It is difficult to believe that next year Sean, our second child, already will be in his third year of the Montessori program. It seems like just yesterday that we were dropping off Sarah, our older child, for the first time to Greece Montessori with a group of children who appeared very big at the time!

When Sarah began at Greece Montessori, we had little formal knowledge about Montessori. We knew Greece Montessori was an excellent program, but had less understanding about the core principles of Montessori education. We had questions. Will the program allow opportunities for my child to socialize with others? Is it too focused on "work"? How does a teacher (directress) manage 25 three to six year olds in one room?

Our appreciation of the Montessori program grew as we watched Sarah and now Sean progress through the program, growing and thriving with the other children. We watched our children begin as the smallest children, watching and learning from the older children, and drawing pleasure from their work in practical life, such as washing tables, sweeping, polishing, pouring, etc. Gradually we watched them venture into other areas. Soon they were not the youngest children but instead the older children, helping the younger children and spending more time on academic work. I remember the day Sarah announced proudly that she had begun to work with metal insets, which we thought were metal insects until Kim Robinson was kind enough to correct our misunderstanding.

Before we knew it, it was the third year. If I was asked to describe why the third year of Montessori is important, I would say that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. While two years of Montessori education is good, completing the three-year experience synthesizes the experiences and principles introduced in the first two years. The academic learning, the social skills, the self-confidence, and internal motivation take off in the third year. The children have the opportunity to act in a leadership role in the classroom and help others. They also further their foundation in reading, writing, math, science, social studies, and other areas, although the learning is not explicitly categorized into subjects. They have the benefit of being with the same peers and teacher for three years in a row, which contributes to a feeling of safety and security in their environment. With this security, they freely explore new learning and experiences in their classroom.

We have truly enjoyed our experiences with the Greece Montessori School and look forward to continuing with the program.

Joan Graham & Mark Henretta