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It was the Spring of 2007, and my husband, Bernard, and I were among the multitude of parents looking for a preschool for our eager learner, who was not quite three years yet.
I suspect that this was the year that the children in our city outnumbered the preschools. Lucky for me, I overheard a parent at the park recounting an amazing experience at a Montessori school in Sarasota, FL. I was determined to find this particular school and to explore what Montessori was.
On a beautiful morning in mid-May, our daughter Victoria, Bernard, and I had our first visit to the NewGate School. We met with its wonderful Director, Lorna McGrath. I believe at that time, they had two spots open in the Primary (age 3-6) classroom. We were chaperoned around the campus by one of the parents called an ambassador, who had raised all four of her children through the Montessori curriculum. The campus was small, but we felt it was the perfect size for our daughter.
Victoria and I spent the rest of the summer stopping by the school once a week to get a little preview in anticipation of our starting the new school year that fall.
August came around finally! Victoria’s assigned classroom teacher, affectionately known as Ms. Mini, came over to our home to visit and to get to know her before school commenced. I thought that was a nice process to break the ice, so to speak.
Then the first day arrived for Victoria to go to school! The students’ assigned start dates were staggered to allow for a better, less stressful, more peaceful transition. Victoria couldn’t wait; she was (and still is) a keen learner.
After a few weeks had gone by, we knew that we had made the right choice. Victoria was having a great experience. She would come home bathed in sand from head to toe and with an orange rind in her fingernails from cutting oranges for snack time. It was awesome. We knew that she was fully immersed in exploring and learning.
Over the time that we spent at the NewGate School during our daughter’s Elementary years, we saw her growth as an independent young lady; her ability to collaborate on projects as a team player; her insatiable curiosity to investigate and understand concepts; and her love of volunteering and contributing to her community.
While she left before middle school to attend a special program offered by the public schools, we were grateful for the Montessori formative learning that will continue to yield success throughout our daughter’s life.
