Cobb School Alumni Parents Set the Record Straight

On Wednesday, November 13th The Cobb School, Montessori in Simsbury put the elephant in the room.  

Parents worry.  

Some worry a little, others worry a lot. One thing is certain: they’re worrying right now.  And what are current Cobb School parents worrying about? They’re worrying whether or not a Montessori education will prepare their child for what’s next.

Cobb School teachers and administrators hear it all the time: What happens after Montessori?  Since the school’s inception in 1974, parents at Cobb have been asking this question, and teachers and administrators have been trying their best to answer it.  But it took six alumni parents at one single event to really answer the question what’s next and put an end to the worry.  At least for the moment.

On this chilly November morning, The Cobb School welcomed home alumni parents Betsy van Gemeren, Helen Castellani, Denise Giacco, Pete Gwyn, Jill Ford, and Donna McHugh.  Together they ushered 12 children through Cobb, and each parent had his or her own tale to tell.  

The singular message: trust.  Trust the process, trust the people, most important, trust the child.  Swirling around and through this one message were many additional comforts, such as Montessori lays the foundation, its graduates know themselves, they can talk with adults, know how and when to ask questions, will advocate for themselves, and so on.  Montessori students will “get there,” i.e. will be organized, compassionate, capable collaborators.  They are high on the “get it scale.”  They know how to be.  They have the courage to make good decisions, choose good friends, and build better communities.  Ultimately, Montessori graduates know who they are and that makes all the difference.

What weren’t these Montessori graduates anticipating when they entered a traditional environment?  The drama.  That’s all.  They knew the tests were coming, and they knew how to tackle them, but the gossip wasn’t as easy to stomach.  Our guess is that they, whether they realize it or not, handled that part of their future education with grace as well.

Head of School Mary Lou Cobb closed the morning event with one final gem.  Montessori is not preparation for middle school: it is preparation for life.  The nods from the panelists punctuated her statement, and for a moment, maybe even a minute, there wasn’t a worry in the world.