“Montessori gave me the chance to discover my surroundings on my own that truly helped shape me to be the person I am today.”

When I attended Church Street Montessori, it was located on Bloomington Road and was under the name Bloomington Montessori. Some of the same teachers who taught me are still teaching at the current location.

My time at Montessori gave me the opportunity to learn to be self-sufficient and independent and in a time where children are coddled and sheltered through their formative years. The one-on-one learning approach helped assure my success for small tasks, building my confidence. Small field trips to the library, the bank and the post office taught me about daily life outside of my home routine.

Montessori gave me the chance to discover my surroundings in my own way. The classroom was always set up to do real life activities, and not imaginary play. This approach to learning gave me skills that I continue to use in everyday life such as sewing and organizational ability.

Through the process of redirection instead of punishment, my integrity was protected. During my time at Montessori I remember never feeling stereotyped or compared to others, but that my learning experience was tailored to me alone. The mix of students up to three years apart taught me how to learn from my more experienced peers and as a result, how to identify and fix problems on my own. I then could teach a younger student, and interruption from a teacher was not required. As students we were mostly independent.

Overall the Montessori experience truly helped shape me to be the person I am today and I am forever grateful to have had such a positive early learning experience.