A Parent's Perspective on the Montessori Academy, Delran, New Jersey

When we first moved to a small town in southern New Jersey, enrolling my youngest daughter (who was 2 1/2 years old at the time), finding a daycare or learning program was of the utmost importance to us. We live on a small farm, in a community of less than thirty homes. Her socialization chances were very limited, to say the least, and this was a child who was shy and reserved by nature. We first enrolled her at a school called The Moorestown Children's School, on Garwood Road in Moorestown. After one semester there, we knew we had to find an alternative. At the MCS, it really was more of a daycare facility for parents who had to work. There were few lesson plans, children from throughout the county attended the school, and there were actually only one or two local children who were enrolled. After an incident in which a rather unruly little boy smashed a screen door on my daughter's hand, we knew it was time to move on, and quickly.

It was only by chance that we learned of The Montessori Academy, located at 28 Conrow Road, in nearby Delran, New Jersey that we stumbled upon one of the best experiences of my daughter's life.

The Montessori Academy in Delran is, in a word, fabulous! It, too, drew children from surrounding townships, but because their fee schedule was higher and the parental commitment greater, we found that the other students were really into the "Montessori" lifestyle, as were their parents. It is really a school, not a daycare facility (although it does offer early bird sessions and post-school days sessions as well for working parents). I called and schedule a tour of the school, which was to be followed by a student interview. The school, which has been an established Montessori accredited facility for well over thirty years, is located on about eight acres of ground, several of which are actually farmed. We toured the main office, we toured (and sat in on) regular classroom activities, we had lunch with the children, we met the Admissions Director, the Headmistress, and both of the preschool teachers. (Every class has at least one AMI certified instructor; classroom aides are also certified by the American Montessori Institute as well.) My daughter, who is quiet, was thrilled. There was a sense of orderliness, of peaceful activities, of well-mannered teachers and students alike. She wanted to attend The Montessori Academy almost as soon as we set foot on the grounds. The student interview, of which I was not a part, apparently went well enough that my daughter was accepted.

Ellen is the Headmistress of the Academy, its founder and owner of the land. She has taught the Montessori way of learning to literally generations of students. She is a brisk, no-nonsense, very intelligent woman with whom I was quite impressed. One of the preschool teachers was a gentle, redheaded American-born young lady whose son was also enrolled at the Academy. The other preschool teacher was born in Sri Lanka; she was extremely soft-spoken even under the most difficult situations, and exuded a sense of calm and gentleness in both her movements, her mannerisms and her speech.

My daughter was accepted into the classroom of the Sri Lankan teacher; my daughter and I were delighted! The Montessori Academy follows the strict guidelines of the true Montessor spirit of teaching. Perhaps that can best be summed up in the mission statement of Maria Montessori herself: "Our aim is not only to make the child understand, and still less to force him to memorize, but so to enthuse him to his innermost core." The school day itself, for the preschool program, ran from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The Academy follows a strict schedule of non-scheduling, if that makes any sense. The first part of the day was spent conversing in a circle with both the teacher and fellow students. Students were expected to be polite, to be mannered, to speak when it was their turn. If they were not, they were gently removed from the circle, where the classroom aide spoke with the child individually. (It is strictly, totally, absolutely against the rules of Montessori to ridicule, humiliate, or hold up as an example a student.) It's funny, but when all of your peers act kindly and mannerly, the behaviour, especially amongst the preschoolers, was literally contagious. After their morning circles, students were expected to break up either in small groups or individually to work on projects. Projects may include completing puzzles, artwork, soft and clay sculptures, or even learning to read. No one was looked down upon if they chose to work alone. Every student was welcomed to work with a group if they so desired. Children were encouraged to read beginning primers either alone, as part of a group, or with the teacher. After this time of 'free play', students sat down again to work in a group with the teacher on letters of the alphabet, colors, reading and writing. (Yes, writing! When my daughter graduated from The Montessori Academy, not only could she read at a second grade level, she could also write in both block and cursive script.) Following a communal lunch, the students went outside for what we would call 'recess'. They played on the swing sets (the school has several) and on the playground equipment (of which the school also has several sets), or perhaps at the sand table (just their size!); they might even try their hand at hopscotch and jump rope as well. It is worth noting that nothing that smacks of 'violence' is in the Montessori system. There were no play guns or swords to be found anywhere. After their outdoor play time, students returned to the classroom where circle work was again followed by a set time to read, color, draw, paint, sculpt, finish puzzles, work on joint projects like decorations or banners. Students actually received both interim and midterm 'report cards', together with a mandatory parent/teacher meeting, in which the parents met with the teacher to discuss their child's progress, growth, weakness areas and improvements. While field trips were rarely permitted at the preschool level, the students did occasionally attend local theater productions (age appropriate, of course), and had bi-monthly performance visitors. One of my favorites was the Japanese gentleman who presented a workshop on the fine art of origami, its history, origins, beautifully framed pieces of very rare and ancient origami, plus the opportunity to learn basic origami steps themselves. Another really great presentation was that of sheep shearing; a local farmer spent an afternoon with the children showing them how sheep are sheared, and how the wool is finished and used. (The Montessori Academy boasts quite a few domestic livestock on their campus: sheep, chickens, roosters, regular and potbellied pigs, birds and more. The elementary school students were actually assigned to help feed and care for these animals, under supervision, on a daily basis.)

Basically, what The Montessori Academy offered (and still does) is learning for the love of learning, and learning at your own pace. No one was compared to another student in terms of success or failure; each child was treasured and valued for their individuality.

Perhaps the part of The Montessori Academy schedule with which I was most impressed was lunch time. Under the Montessori theory of teaching, lunch time is no less important a learning experience than what took place in the classroom. As a preschooler, my daughter had lunch with not only the other students but also with her teacher, all at one large communial table. She was expected to participate in the chores related to providing lunch: one day, she would be assigned to set the table for all, another day to remove dishes following lunch. She spent time in the classroom with the Academy's wonderful cook, who also taught the children the basics of cooking! And the meals! They were prepared from scratch, they were powerfully nutritious, they gave the children the knowledge that lunch not necessarily meant a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or heaven forbid, a burger from a fast food joint. The children enjoyed such wonderful fare as lentil soup, split pea soup, all kinds of fresh salads (often using greens grown right on the school's grounds), simply baked but delicious chicken. There was no sense of a fast food mentality; like everything else that Montessori holds dear, lunch time was a time for learning, for sharing, for helping out, for eating a nourishing, well-balanced meal at a leisurely pace with your fellow students and your teacher. It was also a time to learn the fine arts of how to set a table, how to use utensils properly, how to converse at the table, how to make lunch a relaxing, fun part of everyday life. My daughter quickly lost any appetite she had for fast food; to this day, she is very mindful of nutritional content, good table manners, and what makes any meal a pleasant, unhurried part of the day to be shared with others. She learned how to cook, an affinity which she still carries out today; she is actually a much better cook than I in many areas! For the countless wonderful lunch times she had at the Montessori Academy, for that reason alone, I would highly, highly recommend the school for any prospective parents and students. (The school also has a very active and involved Parents' Board, which raises funding for many of the in-school programs and presentations that the students so much enjoy.) After-school activities include piano lessons, a soccer program for both girls and boys held right at the school, and a very impressive Drama Program, which draws upon local community theaters, actors and writers from the area, to name just a few.

Would I have sent my daughter to The Montessori Academy again if given the chance? In a heartbeat! The foundation that she built there to love learning for the sake of learning itself, to work at her own pace, and to judge her own self-worth against only her self and not that of others were invaluable life lessons. I consider her time spent at The Montessori Academy to be among the most important, if not the most important, times of her life.

For additional information on the school, you may visit their web site at www.manj.org, call them at 856/461-2121, or email Administration at manjoffice@manj.org. It may very well be one of the most imporant contacts you'll ever make!