Finding a School that Meets the Moment

Marin Mommies presents a sponsored article from Marin Montessori School.

Not much matches the excitement of parenting young children. The small joys appear at breakfast and bedtime in ways that, if you’re paying attention, endure as some of the best, most gratifying moments in your life.

And the worries come, too. Some are the same as the worries our own parents felt while others emerge from the novelty of the moment.

As today’s parents, we find ourselves in the middle of an era rich with possibility and disruption. The world our children will inherit will be materially different from the one we were raised to navigate. We can all feel the landscape changing. It can feel exhilarating one moment and overwhelming the next.

Dr. Maria Montessori’s Moment

This moment is distinct but not unique. During World War II, Maria Montessori witnessed a different sort of precarious future for the children of her Italian village, and so she suspended her medical practice and sought to educate the lost children of her village.

As one of the first female physicians in Italy, she excelled at solving problems using the power of observation. And what did she find in these children as she carefully watched them?

• Each child is unique and driven by innate capabilities and curiosities. 

• Children naturally seek to understand the world and are motivated from within by an urge to  belong and a pursuit of purpose and independence. 

• Children grow best in an environment that is prepared carefully and curated to engage, inspire, and empower learning.

In so many ways, the practices and rationale for Montessori education meet today’s moment like few other educational approaches do.

Directed by the individual child’s natural development and the age group’s developmental tendencies, authentic Montessori education equips children with the skills and knowledge they’ll need to navigate the challenges of our rapidly changing world and lead effective and  meaningful lives.

Grounded and Soaring 

For three decades, Marin Montessori School has carried on Dr. Montessori’s approach. Our faculty are certified by Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), which means they have undergone the most rigorous, compressive Montessori teacher education in the world. MMS is the only AMI-recognized toddler-through middle school program in the Bay Area and one of only two Montessori schools in California fully accredited by California Association of Independent Schools.

For MMS parents, teachers are both experts and allies during this time of wonder and worry.

As a Toddler through Junior High School, we offer the refuge and environment children need to thrive. Step onto our two campuses, and there’s  a warmth you can sense the moment you arrive.

Here, we see education as an act of hope in a time when we desperately need it.

Here, students are confident, independent learners who learn how to explore their curiosities, make mistakes,  and iterate—essential skills they’ll need to master in order to succeed at what’s next.

If you’re a parent seeking a school that helps children grow assured in an unsteady world, we want you to know that our child-centered programs inspire levels of concentration, intellectual curiosity, and independence that will prepare children to lead and learn in remarkable, enduring ways.

Learn more here!

Author Bio
As Head of School since 2015, Sam Shapiro is responsible for ensuring that Marin Montessori flourishes and that the School's mission is brought to life each and every day. Educated on both coasts, Sam received his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from UC Santa Cruz, and his Master’s degree in the study of World Religions and Massachusetts secondary education teaching credential in Social Studies from Harvard University. Before coming to Marin Montessori, Sam studied and taught in Sumatra, Indonesia; Canberra, Australia; Cambridge, Massachusetts; and Makawao, Hawaii. He spent fifteen years at the Athenian School in Danville, California where he served in a variety of roles, including teacher, dorm parent, dean, and admissions.

Sam has served on the Board of Trustees at the Aurora School in Oakland, California, on the Family Council at Spirit Rock Center,  and currently serves as an interviewer for the Gate's Foundation's Gate's Scholarship program. Sam’s professional interests include mindfulness in education, curriculum design, and the neuroscience of learning. Sam lives in Marin with his wife and two teenage sons. In his free time he enjoys cycling, hiking, and camping, as well as cooking large meals with his family while listening to jazz.