LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - This week will be the last for the Lincoln Montessori School after its owners decided to retire and close it after more than 45 years.
Founders, owners and directors Larry and Mary Verschuur say they hope to adopt a lifestyle “more compatible with their ages,” the Lincoln Journal Star (https://bit.ly/1EYJrWh ) reported.
Larry is 75, and Mary is 72. The Verschuurs have run Montessori schools for the past 50 years, starting in Omaha and Bellevue and coming to Lincoln at the urging of parents.
Larry Verschuur estimates between 600 and 700 students have attended the Lincoln school since its opening. Thursday was the final day of classes.
The Montessori method is based on the idea that children flourish when they’re allowed to use their senses to solve problems out on their own, with guidance from teachers instead of rigid lesson plans.
Georgia Glass worked at the Lincoln school from the mid-1970s to the mid-’80s.
“We do not go in with a preconceived notion of what they need to accomplish, it’s what they are ready to accomplish,” Glass said. “Montessori is designed to accommodate different needs and experiences at different times in their lives.”
Four other Montessori schools operate in Lincoln, each offering a child care component in addition to the Montessori educational program.
Still, former students, parents and employees say the Lincoln Montessori School always will hold a special spot in their hearts.
“When I talk to parents of children that were in the school when I was there - and those children are now adults - they say to me, ’This is what I see in my child that I know was a product of Montessori School,’” Glass said. “That is validation. That is how you know it is worthwhile.”
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