Joliet Montessori School

The teachers are kind, caring, and bring out the best in each child. They steward the Montessori philosophy in all the best ways and the children flourish as a result. We have seen immense academic, emotional, and social growth in our two children since they began at Joliet Montessori School. We are honored to be a part of such a wonderful school.

Our family has loved having our boys at Joliet Montessori School. Their teachers have been knowledgeable and caring. The faculty, staff and other families at JMS feel like family.

JMS has been a wonderful experience for our son for the last three years and we look forward to many years ahead.

After seeing the impersonal and inflexible way our "good" public school really was (you should volunteer in your kid's school if you want to really know what his/her day looks like - you may be surprised), we were anxious to find a more thoughtful alternative.Our son wasn't having learning problems, but he was bored by the canned curriculum and totally turned off by the teacher's rigid approach (Common Core hasn't just changed math, people!)

We looked at many options, private, parochial, etc., but thirty minutes of classroom observation was all it took to sell us on JMS. My wife and I walked out that day, both totally speechless, at the sight of 20 or so young kids moving freely about a classroom, orderly and with purpose, doing valuable work that they loved to do.

No powerpoint presentations, no tablet zombies - just caring, involved teachers and assistants who let kids work when they have focus and encourage them to move on when they don't. It sounds impossible in this day and age for a group of 6-9 year olds working side by side or in groups with as much calm and patience as any group of adult professionals, but it's real and it happens there every day.

The school board is very active and open, the extracurriculars are quite varied and fun and best of all, kids get to move and and learn the way kids learn best - with their eyes and hands, with their minds and hearts.

This is school the way you remember it. You have to see it for yourself to believe it. I know I was skeptical until I did, but I've never looked back or regretted single day. One bit of advice - before visiting JMS, take a day off and volunteer at your public school and see what you're really getting for "free." You will likely be surprised.

Recently we noticed a reviewer left a one-star review for us. We take these matters very seriously, but when we dug deeper, we found a copy of this review on other online forums, under a name that has never been enrolled in our school.

Because the information you provided is found to be misleading and inaccurate, we have reported it as such. However, if you are a current JMS parent, and would like to resolve your concerns in a transparent way, please reach out to Eileen Kozlowski, our Assistant Head of School, at [email protected], or attend our open, monthly Board of Trustees meeting and share your concerns during our visitor comments. In Montessori tradition, we welcome honest and respectful discussion to promptly resolve any differences.

We encourage parents to get to know the real JMS. Visit our Facebook page @jolietmontessorischool and peek inside our safe, beautiful and fun classrooms – our faculty posts pictures all the time. Or book your own tour and come meet Heidi Geiger, our Head of School, and Suzannah Walter, our seasoned elementary directress. Each brings 20+ years of Montessori teaching and leadership to JMS. Under Miss Heidi’s leadership this year, we have seen improvement in our faculty evaluation scores a re-certification of our school with both the American Montessori Society and the Association Montessori Internationale the majority of our students showed improvement in our Spring 2018 MAP scores and our parent communication survey results show improvement year over year.

Thank you to all of our reviewers – your feedback is very important to us!

We have been a JMS family for over 12 years and, as the resident skeptic when we first arrived there, I cannot recommend JMS and Montessori education enough. I have a straight-A sophomore in an acclaimed public high school AP and honors program as evidence of the phenomenal foundation that JMS provides. I have 2 thoughtful, curious and self-confident grade-schoolers to confirm that the school continues to grow and improve with each passing year. JMS provides the education that our children OUGHT to get.

We've had our sons attending for the past few years. We're very disappointed with the direction the new head of school is going. Education and communication have plummeted. Heidi works off of condescension and fear (you'll be thrown out if you don't fall in line) towards parents and children. Obviously, not remotely close to being the Montessori way. It's terribly unfortunate that the board stands behind such a person. This is our last year at JMS. There needs to be a complete overhaul of leadership and board in order to get back to the roots of what made JMS wonderful.

For the past 8 years, my son has thrived in an environment that is set up for his personal success. He's independent, a critical thinker, a confident communicator, and passionate learner.

My son's teacher keeps thoughtful records of his academic progress. This does not mean he gets traditional grades for homework and tests. Instead, I see how he masters abstract concepts through hands on work. He has been bringing home reports and research for debates since he was in 1st grade. What I really love about my son's Montessori education is that he is given the time to grown and develop independent of his peers. This means, there is no limit to how far he can go in areas he has a natural interest/ability, and he does not feel bad about himself if he needs more time to work out concepts that may seem difficult to him. He's not burdened by homework for the sake of homework. He's happy and loves what he learns.

JMS shows how all schools should be. The atmosphere when you walk in is relaxed and welcoming. The classrooms are custom to the age range of the children to make it feel like it’s their room. The staff is open and friendly answering any and all questions no matter who it is. Our first year here and we couldn’t be more thrilled with how our daughter is growing. Can’t wait to continue in the years to come.