fbpx
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Sign up for Free Newsletter
  • Print Edition
    • Get Home Delivery
    • Read ePaper Online
    • Newsstand Locations
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Customer Support
    • Submit A News Tip
    • Where’s My Paper?
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Free HV1 Trial
  • Movie Night Gift Subscription
Hudson Valley One
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Log In
No Result
View All Result
Hudson Valley One
No Result
View All Result

Parents stick up for Montessori method at G.W.

by Crispin Kott
April 18, 2016
in Community, Entertainment
0

When the New York State Education Department released its initial results from the 2010-11 round of standardized testing, George Washington Elementary came up well behind other schools in the Kingston City School District. Ever since the results were announced, some parents of George Washington students have spoken out to ensure that their support for the Montessori program, which began its fourth year earlier this month, is heard.

In a two-page letter drafted in August by a group of George Washington parents, school officials and members of the Kingston Board of Education were asked to consider a number of factors beyond standardized testing before determining whether the Montessori program under the direction of Principal Valerie Hannum has been a success.

Josie and Robert Airhart have two daughters at George Washington: A 7-year-old in her third year in the Montessori program and a 5-year-old in her first. Unlike some parents who sent their children to the school from outside its attendance zone through a lottery, their children would have attended George Washington whether it had made the transition to Montessori or not. The implementation of the program in 2008 allayed their concerns about sending their children to a school that had underperformed for years; they say they’ve been quite happy with the results.

“To put it quite simply, we love Montessori at G.W.,” said Josie Airhart. “Our daughter who is entering second grade is excelling in all academic areas. She has a genuine enthusiasm for learning and loves going to school every day. In addition to learning academic fundamentals, she is learning about the importance of respect for everyone in her community and the world she lives in. She values diversity, she is learning how to make her own decisions and she is learning that she has a voice and an inherent value that is hers and hers alone.”

Similar stories of children with an increased enthusiasm for education since joining the Montessori program at George Washington were echoed by other parents as well, including Neal Yanoff, a father of two children at the school. Yanoff, the son of two teachers and a former teacher himself, said if a job search resulted in his family having to leave Kingston, the decision would be a difficult one largely because of the school.

“My son last year finished the first grade, and he was reading at a fifth- and sixth-grade level and his math was at a fifth- and sixth-grade level,” said Yanoff. “He was actually tutoring fifth- and sixth-graders. The teachers there are feeding his desire for more information and more knowledge. I’m thrilled.”

Jennifer Schwartz Berky became a fan of the program at George Washington before her son, now 5, was ready for school.

“I had heard many positive things about the program and went to visit in its first year,” she said. “Principal Valerie Hannum showed me around and explained her goals, philosophy and experiences developing a public Montessori in Philadelphia as well as her work at Robert Graves [Elementary]. I had already seen some of the other elementary schools in Kingston because I wanted to find the right place for my son to attend, and because I am an educator myself. The environment was tranquil, the children were respectful, the classrooms cheerfully decorated and carefully organized according to well-established Montessori principles, and it was clear that the children were focused on their work and very happy there.”

Berky’s decision to send her son to George Washington was the right one, she said.

(Photo: G.W. student Sweet Veronica washes a plant.)

Page 1 of 3
123Next
Tags: George Washington ElementaryMontessoristandardized testsuptown
Join the family! Grab a free month of HV1 from the folks who have brought you substantive local news since 1972. We made it 50 years thanks to support from readers like you. Help us keep real journalism alive.
- Geddy Sveikauskas, Publisher
Previous Post

Theater without a theater

Next Post

Like a family

Crispin Kott

Crispin Kott was born in Chicago, raised in New York and has called everywhere from San Francisco to Los Angeles to Atlanta home. A music historian and failed drummer, he’s written for numerous print and online publications and has shared with his son Ian and daughter Marguerite a love of reading, writing and record collecting.

 Crispin Kott is the co-author of the Rock and Roll Explorer Guide to New York City (Globe Pequot Press, June 2018), the Little Book of Rock and Roll Wisdom (Lyons Press, October 2018), and the Rock and Roll Explorer Guide to San Francisco and the Bay Area (Globe Pequot Press, May 2021).

Related Posts

Tinkerers rally to save embattled P&T Surplus in Kingston
Business

Tinkerers rally to save embattled P&T Surplus in Kingston

March 24, 2023
Unwarranted video surveillance: Town of Ulster weighs security and privacy concerns
Community

Unwarranted video surveillance: Town of Ulster weighs security and privacy concerns

March 22, 2023
Get out of the house and learn something in Ulster County, Jan 18-24
Entertainment

Brain boosters: 25 interesting talks and groups in the Hudson Valley this week

March 22, 2023
All the games worth playing in Ulster County, Jan. 25-31
Entertainment

Dozens of Hudson Valley gaming, trivia and family events for Mar. 22-28

March 22, 2023
This year’s Shamrock Run deemed a success
Community

This year’s Shamrock Run deemed a success

March 22, 2023
This week in local sports (10/6/21)
Community

Boy scouts named concessionaire, bringing their “leave no trace” ethos to New Paltz’s Field of Dreams

March 19, 2023
Next Post

Like a family

Trending News

  • Missing hiker found dead at Mohonk Preserve 8.2k views
  • Tinkerers rally to save embattled P&T Surplus in Kingston 6.7k views
  • Dead body discovered near Kingston park 1k views
  • Newcomer wins seat on the Saugerties Village Board  880 views
  • Unwarranted video surveillance: Town of Ulster weighs security and privacy concerns 824 views
  • After many concessions, Lazy River gets the nod in Gardiner 673 views

Weather

Kingston
◉
30°
Clear
6:47 am7:15 pm EDT
Feels like: 30°F
Wind: 0mph E
Humidity: 77%
Pressure: 30.07"Hg
UV index: 0
TueWedThu
50/28°F
55/28°F
46/27°F
Weather forecast Kingston, New York ▸

Subscribe

Independent. Local. Substantive. Subscribe now.

  • Subscribe & Support
  • Sign up for Free Newsletter
  • Print Edition
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Contact
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Free HV1 Trial
  • Movie Night Gift Subscription

© 2022 Ulster Publishing

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Contact Us
    • Customer Support
    • Advertise
    • Submit A News Tip
  • Print Edition
    • Read ePaper Online
    • Newsstand Locations
    • Where’s My Paper
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Log In
  • Free HV1 Trial

© 2022 Ulster Publishing