In 1954, Maria Montessori, the famous Italian Physician and Educator devised a religious teaching method in Rome called "Catechesis of the Good Shepherd." Based upon the conviction that Jesus wants to have a personal relationship with every child, our mission is to provide an environment where they can come together. The "Atria" or in traditional terms, classroom, merely provides an environment where a child can experience His love with the interruptions of the outside world: A place where the child and Jesus can commune, thus allowing the child to actually feel a deep bond and everlasting love with Jesus. The primary responsibility of the Catecheist (or in traditional terms, teacher) is to facilitate this interaction and get out of the way of the Holy Spirit. The secondary role of the Catechist is to prepare the environment for such interactions and present religious lessons that "call forth" an authentic response from the child. All stories are told at age appropriate levels with hands-on materials, and are reinforced with follow-up "work" which is also developmentally correct.
Maria Montessori developed the curriculum as an extension of her educational system believing that all children are spiritual beings. Each child works with age appropriate materials and is given lessons that are very specific in method and presentation. We seek to develop the whole child including: courtesy and grace, practical life, eye-hand coordination, reading readiness and in so doing, fulfilling the child's spiritual yearnings in the process. Forty lessons compromise the curriculum presented to the child in a one-year period. These lessons are repeated each year. The belief is that at each age, the child will be in a different stage of their mental, cognitive and physical growth, thus able to grasp different concepts each time the same lesson is given. In addition, it has been proven that childrean learn on the deepest level with repetition.
In order to be considered for our Catechesis program, your child must be approximately 3 to 3 1/2 years old by September 1st. Your child MUST be potty trained before beginning the program. Each lesson builds upon the next. Therefore, weekly attendance is vital. Almost all of the materials used in class are hand made and require assembly, painting or coordinating. For this reason, assistance from both parents with classroom duties and with materials are required, during class and during times other than when the children are in class.
For more information, please contact Bestsy Brown at betsy.brown@comcast.net or 770-649-1747.
