Wayne Montessori School's new chief sets sights on growth
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on August 24, 2014 1:50 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Faith Seiglie shows off some of the hands-on learning tools in the K-5 classroom of the Wayne Montessori School.
Wayne Montessori School has a new headmaster.
Faith Seiglie, who has 23 years of experience, has begun her role as the school's new leader, with an eye to helping it move into an even more successful future.
"Montessori education is all about engaging all the senses to help the children learn," Mrs. Seiglie said. "In public school, there's a curriculum that's followed and a specific scope and sequence for each grade. If a child exceeds that scope, you can't help them anymore. At Montessori, you don't hinder the child. You let them learn as much as they can."
Because of the individualized education, some students at the K-5 school are already learning algebra, Mrs. Seiglie said.
"Say you have a first grade that is passionate in math and can grasp multiplication very quickly," she said. "Then the teacher can explore that venue to its fullest extent and teach the child whatever the child is ready for."
Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com, and Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the founders of Google, were all educated at a Montessori school. The Montessori style of education was founded by Dr. Maria Montessori, in Rome, to help underprivileged children and orphans get an education. The method gained popularity for the results it provided and gained traction from there.
Mrs. Seiglie obtained her Montessori teaching certificate from St. Nicholas Training Centre in London.
"I'm most excited for the potential to grow the school," she said. "I want to make the school as vibrant as possible and make it an asset to the community. It's an opportunity to stretch my wings a little bit."