Picture a classroom full of desks, a teacher at the front of a blackboard (or smartboard), and a request to open your book to page 103. What emotions does this elicit for you? Is it a picture of independence and freedom or of rigidity and compliance? Now picture the warm glow of a lamp by your work table, the soft wool rug underfoot as you roll out a work mat, and the socratic discussion of your classmates and teacher as they discuss how to resolve a conflict through peaceful resolution.
This school year we will be examining the areas that make up a Montessori classroom and discover why it is so unique from a traditional model. This month we will start with the first of the three tenants all Montessori classrooms adhere to: care of the environment, care of self, and care of others. It may seem obvious that one should care for the things around them, but Dr. Montessori saw how sensitive children, and adults, are to their surroundings. Consider the care and attention each of our teachers take in preparing their classrooms. Furniture, including in the kitchen and bathroom, is sized appropriately to the age of the children, and not the adults. Attractive and well maintained art, dishes, and decorations adorn the room to create a home-like feel. Natural light and living plants and animals are present to encourage students to engage and help care for their well being. But these are just the aesthetics! When you further examine our classrooms, you will find that there is structure and order within each area. The shelves are arranged top to bottom and left to right with the introductory lesson on the far left and the most advanced lesson on the bottom right; just like reading a book! When a student removes a work from a shelf, they have already received a lesson and know how to use it, as well as how to restore it and return it to the shelf for the next person.
Our environments are curated, cared for, and maintained by the students. As they polish the furniture, fold the laundry, wash the dishes, set the table, water the plants, feed the animals, prepare a snack, and use the various materials, they do so independently and freely. This sense of self-development and accountability comes about intrinsically, autonomously. This is their classroom, a second home that is orderly, simple, and uncluttered. When we provide a prepared environment, we are also instilling inspiration and purpose through independence. While we may not encourage everyone to be on the same page at the same time, we believe like Dr. Montessori said, “Follow the child, but follow the child as his leader.”
Candice
HEAD OF SCHOOL
Personal Responsibility
Sarah Bosworth, Toddler 2 Teacher
In the toddler stage of development, it is imperative that children become familiar with and connected to their environment. This connectedness allows them to learn from the environment, natural consequences. They also learn order, concentration, coordination, and independence (OCCI), which is the main goal of the toddler curriculum. To become connected with their environment, children must learn to care for it.
A prepared environment is the best way for children to become familiar with it. Everything needs to have a place, and it should always be available there. Children come to rely on this sense of order. Around this age, children are in a sensitive period for order. They crave and appreciate it and, after a while, begin to emulate it. They may notice a material has been misplaced and move it back to its original location. Thus, caring for the environment has begun simply because their environment is consistent.
To teach children how to care for the environment, adults must model this care and approach everything with a positive attitude. If you see an item out of place, restore it. When you spill something, include your child in the clean-up process. Model careful and precise movements to demonstrate body control so you don’t bump into anything and break it. Keep child friendly cleaning supplies within reach of your child. This can be as simple as keeping a small hand broom or duster on a hook at toddler level. Provide a cleaning bucket with a washcloth and a sponge to clean spills. Have replacements ready in a basket nearby because, let’s be honest, toddlers are messy and they will need the bucket often. Keep a small spray bottle on hand so they can water house plants. In our classroom, our students love to help unload the dishwasher and fold and put away laundry!
When children are included in caring for their home and school environments, they learn self-control, discipline, focus, responsibility, and respect. They also develop a sense of belonging, pride, and joy. Help foster these qualities by creating a prepared environment and modeling the strategies mentioned above for your toddler. You’ll be surprised at what they can do!
Taking care of business, the Montessori way
Tia Matney, Primary 1 Teacher
Dr. Maria Montessori believed that a child should be provided an environment to facilitate maximum independent learning and exploration; thus, naming it as a “prepared environment.” Keeping a clean, orderly classroom is an important aspect of a Montessori environment. Care of the environment ‘work’ involves activities which enhance a student’s awareness of their learning opportunities. Students clean, organize, and learn to take care of the classroom and their own belongings. Through this process, they gain a greater awareness of classroom routines, and also the confidence to restore their learning environment; preparing it for the next person. These exercises build self confidence and pave the way for more complex activities.
The practical life activities on the shelves teach children how to take care of the space around them— from physically cleaning to, on a deeper level, appreciating one’s environment. These activities may include how to set the table, sweep the floors, scrub tables and chairs, or how to water and care for plants. It is also important to remember that “care of the environment” emphasizes the importance of grace and courtesy, since restoring and getting the work ready for the next person is always part of the lesson. Throughout these experiences, the students realize that the classroom is a second home to them and they are proud to take care of it. This helps others see how important their work and environment are to their learning.
Acts of Service
Patsy cadalzo, lower elementary 1 teacher
Atthe heart of Montessori education is the prepared environment, a space designed to foster independence, connection, and responsibility in children. The role of the adult is to carefully curate this environment to promote the child’s healthy development. Here at Oak Farm Montessori, we see this principle in action every day, especially at the elementary level.
In the primary years, children focus on practical life work that builds concentration and fine motor skills. As they transition into elementary, students play an essential role in maintaining the care of the environment, where each child contributes to the classroom community in meaningful ways. For example, in our Dual
Language program, students participate in an Acto de Servicio (Act of Service), a rotating set of responsibilities that foster both individual growth and communal wellbeing.
These acts of service, such as caring for animals, watering plants, doing laundry, sharpening pencils, and loading the dishwasher, among many others, allow each child to contribute to the classroom’s daily rhythm. When one of these tasks isn’t completed, it impacts the entire class; emphasizing the importance of each individual’s role. Through these responsibilities, children gain a sense of accomplishment, independence, and selfesteem, knowing that their efforts directly benefit the classroom community.
Older children, with more experience, often take on leadership roles by guiding younger students who may feel uncertain about new tasks. This not only builds a sense of connection, but also provides opportunities for mentorship, fostering a supportive classroom culture. As Maria Montessori noted, the child’s personality is shaped by their interactions with the environment, with each responsibility nurturing independence, self-discipline, and character.
Beyond classroom responsibilities, care of the environment also includes maintaining the materials so they are ready for the next child to use. We emphasize the importance of leaving the environment better than how we found it, showing respect for others and helping create
a community of care. These opportunities to contribute, learn from mistakes, and rely on peer support, rather than constant adult intervention, boost self-esteem and encourage resilience. As Montessori explained, preparing an environment that nurtures these experiences is one of the adult’s most crucial roles. This involves ensuring the availability of materials, establishing routines, and
providing structure so that children can thrive independently.
To extend these principles at home, parents can provide similar opportunities for children to contribute to the household. By preparing a home environment that offers age-appropriate tasks, such as caring for plants, setting the table, or recycling, children gain a sense of responsibility and independence. Clear
routines, and access to tools they can manage, give them the confidence to succeed, just as they do in the classroom.
By fostering care for the environment, both at school and at home, we nurture children’s independence, sense of community, and self-confidence; key components of their development into responsible and capable individuals.
Self-Construction
in a Prepared Environment
Nancy Bradtmiller, Upper Elementary 2 Teacher
“The
role of education is to interest the child profoundly in an external activity to which he will give all his potential.”
Maria Montessori
If Maria Montessori were to walk into any of the upper elementary classrooms at Oak Farm Montessori School, she would be pleased with the view of the woods as it entices students to go outside, the shelves are filled with thoughtfully arranged materials, and furnishings are spaced for collaboration or independent work. Montessori considered the prepared environment as a Trinity - the adult, the child, and the environment. She recognized how the three worked together for the child’s self-construction. Our role as the teacher, or guide, is to prepare and maintain the environment with materials sequentially placed and meant to “romance” the child into activity. The use of manipulation, observation, and repetition reveal abstract concepts and the students’ ability to recognize when an error occurs makes them auto-educational, placing upper students in charge of their learning. This explains why a favorite Montessorianism is “The children work as though I don’t exist”.
Upper students are social and want to work in groups, so rooms are set-up to make space for collaborations. Students can then sit together and discuss new understandings, story ideas, shared interests, help with spelling, math facts, the list goes on and on. Such conversations are welcomed as long as everyone is mindful of those around them, so as not to interrupt their work. During such meetings, responsibilities may be delegated, as well as learning how to negotiate any differences of opinions. Meaningful collaboration is a skill for life.
Upper students are ready for wider boundaries with freedom to explore beyond our classrooms’ doors. Our view of the woods and campus lures students to explore, connect, and discover. When lessons are grounded by nature, students gain a more comprehensive understanding and appreciation for the interdependence of living things, their environment, and the laws that govern them. These experiences are appropriate for the second stage of development because they provide a sense of place and belonging in the community of life, thus helping our students with their lifelong pursuit of answering - “Who am I” and “Why am I here?”
Students use their hands to manipulate the test tubes pieces to help solidify their understanding of division.
Students gather on the rug to work on writing prompts or meet for spelling check-ins.
CREATIVE PLANNING
MEG ROWLISON, ART TEACHER
Journey with us as we begin the school year and take a look at our environment at the Elementary Art Center and Secondary Art Center. The art lessons are prepared, materials are carefully selected, and the classrooms are ready. We spend countless hours labeling, organizing, and ensuring all materials are ready before any students arrive. The art materials are arranged in a way that allows students to easily access and return items. This organization helps reduce clutter and distractions during our creative process. The environment is prepared. Now, how do we maintain order?
Students are welcomed and shown around the art room. They are encouraged to engage with their surroundings in a mindful manner. All lessons include how to use the materials correctly for sustainability and respect. An example might include using colored pencils and only sharpening them when it is really needed. Kindergarten level artists were interested to learn about the long piece of lead inside the colored pencil and how it can break if they drop the pencils, making them not last as long. Students at all levels always plan for their projects. This helps artists to think through the creative process and allows us to engage around their plan, including material use and craftsmanship. Our projects can get messy, students learn how to properly clean up the work space during our restore time. We use cloth towels while cleaning or washing our hands instead of paper towels.
Students understand that a clean and organized environment supports their creativity and their responsibility towards environmental care. When students are ready to leave the classroom they can feel accomplishment; not only for their creativity, but keeping the environment maintained so all students can feel inspired and focused when walking into the art room. Because this is a place of shared materials and space.
This same feeling can happen with art at home so the student feels inspired. If art materials are organized into bins and labeled, they can be easily restored. Reduce clutter and distraction by only placing a small amount of art materials and rotate the projects. As they are thinking through the project and may want more available, it allows you to engage to understand why and you can encourage using the materials mindfully. Seeing completed projects before providing different supplies can also help with encouraging their best craftsmanship and not rushing through projects. You could have a work in progress area where their work is stored, like in the classroom. This encourages them to restore the area so it is ready to go the next time they are able to create and then continue their work. This will foster the same satisfaction of freedom for creativity in a peaceful, clean environment!
“As students participate in the work on the land, they develop a true appreciation and respect for the land that sustains us.”
Stewards of the Land
Everyday Life at Oak Farm Montessori Middle School
As young adults move through adolescence they begin to look outside of themselves and their classroom or home into the larger world around them and take interest in the environment that surrounds them outdoors. At Oak Farm Montessori School, we are blessed with over 100 acres of outdoor classroom space. Here at the middle school, students are immersed in authentic work of hands, outside in the environment, each day during their Erdkinder time.
As “land children,” they are learning how what they do impacts the environment through observation and their work in an agricultural setting. Doing chores in the barn, or caring for plants in the garden or greenhouse. puts students in direct contact with nature in a meaningful way. Students experience, in real time, the effect of seasons, weather, and the hand of man on the environment through this work. They discover how what they do, or do not do, as stewards of the land, can greatly affect the productiveness of the farm and the natural environment.
Maria Montessori talked about the value of this work in her book, “From Childhood to Adolescence.” She said, “it is not the country itself that is so valuable, but work in the country, and work generally, with its wide social connotations of productiveness and earning power. The observation of nature has not only a side that is philosophical and scientific, it has also a side of social experiences that leads on to the observations of civilization and the life of men.”
As students participate in the work on the land, they develop a true appreciation and respect for the land that sustains us. Life is only possible through the production of food and fiber to meet our needs. These young adults have the opportunity, first hand, to see the impact of fire on the prairie, the first steps of a baby goat, and the transformation of manure and waste into rich compost soil. Students learn to work as a team and pursue goals for the greater good. Gaining empathy and understanding for each organism’s place and purpose in our environment helps them then transfer that understanding to their peers and look at the world around them through a different lens focused on compassion and caring.
They gain a better understanding of where their food comes from and the effort needed to make that possible. They begin to see the interconnectedness of every living thing in nature. And most importantly, they begin to recognize their role as the next generation; tasked with the pursuit of peace and preservation of our environment.
Crystal Leu, Middle School Farm Manager
In our society, high schoolers sometimes get a reputation for not being organized, not picking up their rooms, and eating a full bag of Cheetos on the couch. All of these things are said about them, because they are partially or completely true. When I was in high school, I remember doing the same! As a Montessori educator, it is fun to see surprised looks on parents’ faces when they get a report that their son or daughter restores their space, learns to keep the materials organized and even fold loads of laundry! Many students do practice these habits at home and at school, but at school we have the benefit of our prepared environment and socialization. The adolescent environment is intentionally designed to allow students to have freedom and autonomy within the space, while also having the capacity to maintain its order and cleanliness through student run processes. At school, they get snacks, hot chocolate and even cook full meals during their free time. They do not always clean up after themselves, but their learning comes from their own freedom and autonomy. Where they are free to make messes, other students in the community apply the appropriate amount of social pressure for them to clean up after themselves. Seniors look after and teach freshmen about the freedoms and responsibilities of the space. This care of the environment is to maintain a beautiful working space for them in the here and now and for future generations.
Our challenge, as older adults, is to not view sloppy practices as laziness or dysfunction. The adolescent is learning how to maintain order in their own lives with autonomy. This comes as a challenge, since many may have backslid in these skills from their younger years. In their adolescent years, their hormones and bodies change, they are learning again the ways and pressures of adulthood. They want order. They want cleanliness. We should all remember to give them the freedom and autonomy that they crave, along with the high expectations that they can achieve.
BALANCING ACT
Jon Agler, High School Administrator
Lorene’s Legacy
Kim Davidson, Strategic Partnership Director
As we approach Oak Farm Montessori School’s 25th Birthday, I cannot help but reflect on the impact the school has had on over 1,000 families since the day we opened on Monday, January 24, 2000. On that very cold Monday morning, with an anticipated high of 12 degrees, nine students and three faculty members came together as the first primary class in the original farmhouse on the property. They had no way of knowing that 25 years later that same building would be renamed the Green Farmhouse and would undergo multiple additions and renovations. How could they know that the school would grow to serve over 425 students, ages 6 weeks through 12th grade, with 14 classroom buildings on over 150 acres of campus?
I think it is safe to say that the reach and impact of OFMS has exceeded expectations. Lorene was a visionary and although I don’t know that she envisioned all that has become Oak Farm Montessori School in 2025, I do know that she believed she was onto something. Something that she knew was “right” for children and that if she built it and believed in it, others would too.
As I often do when I am preparing to write about Lorene, her vision and her legacy, I re-read the Founder’s Letter, our Vision and Values and watch the fund-a-need video from 2019, “The Greatest Story Let It Be Told.” Through these original documents and testimonies, I am able to reconnect with what drove Lorene’s decision to start Oak Farm Montessori School, what values were important to be carried forward, and how her vision for the school would be fulfilled. I had the pleasure of knowing Lorene and I know if she were here today, the focus would not have been on her, but on the students. The credit would not be hers, but everyone who joined her on this journey early on; as well as, others who stepped in to continue the journey once she stepped away.
In the Founder’s Letter, there were 3 primary points that influenced her decision to start the school.
Choice, choice, choice!
• Choice for the parents making decisions about their child’s education.
• Choice that was not traditional education.
• Choice that was affordable and accessible.
At the end of the video from the Tall Oak Gala 2019, “The Greatest Story Let It Be Told,” past OFMS parent Joni Dietsch shared, “Our family’s lives would not be the same without her life’s work.” Wow! What a powerful legacy. To celebrate our 25th Birthday, we will share stories about all the ways families’ lives are better because of her life’s work.
We invite you to share your family’s story with us, so that we can celebrate the positive impact of OFMS over the past 25 years. Please reach out to Kim Davidson if you have a story to share.
