Julia Brown Montessori Schools

Firstly, let me begin by saying that Montessori education is not for everyone. My eldest, now 18, went one year to a Montessori in AZ and did just fine in the MD public school system. My 16 year old daughter has never attended Montessori school, and is also doing very well through the public school system. My youngest came out of the womb obstinate, mouthy and ready to run the household. He required a little more in the way of rules and regulations. Yes, this school can seem a tad rigid at times, but I have to believe that, especially when they are younger, the kids are given very distinct boundaries and the teachers' expectations are set for a reason. My son is in his 5th and final year here at JBMS in Laurel (PK-3rd). It was a tough adjustment for him for probably the first month; suddenly he wasn't telling everyone around him that he's in charge. He has come out of this school respectful, independent, thoughtful of other's feelings, and easily 2 grades ahead academically. He and my 16 year old were literally doing the same homework last week. My son is 8. He loves school! He loves learning and he has loved his teachers (Guavara and Sensenig) and the Directress of JBMS!
--Submitted by a parent

One thing that I think most parents who send their children to a montessori style school love is the mission that was started by Maria Montessori herself, that each child should be able to create their own space to learn and to develop in an environment that caters to that. I feel that this julia brown montessori school in laurel, md FAILS to do so. The environment is very choking, almost militaristic, and the teachers nit pick at every rule that is set for the child. It is sad and unfortunate. I would not recommend anyone sending their child here.
--Submitted by a teacher

We are very happy with the level of learning my child is experiencing. The classroom teacher is wonderful. As many of the other parents noted, parents are not allowed to be involved. The administrator is very rude and uncoopertive. It is as if the school is a secret society. You are not allowed to observe your child's class other than the one scheduled time. If you call to speak with the teacher, the administrator refuses to allow it. If you ask how your child is that particular day, the administrator ALWAYS says she was just in the classroom and the child is fine. Although my child is advanced for his age, we will be looking into changing schools next year due to the inability for us to be involved and due to the secret society attitude.
--Submitted by a parent

My daughter has attended Julia Brown in Laurel, MD for 2 years now, Preschool and Kindergarden. I did a lot of research regarding types of learning before I picked a school for my daughter. I choose Montessori for her because it is hands on, self paced and allows for a child to become their own independent person. I have attended parent observation days and actually seen and loved the learning enviornment that is enhanced by classical music playing in the background. They also get an hour in the morning and another hour in the afternoon to play outside or indoor activities during inclement weather. Which allows for full concentration during class time. The parent teacher conferences also kept me up to date on my daughters progress. I feel safe in knowing my daughter is in a closed to public enviornment and cared for by such loving individuals.
--Submitted by a parent

My son went for a year for kindergarden. I have to say i was disappointed by his progress. I don't see it as a real school now. You can say its an extended day care. If you really expect your child to learn lot of stuff, then this is not a good place. The main problem with this system is that they don't give any feedback on the progress of your child. They never tell what your child did and if he is lacking on something. They don't give any kind of homework or handouts to home. So parents won't have any clue as to what the kids learnt or did at school. So i moved my son to public school for first grade. I am quite happy now. For the kind of fee they charge, i don't find it worth.
--Submitted by a parent

I agree with the other reviews. my daughter was a 5 yo in preschool for 1 year and I felt like she was not learning much academics but only grooming. I guess because she was one of the oldest in the class. She even started to forget things she had learned in Kindercare. I regretted moving her from kindercare. She was so bored she refused to go to school daily saying she is not learning anything. I took matters in my own hands and started teaching her how to read. When I told her she was going to another school next year she asked me if they were allowed to talk in that school. I guess JBMS was not for my child. I felt like my child was in a military environment, it felt somewhat uncomfortable.
--Submitted by a parent

I tend to agree with a lot of the reviews here in relation to the closed system, lack or even discouragement of parental involvement and high teacher turn over rate. However, my child is learning very well and I ll have two of them attending there in the fall.
--Submitted by a parent

We were very disappointed. During our child's short tenure there, management rebuffed parent attempts to be involved in the educational and social process for the kids. The school is an extremely closed system. You essentially drop your child off in the am, and then pick them up at the end of the day - with virtually no information as to what they did in class. In our experience, the school did not welcome our comments and suggestions and was cold. And as invovled parents, we wanted and expected more - and this was not the ideal environment for us. We have moved our child to another private school that is more open and welcoming. Although JBMS is one of the less expensive montessori schools in the Maryland area, there are aspects -as mentioned above-which outweigh the attractive price.
--Submitted by a parent

I have 2 children at JBMS-Laurel. Overall, my children appear to be learning. My 1st grader is a wonderful reader and my 3rd grader loves learning. They share a classroom and this has proven challenging since they are together 24/7. Since the school doesn't test students until the 3rd grade I am not sure how they are doing in comparison to other 'same grade' kids. There is a lot of staff turnover and these changes aren't communicated. I find out that my children have a new teacher or a new principal (administrator) either through my kids or by chance. Parent involvement is discouraged. They have 1 class observation day a year, and 2 parent/teacher conferences, but on any given day,parents are not allowed to speak to teachers about their children. All communication is filtered through admin. They have no foreign language and few (if any) enrichment activities-few (if any) field trips.
--Submitted by a parent

I was disappointed. Our daughter went here for pre-school. She always complained about being bored, and teachers never letting her do anything fun. We chose public school (Brock Bridge) for kindergarten, deciding if she's gonna be bored, no sense paying the high $$ for it. She's now in 2nd grade, and absolutely thriving at public school, at the top of her class, and always looking forward to going the next day. Just a note that private school is not for everyone.
--Submitted by a parent