The Master's Academy

Excellent! Lawton is the best school and I feel lucky to live in the zone so that my kids get to attend.

The principal is more concerned with optics than actually effectively building up the school and community. She’s gotten rid of wonderful, dedicated teachers seemingly because they were squeaky wheels about her policies and practices. We can’t hold standard community events for the kids at the school if it interferes with her personal time. We were told we can’t have trunk or treat because her birthday is that month and she doesn’t want to have to be there. She expects PTA to fundraise and run events but won’t let them keep any of the money to enhance the school. She makes the teachers meet their recertification requirements on their own time and dime while other schools in the district support their teachers. I just don’t understand why anyone would choose to work in a child-focused career if they really don’t enjoy the company of children and aren’t passionate about seeing them flourish as a whole person.

It only took one phone call with the principal to remind me why we will continue to send our child to private school—despite the $30,000 cost. The principal offered no help, no solutions, and told me it could take a year or more before any services would be available—even though my child is already diagnosed and receiving accommodations. Unbelievable.

As a parent — and a former public school teacher and administrator — my biggest priority is that my children feel safe, loved, and excited to go to school. Tuskawilla Montessori Academy delivers on that. My kids truly look forward to their days here, and I’ve seen how the Montessori philosophy encourages them to grow in confidence and curiosity.The teachers are knowledgeable in Montessori practices and bring warmth and care into the classroom. While I have occasionally noticed spelling or grammar errors in informal school communications, it hasn’t affected the quality of instruction or my trust in the program. In fact, the school has clearly shown growth and internal improvements over time, which gives me confidence in their direction.I don’t believe my children would thrive or develop the same love of learning in a traditional public school setting. Tuskawilla Montessori has provided an environment where that love of learning is nurtured, and for our family, that’s invaluable.

My child is no longer a Christian after attending this school. The bullying, discrimination, and harassment was never ending. She has since graduated, and is now in public high school, which has been a way more inclusive experience for her, interestingly enough. Do not waste your money at this school. If your child is quiet, shy, or their style is even slightly alternative they will be ridiculed and mocked. The teachers definitely favor certain students, especially the P.E. teacher — she ostracizes the “less athletic” kids, which has now led my child to be too traumatized to engage in the sports and activities she wants to do at her school. I have never had a worse experience with a school.

The Pre-K assessment is overkill. They make parents wait in a small library, take your student for an hour-long assessment that over the phone was described by Megan Jones as to see how they interact with other students. Come to find out (after several emails requesting to know more about their request for a SECOND assessment), they are very critical of your child. Betsey Vallery states in her email to me:"[Student] was very interested in the items in our classroom and such a sweet little boy. He did have difficulty following teacher one-step instructions and redirection. For example, when the teacher called [Student] to small group to draw, he ran around the carpet area. The teacher came alongside him and told him to please use his walking feet and modeled her walking feet. This gentle redirection is usually very successful as it's 1:1 in this assessment setting, but he continued to run."[Student] had just turned four only three days prior to the assessment. He's extremely responsive with adult direction, and I find this commentary completely inappropriate. As a former teacher myself, this is not even something that should be a concern. In addition, she states that [Student] didn't know how to write name, draw a self portrait, count to 10 or identify shapes, all of which he's been able to do for more than a year. I wasn't there in the assessment, but I do wonder about the effectiveness of the teacher to inspire participation. She also mentioned that the application showed he wasn't potty trained, which is completely inaccurate. I remember choosing on the application that he was potty trained. He's been accident-free since 2 years old and has never worn pull-ups at night.I felt that this was not a normal Pre-K. They want students that already know what they need to know for kindergarten so they don't have to do their jobs in teaching them. They want kids without a pulse, who aren't excited to be in their classrooms and to be around new toys and potential friends. Another concern is many of the prospective students weren't from the Oviedo area. Their parents were driving 40 minutes each way, so your child making friends that they can play with outside of school may be an issue, unless you like driving.