My daughter has been attending for over a year and I couldn't be more pleased. Finding a school, which teaches children the basic skills and concepts necessary in education, is vital. NGMS is not a daycare and does not hold the standards created by daycares, but it does operate under institutional education standards and incorporates the social nuances necessary to be successful in our culture. When I send my daughter to school, she is learning etiquette as well reading, writing and arithmetic. The pricing is the same as most daycare providers. She has been reading since she was four years old. She is five years old on the same level as most first graders in public schools. Every day there is homework for her to complete and if it isn't complete there, will be a punishment to the decision not to do the homework and not calculated into her academic ability. Students cannot disrupt the classroom! Parents and students are held accountable for the actions of their child. Problems are handled speedily and appropriately. If the parent is not willing to cooperate, the child will be dismissed for the greater good of the classroom. Money is not the motivation of enrollment at NGMS. Being college professor, I understand the significance of these decisions later on in life. If a child does not operate within the standards they are, as well as the parent, required to correct the problem with the help of the staff. I love this! If my daughter is messing up at home, I have a whole army of people to help me combat the problem instead of handling it all alone. I have used it and it works! I have a son who will be attending some university in the fall semester. He wishes he had attended NGMS as a child. That let me know I made the right decision.

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Dr. Young's book, From Roots to Wings, includes an essay by his daughter about childbirth and early education in which she discusses her children's attendance at North Garland Montessori. Dr. Young is Professor of Education at the Clark Atlanta University. The book is available from Barnes and Noble.

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Within the last year I have had the opportunity to visit your school on three separate occasions. Two of those visits were unannounced. Once during the summer and another in the fall. During those visits I was amazed at the predominant mood of calmness in all the classrooms and the concentration displayed by the students as they worked.

Both visits were for over an hour during which time I was fortunate to be able to observe Ms. Aida and Ms. Anne's classes. In Ms. Aida's class the students were completely absorbed in their individual work. Several children were adding using the golden bead materials, another with the world map, one with the moveable alphabet, etc. The teachers were assisting various children where needed and Ms. Aida was giving a presentation. As I viewed the class, I thought this is surely how Maria Montessori intended her method to work!

The work time came to an end and the transition from work time to recess was very calm and controlled. Each child putting away their work neatly and leaving the room with everything in its place! Ms. Anne's class was in the process of having a snack. This class was younger in age yet I observed a respect for the teacher as well as the teacher/or the students./ During my visits I did not spend a lot of time in the toddler classroom but I do remember one little girl hugging the teacher as she left the circle. She was obviously "at home" in her school environment and loved her teacher.

My last visit was to conduct a teacher training seminar on December 19th. While conducting this seminar I was able to visit with your staff and observe their dedication to teaching and their apparent wish to become even better at their chosen profession. During the last nine years I have visited many schools as a Montessori Teacher Trainer and I have taught for over 23 years! Your school is definitely one of the best that I have ever seen in the field of classroom management!

Thank you for the opportunity to work with your staff. It was truly a privilege. May 2004 be a wonderful year for you and your school community.

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Discipline and Respect--Keys to Above Average Child. Children at North Garland Montessori School experience a unique journey in stark contrast to the public school environment. The school's director seeks out moms and dads who understand the concept of setting high standards and how that relates to developing children with integrity.

The school has students ranging from 18 months through fourth grade and has served more than 48 nationalities. Discipline and respect are at the school's core and distinguishes North Garland Montessori School from other Montessori campuses and from the public school environment. The children are not allowed to have plastic guns, swords, plastic knives and movies such as "Power Ranger" or anything of a violent nature at school.

When the children are in "circle time," they "sit properly like ladies and gentlemen" with crossed legs in front and hands places on their knees. When they walk from room to room or file in line to go outdoors to play, they are required to clasp their hands behind their backs. There are cleaning duties for each child after lunch and snack. They also learn table manners, courtesy, and are taught conversational rules.

Nutrition at the school is taken very seriously and monitored closely. There are no overweight students at the campus, Varasteh said. Students receive a healthy lunch prepared by an outside catering company and three snacks a day, including plain popcorn at 5:15 p.m. for the older children and sandwiches for the toddlers, complete with a movie or videos at the end of the day.

Parents of enrolled children have come to the school from 15 different cities and a majority are doctors, attorneys, university professors, engineers, teachers and other professionals.

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