Miniapple International Montessori Schools

Reviews

• ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
  They are great as far as their curriculum. Very similar to the original Maria Montessori Method. The building is clean & beautiful. As for the interpersonal aspect, if you're not a corporate, wealthy, upscale type, you won't fit in very well here. I had my girls here at the Oakdale location for about 1 1/2 years and during their entire attendance I felt judged, looked down on and completely uncomfortable. From the director to the parents, hardly anyone was welcoming if they even acknowledge me when I said hello. On one occasion when I came in late with my daughters I was accosted & reprimanded by the director as soon as I walked in the door while I stood holding my girls' hands and several other staff & students gawked. I should have withdrew them then, however, my main focus was a good Montessori Curriculum & my oldest adored her teachers (the only people who made me feel comfortable) Mrs. Kiehne & Mrs. Brianna. But alas, two teachers does not a good school make. My youngest daughter's teacher, Mrs. Monica, told my Mother that my youngest was "not fit" for the Montessori Program and wouldn't be successful because she was (at 3 yrs old) too energetic. My daughter often complained to me about Mrs. Monica being mean and I wish I would have listened & could have been more assertive back then because it has effected my daughter today. She is now at JJ Hill and doing GREAT, except she has a major complex about if she is doing something the right way and has a lot of anxiety about disappointing her teachers. To make this a fair review, I will also tell you that I was frequently late dropping my daughters off. I am a single mother who struggles with Major Depressive Disorder and motivation & punctuality are major setbacks for me. I let the director and the girls' teachers know what was going on with me right away when the girls started. Perhaps that was my mistake as I feel like I handed them their judgements. Eventually we were asked to leave Miniapple. A couple weeks after I got the letter I was hospitalized for my depression & Deb did allow my girls to stay at the school while they were staying with my Mom and as long as she was bringing them to and from. Once the girls came back home they could no longer attend. In hindsight - like I said, I should have removed them MUCH sooner. So from that standpoint, I have to Thank Deb for kicking us out! I would have kept trying to make it wok and my youngest daughter would have suffered.
  By Phoenix Lisha Eskridge, February 18, 2018

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