Journey Montessori School

My children have been a part of the Journey Montessori School community for the past five years; The youngest has passed through the primary program and is now in the elementary, and the oldest spent his elementary years at Journey and is now absolutely thriving in the middle school. Both kids have been able to develop incredible foundational academic understandings, far beyond what I was expecting in their early years of school. I believe the concrete materials used in the Montessori approach have facilitated an impressive command of math and literacy concepts, as Journey offers students the opportunity to engage with work that is right at their level of development. The Montessori approach allows for meeting students where they are and really growing their skills from that point. Beyond the design and application of the works (learning materials/strategies), of even greater importance has been the caliber and care of the educators at every level. Each of the teachers has been an exceptional guide to my children's learning and has been highly skilled at knowing when to offer the next challenge, and when to ask them to repeat or go deeper with their work. I have worked in the field of education for 17 years myself, and the teachers at Journey are some of the best I have ever encountered. I believe that beyond parental influence, teacher quality is the single greatest factor in shaping your child's educational trajectory. At Journey, I feel entirely confident that my children are in exceptionally capable hands. While I am pleased with the academic education my children have received, I am even more grateful for all of the socio-emotional growth that has taken place over these years. My children have become independent, empathetic, critical thinkers who are capable of spending long stretches of time engaged in the meaningful work of learning-both at school, and at home. They take on responsibility and tackle work at home that I know is an extension of the roles and responsibilities that they take on in their classroom-they are trusted members of their learning community, and this has really built their sense of confidence and pride in what they can bring to their classroom, and to our family. They can engage in conversation about social issues, think "big thoughts" about the world around them., and know that they can impact others with their actions. My middle schooler has come home and literally blown me away with the insights and understandings he is developing alongside his classmates, with thanks and credit to the teacher for paving the way for those conversations. In addition, because of the outdoor opportunities, the children are able to engage in, they have learned how to be self-sufficient planners, tackle challenges with their peers, and appreciate the beauty of nature...while knowing how to keep themselves safe, and to challenge their own limits. My younger child is a capable hiker and "outdoorswoman" at 8 years old, and my 11-year-old has now been on multiple backpacking trips where he and his classmates have taken part in all phases of planning and been responsible for food preparation, self-care, and learning new skills for outdoor exploration. All this while also working through the many emotional challenges of middle school, developing their sense of self, and finding their path forward into the teen years. It is hard to know whether you make all the right decisions for your children...but I can say with full confidence that sending them to school every day at Journey is a choice I do not second guess. My kids are absolutely becoming the best versions of themselves through the foundation they continue to receive at Journey.

Our family has been part of the Journey Montessori community since its second year of inception and we could not have found a better place for our three children to learn and grow! All three of our children have gone through the elementary program, which we found to be the ultimate nurturing environment for them. We now have two in the middle school and we have been blown away by the caliber of the program there. We initially chose Journey for the outdoor emphasis, which has really delivered in every way. Over the years we have had the pleasure of watching all three of our children grow in their love and understanding of the natural world, while also gaining a sense of pride, teamwork skills, and developing some incredible physical stamina, as they push themselves through outdoor excursions and extended trips. As our family was new to the Montessori philosophy, it was sometimes difficult to trust the academic process in the elementary years. I knew that the kids were engaged and happy and clearly learning their material, even if it was in a completely different way than our traditional schooling taught us. Watching the kids transition into the middle school program has been so rewarding because you really see the strong foundation that the elementary years set for them to be able to dig in and succeed with the next level of learning. Suddenly, everything they did in the elementary years really made sense, and I am surprised sometimes at how deeply the kids really know and understand the work they are engaging in. It has been really incredible to see the way the middle-school guide weaves in so much social and emotional learning along with the quality academics. This has resulted in truly thoughtful and kind preteens and teens, who have an incredibly strong sense of self. We are so pleased to see the hard-working, self-sufficient, curious learners they have all become, and we absolutely attribute it to the fantastic classroom leads and overall culture of the school. As parents and onlookers, we are ever amazed at the way in which all of the students at Journey seem to have retained a genuine love of learning far longer than most of their same-aged counterparts. We are so thankful to have found Journey, and while it will be difficult for us to "leave the nest" next year as our first Journey graduate transitions to high school, we are confident that the education he has received here has set him up to succeed in high school and in life in general.

I have 2 children in Journey Montessori School and we have been there for 4 years now. My children have been in both the preschool and elementary programs and I have nothing but good things to say about the school. The class sizes are small. The teachers are excellent and my children love going to school each day and developed a love of learning in general. The school focuses on developing life skills and is nature based which is a bonus on top of the normal math, reading, etc. Their handling of the pandemic has been exemplary and should be a model for other schools. They have managed to stay open and my children have remained healthy when many similar schools in our area have been forced to close. Essentially I am extremely happy with the education my children are receiving and highly recommend Journey to other families!