Sequoyah Hills

We enrolled our daughter at Knoxville Montessori when we saw that she was not establishing the self-direction that we had learned in 4th-5th grade back when we were in public school. It just didn’t seem to be getting taught in public elementary school anymore, at least not to the level that our daughter needed. We enrolled our daughter at KMS specifically seeking the self-direction that Montessori schools are so well-known for. Within the first month, we saw her thrive and, over time, her confidence soared back to how it had been before her experience in public elementary school's early years. Her self-image was restored, and she was praised for the strong moral, compassionate character that she possesses. We love that this was so strongly encouraged at KMS. Her curiosity for nature and science was nourished with encouragement to do her own, independent reports that she regularly and completely dove into. Her final report in fifth grade was a 26-page, typed report on the topic that she selected, "Nature in Tennessee." The requirement was 10 pages! She was so proud to exercise leadership skills in various projects and assignments the students go through to teach real world experiences. She always relished "Forest Fridays" where the kids go a monthly hike and said one of her favorite memories at KMS was doing a sunrise hike with her teacher at a two-day camp they had at a local state park. One of her last notable learning experiences was being able to recite every bone in the body, which she was so proud to be one of the first in her class to learn within about a few weeks.Something unexpected yet noteworthy is that we saw her getting sick much less often than she did in public elementary school.She's now in middle school in Knox County Schools and we already see the difference KMS has made! Her leadership skills are honed and the visual and tangible lessons KMS gave such as the visual block models that explain complex math formulas have set her up for the tools she needed to thrive. She comes home everyday, cracks open her school computer, and manages her homework assignments herself without our prompting. This never would have happened had she not gone to KMS! The school provided exactly what we were looking for. More importantly, she gained tools that were exactly what our daughter needed to thrive not only in school, but that she will carry into her adult life!We will be forever grateful!