The Silent Journey & Discovery
The Silent Journey & Discovery is a powerful and emotional event for many parents. It is a unique opportunity for parents to put themselves in their children’s shoes and experience first-hand what it’s like to be and learn in a Montessori environment through the entire continuum; here at Sunstone the curriculum spans Toddler through Upper Elementary. This experience is a profound revelation for most parents, as they themselves did not go to a Montessori school. We asked parents to describe their Silent Journey & Discovery experience in one word and this is what they said:
Moving
Eye-opening
Amazing
Enriching
Fun
Wonderful
Joyful
Creative
Enlightening
Fulfilling
Validating
Magical
“I was really affirmed that we made the right (education) choice for our children.” -Michael McDonald
“I have a better understanding, deeper knowledge of how special my son’s education is. I now have an appreciation for how hard he works as a student and for the teachers, how well they support the kids.”-
The Guides prepared each environment, Toddler, Children’s House, and Elementary, with materials. Each material had an associated card – some had instructions like Washing a Table in the Toddler classroom
and solving the Trinomial Cube in the Children’s House.
Other cards said “Ask for a lesson!” like addition with the Golden Beads.
Parents moved through the environments just as their children do, working with the materials independently,
or working with peers in groups.
They received individual lessons from a Guide,
and lessons in a group,
and they observed lessons given to others.
Parents explored all aspects of the curriculum from science,
to math,
to history,
to language and grammar.
They saw how materials moved organically through the program levels building deeper more complex understanding at each stage.
They experienced how a concept on paper
can be explored even bigger in real life.
They got to know each other, connected with the guides, learned how deeply passionate we are about what we do,
and perhaps most importantly, they experienced just how fun learning can be!
What did the parent’s take away from the Silent Journey & Discovery?
“I feel like I can connect with my child more and have more conversations about his day.”
“I now understand how passionate the teachers and staff are.” -Anna Roe
“I have a better understanding of how the work moves up through each classroom and the immense intellectual activity going on in the classrooms!” -Shawna Williams
“I see now that they really do NOT need homework.” – Michael McDonald
“Experiencing the lessons made me realize how much effort and concentration that entails. I realize that I (as a parent) need to slow down sometimes.” -Krystyna Mardula
“I know so much more about how my children spend their day and have a deeper understanding of the work they do.” -Emily Neuhaus