Khalsa Montessori Elementary School - Phoenix

What potential this school has. Too bad the administration is a nightmare to deal with. Self-righteous with an inability to listen, close minded to suggestions, and often aggressive in tone and response - it's no cake walk. Basic communication principles and empathy is missed completely. There is a shortness and tone that is unforgiving at Khalsa. Frankly, given the age of the facilities, lack of amenities, and total lack of teacher accreditations, Khalsa should be falling all over themselves to create functional parent/administration relationships. Looking at staff bios on the school website you will find that few staff member are accredited by the Montessori Accreditation Council. Basically, if you breathe and do yoga you can teach there. Lots of students are being held back, perhaps it is time for the administration to look at themselves. I still love Montessori, but sadly, this current administration completely misses the lessons of Maria Montessori with their militant style. I think I would like my kids to learn from someone with people skills instead. We will be enrolling at a different Montessori school that closer meets the needs of our kids.
—Submitted by a parent

We have been grateful for the opportunity to give our sons the foundation of the toddler program (no longer existing) and primary. The things they will carry with them in life are priceless. Our oldest son we pulled out after his first year at elementary. The administration was not a pleasure to work with and we felt our child along with others were being discriminated against. That is the bottom line. Our younger stayed to finish out primary with a awesome teacher who has his best interest in her heart. The 3 stars I give are for her and her follow thru in making sure his future will be bright. It is challenging to be a parent, teacher and administrator. Thank you Khalsa for the foundation and no thank you for selective discrimination. We will be moving on and letting go of Khalsa this May. We are very happy with our new choice of school and our oldest son is thriving and confident there. Thank you to the staff at Primary location and well wishes for friends we have made there.
—Submitted by a parent

I cannot speak highly enough about Khalsa Montessori School. Our son started at Khalsa when he was 4; he is now in the upper elementary program and thriving. The academic and social progress he has made; his sense of Self, self-confidence and self-awareness; his curiosity about and respect for the greater world around him; everything about his education and development has benefited tremendously from his time at Khalsa. As parents, we are grateful for the open communication that exists between and among teachers, administrators and other Khalsa families. It is a community in the true sense of the word. We look forward to our younger son (hopefully) starting in the Primary program next year; hopefully his experience will be just as rewarding for him.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a parent of a student at Khalsa. I am deeply saddened to read some of these recent reviews. Khalsa is a Montessori school. This is a very unique way of teaching and often misunderstood. I encourage any parent thinking about sending their child to Khalsa, to do some research on the Montessori ways of teaching. I can speak for myself and say that I was not educated in a Montessori environment. I wish I had been. My older son went through Khalsa Elementary. He is now at a new middle school. The teachers there have said that the children that come Khalsa are all great kids, eager to learn and ready to enter the real world. It is a great place for your child to go to every day. I am amazed at the depth of understanding my children have. My child was held back a year and at first it was disconcerting but it made a big diffrence on his behaviour and level of understanding. This year the holiday porgramme was wonderful. The children work so hard to make it a fun performance. All the parents are very much involved. The administration is there for all the parents and willing to answer any questions or concerns. I do not work at the school and sometimes wish I did.
—Submitted by a parent

As a parent of two wonderful, but very different, kids that have attended Khalsa Montessori, I can honestly say that the school has been great for both. The Montessori method is so adaptive and the teachers at Khalsa are dedicated to teaching each child (as opposed to "teaching to the class"). In addition to be an excellent academic setting, Khalsa has provided a safe and fun atmosphere for our kids to grow up in. I am very grateful to have a school like Khalsa and would highly recommend it to anyone.
—Submitted by a parent

My daughter is currently attending a Madison School after being at Khalsa. She could not be happier. She goes to school happy every day, loves her teachers and is excelling this year. In fact, she was just tested for the gifted program after Khalsa convinced us to hold her back. My recommendation to anyone looking at Khalsa is pay attention to other parents who have written reviews, not Khalsa staff. Tour other schools and observe how happy kids and staff are. Khalsa does not even come close. Follow your gut. Bottom line these test scores are manufactured.
—Submitted by a parent

We are the grandparents of a Khalsa upper elementary student, and we are constantly amazed at his academic progress. No school is right for every child, and Montessori certainly is not right for every child, but for our grandson, it's a great fit. He is challenged and feels rewarded when he does well. When he sometimes falls short, as all children do, he knows why and how to remedy it. Our knowledge of administration/teaching staff is admittedly not first hand, but from everything we see/hear, they are responsive if there is an issue and very supportive of the children's efforts. The comments about the holiday program are laughable. Anybody who can't enjoy seeing 3 and 4 year olds on stage should go to the symphony or the opera. Maybe the grinch got to them first??

In response to the posting from Jan.7. My children go to this school. I have one on 2nd grade and one in 5th grade, and we love the school and the teachers. I feel blessed to have such a great school to send them to in the state of AZ. I am only a parent, not part of administration. If you don't like the school, then take your child out. It's not for everyone. No school is. As far as the holiday program goes, my kids and I look forward to it every year!
—Submitted by a parent

The administration of the Khalsa Montessori School would like to thank those who have taken the time to come to us, as many prospective parents have and ask about postings on this website. We welcome the opportunity to correct misstatements and fully discuss our educational approaches and philosophy. As always, questions or concerns about Khalsa Montessori education should be directed to the school administration directly for an open and honest dialogue.
—Submitted by a teacher

I used to work at this school. Let me be clear. If teachers and administrators don't want your child at the school, for academic or behavior reasons, they will tell you that your child needs to repeat a grade. Don't be fooled. They are asking you to leave. This school has lots of academic success because they convince the parents of the struggling students to take their childern to a different school leaving Khalsa with only the best students. More than half of the students at this school repeat a grade at some point. And yet the teachers and administrators still think there is nothing wrong with this.
—Submitted by a teacher

To the 8/3/12 poster, I agree. Several students from my child s class have left for the reasons you mentioned. I have noticed a pattern with kids transitioning from primary to elementary suddenly being told that they are not academically ready for elementary. I think this practice is driven more by the school s desire to maintain high elementary school test scores (keep funding) & is less about academic readiness. I have mixed feelings about Khalsa. In theory the philosophy is great but the school s academic vision has become muddled. To those disputing the negative comments, I challenge your remarks by saying if your child fits the Khalsa mold, then the negative comments don t apply to you, but if you have a child that requires guidance, you see quickly how those children are handled. I say this as a parent of two Khalsa children, one self-directed & intrinsically motivated who has thrived & another who requires more direction & has shown little progress. I hope Khalsa looks more closely at its practices, begins to listen to parent s concerns/criticisms, and starts to embrace/address the needs of all children rather than just its excelling students.
—Submitted by a parent

I have been a proud parent of two Khalsa kids. My daughter is finishing 6th grade this year and moving on to middle school - her biggest concern is "will she be bored with her next curriculum" Khalsa has given her the tools to succeed anywhere she goes. My younger is in lower elementary and I feel he is such a curious and free thinker because of the class environment and encouragement from his teachers. I have never had a problem with administration. It seems parents who are complaining about their children being held back should look in the mirror - standards for school can only be held so high for the education of our children.
—Submitted by a parent

My children have gone to Khalsa for 8 and 6 years respectively. I would like to address a thread in some of the comments i am seeing in the evaluation of this school. One in which children need to be given only praise. This is a disturbing trend to me, and not reality at all. A child with only praise does not understand when they are not picked out as the prettiest, or the best. Khalsa does not focus on the best or the prettiest or even the correct, but attempts to guide the child to evaluate the options, make the best possible decision based on information or circumstances and then understand the consequences of those decision, in all aspects of their day whether it be academic or social. They do emphasize respect for the individual and work on community problem solving. All attributes that want my child to have, all attributes that more of us adults need to work on. I cannot speak to the comments by other parents- but our children have thrived at this school. In general it is only the unhappy who leave comments- so I feel that the comments here are unfairly skewed. This is an excellent school and the teachers here are great.
—Submitted by a parent

Love the community of parents. The school is not lovey-dovey. You will only hear constructive criticism And sometimes that's hard. My daughter has loved to go every day for the last 6 years so that's something.
—Submitted by a parent

The administration of the Khalsa Montessori School would like to thank those who have taken the time to come to us and ask about postings on this website. We welcome the opportunity to correct misstatements and fully discuss our educational approaches and philosophy. As always, questions or concerns about Khalsa Montessori education should be directed to the school administration directly for an open and honest dialogue.
—Submitted by a teacher

I am a Khalsa parent. I have two children at Khalsa. One is in Upper Elementary, the other in Lower Elementary. I have read some of these reviews. I feel the need to speak for the school. Firstly, Khalsa Elementary is a Montessori School. It is based on the teachings of Maria Montessori. She is quoted as saying, " Education is a natural process carried out by the human individual, and is acquired not by listening to words but by the experiences in the environment". The Montessori way of teaching may be very different from the education many of us parents had. In the Montessori environment, the child is allowed to grow at his own pace. It is incredible to watch. My child was one of the 41% of Khalsa Kindergarteners that was held back at the end of 2010. It was the best decision that could have been made. The staff at Khalsa really learn to observe and understand the development of each child. There are no grades, there are no gold stars. Each child is encouraged to do the best work he can. I watch my children and am amazed at their depth of understanding in both Math and Literature I am grateful for the education my children are having at this school. Thank you Khalsa!.
—Submitted by a parent

I have two children currently attending Khalsa. One is in 'first grade' and was held back in kindergarten an extra year. The other is in kindergarten and will be moving into 'first grade' next year. My children have different learning styles. The one suffers from mild dyslexia & benefited GREATLY by having another year in kindergarten. The other is an advanced learner and will not need to repeat kindergarten. It is my experience that Khalsa treats each child as an individual. Kids are not randomly (nor consistently) held back. They are held back only if their needs warrant it. It's not easy hearing that your child needs to repeat a grade...but it's important to take the emotion out of it and look at it strictly from the perspective of "WHAT IS BEST FOR MY CHILD??" . I have no regrets of having my little one repeat kindergarten. Some parents posted on here about grant money. Believe me, having her repeat kindergarten was very costly....but worth every penny. Lastly, I'd like to point out that I contact the school WHENEVER I have a question....probably to the point of making a pain of myself...but the teachers and administration always gracioulsy communicate with me.
—Submitted by a parent

I applaud Khalsa Montessori for having the courage to not give in to Arizona's subpar standards. Arizona sits at the bottom of the list nationally for this reason. PBS put out a documentary "Declining by Degrees: Higher Education at Risk" that unveils the dirty little secret of Higher Education in America: what is the standard and who is holding the kids accountable? As a mother of KMS alumnis, I am thankful for schools like Khalsa that uphold standards, for the sake of our kids and our future. It starts at the elem level! Kids need to have what it takes to push through and take the hard hits to move ahead, otherwise they become older and end up quitting because it's 'too hard.' Have the confindence in your child, and help with time management. The load at KMS is not unreasonable if you put in the time regularly each day...and I managed 3! You get a quality "private school" education without the tuition. If you choose to pull your child out because it's too much work, chances are your child will land amongst the sleepwalkers in college, or will drop out, as many do. Our job as parents is to give them an honest sense of realtiy.Being uncomfortable is not bad-it's 'growing.'
—Submitted by a parent

Teaching approach is century behind. This may have worked well in the past century. We live in a different world now and the school should consider upgrading to use of technology and computers. Wonder if teachers are qualified or have done elementary education and psychology.
—Submitted by a parent

All mandated students take the AIMS tests. Only because AZ monitors attendance and testing by grade are grade-levels designated at all. This is the price we pay for tuition-free Montessori education. Evidently some believe that AIMS scores cannot be high without manipulation. From this paradigm plenty of schools teach to a test instead of believing in students capacity for genuine inquiry and learning. I suppose the expectation of mastery could be perceived as manipulation. If so, it is a form of manipulation from which every student would benefit. Every child can achieve mastery in their own time. The staff creates an environment for success not failure. To do so, Khalsa establishes minimum (higher than average) skills as criteria for moving to the next multi-age level. Students do not move forward until these skills are demonstrated. Mastery is the goal, but children do not grow and learn according to an external timetable. Students deserve the time needed to achieve mastery, so a grade-level retention (state-required) might be necessary. Promotion without mastery exists for those who want it. Khalsa offers an alternative. For more clarity, contact Khalsa School.
—Submitted by a teacher