Thank you so much to all the families for joining us on our first Open House! Thank you also to Uburanga Art Studio for the beautiful art display!
The Earth School is looking great and we enjoyed sharing with all the families. The Earth School is the only school in Rwanda to provide authentic Montessori education for the Pre-School and Elementary School years. Parents were very interested in learning about the Montessori curriculum, the philosophy, and most of all about the many benefits that this approach offers compared to traditional education.
Particularly, parents were very impressed with how all the areas of the curriculum are interrelated and presented in a holistic and sequential manner that "actually makes sense", as one of them said. Another point of interest for parents was learning how Practical Life skills are encouraged from a very young age to support students desire to become independent. It starts with activities such as setting a table or watering a plant, to creating a family budget and managing a bank account, and developing skills that will remain with them for life.
Another question of interest to parents was how students' progress is assessed, and how children adjust to moving from a Montessori environment to a traditional education setting, where there is testing. The short answer is that students generally have no difficulty because they have had opportunities to practice and develop test-taking skills in a non-stressful environment.
Even though assessment of students' progress in a Montessori school is done through a portfolio of activities and continued observation by the teacher, knowing that testing is still the traditional education assessment form, we do equip our students with test-taking strategies. However, a significant difference is the way in which school reports are presented. Rather than a report card that shows the list of subjects and a number indicating the percentage of correct answers on a test, our school reports are in the form of a narrative that provides in rich detail, an account of the student's work, interests, and strengths, as well as any challenges s/he may have found along the way and how s/he has overcome them. Teachers from traditional education settings are usually very pleased to receive this kind of reports that are a detailed description of the student’s experience at school, not only academically, but also personally.
Regarding our facilities, parents seemed very pleased with our classrooms being very spacious, filled with natural light, and having furniture and materials appropriate to the developmental stage of the students. The outdoor space had a very positive impact on parents and children alike. Children enjoyed coloring and building with blocks inside, but specially exploring the gorgeous green areas where they played with sand, experienced the outdoor classroom, and felt free to run around in a safe environment.
Children definitely made the school feel alive with their positive energy and enthusiasm. It was a very special time for us, seeing the children happy and the parents having a nice conversation with the peace of mind that their children were in a safe and beautiful environment, made all the hard work well worth it. There were many "picture perfect" moments that will remain in our minds and hearts forever.
We are now preparing for an exciting Summer Camp and looking forward to a successful school year. Parents are welcome to schedule a personal meeting to learn more about our program. Thank you for your interest and your great comments!
