Kiddies World Montessori School: First in Bacolod

The first Montessori school accredited by the
Montessori Institute of America has opened in Bacolod–
Kiddies World Montessori School.

Kiddies World Montessori School director Ciella Gonzaga gave us a free tour of their full air-conditioned facility and she shared with us that the entire room, which measures 120 square meters, is considered their one big classroom. The room is just divided into different corners or centers by short shelves, which the kids need to visit or check in to every time they come to school.

Nine subjects are covered for one class day, namely Writing, Sensorial, Science, Practical Life, Geography, History, Math,
Art, and Language. But unlike the puritan Montessori schools, Kiddies World was allowed to incorporate some books in their classroom by the head office because books are part of the any and every school here in Bacolod and it might take some time before the locals can fully embrace the Montessori curriculum. But eventually, they will have to do without the books so as to be true to the Montessori style.

At per the Montessori style of teaching, one class is composed of mixed age students and at Kiddies World Montessori, they are going to have a mixed age class between 2.5 to 5 years old of up to 25 kids under three teachers. The reason for this, explains Teacher Ciella, is societal. Ideally, the older kids will be taught responsibility as they take care of the younger kids while the little ones will have good examples or leaders among older kids.

Advantages of Kiddie’s World Montessori

1. Individualized learning. The Montessori style believes that each child is unique and therefore, lerning styles differ between each child. So they cater the lessons based on each child’s speed and competencies.

2. 1:10 teacher ratio. They want to be able to give as much attention to each child, which is why they have a small number of students assigned to a teacher.

3. No awards, no competition. There is no competition in the classroom because the school dignifies each student’s leaning speed and capacities. Because of this, they also do not have recognition.

4. Fosters respect. Teachers are trained to respect each child’s preferences, strengths, and learning capacities. They, too, pass this on to their students, who in turn are expected to respect their teachers and classmates.

5. Positive reinforcement. Corrections are whispered. At Kiddies World Montessori, they do not loudly reprimand their students who do not exhibit expected behavior. Instead, these kids are corrected quietly. They also do not use negatives, such as “no” or “don’t”. As much as possible, the teachers are trained to construct their sentences positively, even if it’s for correction.

6. Play-based. At Montessori, the kids seem to just be playing but they are already learning because each game, puzzle, or activity is designed to stimulate different kinds of learning.

Kiddies World Montessori School
#108 CL Montelibano Avenue, Bacolod City
Mobile: 0906 277 8752
Follow them on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Kiddies-World-Montessori-School-1195741407120236/