New England School of Montessori

Montessori - Where children DO what they love and LOVE what they do.

I am pleased to have begun working at NESM this past Fall and have found immediate kinship among like-minded colleagues who care more and give more to the children we are responsible for than I have seen anywhere else. I have watched children grow and flourish in the short two months I have known them as they feel loved and supported by caring friends and the staff who guide them. Our program has the unique ability to individually tailor our curriculum to meet the needs of each one of our students offering the correct balance of challenge and success to foster healthy autonomy and self esteem. My youngest son also attends the elementary program, and I only wish I had found this school sooner so that my older children could have received the same benefits my son is gleaning from his experiences here.

I'm a parent of two children, ages 3 and 4, at NESM. I sought out this school because I wanted them to have the advantages that I didn't have as a young child. When I was 12, we moved to the East Side of the city, I was tested and labeled as "intellectually gifted," and placed in "advanced" classes. Unfortunately, in many ways I could not keep up with my new peers, because I never had the preparation in that formative period when mathematical concepts are introduced. Being able to memorize and regurgitate answers is not the same as truly understanding, and as the curriculum advanced, those gaps in true understanding became self-evident. Consequently, my career options in life were limited. I cannot explain in words the joy I felt last week at the NESM parent-teacher conference, when I was told that my 3 year old was enjoying working with "the binomial cube." He has a love of learning and the opportunity to truly understand concepts to build upon for the future. I would highly recommend this school.

As someone who was raised in Montessori schools I was gravely disappointed in this school. The school was unable to meet BASIC toddler needs. Did not seem to actually embrace individuality or self confidence in our child or attempt to work with him at his level. In our experience this school is only willing to work with children who fit a very specific mold, which is about as far from the Montessori teachings as you can get.

This is a school that really embraces the Montessori method and they strive to make sure every child meets his/her full potential. I have two kids at NESM, both started in the Toddler class, and both developed differently at different rates - but both are strong, independent, respectful, creative, caring, thoughtful individuals and I see that NESM treasures these qualities as much as we do. I think it's important to know that this is a school, not a day care, and that the lessons continue at home, not just at the school. Teachers work with parents to let you know every day what the lessons are, and communication with teachers is encouraged and easy. We know we are always welcome to observe classes and encouraged to participate by reading to the class, baking, or doing a craft. The teachers are wonderful, well-trained, and very caring. The only warning I have is that, since it is a school, there are a lot of days off and delays for inclement weather - it's not always working parent friendly - you do need a backup plan (or two) for day care. My children are very happy at NESM and we are very happy to be a part of this community.