The Montessori philosophy promotes student independence and values each child as the center of his/her learning. We maintain a balance of allowing students independence and choice in their learning while encouraging them to engage in directed academic activities. The prepared Montessori environment consists of five main areas: Practical Life, Sensorial, Math, Language and Sciences. The environment is designed to encourage children to be independent and incorporate movement into their learning. The materials in each area are neatly organized on shelves, moving from left to right and top to bottom, from easiest to most difficult. During the Montessori work block, students are free to choose developmentally appropriate hands-on work that matches their abilities and interests. The role of a Montessori teacher is to connect students to the materials and gradually remove themselves from the children’s learning. The teacher and paraprofessionals facilitate each child’s learning by individually delivering instruction – making it highly differentiated – and continually recording careful observations of the students’ progress. Accurate and ongoing recording of progress is what directs the teacher to give specific lessons that are interesting and challenging.