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| About Us Parent Testimonials Read what some of our parents have to say about Montessori Academy of Cincinnati. If you would like to submit a testimonial, please contact us: Address: 8293 Duke Blvd
Mason, OH 45040
Phone: (513) 398-7773 Email: info@montacademy.org
| | | Testimonial 1
Academic excellence encompassed in an enriching environment, self-motivation, responsibility, diversity, are fundamental skills critical to every child’s education. You will find all of these and more at the Montessori Academy of Cincinnati. In today’s fast paced ever changing environment, what defines an ideal school? Is it academic performance, religious focus, prestige, or community popularity? How do we as concerned parents wade through the mounds of marketing literature and smiling faces that greet us at each open house? Will the school actually deliver on its promises or will we be disappointed? Will the cost of tuition be an investment or simply an expense? Beneath the shimmering brochures, lies the true identity of a school. It is our role as parents to uncover the identity and evaluate how it addresses our expectations and family style. Our son was enrolled at an esteemed private Christian school; however, he was not academically challenged. It became apparent the numerous parent volunteers knew more about my child’s performance than his teacher which was very concerning for us. When discussing the issue, it became evident the school was not equipped to address the lack of challenge at his grade level despite numerous promises issued during the open house and interviews. Their approach was very similar to public school …teach to the medium. We believe the individuality of the academic experience at MAC generates a richer educational experience. Whether you are raising a bright, average, or precious child requiring a little extra, MAC delivers academic challenges focused on the individual child. Your child is given the ability to excel to the next level without waiting on “the majority” to grasp the concept. Also, a child who falls below “the majority” moves at his/her own pace to ensure understanding and creating a firm foundation for future learning. Thus, every child receives a positive experience without the negative implications associated with the traditional class room environment or standardized bell curves. Where else could you obtain a customized educational program for your child? The public schools certainly aren’t able to provide this level of service and I’m not aware of any private schools outside of Montessori. MAC exhibits a positive, productive educational environment where learning is energetic and fun. It permeates throughout the building, the staff and ultimately reflects onto our children. Children absorb everything around them which is why it is important to select an enriching environment. Montessori based education is a hands-on approach which improves absorption, comprehension and retention of the material. I am sure most of us would agree, we learn by doing. The Montessori program promotes self-motivation, personal responsibility, positive corrective guidance, and respect….this compliments our focus at home. Our society expects these characteristic traits and they are usually critical to maintaining a successful career. Ultimately, every parent’s desire is to raise children with a healthy self-esteem and the skills necessary to address life’s daily issues. MAC certainly enables children to set themselves on a successful path. Jim & Danita Enouen
Testimonial 2
The decision to send our children to Montessori Academy of Cincinnati’s Elementary Program this year was definitely a process that evolved over a period of time. We knew that it was an important decision, which would affect them for life, so we took it very seriously. We came from a traditional, private school known for its excellent academic program in a Christian environment, and where small classroom sizes would allow them to be successful. Sounded like a great plan to us! My children did well on their report cards, which reported grades in about 5 different subject areas, and the ten minute conversations at conference time twice a year reported the same good news. So, what was the problem? What was missing? Did they really know my children, their learning styles or abilities? Did my children feel excited about school and learning? Did the boatloads of homework that came home every night really represent an education that would carry my child into the future with the knowledge necessary to really thrive? We weren’t so sure, and began to ask these questions, one by one. When we didn’t get the answers we thought were acceptable, we began to explore our options. What we found at MAC was a student-centered learning environment that promoted self-motivation and responsibility, qualities that we had not seen in a traditional learning environment. Allowing the students to work at their own pace has given my children a sense of ownership and accomplishment that is so important to their learning and self-being! I am confident that the teachers at MAC know all of the children personally and are vested in providing them what they need to achieve great things. We don’t pretend to understand how this Montessori method totally works, but what really matters is that it does! Every time we get a chance to sneak a peek into THEIR worlds we see: A place where children are free to move about and learn in a stimulating, respectful place, A place where children are challenged and successful on a daily basis, A place where our questions have finally been answered. Comments from our kids: “I really don’t miss my old school, and I especially don’t miss those desks!” “Everybody at MAC just gets along.” “My teachers like me.” “I wish we had school on the weekends.” “It’s a special place- where you work really hard, but you have fun too.”
Testimonial 3
I am pleased to have two children at the Montessori Academy of Cincinnati this year. My daughter Hayley is in the second grade, and it is her fourth year with the school (2 years at the Blue Ash location, the Children's Center, and 2 at M.A.C.), and my son Colin is in his first year of preschool there. My husband and I are continually amazed at how much kids can learn when given the right opportunity to do so. We truly feel M.A.C. Provides the best possible environment for children to grow academically. The Montessori environment, with its hands-on teaching methods, works very well to teach children new concepts in a way they really understand. I have been especially impressed with how it works well for different types of personalities. My daughter has a tendency toward being more introverted, and the Montessori setting has encouraged her to take initiative and solve problems on her own, whereas my son has benefited from a setting where he can be stimulated by choosing his own works while still being able to physically move about the classroom. Perhaps even more importantly, the staff at M.A.C. has been extremely caring and more than capable in working with the students on a personal level. Everyone there takes pride in the school and really wants each student to be the best they can be. The low student-to-teacher ratio is one of the strongest aspects of the school. All the teachers and staff members know my children each by name, as well as which class they are in, and even generally know how things are going for them on a daily basis. I really feel the first years of schooling are the most important, because they lay the foundation for all future education. No matter wher our children go after M.A.C., they will have gained an ability to learn and an appreciation of learning that will undoubtedly serve them will for the rest of their academic career. Liz Shepard
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Testimonial 4
My son Cody was going to be three years old. We were looking for school for him to attend. We happened to have a neighborhood meeting at The Child's Place as we lived nearby. Just seeing the school we liked it and were interested in what it was all about. Cody started in September 1993. We were so impressed from the very beginning. After completing an extra pre-K year we were ready for 1st grade. Sadly, Cody had to leave because there was no first grade available. He attended public school for this year. We were never truly satisfied with this year of school. He asked to learn cursive writing but was told that he had to be a second grader. He read many of the same books repeatedly waiting to be tested to progress to the next level. He was ready for additional challenges but they were not available to him. We so missed The Child's Place! We continued contact with Pat Elder and many times expressed our concern. She soon gave us good news! She was going to expand to a first, second and third grade. We were all so happy! We were all relieved not having to make a decision on a school for second grade. I was so thankful that this opportunity opened up for us. Cody was very excited to be able to return to The Child's Place. He was always so happy to get up each day and go to school there. There are wonderful teachers and staff, many lessons learned in and out of the classroom, great field trips, learning manners and respect for others.....I can recall all the great experiences we had at The Child's Place. I have always volunteered and participated at the school. I have enjoyed every minute of it! We have cooked, sewed, planted, created and had lots of fun doing it. My Cody is in seventh grade at the current Montessori Academy of Cincinnati. He has produced and brought us many great things from this school. We all anxiously await eighth grade. It will be very sad to leave but Cody has had such a great learning atmosphere there. He will do more than fined wherever he goes. I will be the one with the handful of kleenex at the end of eighth grade. Tears of joy-many, many tears of proudness and joy. It's been such a great journey! Michele Berls
Testimonial 5
Our son Matt has been attending MAC since he was 4. We have been extremely satisfied with the social and academic preparation that MAC provides. We did not realize it, but Matt had some "learning challenges" that were spotted by his preschool and then kindergarten teachers. As a result we actively addressed this area of concern which included speech therapy, physical therapy, and a reading/spelling tutor. Today, our son is a happy, well adjusted 7 year old. Matt made fantastic progress during his first year of elementary school, and is now reading beyond his grade level, and does math at an advanced level as well. In addition, he has made many good friends while at MAC. I believe MAC has given him the self-confidence to interact with other children and adults no matter what the social setting or circumstance. He is always polite and respectful to all people he meets, no matter what their background or race; which is something that we teach at home, but which is also endorsed at school. I think Matt summed it up well. One day he brought home some complex math problems, and showed me how he could do these problems. I said to him, "Wow, when I went to school, they did not teach that math concept to me until I was in the third grade"(he is in first). My son looked puzzled and said "why not?" Indeed why not? Montessori allows children to advance into their work beyond what is on a rigid, preset curriculum for their grade-level. It allows children to flourish and go as far as they are interested (and ready) to go. In this setting, just watch the kids, and they will take off. Matt certainly has and I thank MAC for that. Back to top
Testimonial 6
Montessori Academy of Cincinnati was the right place at the right time for our daughter. Sidney attended public school for Kindergarten and first grade. We quickly noticed that she was not being challenged. She started to get in trouble for talking and did not like school. We tried to work with the system to challenge her but we were actually told by a teacher half way through the school year "we have nothing left to teach your child in first grade. She has mastered the curriculum." We were stunned to hear this from a teacher. We began to look elsewhere. Montessori Academy of Cincinnati was the answer for Sidney. Here we found a school that challenged the child at their own level. There was no stop in the curriculum. If Sidney excelled in one subject but not in another, she could move through the grade in that subject while taking her time to master the more challenging one. Sidney is a child that craves movement. She does not do well sitting in a chair for long. Moving about the classroom is forbidden in a public school setting. It did not take us long to see that Sidney learned better when she could touch and manipulate that which she was learning. Who wouldn't! When you can hold "1000" in your hands, you get how many that really is. She loves to come to school everyday and is excited to tell us all she has learned when she comes home. She quickly learned all the Montessori materials because they make learning make sense. We feel MAC is the best place for our child to master the foundations of learning. Back to top
Testimonial 7
My daughter has been attending the Montessori Academy since pre-school. She is now in fourth grade. My husband and I have been extremely happy with her education. We like the low student teacher ratio and the special attention that she receives from the teachers. The Montessori Academy has worked with us to help our daughter succeed academically and socially. They are open to new ideas and are always trying to improve. We would highly recommend the school.
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Our son Ming-run Cui was a preschooler/kindergartner at The Childs Place (now Montessori Academy) from January 2001 to June 2003. He joined the school when we moved from China, when he just turned 4 years old. He did not know English when we came. Two and a half years later he was reading at a 4th grade level. He built solid foundations in math, physics, chemistry, and biology, and continued to show stong interests in them. More importantly he became a very self-confident and self-driven person with a very strong learning ability and adaptability.
Ming-run has clear goals for himself. I asked him: "What kind of person do you want to be?" He paused for a long time and said: "I want to have integrity, be helpful and rich." This is a wonderful person guideline.
I have always been inspired by his dream. When he was 5 years old he wanted to be the first astronaut in China. After China sent the first astronaut to space I encouraged him: "Sorry you are not going to be the first astronaut in China, but you can be the first one on the moon." He still has this dream. He might not necessarily become an astronaut, but I know he is always setting high goals for himself.
We moved back to China in June 2003. I was amazed how much the school had affected him. He demonstrated a very stong learning ability and adaptability. When we moved back he knew nothing about the Chinese characters and started first grade in China. Again two and a half years later he was well ahead of his peers in reading in terms of quantity and speed. He is very comnpetitive in math as well. To give a better picture, most students had been learning the Chinese characters since preschool and they knew hundreds or thousands of them before they went to first grade. The learning environment in a traditional Chinese school is very different than the Montessori school. The class size is normally 40-45 students with only one teacher teaching each lesson. The classroom is about twice the size of a two car garage. Without a strong interest in learning and a great attention span, one can easily get lost in the middle of a lesson. In fact, short attention spans is one of the biggest concerns of the teacher. Ming-run adjusted to the new environment quickly. The teachers always appreciated his great attention span and the way he interacted with them. Even though he did not test well in the beginning, he caught up and received excellent scores in 6-9 months. In addition, he has a big goal for himself; he wants to be ranked in the top 5 on the National College Entry Exam. We are so grateful that Ming-run attended The Child's Place. The school has so many excellent teachers and provides a superb learning environment. Ming-run could not be today's Ming-run without the experience of The Child's Place. There is an adage in China: "Teaching how to fish is much better than giving fish!" The school is teaching the students HOW TO FISH!
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