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Where Montessori and Literacy Meet

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Where Montessori and Literacy Meet
Lauren Cantor

You’ve finally signed up for that salsa class—something you’ve always wanted to do since your trip to Spain. You’re ready to go: you have the enthusiasm, motivation, and willingness to learn. But when you show up to class, the teacher says, “Move to the music, and you’ll naturally learn how to salsa.” You pause—wait, weren’t you here to learn the steps? To understand the rhythm? To practice smaller, specific movements so you could master the entire dance?

Now, think of this in relation to learning how to read. Reading is not a natural process for the human brain. It’s incredible to wrap your head around this fact. For many of us, we’ve heard phrases like, “Oh, give it time—your child will get it eventually!” But this is only true if students are taught the fundamentals of reading through direct instruction and coaching.

At MAC, teachers are fully prepared to nurture your child’s excitement for learning and literacy by focusing on the key components of how to teach reading. They use specific Montessori activities, such as Sandpaper Letters and the Moveable Alphabet, to ensure students develop the foundational skills necessary for literacy. MAC teachers meet students’ enthusiasm with structured steps designed to build a strong foundation for lifelong reading success.

As Diane McGuinness, Ph.D., explains in Why Our Children Can’t Read and What We Can Do About It, “Reading is definitely not a biological property of the human brain” (McGuinness 117).

Imagine learning a new hobby like salsa dancing, without a teacher to show you the way. Sure, you could move to the music, watch masters perform, and try to follow along. But without explicit instruction on the correct steps and sequences, you’d struggle to make efficient progress. And without guidance or feedback, you’d never improve.

So the next time you are ready to embark on a new hobby, think of your child learning the steps to read. It takes time, patience, and a school like MAC to get your child on the path to success!

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