The Montessori Way Works Wonders in Middleburg
by Heidi Baumstark for Middleburg Life
It looks like a page right out of a picture book: the Middleburg Montessori School. Plopped in the middle of Atoka—one of 23 villages in Fauquier County—the school has been a sanctuary of learning for over 35 years.
The school community gathered recently to celebrate the installation of a cupola on top of a new building addition. Head of School BethAnn Slater said “it was the crowning touch and was part of a great design drawn by Pam Albers, an advisory board member, alumni parent, and architect. Without amazing guidance from Andrew Stifler and Chris Patusky—both on our advisory board—this new building and capital campaign never would have come to fruition.”
Slater, of Upperville, has owned the school since 2003. But its roots go back to 1980 when it was founded as a private AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) preschool. It now has elementary and middle school students with “rolling enrollment” so parents can enroll their child anytime during the year starting at 16 months through age 15.
A variety of environments are offered: toddler (16 months through age 3); primary (age 3-6); elementary (age 6-12, through sixth grade); and middle school (age 13-15, through eighth grade). If needed, students can stay for an extended day to 6 p.m.
“Transitioning to another care facility is disrupting,” Slater said. “Instead, we offer a continuity of care in a Montessori-prepared environment.”
Parents also can enroll students in Montessori’s summer program for however many weeks they prefer. The first week begins June 6 and ends the week of August 22.
A unique feature of the school is that all environments have an adult who speaks Spanish, making it a full-immersion Spanish program. The school also has a hog-farming operation for their middle school micro-economy program launched in 2013. The farm is just minutes from the campus and buyers from local businesses purchase their pork, including the Goodstone Inn, The Whole Ox, Mt. Airy Farm Market, and Upperville Country Store.
Slater’s daughter, Cassella Slater, is the school’s adolescent director and admissions director and also helps manage the hog-farming operation. Prior to joining the staff, she taught middle school science in Ghana, Africa. The Slaters’ youngest, Bobby, is 14; next year, he’ll head off to high school.
While in Ghana, Cassella worked with local farmers and fell in love with watching students think through problems and come to that “Aha!” moment on their own.
“I saw the core of Montessori shine through my classroom,” she said. “They proved to me how valuable it is to connect practical work with education. Growing up with my mom as a Montessori guide, I saw in my students the freedom to use their brains for themselves.”
MIddleburg Montessori is a fully AMI-accredited primary school, which holds true to the most authentic vision and philosophy of Dr. Maria Montessori (1870-1952), a physician who developed the method in Italy in 1904. She opened her first Casa dei Bambini (Children’s House) in one of the very poorest areas in Rome.
Montessori’s approach to education stemmed from a solid grounding in biology, psychiatry, and anthropology. She studied children of all races and cultures around the world, soon observing the universality of human development being played out before her. Through careful scrutiny, she realized that children construct their own personalities as they interact with their environment.
What sets Middleburg Montessori apart is its commitment to follow the AMI model.
“Other Montessori schools follow American models, but we are carefully preparing environments based on the AMI movement, maintaining the integrity of Montessori’s legacy,” Slater said, adding that anyone is welcome to come and observe a Montessori environment at her school.
Jason Zimmermann’s daughter has attended the school for three years and will enter elementary this fall; his son has been in primary for two years.
“I cannot say enough great things about the staff,” he said. “The way my children talk so lovingly about their teachers shows how committed they are to not only educating students but to developing children into wonderful, young people. The result is a happy, confident child with a deep bond of respect for teachers and their surroundings.
Emily Wagner has seen many positive changes in her daughter in just a short time, including learning practical skills such as the importance of cleanliness and organization. She said her daughter also is learning how to observe, work with others, and takes initiative to solve problems.
Slater, who has a Masters degree in education, said she “always knew I wanted to run a Montessori school, and now we have this gorgeous new addition.” Slater’s mother enrolled her, at age three, in the Georgetown Montessori School in Washington, D.C. Since then, she’s been following in her mother’s footsteps preparing her own children to learn their lessons the Montessori way. And now Slater’s daughter, Cassella, is continuing that tradition.
“I never thought I’d be back in my hometown so soon in life, but I couldn’t imagine it any other way,” Cassella said. “I love my job and working with my mom and the wonderful staff. Montessori is beyond academics—it’s the development of the entire child.”
BethAnn also emphasized her deep appreciation for her advisory board members who have supported her throughout the years.
“Overall,” she said, “it’s been a lovely ‘it takes a village’ effort.”
Middleburg Montessori School is located at 7274 Rectors Lane in Atoka. For more information, call 540-687-5210 or go to www.middleburgmontessori.com.