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Pat Van Hoose, the directress of Medina Children's House, is certified by the American Montessori Society and has been involved in Montessori since 1969 when she began working at the Berea Area Montessori School. After being trained through the American Montessori Society, she opened the school here in Medina in 1975 and rented space in various locations until a building was completed for the school in May 1982.
Montessori is a philosophy with the fundamental tenet that a child learns best within a social environment which supports each individual's unique development. Dr. Maria Montessori, the creator of what is called "The Montessori Method of Education," based this new method on her scientific observations of young children's behavior. As the first woman physician to graduate from the University of Rome, Dr. Montessori became involved with education as a doctor treating children labeled as retarded. In 1907 she was invited to open a child care center for the children of desperately poor families in the San Lorenzo slums of Rome. Her new center, named "The Children's House," was based on her observations that young children learn best in a home-like setting, filled with developmentally appropriate materials that provide experiences contributing to the growth of self-motivated, independent learners.
Dr. Montessori's dynamic theories included such revolutionary premises as:
- Children are to be respected as different from adults and as individuals who are different from one another.
- Children create themselves through purposeful activity.
- The most important years for learning are from birth to age six.
- Children possess unusual sensitivity and mental powers for absorbing and learning from their environment, which includes people as well as materials.
Pat Van Hoose, the directress, or teacher, is not the center of focus at The Medina Children's House as she would be in the traditional classroom. She functions primarily as a guide to the individual child and moves quietly around the classroom as she helps each child choose their own activity. The child's work is corrected by showing them what they are doing well and how they can improve rather than emphasizing their errors. Licensed by the State Department of Human Services, The Medina Children's House emphasizes your child's inner motivation by utilizing their natural curiosity and delight in discovery to help them acquire the self-confidence and self-motivation they need to fulfill their own best potential. To discover how The Medina Children's House can benefit you child, give Pat a call and while you're on the phone with her, don't forget to tell her that The Advocate sent you!
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