I am the parent of two children who graduated from MCH.  Our daughter started at 4 years old and she is now at MacDonald Middle School in East Lansing (8 years at MCH), and our son started when he was 5 years old,  and he is now a freshman at East Lansing High School (7 years at MCH).

I write this because, perhaps like some of you we thought about whether  they would “transition” well from MCH to the public school: “Will they be able to compete with kids who had been in the public school environment with a more traditional experience–will they be as academically prepared as the other kids?  How will they respond to teachers who approach teaching and learning differently?  What about those standardized tests that public school kids have to take (MEAP)–will they be okay sitting and being tested in a fairly mechanistic way?

I realize all children (and families) are different.  We recognized when we enrolled our children at MCH that the approach to teaching and learning was different, but that’s what we wanted for them, and we wanted them to not only learn in a diverse way, but also be in an environment that valued diversity and the child, and encouraged them to respect each other.  We have no regrets!  Our children are doing GREAT! They are self assured, smart, talented, and competing with other students just fine.

As parents we must stay vigilant and assess the progress of our child’s learning and that is true for MCH as it would be anyplace else. Our children are “school of choice” children, and while that presents it own set of challenges, we were successful in getting them in the school of OUR choice starting in 7th grade.    Like each of you, we want only the best for our children–we feel we’ve given them a great start.

If you ever want to talk with me about our experiences with MCH or
transition questions, please feel free to contact me.  Mo knows how to
reach me.

- Paulette Granberry Russell

My wife and I were drawn to Montessori through the glowing recommendation of a colleague whose children had attended the school.  We were seeking a pre-school placement for our youngest son; his older brother was already attending public school.  Upon completion of Sue’s tour, and after spending some time observing classrooms, we were both impressed by the environment as a place to learn and grow – and by the committed and caring staff, working hard to create an atmosphere in which students were not only encouraged to progress academically, but were nurtured and respected as well.  We enrolled both boys; we look back on the time they spent at the school with warm fondness; and continue to appreciate our Montessori family.

- Todd and Trude Culver

Our three children have attended this wonderful school and each of their teachers have shown each of them how to build on their strengths and helped them to address their weaknesses.  Besides their solid academic training, we notice most about our children and other Montessori Children’s House graduates and students is their excitement about learning, their strength of character, and their respectful consideration of others.  It is a school, where independent children love to go because they learn – with fascination about their world, their language, and themselves.

- Patrick and Madhu Anderson

Montessori is an amazing place where individuals flourish and community is born.  We have been thrilled to see our son develop traditional academic skills but also develop a broader view of the world – from the natural world to global world to the diverse world of his classroom.  He has a sense that he belongs and that the world is his to understand and to make better.  How great is that?!

-Daniel Granholm Mulhern