Letter: Montessori charter a good option to have

My grandson has been at the Lowcountry Montessori School since it opened, and it has been a very positive experience for him. The director, Amy Horn, and the teachers and staff care deeply about the children and the great benefits of the Montessori method. As a state charter school, Lowcountry is much freer to teach to the student and that student's optimum learning style, rather than teaching to the test.

This has been a great advantage to my grandson. By encouraging him to pursue his passions, the teachers have helped him see the benefits of working at some of the areas he used to refuse to engage in. He still does not test well on the standardized tests. However, he has grown tremendously, both academically and in relationship skills, during his time at Lowcountry and the previous eight months at E.C. Montessori, the private predecessor. He now is eager to head off to school in the morning, where he used to refuse to go at all.

It is a monumental task to begin a charter school from scratch in a year's time -- applying for the state charter, modifying the existing space, hiring teachers from across the country, arranging training, finalizing the plan for the new site and buildings, recruiting students -- many unfamiliar with the Montessori method -- and more.

Beaufort is very fortunate to have this option for our children, and I am confident that any areas of "non-compliance" will be corrected.

Pat Bell

Beaufort

This story was originally published November 27, 2015 at 6:50 PM with the headline "Letter: Montessori charter a good option to have."