December 19, 2011 Dear Cruise Director,

Dear Cruise Director,
Just wanted to write a quick note telling you how much stuff on this boat makes me laugh -- especially my boy Alex.

We put the X Boys in Camp Carnival for just a couple hours today to get a break.  First, I can't believe some parents leave their kids in there all day long -- including dinner!  Second, I can't believe some kids like being in there all day.  I think that's just something your camp people say.

My boys?  I asked them if they liked the camp.  "No," Max replied.  Why not?  "Because everyone has to do the same thing." 

It made me smile.  My boys are already Montessori kids!

Later, Alex started getting mad because a few ladies looked at him and laughed.

"They're laughing at me," he said not understanding that they were smiling and laughing because they thought he was "so cute."

My next favorite story of the trip had nothing to do with my boys.  A young girl told her mom she was tired of sitting for photos at the staged places on the boat.  "Do we have to do another one?" the daughter complained.  "We don't have to but we're going to because it's free."  The mom insisted on photo op after photo op until they got the perfect one for their holiday card.  "How many have you tried?"  one of the photographer asked.  "All of them," was the reply.

It all kind of reminded me of the food.  "We don't have to eat it all but we're going to because it's free" seemed to be the motto of most of the people on the boat.

Actually, that didn't make me laugh.  Kind of made me sick to see how much food everyone was eating -- especially the big dishes of ice cream for breakfast.

The funniest line of the trip went to my comedic Alex.

The boys were going back and forth about who should shower first.   Finally I said I was going to get something and while I was gone they should figure out who goes first.

Max did his best to con his brother into taking the shower first.

"When he gets back we'll both say Alex goes first," mama told me Max said.

"Yeah," Alex responded.  "And Max, you pretend to be Alex!"

January 31, 2011 - Dear Maria Montessori,

Dear Maria Montessori, We've become converts.

After almost two years of having Max in a Montessori school, we feel like we've drunk the Kool Aid, learned the secret handshake and joined the cult.

Our Max has blossomed into a mature, self-directed, insightful, fun, caring boy.

And now we're ready to send our Alex to absorb your lessons.

Alex had his observation at Abintra today and he did well. He has been at the school a few times so he is fairly familiar with the materials. He easily did some basic lessons and very willingly followed the guides to find something more challenging.

Afterwards, he handed Max a drawing he did using the metal inserts.

"It looks like he's ready," brother Max declared. "Do you like Abintra, Alex?"

"Too much," Alex replied.

I remember back in high school when I was miserable and my mom took me to see other schools, including a Montessori school. I wasn't willing then to leave my friends, my sports and my comfort zone even though all of which were disappointing me.

And I look back on how school took the love of learning out of me. I don't remember taking books, discussions or anything home with me from school. I remember spending class time doing the reading lessons they wanted us to do at home and ignoring the teacher. I remember teachers not being able to explain to me why anything they were teaching me was important. And I remember getting and being happy with the Bs and B-s that I mostly got.

I just pull into the Abintra campus and get excited for my boys. School should be interesting. School should be about getting kids to want to explore and learn on their own. The whole lecture & memorize routine that I went through was a real downer.

I remember going to a parent night and learning how Montessori teaches math with beads on strings and shaped like cubes. Literally, the geometry formulas that I was told to memorize suddenly made sense to me. Why oh why couldn't a teacher back then realize that this stuff wasn't making any conceptual sense to me rather than treating me like I wasn't smart enough or that I was too lazy to learn it?

It's really kind of weird to me that you created these methods to teach street kids who were deemed beyond able to learn and now I'm paying tens of thousands of dollars a year to have my kid learn them.

I also fantasize sometimes about the community of a public school: the PTA meetings, the sports and the shows. Ultimately, I think about the jealousy I feel about my kids' education and I decide the expense, the extra work it'll take to get them into outside activities & the long drives are worth it.

I don't want my boys spending more time thinking of ways to get a decent grade than spending learning something they enjoy.

I heard a parent's Montessori story that hits me: "My kid didn't do well on an exam," the parent said. "His friend said 'But do you know the material?' Yes, my kid said. 'So who cares about the test?" the friend concluded.

And that sums up Montessori and my education desires for my kids.

Who cares about the test if you're learning and happy.

March 13, 2009 - Dear X Boys,

Dear X Boys,
Your mom and I talked about lots of stuff before we got married: stuffs about how we wanted to live, how we wanted to raise children and what we wanted to do with our lives.

We knew we wanted you both to have a more creative and better school experience than at least I had.

We just never really expected to be putting our children in full-time, private school as early as three-years old.

However, today we wrote the check, signed the forms thus committing ourselves to sending Max to Montessori school this fall. We're darn excited about it and a bit overwhelmed with the responsibility. We visited two Montessori and one Walforf school before settling on Abintra. We looked at and debated such issues as location, foreign language programs and school diversity. We're not 100% convinced this school or even our decision to send him full-time is the best decision. We do feel good that we made an informed decision.

School bored me. My dad taught me to think through math and logic problems. My mom taught me to explore my creative side. Both taught me to do things myself. The lesson at school was to conform and memorize. I did just enough at school to get my B average. I was bored.

I'd love to feel good about putting you in local public schools. However, the more I look at these schools and the more I hear about this cray No Child Left Behind program, the more commited I am to finding something different for you. Children don't need to take tests and tests.

I know school can be so much more. I had one professor in college and one more recently who taught Spanish that got me excited about learning. They didn't simply lecture, hand us a textbook and give us a test. They challenged me and made it all interesting.

I want you both to be happy reaching your potential.

I want you both to have a life-long interest in learning.

I want you both to follow your own passion.

I want you both to be confident in wha you do and comfortable with your achievementsl.

I watch you both be so excited every day in your play, exploration and learning. I want this excitement to last forever.

I'm not 100% positive this is the right school or right program.

I am 100% pledged to finding what is right.