Insights into the founding and operation of St. Joseph Montessori School
St. Joseph Montessori School (SJMS) is the newest Catholic Montessori school in the Michiana area. Founded in 2016 by two young mothers, it has now grown from a basement operation to a full-fledged school.
Claire Fryqvist, one of SJMS’s founders, explained to the Rover how the Montessori method piqued her interest as an undergraduate at Notre Dame. After studying Maria Montessori for a paper and volunteering at a Catholic Montessori school in town, Fryqvist became increasingly interested in Montessori: “I was just fascinated by how intelligently she wrote about children and how closely she observed them and how she ended up dedicating her whole life and career to children.”
She describes Montessori as a scientist who “discovered the human potential in the young child.” Because of Montessori’s extensive observations of child development, Fryqvist told the Rover that her method is “not forcing a child to learn something, but rather working with the way their brain is already naturally developing.”
Fryqvist described the practical application of the Montessori method: “[Students] are literally given a lesson for almost everything, things like how to move a chair so as to sit in it and push it back in, how to carry a tray so that you can peacefully bring your work to your own table.”
She continued, “It’s a very trusting method in which the teacher really does allow them to do real things like carry a glass pitcher or use a broom and a mop to clean up their messes, and as a result, because they experience a sense of ownership and pride in their environment, that contributes really to the whole peaceful community of children helping each other, being aware of each other, being aware of their own materials, and [knowing] how to ask for help when they need it.”
After she graduated, Fryqvist worked at Good Shepherd Montessori School in South Bend. When she began to have children, she opted to become a stay-at-home mom. As her family grew, she told the Rover, she felt “overwhelmed” when trying to balance the particular needs that young children have alongside maintaining the home and having more children.
“I think it can be a very frustrating time as a stay-at-home mom to have three-to-six-year-olds who are wanting to do bigger and bigger things, but it creates a lot of mess, and it’s really challenging to do at home,” Fryqvist continued. “It becomes competitive with household chores and also caring for babies when you’re having more babies.”
Frqvist’s sister-in-law, Naomi Hoipkemier, was in a similar position. Hoipkemier had also worked at Good Shepherd Montessori School before deciding to stay home with her children. She had begun doing Montessori-based lessons with her twin boys when Fryqvist reached out. The two teamed up, and Hoipkemier taught Montessori lessons to the children. A friend offered to let them use her finished basement for lessons, and the following year, a couple more families joined them.
Fryquist describes their program as a “blessing” for the families who needed it at that time: “It wasn’t full week, it wasn’t full day. It was kind of like getting some of the richness and the input of Montessori without having to go all in with it.”
In 2018, Fryqvist and Hoipkemier hired a Montessori-trained teacher, and Fryqvist stepped into an administrative role for their budding school. Fryqvist described the transition, “She really kicked it up a notch. I would say that the program that my sister-in-law and I were offering was very sweet, but it wasn’t fully the Montessori program because neither of us were trained at that level.”
In the fall of 2020, the school moved to their current location of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in South Bend. They hired a full-time teacher who has both taught and advised the school board ever since.
The school currently serves 25 children, ages two to six, and offers four to five day programs. All students may attend half days, and four to six year-olds have the option to attend full days.
Jazmin Charmat and Mary Ann Wilson are both mothers who have sent their children to SJMS. Wilson also serves as the vice president of the SJMS Board of Directors. They were both introduced to Montessori schooling through their involvement with the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, a Catholic catechetical program that is based in the Montessori method.
Wilson wrote to the Rover, “I love the emphasis on respecting the dignity and agency of the child and have seen the joy and deep satisfaction that comes from this approach. … I love that the school integrates the genius of Montessori pedagogy with the richness of our Catholic faith. Our kids learn freely and joyfully and are learning to see God at work through all of creation.”
Charmat wrote, “I can see how this pedagogy truly inspires a love of learning and aims to form the full person, body, mind, and soul.”
Like these parents, Fryqvist is adamant that the Montessori method is deeply Catholic, describing Montessori’s writings as “undeniably rich and full of God and full of the Church.”
She described the Montessori environment as “this incredible community of children that is working peacefully without adults telling them what to do all the time. … They are doing things on their own in a way that is working with their nature, rather than against it.”
Fryqvist invites anyone who wishes to see this community in action to contact the school to set up a visit.
Madeline Thompson is a senior studying music and theology. She can be contacted at mmurph64@nd.edu.
Photo Credits: St. Joseph Montessori School webpage
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