The House of Youth
Natus Ad Majora
EDUCATION BEYOND SCHOOL
School is, for most people, a place limited almost exclusively to the pursuit of academics, where children and youth absorb standardized bits of skill and knowledge in preparation for exams deemed necessary for surviving this time and age.
This format of school has existed for over 200 years, regardless of children’s individual interests, abilities, personalities, or talents. Yet educational research has proven repeatedly that humans develop and learn optimally when individual needs and interests are in alignment and respected.
It is possible to design an educational environment that not only meets children’s needs, but actually serves to help them grow into their best adult selves.
Perhaps there is no more critical level for this than at adolescence. At the fraught juncture between childhood and adulthood, adolescents are developing their relationships with themselves, others, and the world. Consequently, their education needs are highly unique, requiring much more than simply academic studies. Instead, adolescents require a learning environment that fundamentally supports their integration into the adult world. They need a community to grow in, not just a classroom.
Maria Montessori’s educational vision for the adolescent was based on three fundamental needs. When these fundamentals are respected, the learning environment is aligned with the needs of the adolescent and results in a healthy, well-rounded, and authentic education:
Connection with the earth and place. The sometimes-tumultuous inner world of the adolescent is soothed by connection to a stable outer world. Time spent in nature is vital for a grounded adolescence. The land contains the roots of all sciences and history of civilisations.
Living and learning in a social, self-organized community. The adolescent has a great need for belonging and for social connection. By being given the freedom and responsibility to organize and run their own community (with wise adult guidance), the adolescent finds the respect and dignity he/she so deeply craves. Great inner growth occurs with this process of learning how to be in community.
Growing towards financial independence. The "learning materials" for the adolescent are the tools of adult life. One primary such tool is financial independence. When adolescents are given the chance to make and sell products in order to help support their own community, such purposeful work is extremely enriching, strengthening and empowering.
Adolescents need a responsive place where new tools, materials, and mentoring are available to help them dream, design, think, share and reflect with the intense energy of their age. One month a group of them might be engaged with building a device to monitor air pollution in the neighborhood, and the next month they could be writing and producing a play about a local activist who uncovers the source of the pollution. Academic work can actually be empowering, engaging, and rigorous in a flexible, supportive, collaborative and principled community because it is no longer just the dead study of textbooks. Great hope lies in the adolescent who is learning to live a life of connected purpose!
The happiest, most passionate, and most resilient among us are those who are involved with the greater good of the universe in alignment with their own selves. When nurtured in this way, everything that a person does, including academic excellence, is effortless, joyful and a work of art. At Ecole Montessori Casablanca, we stand as a school where children are prepared for a life of purpose.
Here is how we envision a life of purpose:
Life is first and foremost about knowing yourself,
not only about what you know.
Life is about liberating your true nature through the expression of your creative soul,
not about conformity and execution.
Life is about togetherness,
not about competition.
Life is about growth,
not about good grades.
Life is about the experience,
not about the result.
Life is about integrating knowledge in a way that is meaningful,
not about separately learning math, geography, science, and history.
Life is about collaborating with nature,
not about learning within confined walls.
We aspire to prepare children for true happiness, one that arises out of everything they do by inculcating these traits:
Consciousness: Consciousness is being fully aware of one’s thoughts and actions in the moment, and their impact on oneself, the environment, and others. Decisions made with consciousness are at the root of responsibility.
Self-discipline: Self-discipline is the ability to control oneself and to make oneself behave in a particular way without external prompting. It represents initiative and organised behavior, for self-betterment or the betterment of all. Self-discipline is the key to living to one’s full potential.
Growth Mindset: Happiness and self-esteem are derived through awareness that you have given your best and that is all you can control. The state of your life stays in your control, and is not based on an external outcome. The ability to view failure as a step towards learning and growth is the mindset that is critical for living a balanced life in an unpredictable world.
A person who lives life with these traits as character is truly :
Natus Ad Majora - Born for Greater Things
Although Montessori background is preferred, the House of Youth shall be open to students from the region as well as from the world. Characteristics we look for in our perspective students include emotional and social skills, such as maturity, empathy, compassion, self-awareness, mindfulness, self-motivation, self-direction, and independence. Being open to personal growth and reflection will be essential. These attributes are supported in a Montessori environment, which is why previous Montessori experience is preferred. Comprehension of the English language is mandatory. Students admitted to this program must be born in 2006, 2007 or 2008. All nationalities are welcome, with a boarding option onsite.
Step 1: Visit
The visit is designed to introduce you to our school environment, and share with you our educational method and objectives. We would be delighted to schedule a visit for you, upon request by email.
Step 2: Apply
Application forms are available below. Kindly fill all the forms, and send them by email along with the additional documents requested in the General Information Form.
Step 3: Interviews
We want to get to know your family and your child during this process. Several interviews shall be scheduled for students and parents. If the family is not available for an in-person interview due to location we will coordinate with you for a video interview.
Step 4: Decision
We will notify your family of our decision by email. Please note that our decisions are based upon several criteria which may remain confidential.
FEES & CALENDAR
The Calendar for the 2020-2021 School Year will be communicated soon.