Discipline Philosophy

Ground rules protect the rights and liberties of each individual child and the group as a whole. They promote the internalization of prosocial behaviors and values, including self-control of impulses, consideration of others, and a sense of responsibility for oneself and the welfare of the group. Ground rules can help make life at school easier, make the days run more smoothly, enable children to be more independent, and foster responsibility. The number of ground rules is generally kept to a minimum, stated and presented in a positive manner, with an emphasis on safety, respect for others and the environment, and the result benefiting all members of the group.

Classroom Functions & Rules:

Here is a list of some typical, often automatic, functions/rules used in most Montessori classrooms:

• The child has freedom to choose any activity from the shelves and takes it to a suitable work space such as table, floor, and/or other designated area.
• The child has freedom to use the material for as long as they like, given they treat it with respect to others and their environment.
• After using the material, the child returns it to its original place on the shelf, in the same condition in which it was found, for the next person to use.
• The children restore their environment with care, clean up spills and messes, put rugs away in proper order, push chairs in, etc., after each activity as a common daily practice.
• The child is free to work alone—no child is forced to share a material they have chosen for an activity.
• The child has the right not to choose any material or activity that is available on the shelves.
• Children are encouraged to solve their problems by talking to each other. Staff observes and guides the children with speech, articulation, and vocabulary when needed.
• No offensive language, name-calling, or any other verbal aggression is allowed in an effort to get a point across.
• Physical aggression is not accepted, and there is zero tolerance for such behavior. Hence, we bring it to the child’s attention how the other person has gotten hurt. We guide children to use words to communicate, rather than their bodies.
• If there is persistent behavior from a child that is endangering others’ rights or comfort, parents will be contacted to implement more effective strategy.
• If there is no improvement after several attempts, depending on the severity of the behavior, the parent or authorized guardian will be contacted for a meeting.
• After three unsuccessful attempts, the child will be suspended from school for one day. The duration of subsequent suspensions will increase incrementally (e.g., 2nd suspension is 2 days, 3rd is 3 days). The school may terminate enrollment if there is no improvement in behavior.

Many other common ground rules are established to insure safety if special equipment is used when traveling as a group, or when staying within supervised areas. School reserves the right to terminate enrollment based on the child and parents’/ guardian’s behavior and severity of the conduct.