So, why did we choose HMA for our son's elementary education? To take a quote directly from Wikipedia,
"Montessori education is characterized by an emphasis on independence, freedom within limits, and respect for a child's natural psychological development..."
Simply put, we believe in the method of Montessori teaching and how it is delivered by the teachers and staff at HMA. We want Ryan to have a love for learning and the ability to think his way through life. At HMA, he receives an individual education plan that has no limits. He loves the staff and loves going to school. The Elementary program has given him new goals and "work" to concur. As a 1st grader, Ryan's quality of work is much more academic and the topics covered have opened many more doors of conversation at the dinner table.
The mixed age group has really been a blessing as well. Often, older kids can be negative influences on the impressionable younger ones, but at HMA, I have found that the older kids are positive role models for behavior, and motivate the younger students to achieve higher levels of work. So to wrap it up, I am even more satified with the Elementary program then I was with the Primary program, and if your child is happy and blooming now, you are going to love what you see happening next year!" - Mr. & Mrs. Miller
"At elementary age our son entered a new period in his life. His imagination and creativity needed a planned environment and expansive course of study to support his burgeoning independence and potential. The HMA elementary program is designed to meet the needs of our children in this phase of development. This experience shaped not only his knowledge and skills, but also his attitude about learning for the rest of his life. When our son entered the elementary class from primary, he found familiarity in the new setting. Many of the inviting Montessori materials from the primary classroom are also in the elementary. He learned to use them in new ways for his expanding mind and made both discoveries and applications in language, math and science. In the primary classroom, our son was best able to concentrate when working parallel to his peers, each with their own activity. In elementary, however, the children are at a different stage of development and have a strong drive to be social and to collaborate. He practiced the social skills necessary to plan and carry out his work. He learned constructive and respectful problem solving and how to work well with the different personalities and characteristics of other children in the classroom. These have been a significant life lessons with practical applications outside of the classroom. Our son displayed a natural curiosity and a strong internal drive to discover how our world works; geography, astronomy, animals…Driven by his curiosity and passions, he developed reading, writing, reasoning, and research skills. Because the children are free to move around the classroom and see what others are doing, the passion and ideas spread.
His elementary years have given him the freedom to develop as a unique individual. He has experienced the challenges and rewards of working with a group of other children of different ages and has seen his skills and talents put to use in many group projects. He has developed proficiency in all areas of academic endeavors and looks forward to the new opportunities in HMA upper elementary. He loves and trusts the adults with whom he works. Above all, our son is flexible, adaptable and confident! - Mrs. J. Morrisey
Patrick's first schooling experience was at Hendersonville Montessori Academy. He attended HMA for three years. This school, and Mrs. Holman, with her patience and guidance, took all his little boy energy and redirected it into a positive learning experience. Hendersonville Montessori Academy is a valuable asset to Sumner County and the Community. We feel that this school helped bring out our child's talents and abilities, and prepared him for his future with his academic education.
Partick is now twenty years old, and looking forward to his junior year at Vanderbilt University. Patrick has just been welcomed to Vanderbilt University's faculty, and will be, along with other faculty, teaching and coaching the accelerator program in June. He has also achieved the honor of making the Dean's list at Vanderbilt.
Our son is just one of many children having passed through Hendersonville Montessori Academy's doors and had the privilege of having Mrs. Holman as a teacher, as well as many other wonderful educators. We cannot begin to measure the contribution this school is making to our community, and to our children's futures.
Sincerely,
- The Widen's
CC/City of Hendersonville, TN