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Having spent my entire schooling at The Montessori School Kingsley, I’ve always known this place was special. And yet, I’m still discovering new reasons to be grateful for my Montessori education. My time at the school nurtured my love of learning, which has never subsided. There was no question I’d bring my own children here as I want them to develop their own individuality and to have a sanctuary from an increasingly fast-paced world. While every child should be given the right to a quality education, I feel very fortunate to have this place in my DNA.

I have been attached to The Montessori School for over 55 years, as a student, parent, staff member and, soon, grandparent. I attended The Montessori School as a small child, and again in the early secondary, after some time spent in other states. Both my children were students at the school for their entire schooling, including the International Baccalaureate, and I also worked in the school for 27 years in several roles. In addition, my granddaughter is due to start at the school in a couple of years’ time.

What I value in the Montessori approach is the embedding of a moral perspective in the environment; the freedom of choice and inner discipline underpinning personal confidence; and the rational approach to the development of the child, including the intellectual development. The fierce defence of pure Montessori principles by our founder, Mrs Duyker, resulted in a school in which these attributes can develop. My inspiration as a teenager was her description of the natural development of the child, and the role of the adults assisting that development - to remove obstacles!

I grew up in Montessori so, for me, there was never a doubt that I was going to send my children to a Montessori school. We love The Montessori School Kingsley as we are part of a community that is diverse and accepting of everyone.

The teachers are amazing, and they truly listen. Children at the school get time to dig into subjects that interest them, doing research and learning about themselves; and there is no uniform, which is a bonus!

Both of our children have gone through the School, with our youngest still in high school. I am amazed at how self-aware they are, especially in comparison to their peers. I am also always impressed by how self-responsible they act and how they own their actions.

For anyone considering sending their children to a Montessori school, my advice is: be prepared to let go early, the children are responsible of their own doing – meaning that mum and dad must back off, but the outcome is awesome.

I think the thing that strikes me the most when reflecting on my experience at The Montessori School Kingsley was the respect shown between teachers and students. This relationship allows for freedom of expression and nurtures a thirst for knowledge. I truly believe the school provides a holistic education that equips its students to be humanitarians no matter what their passion, vocation, or aspiration. Completing my education through the IB Diploma programme allowed for a seamless transition to university but the time immersed in a Montessori education provided a springboard for independent lateral thought, with uncorrupted motivation, that is steeped in social collaboration with fellow students; as peers, mentors, and protégés.

Our family’s education journey started in a private mainstream school. Both our girls were curious learners and genuinely enjoyed learning. However, this changed as our eldest started Year 1. She was included in the mainstream school’s extension program, but this meant that she often missed out on playtime and had extra homework to complete in the afternoons. We tried our best to engage with the school to find a more balanced approach, but our requests were dismissed. It was at the end of our eldest daughter’s Year 2 that we decided to make the move to another school. At this point, our daughter was anxious, not sleeping, being overloaded with schoolwork and having to deal with a bully. We felt unheard and powerless and like we were sending our children into an environment that did not understand or respect their needs or honoured our family requests.

It was at that time that we considered The Montessori School Kingsley. It was just down the road from our house and the school and grounds always looked friendly and welcoming as we passed it on our afternoon walks.

We did some research, had our trial week and interview, and everything about the school just seemed to echo our parenting approach and our hopes for our children in their learning journey.

The first thing that struck me was the beautiful simplicity of the classrooms. The natural light and natural materials created a welcoming environment for the children to work and enjoy learning. The second thing that struck me was the peaceful and purposeful engagement of each child in their own activity.

I will never forget our first parent-teacher interview with our teacher. I arrived expecting what we were used to in our previous school. I was ready with questions regarding maths and reading levels. The teacher looked at me and said that we needed to take it slow. That our child needed to heal as a person before she could learn and that the focus of the next few months would be to make sure that she settles socially and starts to love learning again. I remember just breaking down in grateful tears.

Within about six months of being at The Montessori School Kingsley, our girl was smiling, sleeping, eating, happily going to school and joyfully telling us about her school day. She was engaged in learning activities she enjoyed, she was setting the pace in extending her skills and the gentle guidance of her teacher to explore other areas of learning that she did not naturally gravitate to, ensured that her school day was balanced and joyful. Her confidence grew day by day.

We initially made the move for our eldest child’s benefit but have seen equal amounts of growth in our youngest daughter who started at The Montessori School Kingsley at the pre-primary level. Our youngest had her own challenges, specifically with engaging and finishing challenging tasks and maintaining attention throughout the school day. The teachers were always open to meeting and discussing how we could support her. The flexible classroom environment meant that she could move and work in ways that allowed her to complete her work and not miss out on the social aspect of the classroom. This, in combination with the Montessori materials, supported her concrete learning of abstract concepts which contributed to her confidence in trying new tasks.

Our girls are now in lower secondary and upper primary and are both thriving and growing in skills and confidence every day. But most importantly, they are learning about who they are as individuals and with a genuine willingness to contribute to their classroom their school and the greater community.

Our eldest daughter enjoys the planning and cooking of the Friday long table lunches. She values the Friday community meetings held by the lower secondary class community as this gives her an opportunity to address matters that impact her daily interactions and makes her feel like a valued member of the classroom.

Our daughter in upper primary really enjoys reading to the younger children in the pre-primary classes – as the youngest sibling, this has given her the opportunity to engage and mentor someone younger than her and has contributed in a big way to her own literacy development.

Both girls would also say that the fact that the School Principal knows them by name and greets them at the school gate each morning, makes them feel safe and part of the larger school community.

As parents, we were welcomed since day one. Being migrants ourselves, we were surprised and excited by the beautiful multi-cultural school community and people’s willingness to share their stories and cultures with each other. This is such a beautiful testimony to the ethos of the school.

I would encourage each prospective parent to attend an open morning, to do a classroom observation, chat to some current parents, and to do some research on the Montessori method. It is an approach that educates the whole child and encourages curiosity, creativity and community-mindedness. Moving our children to The Montessori School Kingsley was the best decision we could have made for them and our family.

Our passion for Montessori goes back to 1985 when, not content with the mainstream education system, we enrolled our first child at the age of three into The Montessori School in Kingsley. Our second child also joined the school just a few years later.

Our children have developed into intelligent, well-rounded, thoughtful, and independent adults. We believe their level of development could not have been achieved without the support and guidance of a Montessori education. Both our children successfully completed their full scholastic studies at the Montessori School (including an International Baccalaureate Diploma). One went on to complete a university degree and the other an apprenticeship. Both today, run their own businesses.

We are so happy that our two eldest grandchildren are also attending the Montessori School in Kingsley and look forward to many years of sharing their experiences.

We started our relationship with the school in 2013 with the confidence that our children will receive an education with strong Montessori foundations which is what is important to us. We are proud to be part of this community, being the oldest surviving Montessori school in Australia, and found ourselves more amazed when we realised the amount of Alumni returning to the school in the capacity of parents themselves.

People often ask why we chose to send our children to a Montessori school and the answer is simple: in a Montessori environment, children are allowed to learn in a way natural to them, unstructured and not forced into a direction that may discourage them. The direct result is a boost in confidence, motivation and an embedded love for learning. As a by-product of this, they gain skills at a very young age, normally gained by most only when entering tertiary training or the work environment.

As long-term parents, we would like to encourage anyone slightly interested in Montessori education to contact the School Office to book an observation. Many unbelievers become believers by observing children in a Montessori environment and seeing children being so engaged and focused. I cannot think of a better gift to give our children.

Maria Montessori wrote: “The mere contact with a human being developing in this way can renew our own energies.” My first contact was when I observed the three- to six-year-olds going about their day and I was definitely energised by that experience. This interaction led to a 29-year involvement with The Montessori School Kingsley: first as a parent, then teacher and board member. Both our children attended the School from age three up to the lower secondary. I became a teacher, attended Mrs Duyker’s training course and started in the primary area, then progressed to the secondary level, and taught Theory of Knowledge in the International Baccalaureate for a few years.

It was a privilege to be guided by Mrs Duyker. She used to say of mainstream schooling: “It is not education, it is training.” Experiencing her training course and being part of the School community was infused with the notions of spirituality – how the child is our way to understand that aspect of being human that can still change us and the world – little by little.