Joliet Montessori School

The teachers are kind and caring, and bring out the best in each child. They steward the Montessori philosophy in all the best ways and the children flourish as a result. We have seen immense academic, emotional, and social growth in our two children since they began at Joliet Montessori School. We are honored to be a part of such a wonderful school.

We love Joliet Montessori's ability to give our son a calm environment to learn in. I remember suffering from the anxiety of timed and standardized tests in school, but the Montessori method is self-paced with orchestration from the Guide (teacher). Our son is 5 and has learned to recognize continents, and bones in the body, and can identify favorite words. He's able to explore interests like geology, land masses, and (his passion) skeletons. He loves to work with other students, and the Montessori school allows him to work in pairs. This ensures he tries new works that he otherwise wouldn't be interested in. The mix of practical life skills in the classwork means that he can get up and use large body movements when his brain is overstimulated. He's learned to mop and fold laundry and now helps with those chores at home. He's also gained confidence in the kitchen and likes to help prepare meals, and will sometimes make his breakfast. The true gift of Montessori is the "I can" attitude. I can learn/make/think on my own, without a teacher or parent forcing lessons on me. This "I can" mentality translates into their adult lives and leads to self-actualized people.

Our family learned about Joliet Montessori School when I was looking for daycare for our oldest (now a 5th grader at JMS). It was a less-expensive option than most local daycares and the fact that he was being educated as a three, four, and five-year-old was so cool. Because we started both our oldest and our youngest (now a kindergartner) as 3-year-olds, JMS is just like a second home to them. They have friends and teachers they've known for most of their lives now. It's been amazing to watch them learn traditional academics in such a unique way. They have such a deep and intuitive grasp of math and reading through the Montessori method.

We are fairly new to Montessori school, my children are only 2 and 3, but I am completely sold. Both boys went through the parent toddler class, which was a 1 or 2 day a week class with me, to help familiarize them with a school atmosphere. My 3yo began half-day school 5 days a week this year. Both boys have made amazing leaps this year. My 3yo is dramatic and can be difficult, but the teachers there have dealt with him well and the Montessori environment has helped him figure out how to focus a bit more. The staff are amazing, the culture and environment is unmatched. So glad we found our school home.

We have been a JMS family for over 12 years and, as the resident skeptic when we first arrived there, I cannot recommend JMS and Montessori education enough. I have a straight-A sophomore in an acclaimed public high school AP and honors program as evidence of the phenomenal foundation that JMS provides. I have 2 thoughtful, curious and self-confident grade-schoolers to confirm that the school continues to grow and improve with each passing year. JMS provides the education that our children OUGHT to get.

For the past 8 years, my son has thrived in an environment that is set up for his personal success. He's independent, a critical thinker, a confident communicator, and passionate learner. My son's teacher keeps thoughtful records of his academic progress. This does not mean he gets traditional grades for homework and tests. Instead, I see how he masters abstract concepts through hands on work. He has been bringing home reports and research for debates since he was in 1st grade. What I really love about my son's Montessori education is that he is given the time to grown and develop independent of his peers. This means, there is no limit to how far he can go in areas he has a natural interest/ability, and he does not feel bad about himself if he needs more time to work out concepts that may seem difficult to him. He's not burdened by homework for the sake of homework. He's happy and loves what he learns.

I'm proud to have our daughter at Joliet Montessori School. She amazes me by showing how conscientious she is with everyone. Montessori schools teach children how to motivate themselves and how to discover things on their own, and it shows very well in our daughter. When looking at the surrounding schools, Joliet Montessori has the finest program providing Montessori methods to children ages 3 to 15, so our daughter will learn under the same roof all the way to high school. Teachers also spend their entire careers at Joliet Montessori, it seems. I know several teachers have been at JMS for over 10 years. It is hard to find that kind of stability in any school. And JMS offers THE ONLY parent-toddler learning program in this area for children under 3 years of age. I can hardly wait to get our second child into the school.

We have been at JMS now for 5 years. My daughter transferred in first grade from another area Montessori school (we had just moved into the area). We have been very happy with the level of education here. . The faculty and staff truly employ Maria Montessori's philosophy, strongly adhering to the dignity of the child, choice within appropriate limits, community living and learning. Because of this amazing learning community my daughter is well spoken, community minded, confident, independent and self motivated and most importantly, the love of learning has not been "educated" out of her.

The teachers are attentive. Classroom setting allow child growth and independent learning