Fiddlehead Montessori Elementary teaches students in Anacortes, Washington, and the Skagit Valley.

Maria Montessori’s curriculum believes that teaching children in small groups or individually, as opposed to an entire classroom, naturally accelerates their learning and increases student engagement. Research shows that children who complete a six-year curriculum cycle at a Montessori elementary school are typically two or three years ahead of their public-school peers.

Since children learn through their senses, Montessori materials are multi sensory. After many concrete experiences, children are ready to form abstract concepts. They learn best by exploring a topic in-depth, rather than skimming many topics in 45-minute increments. We give each child the skills to pursue their individual interests and passions, and Fiddlehead students are allowed as much time as they require to pursue a given academic topic or skill.

Multi-age classrooms build diversity. They offer younger children the chance to learn from older students, and older students the opportunity to nurture and help younger children, which reinforces their own learning. Children learn to understand and get along with others who are different from themselves.