08 Mar 2011

Five Questions: Sandra Moscoso-Mills, Montessori education activist

Last week there was a collective sigh as Hill parents found out the results of the DCPS lotteries. Well, actually the sighs were pretty quiet, especially from those who were hoping their young scholars would be able to attend the Montessori at Logan (the program that was formerly located at Watkins Elementary School) as the numbers rolled in. There were 373 (!) applications for 46 seats in the preschool, and 134 applications for 7 seats in Pre-K. Does this sound like the Harvard admissions rate to you too? If you’re new to the neighborhood and hoped to get your 2nd grader in to the classrooms where all learning is called “work” (these kids will be ready to join the workaholics here in DC), forget it; there were no openings in the higher grades.

Sandra Moscoso-Mills is one of the voices one hears if you’re paying attention to the issues surrounding education and young students on the Hill. We talked first when a group of parents took on leaders of the International Graduate (cough) University that hoped to open a charter school for at-risk kids across from the elementary school on 12th Street Southeast. Here’s what she has to say about the growing Montessori program.

Q: How would you describe the environment of Montessori classes?

A: The Montessori program has grown by one primary (ages 3-6) class in the last 5 years (about 20 kids in the class). There simply is no space to grow at Watkins. Last year’s waiting list was almost 400 for 3 year olds and another 100 or so for 4 year olds. The application numbers were even higher this year. I wasn’t sure how it would go, given the fact that we weren’t listed in the lottery under our “brand” name (the program was listed as “Montessori at Logan,” not Watkins Montessori) and given we’re losing our affiliation with the Cluster.

Q: How would you describe the environment of Montessori classes?

A: In primary (ages 3-6) classrooms, classrooms are very quiet, as children tend to work independently. Kids choose their work, so they are working on subjects and materials that interest them. I love that Montessori gives equal attention to the emotional and social development as well as the academic development of children. I feel like the teachers are teaching my whole child … In Elementary (ages 6-12), the classrooms are not so quiet, as kids are working in teams, helping each other and again, learning to operate in social circles. The focus on social and emotional continues and kids have the opportunity to drive the content of the class by what interests them.

Q: By what year will Logan have an eighth grade class. How does Montessori work with older students?

A: IF DCPS greenlights the program to go through middle school (still no word on this – hopefully we’ll know by March/April?), then next school year (2011-12) would be the planning year and the MS would kick off in SY2012-13.
Q: What kind of things happen in a middle school Montessori setting?

A: We’ve proposed a land/urban model where kids would “work the land,” via gardening, urban farm work – lots of geometry, math, earth science, chemistry – and also take advantage of the city’s resources and local businesses… The goal is that the at the end of middle school, the kids are prepared for financial independence (and) able to manage the responsibility of work and earning and managing money. A team of parents and teachers have submitted a proposal to DCPS that they are currently reviewing.
Q: What’s the current state of Logan, and what’s the future?

A: While Logan needs some sprucing up and a bit of a makevoer, the building itself is beautiful. DCPS has committed to getting all the classroom space, multipurpose room, basement refreshed and ready for kids (all safety issues will be addressed). While the outside space is out of scope for the initial rennovation, the DCPS will certainly address any safety and lighting issues this summer. A ‘green team’ of parents have been busy  writing grants and raising funds to develop the gardens and playground.


Tags: , , ,


What's trending

One response to “Five Questions: Sandra Moscoso-Mills, Montessori education activist”

  1. Tracy says:

    I really hope that the Montessori program works with the immediate community to be a good neighbor. In light of the fact that there is no inbounds preference for this school, many in the area around the school are feeling downtrodden. We are just outside boundaries for Peabody, and we’ve waited patiently for something to go into the Logan space that would benefit our children. Now we will have added traffic issues in our neighborhood because only a fraction of the kids that go to the school actually live within walking distance. And now with a middle school in the plans I hope there is some thought to the impact on the congestion here. I hope that at least the school would seek out a partnership with the community to rehab the playground and keep it available for neighborhood use (much like the JO Wilson model).

Social Media Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com
Add to Flipboard Magazine.