Montessori Program At Eugene Field Elementary Expands

There are three free public Montessori programs in the state and all of them are located at Tulsa Public Schools.

When you peek into a classroom of four and five-year-olds at a Montessori school like Eugene Field, you will see kids moving around, exploring, and engaging in whatever grabs their attention. This is the type of learning environment Matthew Presley wants for his son, Elliott.

"He has the freedom to work on what he wants to work on, to pick when he wants to go eat when he wants to go use the restroom, any of those things," Presley said. "To have that sort of independence, I think is important for a child."

Every child is in charge of their own learning and is encouraged to stick with hands-on activities that pique their interest--like coloring numbers and letters, cleaning, and sorting items.

Diane Beckham launched Oklahoma’s first Montessori program at Emerson Elementary in 2018 and says this untraditional way of learning helps with important subjects.

"It starts in the small things, but we're seeing that children are really owning where they are in math and where they are in their reading," Beckham said.

Four-year-old Elliott was able to check out a class, and he got to jump in and work on a project with other kids close to his age.

Presley says it was great seeing his son having fun while learning and hopes it will continue when he starts next year.

"He comes up with all kinds of ideas of things he wants to do," Presley said. "That’s pretty awesome we even have this as an option."

The Montessori program here at Eugene Field will expand by one grade each year through the 2027-2028 school year.