Saying good-bye to Montessori.

Almost 4 years ago I packed Kat into the backseat of my car, drove her to the Montessori school near our home, pulled up the the curb, and let a teacher I didn't know help her out of her carseat and let her walk away.

Then I cried the whole way home.

We chose Montessori education for our children before they were even born. Everything about it sounded wonderful. Following the child, self-directed learning, practical life activities, math, science, reading, peace education, social graces, music, dance, nature walks. We loved the sound of it. The one thing Montessori does not provide is imaginative play. That wasn't a big deal to us since we knew that we'd be able to provide that at home.

Today, I packed Kat into the backseat of my car...well, she actually packed herself, drove her to the Montessori school near our home, pulled up to the curb and watched her walk herself in. In these three years of schooling her confidence has been bolstered. She knows what she is capable of and she knows when to ask for help. She's learned to read and is at least 3 grade levels ahead in language. She's learned math. She understands place value through the 10,000's and has been introduced to place values up to 1,000,000. She can add, subtract, multiply and divide. Fractions are no stranger to Kat. She can dust, vacuum, and wash dishes. She knows how to apologize properly. She knows to look out for younger children and to help them when they need help. She knows how to speak to adults. She can name all 50 states, all of the oceans and continents. She can tell you what an archipelago is and give you an example of one.

Montessori has been a dream for Kat. She's been able to learn at her own pace. She's met new friends from different cultures. She's sang and danced and played on the playground. She's painted pictures and rolled in mud and played fairy games. We're so glad that we found the school and teachers who were willing to teach her mind what it wanted to know and to allow her spirit to be a child.

As they say, "All good things must come to an end" and this is the end of Montessori for our Kat. Next year she moves on to first grade at the public GATE school. The GATE school incorporates some aspects of Montessori education but it is not a Montessori school. She leaves behind the sweet world of preschool and moves into a realm of bigger kids with more "sophisticated" points of view.

We're proud of Kat. We're proud of what she has accomplished. We're proud of her Montessori school for providing such a beautiful, nurturing environment.

It's a bittersweet time. She's accomplished so much and it is time to move on. I thank God for the precious time she has had at her wonderful school with her amazing teachers. May her next school experience be half as good as her Montessori experience and we won't have a thing to complain about.