Student Perspectives:

First, I’ll just say that Montessori experience was awesome! Beyond the irreplaceable quality of education, the actual learning environment was the best. It allows people to learn at their own pace, yet still interact in small groups. I believe the hands-on learning experience was unique as well. I can remember learning about math with cubes. I can remember learning English with paper symbols we cut out to learn nouns, verbs, adverbs, pronouns, etc.

The quality of education is MILES ahead of public school. I sat in 11th grade English class and was so bored, I had to think of questions to ask. Others in the class were learning things I learned in 4th and 5th grade for the first time.

I still talk about this experience with people today. I was carpooling with someone at work who was contemplating Montessori school here in Indiana, and he decided to put child in Montessori school. A week later, he said it was the best decision he made. If I have the opportunity to educate my child in a Montessori School, I’d do it.

Matt, age 30

 
At Montessori, I met friends that will last me a lifetime. The hands-on way of learning made school fun, and the concepts easy to grasp. I found myself fully prepared for middle school.

Neal, age 14

 
The math curriculum at Montessori Children’s House stands out in my mind as quite exceptional. It’s very hands-on and experiential, in Montessori style, and it gave me a really solid understanding of the concepts and a strong foundation in math that has helped me tremendously in my math classes ever since. When you can actually see 12 being multiplied by 7, or you can hold 8 squared or 3 cubed in your hand, it’s incredible how easy it becomes to think about it later. I am extremely grateful to MCH for the background it gave me for all aspects of my education, but especially for the math skills I developed there.

Russell, age 18

 
I spent nine years at Montessori Children’s House, from pre-school to sixth grade. Those were the best years of my life. I feel that way because the Montessori atmosphere and philosophy nurtured me in such a pure and simple way. At a very young age, I developed a sensitivity to emotions and feelings uncommon to most people. In my opinion, this is what Montessori does: it encourages young minds to grow with knowledge and trust, ensuring them the capability to accomplish great things, wherever their lives may take them.

Alisa, age 19

 
Due to Montessori, I have learned to love learning. I am now 26 years old and continue to crave information about our world.

Camilla , age 26

 
In addition to the education Montessori provided me with, it also provided me with knowledge and skills that quickly became and still remain part of my way of life. In addition to the independence it instilled in me, I also learned a lot about responsibility; not only for my own choices and actions but also a responsibility to help and serve others. Montessori is more than just a school where students learn the academics; it is a tight-knit community in which students learn to respect other human beings both within the immediate community and throughout the world. Instead of banning the teaching about other cultures and their ideas, beliefs and holidays, we learned to celebrate those cultures and their differences. Montessori was the beginning of an education for me; an education about individuality, independence, responsibility, and respect and those lessons I learned from Montessori continue to shape my ideas and actions today

Haley, age 20