San Francisco United School District (Public Montessori)

This is a very good preschool but one thing I don’t like is that for graduation, the students do not get gowns and their caps are made out of paper. I would really appreciate some better graduation clothing. As a parent I don’t mind having to pay extra for a gown and hat I just wanted my daughter to have nice memories. Thank you :)

fantastic school. have only great things to say. my child has learned so much and grown tremendously here. staff is incredibly knowledgeable and kind to all.

This is a loving, progressive, innovative school dedicated to our children's holistic development. I only wish it went through 8th grade. A real gem, we're lucky to be a part of their extended community.

All three of my children attend this school so I have experienced a wide array of teachers at different grade levels, each of my children adjusting in their own way to this dynamic individualized learning environment.  I entered the picture in 2013, the year the school transitioned to the current principle Mrs. Keener, and will be there for years to come.

My criteria for choosing this school in the first place was because I had been pushed through private and public school systems following the old one-size-fits-all/listen-and-regurgitate/who cares about emotional intelligence/reportcard-worshiping/extrovert-thriving teaching philosophy.  Well little old introverted me struggled to 'square peg in round hole' my way through their Model T system.  I wanted to make sure my children wouldn't flounder like I did, stumbling through those critical early years that set the tone for the rest of your life.  When I told my child's pediatric dentist how happy I was to get SF Public Montessori, my first pick in the insane San Francisco school lottery, she informed me about how, even though there was high parent involvement, the school had gone through a few principals [no wonder you got in :P~]  I shrugged it off because I knew that Waldorf and Montessori schools were more tactile-based, developmental stage-matching conscious, employing confidence-building approach that, even if the methodology was bungled a little, it was better than the ONE industrial learning style of the schools of my youth.  For them, I didn't want it to be what they learned but HOW they learned it and the emotional intelligence they gained as a result of their school experiences that would contribute to both their happiness and success in life.  The school methodology at a semi-ignorant 10,000 foot level: the students are not assigned a seat, instead moving around a classroom from one of the diverse learning "station" to another (e.g. counting, reading, clock reading, weights, knots, etc), following a workplan. They have to complete their work plan but were also given the flexibility to focus on stations they gravitate towards, building confidence through their strengths.
That first year, I admit, was a transition year but Mrs. Keener's new zeitgeist she brought with her in conjunction with the amazing highly-participating parents already there set the framework that catapulted the school to its hyper-exceptional current manifestation.   Every single teacher ended up being rockstars:  Miss Lauren, Miss Chelsea, Miss Kayla, to name a few - amazing, as if vetted so that they are all firm enough to know how to deal with my limit-testing strong-willed children yet compassionate enough to understand the internal state of my children in order to help them work-through difficulties, fostering a teamwork relationship with them.  Amazing things started to manifest  as these philosophies were embraced and gameplans were set in-motion, to name just a few: mindfulness and emotional intelligence reflective learning, an all-out celebration and awareness of the student body's cultural diversity (My kids learned about Persian new year before I had a chance to teach them!), afterschool workshops for students to catch-up in areas that they need help in like writing, gardening classes, school beehives... oh I could go on.  So it was no surprise to find out that, with the new framework, everything fell into place, the scores caught up, the parents and students were loving it and Mrs. Keener won the mayor's award for the best SFUSD Principal of the Year.
It's so great to witness my children's love of learning.  My kids repeat the mantra "Team work make dreams work , have a fresh/blank-slate view of their themselves, and believe to the bone that  they are capable of understanding and doing everything.
I was going to move out the city, but I think we will ride this amazing school until its flowering developmental conclusion.  I am very lucky to have been grandfathered into this amazing human incubator.

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