| My husband Scott and I live in North Easton with our four children who are very proud KWMS alumnae. |
| Just this past week our 7th grader Sabrina submitted a short essay for Language Arts and on the front cover she placed the map to the Kings Wood’s woods. The short essay was based on her wonderful memories of the famous "walks" into the woods. |
| Our Michelle, in 5th grade is now re-reading "The Phantom Tollbooth", a book she remembers Wanda reading to her in Kindergarten. She is enjoying remembering it and seeing it from this age level and of course we had to watch the movie the other night. |
| Alex, our third grader remembers doing pre-algebra in Kindergarten and till this day LOVES math. In late summer he built himself a river in our mulch side yard. Just like how he uses to do during recess at KWMS. The children would create these huge masterpieces in the gravel with a little bit of water and a whole bunch of imagination. |
| Our youngest, first grader, Tiffany, holds each teacher she encounters to a standard (I personally think) a very high standard, of Vicky. The nurturing care given to Tiffany by Vicky and Sharon through the years has been felt even at the young age of 6. |
| We were KWMS parents for over 9 nine years and if I could do it all over again I would do it in a heart beat. |
| Needless to say, KWMS not only touched our children’s’ lives (they are still asking when they can go visit) but they have touched ours. The teachers and the administrators (we were there with Kathleen Dunn) are incredible individuals. I consider them my friends even now. I can not imagine any other preschool having such a wonderful positive impact. |
| KWMS was an incredibly wonderful place for our children’s early education / foundation. |
| King's Wood Montessori School is the place where both of our children began their educational journey- one starting ten years (almost to the day) after the other. The story of their time at King's Wood is one where despite their very different personalities and learning styles, each came out prepared and engaged for their next challenge- educationally and in every other way. |
| One of our children is very social. His idea of the perfect day at KWMS would be to walk into class, dress up in the costume of another country and sit down at the marker table with his best friend and draw. Right away he began focusing on history and other cultures- learning the flags of every country, its geography, and using computer programs that gave him insight into the world around him. He, and all of his classmates loved the days they would hike into the woods to explore the natural world. |
| Our other child is quite shy and in her journey, we had the amazing opportunity to watch her open up and blossom under the love, guidance and support of the phenomenal staff at King's Wood. One of the hallmarks of Montessori education is that older children help younger ones. Our daughter loved being helped by older children when she was one of the "wee ones" in class, but what she loved even more, was growing into being the helper and lovingly showing other children how to do things. Her feelings of confidence grew exponentially as she became more and more competent in her environment. "Hmmm," she would muse on the way to school, "I wonder what kind of challenging work I will do today." |
| What both of our children learned is this: |
| 1. There are choices they can make about their learning- they are active participants, not just spoon fed consumers, in the process- and they have a responsibility to be involved in it. |
| 2. Respect for individuality and community and not just tolerance, but true appreciation for difference. |
| 3. Joy in accepting help from others and joy in giving help to others. The lifelong personal and global implications of this cannot be emphasized enough. |
4. One's learning environment can and should be stimulating, exciting and all-encompassing. It doesn't begin and end in a classroom, but extends outdoors in nature and throughout the world. |
| Maria Montessori's amazing insights into how children learn- brought to life in the "prepared environment" at King's Wood- all are ideal for nourishing the active minds of children lucky enough to be students there. KWMS is the most loving, safe, caring and joyful environment in which to start. Our son, now a junior in high school can and has articulated the positive difference that Montessori education has made in his life. Our daughter has entered first grade a happy and confident person who has made a truly seamless transition to her new school in every way. King's Wood has left an indelible imprint on their minds, their hearts, and their spirit- and of course, in ours as well. |
