Nancy Schwab

Dear friends,

We are delighted to know of your interest in Nightingale Montessori.

New understanding about the cognitive development of the young human mind has created a need to rethink the fundamental purpose of education.

The essence of the child's unfolding spirit is curiosity, wonder, openness, and trust. Nurturing this spirit, without sacrificing high academic achievement and accountability, must be the centerpiece of a sound education. At Nightingale Montessori, classes are smaller and scheduled according to varied levels of ability, and this facilitates daily assessment of each child's challenge level and heightens his self-confidence and enthusiasm for learning.

The schools that grew out of the industrial age and its economy of mass production valued externally imposed standards and the rigors of a "no pain - no gain" work ethic. The recent standard-based reforms, designed to remedy the outmoded traditional system with drill-and-kill regimes of testing, are not only crushing young minds; they are failing to produce better results.

Nowhere in the traditional system of education does the child learn to value the intrinsic rewards of work itself, the unique inner satisfaction that comes from the knowledge of a job well done.

You are invited to make an appointment for a tour of our school Mondays through Fridays at 8:30 to 9:30 AM.

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