Hammer Montessori at Galarza Elementary School

My daughter has been at Hammer for two years and we have been very happy. We had Mrs. H for kindergarten. As mention by another parent, we did find her to be strict, but at the same time we found her to be very caring about the students and their progress. My daughter progress greatly and I believe Mrs. H strong control of the classroom kept the students focus academically. I felt that my daughter needed someone that cared about her, but was also willing to provide her with discipline. Warm and fuzzy was not a priority for us. Her first grade teacher was also wonderful and kept us updated as a classroom online. There are many parents who are very involved and I found this to be a positive indication of the school. I think that we are very lucky to have a public Montessori program. I feel that when parents are choosing this school that they need to keep in mind that this is still a public school and the resources are limited. I feel that many parents expect a private Montessori experience with a public school budget. The HMF program has been wonderful in raising money by donation to provide our children with art, music, and other outside enrichment.
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter started here in the 2nd grade. We were really excited to get in but was not impressed with her 2 grade teacher at all. I heard great things about other teachers from other parents so we are trying it another year. So far this year is already been a big improvement. The teacher seems way more on it. My kid likes her and the work. I think they need to work with some of these teachers that may need some more help. I felt out of the loop and lost all last year and actually had many issues with the teacher. BUT So far this year I am impressed.
--Submitted by a parent

I love this school and have been thrilled with the education my son has received as well as the teachers, the administration and the parent community. Parents need to remember that this is a public school and therefore the teachers are restricted in what they can and can't do. Also, I think many parents have a problem coming from "lovey dovey" preschool to a regular public school elementary and realizing that it is time for regular school now and not coddle time. Hammer has been fantastic and my son still runs up and hugs Ms. H, his kinder teacher, even though he has been out of kinder now for 3 years. My other child will be starting kinder this year and I am anxious for him to have a "real" school experience. He comes from a fantastic "huggy, lovey" preschool but I think it is time for him to move to a real school environment. The new principal has a tough job, as do the teachers, because they are constantly tasked with stressing the Montessori principles while staying within the SJUSD and state guidelines. I think they do a great job and I recommend the school whole-heartedly!
--Submitted by a parent

The idea of this magnet program is great, but in practice it hasn't lived up to our expectations. Not child centered or directed at all, which Montessori should really be. All of the kindergarten teachers were overwhelmed this year (with class size increase to 30 and switch to full-day) and unfortunately for our son, our teacher s response to the stress was an increased rigidity and an overall coldness. Strict is fine, but I expect some nurturing and warmth along with the high expectations. The new assistant principal lacks the support she needs to be effective and although I found her to be understanding, she didn't seem able to resolve the numerous and repeated concerns from parents in our class. Two positive things the parent community is awesome and the building is newer and well maintained. Overall though, we are disappointed and looking for other options.
--Submitted by a parent

My grandson just finished kindergarden. I am a local grandmother and I babysit for him at least 2-3 times per week. I was worried about the choice his mother made of program at Hammer Montessori. After the experience we had with him this year, I was proved wrong! Mrs H. is a wonderful teacher. My grandson learned to read the site words , he sound out words and write a couple of sentences at the time. He learned to count by 5 and by 10, addition and subtraction, the continents and the countries, he could talk about current events. The most important development though, is the fact that he asks when he does not understand a word. When I traveled, he would ask which continent is the visited country in, and the language they speak and so on... He learned to assume responsibility for his own homework and ask for help if he needed. He would also be upset if he was sick and had to miss school and he verbalized that he loved school! Mrs H gave him the gift of curiosity and excitement for the learning process. What a great gift to have a school and a teacher that gives a child this kind of base to start from! I could only rate this school a 10!

We had a bad experience with kindergarten at this school. We found the teacher to be cold and not welcoming to parent participation- and the principal to be unresponsive to parent concerns. We felt that the teacher- who had a very good reputation did not do well with the larger class, and the longer day that she now has to deal with. She was rigid, judgemental, difficult to connect to and lacked the warmth that you hope for in a kindergarten teacher. She told most of the parents at the beginning of the year that their child may not go on to first grade. The parents responded by pressuring the kids to work harder, and longer. The kids of course did very well- and she prides herself on kids being above average when they leave her class. We would have rather had a warm teacher who was encouraging rather than what we experienced with her. In the community once we mentioned where our child was attending kindergarten and a parent said "that school is as warm as a cinderblock". I have to agree.
--Submitted by a parent

it is a very good school it should be 10 out of 10 the teachers are great and the subjects are great too

We just started kindergarten this year and my son loves it. I volunteer in the classroom and appreciate the parent involvement. How it works: Children receive lessons at the various stations and they have to prove to be proficient in that lesson before moving on to a harder one at that same station. They also have a music teacher along with time in the library and computer lab. Montessori has the belief that you don't learn just from instruction but by doing it yourself. So for example they have the kids count with physical units and then match the corresponding number to the units they have been working with. They start by learning in cursive because kids are more prone to write in circular motion rather than start/stop. When they do the alphabet they learn it phonetically which has helped my son start reading. In just the past three months he has learned to sound out words and has started reading easy books, he knows all of the continents (North America, South America, Asia, etc..) he has learned to count into the thousands and simple addition, and because of the personal responsibility that they encourage in this program he has taken better ownership of his things
--Submitted by a parent

Hammer Montessori is a wonderful school. My son has gone there since the middle of second grade. He is in fourth now and he loves it. What I love are the teachers they are a very dedicated group of individuals who work hard to ensure a quality education and great Montessori classroom experience. The only weak link at all is the principal. I would recommend this school to any parent who cares about how their children learn.
--Submitted by a parent

Public Montessori education is an incredible find in San Jose. This school has top of the line, experienced teachers and staff who care for the children very much. Over the two years we have been there we have seen the API score go up and up again. This school is a gem. If you can get in, you and your children will not be let down.
--Submitted by a parent