Evergreen Montessori School

My son and daughter have gone here since we moved 4 years ago and they've enjoyed every day. The teachers are very nice, and easy to contact if there are any concerns. So one can be involved with their child's development even while working full time as so many need to do these days. My son is in the elementary program now and he loves his teachers and is excited about each new thing he is learning. The relationship a kid has with their teacher is so important to making learning an enjoyable experience and we are happy to have found the great teachers at Evergreen Montessori. We highly recommend this school...every penny has been worth investing into such a high quality education for our kids. more

This is a very disorganized school. The administration might as well not exist. The phone is rarely answered. Parent's concerns are ignored. Teachers seem burned out, uninterested, and eager to leave for lunch. I don't think the children at the preschool level are adequately supervised, and I never felt comfortable sending my child there. I should say that I really wanted to like this school. I was really rooting for them, as an alternative to the more conservative private schools in the area. But my experience was just one disappointment after another. I think they may be well-intentioned, but good intentions aren't enough when you're taking care of people's kids. more

The bottom line with this or with any school is that when the administration has to go to such lengths to defend itself and to explain its philosophy then something is wrong. The idea that parents who feel that their children are unsafe or not properly attended to are parents who just don't "get it" is extremely condescending and combative. Several parents on this site have reported similar negative experiences with this school, yet the administration's response is to blame those parents instead of correcting their mistakes and improving their facility and that speaks volumes. And as for the idea that children in safe schools with locks on the doors and administrative oversight are somehow repressed by the tyranny of conformity--well, in my view, children as young as two and three do not need to be confronted with the responsibility of making personal choices about safety issues, such as whether or not to walk out of an unlocked front door (or leave with a stranger who has come in through one), or to walk up a flight of stairs unmonitored carrying items, or remaining safe in a classroom without an adult in it for half an hour. There is a recognition of appropriateness that is severely lacking here. I agree wholeheartedly with teaching responsibility and accountability, but I think my child can learn that they are trusted, respected, and loved in a school with a teacher that is present at all times and a front door equipped with a buzzer and an intercom. Evergreen knows that it doesn't have its act together. Whenever I, as a parent of a child who will definitely not be going back there, brought up a concern with the administration of this school, their inevitable response was to get highly defensive and brush off my concern entirely. A solid school that is run well and that is confident in its philosophy does not have this sort of attitude or these sorts of issues. In Memphis, we have many excellent private schools. I suggest parents look to them for their child's education. more

Very unhappy with Evergreen Montessori. Basically, the school is a glorified daycare facility hiding behind the words Montessori and School. Super unorganized, poor supervision of students, they even let one of the teachers bring her newborn to school with her everyday! more

I am the Head of School mentioned in this review. I cannot disagree with this reviewers account of things more. We strive to be a shining example of the Montessori method. Children are allowed to go to the restroom and to their cubbies without an adult. They can fill pitchers and empty buckets without an adult. Occasionally, they can carry a message to another classroom without an adult. They are not confined to their classrooms like cages or jails. We give the children freedom tempered with discipline. The toddlers, of course, are not given this freedom, because they are not ready for it. They have everything they need in their environment. The reviewer, however, was referring to a Primary classroom. The children in this classroom are 3-6 years old. (Occasionally a child will enter at 2 1/2 years old.) The reviewer refers to a child in the Primary classroom as 18 months old. She mentioned this child to me, and I told her this particular girl was three. I am not sure why she would write something that she knew was not true, unless it was out of anger. I can only guess that she was upset by comments that I made in an effort to comfort her, not offend her. It is hard on parents the first time their children go to school. It can be nerve-wracking to see your children given freedoms you may not give them at home. The bond between children and their mothers is strong. Parents worry about their children. We respect that and try to make this special time easy on both the child and their mother. We give parents articles, websites and books as references. We realize parents do not have the training that our teachers have. This, of course, does not make them stupid, it makes them a new parent at school. A parent that we are trying to make comfortable. As for the serious comments made by the reviewer, I cannot emphasize how much we love these children. We do not leave them alone. We would never endanger them. I invite anyone who is considering enrollment, to come and see our school for yourselves. I look forward to meeting you. more

I don't usually read reviews about our school because I've been a parent there for so long now, 6 years ago our then 2 year old began her Montessori journey at Evergreen. She is now in the elementary class and we have certainly watched all of the day to day workings of the school very closely. A friend mentioned the negative review that didn't ring of truth with our experience so I decided to check it out. I admit that living in a world of reports, tests and hyper supervision caused some need for adjustment (for us certainly not for her). The experience for our family has been extremely positive and we are very hands on and involved, in and out of the building at different times of the day unannounced and always welcomed. The freedom to move around and make wise choices based on interest has always been observed to be discreetly "supervised" by staff in ways that fosters independence by the children. It is far different than day cares we have visited or had experience with in the past with locked classrooms and alarms so that the children have no reason to make safe choices on their own. I have to say that I have never in all these years worried that my child was not supervised sufficiently or cared for in the same way I would care for her if I were there. She learned early the consequences for behavior and to be responsible for her accomplishments in the classroom and has grown into a creative, self reliant person who LOVES going to school every day. We live within walking distance of a superior public school but choose to stay at Evergreen making financial sacrifices because of the experience over a long time that the Montessori method that Evergreen is committed to follow diligently is best for our child. Is every single day perfect, is every teacher perfect every single day, does the administration always do exactly what I would do if it were me, no, of course not, but I've never experienced a place where these things are true. The vast majority of the time this school gets it right and that is what matters to me. If I see things that need to be improved I (and all the other parents I know who are really involved) jump in and work with "OUR SCHOOL FAMILY" to make it better. I'm not paying babysitters or traditional teachers to watch over my child ingest material, I'm investing in my child's educational/emotional and spiritual future by contributing to a school of highly trained professionals that I value and support as they guide her exploration of her amazing ability to learn everything she wants to learn. The reviewer is right there are other choices but we've made ours over and over and over and it's Evergreen. more

*UPDATE 5/11* Evergreen is now THREATENING TO SUE ME for libel if I write "further defamatory statements" about them. Can parents no longer inform one another without the threat of legal action? I wrote about this school in an attempt to help other parents make an informed choice, and now I am faced with a potential lawsuit. * I know that when people read horrible reviews online, that they tend to think that the reviewer might be crazy, or that their experience might be a fluke, but I hope that any parents considering this school will take what I have to report about it seriously. This school is terrible. Before we sent our child here I read the review on this site about how Evergreen is a "glorified daycare" with frequently absent teachers, and I ignored it. I wish that I hadn't. On two separate occasions in the short amount of time that our child attended, we showed up at school for pick up/ drop off to find his classroom WITHOUT A TEACHER in it. And I don't mean that the teacher had stepped out. I mean that they were absent, completely. Two and three year old children were in the classroom alone, totally unsupervised, and their teachers were not on the premises at all. Once was on pickup, and my husband picked up our child and searched for a teacher before finally leaving and leaving the other kids alone; another time (which was the cause of us pulling our child out), I went to drop off our child and the classroom was full of kids but with no teachers. I sat in the class for 15 minutes waiting, but no teacher came, and there was no one in the office. The front door was unlocked. The kids in the classroom were running wild, and some had probably been there for half an hour. One very small girl, about 18 months old, was being bullied by the bigger kids and was crying, but there was no one to help her. Other kids were pulling things from the shelves and spilling beans all over the floor. Other parents arrived and were as shocked as I was, and we all talked about how we were going to pull our kids out and about how things like this had happened to us all there before. What is even more disturbing that this is that when I went to pick up my child's things and withdraw him, I was confronted by the head of the school who told me that teachers had been there on the day in question (I was imagining that I was the only adult in the classroom???) and that maybe my child and I aren't ready for school. So basically, she told me that there is something wrong with me for finding that unacceptable. When I asked her what she planned to do differently in the future to ensure that these children wouldn't be left alone like that, she said, "Nothing. This sort of thing happens at every school." So, they took no responsibility whatsoever. She actually stood in the hallway defensively yelling at me during the school day and in front of my child. It was unbelievable. Think carefully before sending your child here. There are some very nice people teaching here but the administration is a nightmare. They don't respond to emails, they don't take parent concerns seriously (they'll tell you that you must not understand the Montessori method, as if you're an idiot), they don't keep their doors secured, and half the time there is no one in the office or answering the phone or watching the door. Very small children are literally wandering through the halls with no one watching them, because the classroom doors are left open--we are talking about toddlers here, not elementary kids. It is just not a safe environment. I worry for the kids still going there. This is NOT Montessori, like the previous reviewer wrote--it is the result of a crappy management and of irresponsibility and I don't know what else. They are not a non-profit, as one reviewer pointed out, and that bothers me as well. I hate to say this because of what it implies for the kids, but this school is a lawsuit waiting to happen. more

This school is fantastic. I am a former Montessori child and parent to twin 10 year daughters. One of my daughters attends a local public school's magnet program. The other daughter attends Evergreen and is in the Elementary Program. Her sister, who's learning style is perfect for "the linoleum sweatshop" as I call her public school, is gifted and was selected for the Duke University Early Talent Identification Program in the 4th Grade . . . . yet her internally-directed Montessori sister has surpassed her in several subject areas at Evergreen and frequently helps her with homework. The staff at Evergreen is superbly qualified. In fact, the Head of School and the lead Primary teacher were trained by Dr. Annette Haines in St. Louis. Dr. Haines is considered one of leading Montessorians in the US, if not the world, right now. Even the ASSISTANT in the elementary classroom is currently being trained by J. McKeever through the Montessori Institute of Atlanta. Both Dr. Haines and Ms. McKeever were trained by the legendary Margaret Stephenson, who was tapped by Dr. Maria Montessori and her son Mario to lead the Montessori Movement in the United States several decades ago. Rest assured, there are no better trained Montessorians in the Mid-South than those at this school. Every lead teacher is certified by the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), which largely considered the Gold Standard of Montessori training. It is an INTERNATIONAL certification and the organization administering the training centers was founded by Dr. Montessori herself. The certification is very difficult to attain and equates to 29 hours towards a Masters degree in education at several universities including Loyola outside of Baltimore. more

We started two of our children at this school, and one went to public school. We noticed a huge difference in our childrens capacity for learning. Public schools cannot compare to a well run Montessori school like Evergreen. They gave us the opportunity to observe, interact and generally be involved in anyway we wanted with our childrens education. Sadly we had to move, when we did and our kids got adjusted to the new public school, but we noticed how poorly a public school system is run compared to Evergreen. If you value your childrens future, then with out a doubt you should enroll them in this or any high quality Montessori school for the early years of thier education. Another point I would like to make is that the staff at this particuler school are and were trusted with my most important reason for life, MY CHILDREN!!!!! We have been gone for several years but my children still remember the staff as if they were family. Find that from a public school or any other school. Adults are hard to please, we all have our issue with this or that and I dont like it because, but I can assure you that your children will be better off if you send them here. Also being a non-profit fund raiser's or donation help pay for the neat wild kingdom, books, supplies,ect. Pros: Everything Cons: Not given enough aid! more

I started my kids here about five years ago. .It has been a wonderful experience. As I watched my kids grow I could see that the Montessori method was really worthwhile. I had a horrible experience at another Montessori school. Olivia's Montessori. They were very strict and controlled. Evergreen's owners are very friendly. They invite parents to parties and cater them and do all kinds of extra things for the kids. The school yard is full of all kinds of animals and handmade garden projects by the staff and parent association. Everyone pitches in. If you like taking part in your child's education this school is for you. People who don't like to watch their kids grow may not like it so much - you're better off getting a nanny. Another thing - everyone is very kind and dramas amongst the parent-teacher cliques sort of dissipate because of the cool owners. They have nice garage sales and assorted fundraising activities that are cool to partake in if you like that sort of thing. The remodeled school is gorgeous. Teachers stay on long term and seem to love their job. They are very accommodating of work and always have staff on hand to go over holidays if your child cannot be at home during spring break, etc. They are very multi-cultural, I have never encountered any racism or religious discrimination at the school from the owners. This is a school for both Christians and Atheists. All are welcome. One negative - they are very busy, as they have grown to be a very popular school. Pros: Fabulous school Cons: Parking, busy more

The physical aspects of the school are much improved since the move to the new space. The classrooms are larger, and the materials are great. The larger space, however, tends to result in a lack of adequate supervision, particularly in the afternoons, when the kids are more free to roam and the staffing is inconsistent. There actually are more helpers than teachers, and sometimes the teachers are MIA, and only helpers are there. The quality of the teachers varies in our family's experience - two of the teachers are very good; another is pretty good and very kind. Another is so-so and a bit of a space cadet. I don't know much about the infant-toddler teachers. I think that two of the primary teachers are very rigid and closed-minded in their application of Montessori principles, and aren't very effective at helping kids progress. The school seems to be really great for some kids, but not ours. I actually wouldn't dismiss the negative reviewer's comment about the peanut allergy issue. At a parent meeting before the move to the new location, the director said similar things about handicapped children. When one of the parents explained to her that the new site was required to be accessible because it's a school, her response was that the school could control who went there. The new school seems to be accessible, at least for the primary program. The school also is not a nonprofit organization, which makes me a little uncomfortable about fundraising campaigns. Also, the required monthly parent meetings are really poorly run, and run way too late for folks with little kids. Pros: Physical space, some of the teachers, playground, lunch included Cons: Some of the teachers, administration, inadequate and untrained staff more

This school rocks. No matter what your background this school is for you. They just moved into a new building on Tresvent in Hein Park. My kids have flourished since starting here last year. They have manners and speak with such large words it amazes me every day. I think the Maria Montessori is what every school should teach . I applaud the teachers and faculty at Evergreen Montessori. It is not just a school it is a family. A happy parent Pros: Great People Cons: Need playground equiptment more

After reading the two one star reviews, I have to say I would believe neither of them. The person that said the school representative said that they use nuts all the time must be nutty herself. There are plenty of children that attend the school with special dietary needs or regimens that their parents want them to follow (vegetarian, etc.). Evergreen accommodates as best they can with the meals that they provide, and meals are posted so that parents can send different lunches on days the school is making something they don't want their child to have. Knowing the staff like I do, there is no way a certified letter was sent to them and ignored. I'd love to see the tracking number and the proof of delivery - I'm quite sure this is a lie. The other negative review, indicates that it is a glorified day care center. While I agree that it can seem chaotic, I can assure you that based on what I see my daughters doing, they are learning. It impresses me daily, seeing what my children are doing on their own. For my own positive review... They have moved into a new location: 751 N Trezevant St Memphis, TN 38112 This is the Community of Faith Christian Church. Evergreen is using the first and third floors of their education building in the back, and have done amazing work fixing it up. The staff there genuinely loves their jobs and the children, and put the children first in what they do (as they should). The space that they now have is far more conducive to education than their old building, and is nearly twice the size. They've added new materials and furniture to fill the space and will not appear nearly as chaotic as the old location. I highly recommend stopping by and seeing for yourself. I think that you'll be pleasantly surprised. You won't find a more loving and intelligent staff at twice the price (which is at least what you'll pay at Lamplighter or Lausanne). Pros: Great new location, great staff, excellent materials, great price! Cons: None that I know of... more

I called this school requesting information for my 3 year old. When I told the lady answering the phone about my daughters life threatening nut allergy I was dismissed with "We use nuts all the time". There was no room for debate or communication. This school is not interested in making sure that all children recieve the same education. I was told by the person on the phone to look at another school across town. I sent a certified letter to the administrators of Evergreen with no response. If they debated my understanding of their policy, they haven't contacted me to let me know. I wouldn't recommend any facility that cannot ensure that all children attending are safe. more

In May my daughter (age 4) will have been at Evergreen for a year. I admit at first I was wondering if she was getting much out of her time there. Slowly I realized that it wasn't the teachers who weren't paying close enough attention to her, it was I. Example: I was getting ready for a couple to come over for dinner one night and I had put some flowers on an end table. My daughter moved the flowers to the middle of the dinning room table which really didn't matter much, but in my rush to prepare I snapped at her for moving the flowers. She said something about making it beautiful and I just blew her off. A few weeks later at one of the parent teacher meetings, (where after the business is over they take the time to explain to the parents how a certain montessori lesson works ex. one month is math another courtesy) the teachers this month talked about how the children learn to do flower arranging and are allowed to move stuff around to help beautify their space. My sweet little girl was only doing what she had learned at school. The act was something so subtle I had completely missed it and would have never known about had I not gone to the parent teacher meeting that month. I wonder how many other times I have missed the little life lessons she has learned there because I am not paying close enough attention. I went home that night, reminded her of the occasion and apologized. Everyday I think to ask her "Did you learn your letters today? How did you do with your numbers?" because that is what we traditionally taught parents think to ask. I don't even know how to ask what else she has learned. The categories are so many and are taught just through little interactions. I bet at times she doesn't even realize she is learning! I am so sad to be moving away from this school. All of my daughter's friends (she includes teachers) will be greatly missed. Looking back on the year she has learned far more than I had ever expected her to in preschool. Pros: family feel, life lessons, parents valued, behavior correction with activity redirection sans punishment Cons: could use a bigger building, busy street in front of building, waiting list more

Evergreen Montessori School is a dynamic and vibrant environment for young children and it is absolutely committed to the principles of Montessori teaching. As a parent, I feel the earlier review is misleading from two perspectives. First, the children do not roam round unsupervised. My son has been able to show me inside and outside the classroom the things he has learned and the self-control he is building. He clearly feels empowered by the methods of supervision and he adores and respects the teachers who interact with him everyday. Second, I agree that the school is not extreme or puritanical in its fervor for the ?true? or ?authentic? and for that I am thankful. The helpers, musicians, parents, college interns, and community volunteers that work alongside Montessori professionals make this a rich, varied, and real community, to which my child feels great loyalty. ?Evergreen? and its surround are equally as important here as Montessori. Every one has to make their choices, but please look carefully at this school. It is certainly far more than a daycare and it is filled with loving and committed teachers from all kinds of professional backgrounds. I know from the values that my son brings home that it is a place in which I feel comfortable with him learning and growing. Pros: Atmosphere, educational merits, loving philosophy, make-it-work attitude Cons: Not enough space to expand the vision for younger children 18 months-3 years more

If you're looking for a glorified day care center, this is your place. If you want a true montessori environment, this is not the place for your child. If you are familiar with montessori teachings, children are encouraged to explore and do "work" on their own, but with some guidance and instruction. This place lets your child roam around and float unsupervised and without little structure until they are finally ready to actually teach your kid something. They will, however, let your child get plenty of fresh air several times a day which I guess is bound to happen since little teaching does. There are other great options in the Memphis Midtown area besides Evergreen so do your research. If you must choose this place, ask to sit in on lessons, actually meet your child's teacher(s), and get a progress report at least once every six weeks. Pros: The helpers/assistants were very pleasant. Cons: Too many to list in this small space. However, one does stick out and that is they seemed to have more helpers than actual teachers. more