What difference does Montessori make?
A parent’s prospective…
I remember hearing about Montessori from a co-worker when David was about a year and a half. He went on and on about how much it had helped his daughter, she graduated from the University of Virginia - summa cum laude at the age of 20. So I started my research first on Montessori in general then for a school in particular. My co-worker gave me a simple rule to judge the schools we were looking at, in addition to certification. He said “Look for a school where the classroom is quite, not because the teacher told the students to be, but because they were actively engaged in what they were working on.” When we toured Montessori School of Alpharetta we knew we had found the right place. But that’s only the background on how David came to be here…
Let me tell you the difference it’s made. My son turned six on March the 25th. He can read the newspaper, loves to play spelling games and sleeps with books at night. His math skills and problem solving skills are phenomenal! I’m not just saying these things a proud mother (although I am) I believe his ability is because of the Montessori method at Montessori School of Alpharetta. My son is every inch little boy, for which the statement that boys are made of snakes and snails and puppy dog’s tails truly applies. I’m certain that if David were attending a regular school, the best case would he would be bored, in the worst case he would have been labeled as a trouble maker and probably a diagnosis of ADD or ADHD would be in his near future. In this environment he is encouraged to follow his interests and passions rather than stifling them.
Now that I’ve told you the difference that I believe Montessori has made to my son’s education, let me tell you the difference this has made to me. I have overcome many challenges in my life, some of them deeply personal and others painfully public. The most frustrating - dyslexia, not being able to read or write with any level of proficiency until my mid to late teens was a source of constant embarrassment. The inability to remember or read names that I’m not familiar with continues to haunt. To know that my son will never suffer the humiliation not knowing how to read or write at his current age is worth a King’s ransom to me. I know that with the simple skills he has today, he can reach any goal he desires. However, I’m so very grateful that he will be able to continue in this wonderful creative environment for at least the next six years.
