Montessori School

Is today going to be a park day? I'm trying to decide. I think it's going to be beautiful, so I'd love to take Bennett. I'm hoping Josh will get home from work in time to go with us. He's been working pretty late lately, though. There have been some changes made in his job requirements that is putting a bit of a strain on him.

Another reason I hope he gets home at a decent hour is so he can visit Montessori with me. We want to start Bennett in the Montessori School of Douglasville in June. They allow children to start when they are 18 months old, and he will be 18 months on June 17th. Their summer program starts June 2nd, so I'm hoping they'll make an exception for him since it's only a matter of 15 days. I'm thinking we won't have a problem, since I am a former Montessori student. The owner, Mrs. Lupe, was the owner and one of our teachers when Jeff, Greg and I were there. She and a couple others are still there, but there are several new teachers. The school has expanded a good deal since 1980.

Montessori was such a wonderful experience for me. The classes were very small and the atmosphere was always very loving. Most of the teachers were Hispanic, so we learned a great deal of Spanish. I think the children learn even more there now.

I made an appointment to go observe last year when Bennett was only several weeks old. I think they thought I was crazy, starting to think about it so early, but I really want him to have that experience. I stay home with him right now because I'm not working. While I feel like home is a good and loving atmosphere for him, I feel like he is missing out on the interaction with other children. I think he would learn and grow much more quickly if he were surrounded by other children who are also learning and growing, and by teachers who are trained to stimulate their minds.

Our visit only further convinced me that this is where I want him to be. Let me first say that I worked at a Kids R Kids that my cousins opened a couple years ago. I was the lead teacher in the 12 -18 month classroom. I loved that place and I adored the kids. I'd take Bennett there if it were closer. Sandi (my cousin) owns the one in Mableton, and it's about a 30 minute drive from here. I wouldn't take him to any other Kids R Kids.

Montessori is more of a school than a daycare. Still, most of the teachers there are hispanic, and there is something about those ladies that is just mesmerizing. While Sandi's Kids R Kids is a great place, it is a fairly loud place. The kids have a great time there, but sometimes it's hard for the teachers to contain the overactive minds and bodies. At Montessori, it was like all the children had been doped up on something. Of course they hadn't, but they were just so very calmly walking around doing their own thing. A couple of children were sitting at a table eating a snack while another was wearing an apron and putting dishes in a bus tub. A couple others were in a corner reading books, and the teachers would very calmly and with the most soothing voice say, "Jackson, would you like to come read a book with us?" Or, "Sophie, let's clean up your area and come have your snack now." And every other sentence was in Spanish. Absolutely amazing.

I knew after being there for 2 minutes that Bennett would most definitely be a student there, no matter what it took. It's a fairly expensive school. I guess it's not much more than daycare, and maybe even less than some, but with me not working, it's a lot. But we are trying hard to find a way.

Anyway, Josh has heard me talk so much about it that he wants to visit and see for himself. I went ahead and filled out the application for the summer program, so if we visit I'll probably go ahead and give that to them to get Bennett a spot. I'm excited about him going, but it makes me sad to think that he won't be at home with me all day anymore. I'll miss him so much, I'm sure.