Parent Involvement Opportunities

When my wife and I first considered pre-school options for our first child, we agonized over the choice. We visited schools, talked to as many other local parents as we could, and attended numerous meet & greets. When the time finally came to make a decision, we opted for Sammamish Montessori, and we are so very glad that we did.

When considering the choice, we went with the knowns: like several other schools in the area, SMS has an excellent reputation for quality education, a versatile Montessori approach that plays to childrens' strengths, affordability, and the opportunity for parents to volunteer without the onerous *requirements* to volunteer that some other schools impose.

(Is it really volunteering if you're required to do it?)

So far, our oldest child attended through second grade (ie, five years), our middle child attended through kindergarten (three years), and our youngest is going to start attending his first year in just a few weeks.

What has struck us time and time again over the years are the things we *didn't* think about when we considered the school, and the unknowns. For example, would our children be able to adapt well to public schools after spending years at SMS? The answer has turned out to be an emphatic yes. Our oldest entered the public school system for third grade, and he adjusted beautifully. In fact, he made an immediate, favorable impression upon his new teacher and maintained a solid standing throughout the year. Not only were his academics outstanding, but he also adjusted well with his new classmates. Given the several parent-teacher conferences we attended with his new teacher, it became clear that SMS had prepared him in many ways to be adaptable in the face of change, and to greet those changes as opportunities.

Our second child has a vastly different learning style from his older brother, and yet he, too, excelled at SMS. Very much an introvert (unlike his brother), he nonetheless developed a strong, quiet sense of leadership and self-confidence in addition to his sharp academic skills while at SMS. Like his older brother, he has learned how to adapt in new situations, making friends easily and figuring out how to solve problems (both academic and social) as they arise.

Not only has SMS done an excellent job of helping to prepare our kids for life beyond SMS, they have performed right from the beginning as true allies in helping our children to grow and blossom. On one specific occasion, we went to one of our son's teachers asking for thoughts regarding a (social) situation we saw developing, and they were very helpful in developing a plan for turning what could have become a contentious situation into a great learning opportunity for all involved.

We love the way the school encourages free inquiry and exploring problems and solutions. We love the way the school has been just as flexible in working with us as a family as the teachers have been in working with our kids.

After having our kids at the school for six years so far (and at least another three more to go), we have truly enjoyed and respected each of the teachers our kids have worked with.

We have trusted this school to not only teach our children both in academics and in life skills, but also in how to love learning. The results have been so positive, we are more than happy to continue to trust Sammamish Montessori School with the education of our youngest .

Which brings me to my last point. In many ways, we've come to realize that we are not just trusting the school with our children; we are trusting them with our family. The teachers, the owners, the administrators, the staff, and the parents all work together for the sake of all of the families involved. After six years and counting, we're glad we took such pains over which school to choose for our kids. And we're especially glad we chose SMS.