Montessori Studies no longer offers secondary Montessori training.) Today, the secondary Montessori movement continues to spread in both the public and private sectors. There are a number of MACTE-accredited secondary Montessori teacher education programs, and the North American Montessori Teachers’ Association offers an annual seminar in adolescent Montessori education. However, as of this time, no one model of secondary Montessori has become the norm, and many schools struggle to design a program from scratch. There is another model which, when refined, could allow Montessori schools to develop strong secondary programs extending through the 12th grade, blending the essential principles of Montessori secondary education, while also meeting the accreditation standards of the International Baccalaureate Organization. In the model I propose, interested Montessori schools could offer relatively small Montessori middle and high school programs, serving between fifty and two hundred students. These small secondary programs, which I think of as ‘boutique’ high schools, would offer something quite different from what most Americans normally have in mind, yet I believe they would have substantial appeal and academic integrity.
Introducing The International Baccalaureate (IB) The International Baccalaureate (or IB) offers high quality programs of international education to a worldwide community of schools. Founded in 1968, the International Baccalaureate Organization currently works with 2,870 schools in 138 countries to develop and offer three challenging programs to over 794,000 students, aged 3 to 19 years: ■
The Primary Years Program, for students aged 3 to 12, focuses on the development of the whole child in the classroom and in the world outside.
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The Middle Years, for students aged 11 to 16 (the equivalent of US grades 6 through 10), provides a framework of academic challenges and life skills, achieved through embracing and transcending traditional school subjects.
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The Diploma Program, for students aged 16 to 19 (the equivalent of US grades 11 and 12), is a demanding two-year curriculum leading to final examinations and a qualification that is highly regarded by leading universities around the world.
In May of 1934, Anne began to attend Montessori. Her father, Otto Frank, later wrote: “Anne was a demanding character. She continually asked questions... When we had visitors, it was difficult to free yourself from her, because everyone and everything interested her. It was good that Anne went to a Montessori school, where each pupil gets a lot of individual attention.”
Anne is the poster child for Montessori, because she is such a powerful example of what makes Montessori schools around the world so different. Our children grow up just as strong-willed, curious, creative, compassionate, and eager to make a difference in the world as Anne. They make us proud!
Anne Frank first attended the 6th Montessori School of Amsterdam from age 3 to 11 and then spent a year at the Montessori Lyceum (high school) until the occupying German authorities forbade it.
All over the world there are schools that bear the name Anne Frank. ‘For the children of these schools, invoking Anne Frank’s name has special meaning. For example, the Anne Frank Elementary School in Leiden, Holland writes: “This a name to be proud of and a name that has meaning for children. As an elementary school, we strive to relate certain themes, such as prejudice and discrimination to Anne Frank.”
Anne Frank was the typical Montessori child: bright, eager, and opinionated. She loved to play Monopoly™. She dreamed of becoming an actress or world-famous ice skater. And, of course, she was an incredibly articulate writer. Her diary gives us a glimpse not only of those terrible years, but of the bright spark of humanity, compassion, and maturity that are so often seen among Montessori students.
Anne Frank Schools
Schools bearing the name Anne Frank can interpret their connection to her in various ways. The most obvious are, of course, lessons or projects about themes that correlate with Anne’s diary and the
©Tomorrow’s Child Magazine May 2010 • www.montessori.org
Each program includes a curriculum framework and approach that is very compatible with Montessori, a scheme for student assessment, a program of professional development, and a process of school recognition. A number of Montessori schools have either completed, or are in the process of earning, their IB accreditation for the Middle Years and/or Diploma Programs. This includes: The Westwood School and St. Alcuin Montessori, both in Dallas, Texas; The High School at University Circle in Cleveland, Ohio; and Toronto Montessori in Canada. A few are looking into the Primary Years Program, but initial consensus seems to be that the IB is most useful at the secondary level. The International Baccalaureate Program was developed to provide an international standard for students preparing for university admission, while remaining flexible enough to accommodate students from different countries whose families are typically diplomats or part of the international business community. The IB was designed to accommodate a wide range of college-bound students and different school programs, so long as they meet the essential IB standards. In developing the IB program, careful attention was paid to best practices in edcontinued on page 8
fact that, as a Jewish girl, she was a victim of the Holocaust. As a Montessori school, there is a special connection between their school and Anne’s own Montessori school, which continues to thrive in Amsterdam. On the front of Anne’s alma mater, The 6th Montessori School of Amsterdam, is a text from Anne’s diary in her handwriting. In the hall there is a plaque with the names of the 130 Jewish students who became victims of the persecution of the Jews. Anne Frank is a good starting point for lessons about war and peace, human dignity, and basic human rights, for any child, as students can easily identify with somebody of their own age. Anne Frank’s life story continues to evoke great interest and compassion. Go to www.annefrank-montessori.nl for more information. “Becoming an Anne Frank School is not without obligations,” emphasizes the Anne Frank Schule in Eschwegen. “A school bearing the name Anne Frank obliges itself to stand up for freedom, justice, tolerance and human dignity and to resolutely turn against any form continued on page 8 7