued repetition and practice, students strengthen their understanding and become increasingly proficient with the concepts being taught. As confidence and independence grow, less teacher guidance becomes necessary.
Repetition and exploration support long-term mastery.
4
Mastered
Students demonstrate a strong understanding of concepts and confidently apply their knowledge independently. Mastery often allows students to help guide or teach concepts to classmates, further strengthening leadership, communication, and confidence.
Building Lifelong Learners
At Lakeview Montessori School, Montessori education is designed to nurture curious, capable, confident learners prepared for future success both inside and outside the classroom.
Through authentic Montessori philosophy, individualized learning, prepared environments, and meaningful assessment practices, students are encouraged to:
- Think independently
- Explore creatively
- Collaborate respectfully
- Develop leadership skills
- Build confidence and resilience
- Foster a lifelong love of learning
Lakeview Montessori School continues to support children and families throughout Tecumseh and Windsor-Essex through engaging Montessori learning experiences rooted in respect, community, and educational excellence.
Learn More About Montessori Education at Lakeview Montessori School
Explore:
- Montessori Programs
- Admissions Information
- About Lakeview Montessori School
- Leadership & Governance
- Giving Opportunities
Or contact Lakeview Montessori School by calling 519-735-5005 to learn more about authentic Montessori education in Tecumseh and Windsor-Essex.
Frequently Asked Questions About Montessori Education
Montessori education is a child-centered educational approach that encourages independence, hands-on learning, collaboration, critical thinking, and individualized development within prepared learning environments.
Montessori education focuses on individualized learning, hands-on experiences, self-paced progress, collaboration, and prepared environments rather than traditional teacher-led instruction and standardized learning methods.
A prepared Montessori environment is a thoughtfully designed classroom that supports children’s physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development through hands-on materials, independence, concentration, and collaboration.
Montessori assessment focuses on observation, individualized progress, concept mastery, independence, and overall student development rather than relying solely on tests and numerical grades.
Yes. Montessori education is designed to support individualized learning based on each child’s strengths, readiness, interests, and pace of development.
Multi-age Montessori classrooms encourage collaboration, mentorship, leadership, independence, and community-based learning experiences among students.
Montessori materials are hands-on educational tools designed to help children explore concepts through movement, repetition, problem-solving, and self-directed learning experiences.
Mastery-based learning allows students to progress to new lessons once they have developed confidence and understanding of current concepts, helping build strong academic foundations and long-term understanding.
Montessori teachers, often called Montessori guides, observe students closely and provide individualized lessons, guidance, and support based on each child’s readiness, interests, and stage of development.
Families choose Lakeview Montessori School for its authentic Montessori philosophy, individualized learning approach, prepared learning environments, small class sizes, supportive community, and focus on developing confident, capable, and lifelong learners.
