A Place of Good Work by Adam Robinson

A Place

of Good Work The History and Evolution of

the suzuki school

Leah Dobkin

The History and Evolution of

The Suzuki School A Place of Good Work By Leah Dobkin

The Suzuki School Atlanta 2015

Copyright ÂŠ 2015, The Suzuki School. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission from The Suzuki School. The cover photo as well as the photos on pages 30, 32, 37, 59, 63, 64, 70/71, 74, 76/77, 83, 140, and 144/145 were taken by Laura Negri Photography. The photos on pages 56, 100, 103, and 105 were taken by Point in Time Photography.

This legacy book is based on many hours of parent, teacher, and administrative staff interviews. When I first was commissioned for this compilation, I knew very little about The Suzuki School. As I completed the interviews, I was surprised at the level of passion that those interviewed expressed about Suzuki. “How could a preschool engender such intense loyalty?” I thought. It is clear that Suzuki’s legacy is the constant pursuit of excellence.

– Leah Dobkin, Stuart, Florida, April 2015

Contents 1

Roots and Wings

The First Ten Years

The Next Twenty Years

Growth to Three Campuses

Transformation to Montessori

Long-Term Investment in Teacher Training

Evolving Educational Programs

Ever-Evolving Enrichment Programs

“Let Them Eat Tofu!”

Extraordinary Teachers

Meet the Directors

109

Partnerships with Parents

112

From the Parents’ Perspective

132

The Future

The Suzuki Mission: “To develop in young children a life-long love of learning by honoring each child’s natural talent and ability in partnership with the parents”

Some actual quotes from Suzuki Kindergarten children: “I like the Suzuki School because I get to do good work. I like doing work so I can learn.”

Annabella Corso “I like Suzuki because I learn things like reading, washing windows, and writing numbers.”

Bobby Spencer “Reading is a little hard, but when you are six you have to know how to read so you can read to yourself sometimes. When you read, you feel proud.”

Stone Shapiro “I help people, like if they can’t read, I can help them.”

Reagan Niles “If I get hurt, my friend says sorry and we figure out how to play nice.”

Georgia Bharwani

noble heart: art work made by pre-primary buckhead suzuki students in

2013

for suzuki in bloom silent auction

Introduction—

Roots and Wings We are proud of our school’s history and of our accomplishments, which have now spanned four decades. We commissioned this legacy book to document the evolution of the Suzuki School and to share our vision for our future—our roots and our wings, if you will. This legacy book captures our milestones, our successes, and our challenges, past and present. It documents the stories and reflections of the school’s leadership, its founders, teachers and families. By collecting these stories, we aim to highlight our passions and values. We hope this book not only preserves the Suzuki School’s history, but also passes on insights and inspiration to future stakeholders. The Suzuki School was founded with the belief that learning begins in the womb and that the first five years are crucial in the development of a happy, healthy human being. This premise has been continually validated through highly respected research on brain development and by the observations of the school’s teachers, year after year. We believe every moment of a child’s day is an opportunity to engage, explore, and learn. We recognize the first years of life as the most critical in cultivating an inquisitive mind and a noble heart. Our carefully designed environment and thoughtful practices support these fundamental beliefs, which are the hallmarks of early childhood education. We are here to teach and honor each child’s natural talent and ability and to love and nurture your children. We are also here to support you, our parents, because, as Dr. Suzuki points out, you are your child’s first and best teachers. We are the Suzuki School—a place of good work! – Paula Charles, April 2015

dr. shinichi suzuki

Launch of the School—

The First Ten Years “I don’t believe there is anything more interesting than observing a child’s growth. It is breathtaking.”

Marlene Lerer

In the Beginning Many of us remember playing “school” as young children in which we became the teacher. Marlene Lerer most likely played the principal. As long as she could remember, Marlene wanted to start and run a preschool. At the age of 28, she had already taught preschool, kindergarten and first grade. “Young children always fascinated me. I’m amazed at how much they learn. I saw that you could create a real love for learning if you presented educational materials to them in the right way. I wanted to do it the right way and that’s why I started the school.”

Marlene Marlene was fortunate in finding David Smith. He was equally motivated to start a school, and had the finances to back her. David ran a company that sold materials to teach English as a second language in Japan. It was there, in 1973, that he had the good fortune to meet Dr. Shinichi Suzuki. Dr. Suzuki was the creator of the internationally-known Suzuki Method of Music Education. He developed a philosophy for educating people of all ages and abilities, but focused particularly on the very young. He saw the potential that each child had within himself and found a way to unleash it. David was so

impressed with Dr. Suzuki’s work that he helped him finance his first school, the Matsumoto Music School in Shimoyokota, in the city of Matsumotshi. It was there that the Suzuki method became an international movement. Suzuki Talent Education, also known as the “Suzuki Method”, combines a well-established program for learning music with a philosophy that any child is capable of learning. It teaches that by embracing the total development of the child, a teacher can build a foundation for learning that will last a lifetime. Dr. Suzuki’s guiding principle was “character first, ability second.” David met and married his wife, who was Japanese, in the early 70’s and within a few years they had two children. As his children became toddlers, he wanted the best early childhood education for them. He founded the Suzuki School because he was not satisfied with the existing choices in Atlanta and he strongly believed in the Suzuki philosophy: “All young children can learn creatively and there are no limits to what they can learn. If they develop a love for learning, they will have a higher chance of becoming successful in whatever they attempt.” He asked Dr. Suzuki if he would endorse his Atlanta-based school and when he did, the Suzuki School became the first and only preparatory school in the world incorporating Dr. Suzuki’s philosophies and teaching methods in an early childhood education environment not primarily focused on music. David put an advertisement in the paper for a School Director and Marlene Lehrer answered that ad. There were many qualified candidates who

responded, but after several interviews Marlene rose to the top of David’s list. It was serendipitous that Dr. Suzuki’s method for teaching music had been part of Marlene’s Masters program in Early Childhood Education. Marlene was hired in 1976. She found herself in a large office building in downtown Atlanta creating, from scratch, all the essential components of a preschool curriculum, including forms, policies, and procedures. She was developing a recipe for her vision of an excellent preschool. Her vision incorporated the methods developed for Suzuki music education into an Early Childhood curriculum. But to dream is easier than to actually implement. From the beginning, Marlene and David faced numerous obstacles in making their dream a reality. They spent the first year entangled in a heated legal battle while attempting to purchase the first building for the school, an English Tudor mansion built in the 1930’s located on Andrews Drive. The mansion was located in an affluent Buckhead neighborhood. Residents were adamantly opposed to Marlene’s use of the mansion as a school for fear of increased traffic, noise and parking problems. Marlene and David were equally adamant because they deeply believed that the Tudor mansion on Andrews Drive provided an ideal environment for their new school. They were seeking a facility with a non-institutional character—a place that would feel like a second home for the children and staff. The mansion was surrounded by eight acres of daffodil-covered gardens and beautiful azaleas that were magnificent in the spring. The children and their parents walked into a large foyer adorned with exquisite woodwork consisting of finely detailed carvings. The wood was a bit dark, but they lightened it with stimulating colors such as orange and yellow. An ornate staircase led to the combined first and second grade classroom, in what was once the master bedroom. The freshly painted classroom was like “walking into a white wedding cake,” says Debra. The room had a working fireplace and French doors that opened out onto two spiral staircases that went down into the garden. The ladies’ dressing room was Debra’s office. There was also a little turret room—a circular portion of the building with tall

lead pane windows often used as a reading room. Children read books there, leaning on comfortable, bright colored pillows. They sectioned off the large rooms with tall ceilings into different subject areas. There were rooms for math, science, and reading, and enrichment rooms for activities like foreign language and music. Two additional downstairs classrooms were created from an enormous sunroom with windows all around and from a wood-paneled library that doubled in size when pocket doors were opened. Everyone felt special in this impressive building! From the Suzuki School’s beginning, the importance of design and environment were critical ingredients in creating a school of excellence. Marlene and David fell in love with the mansion and committed to a renovation that would align with their vision of a model school. The legal case went all the way to the State Supreme Court and the residents lost. Marlene and David had overcome their first obstacle; now the real challenging work began.

A School is Born “I am preparing myself for the five-year-old mind. I want to come down to their physical limitations and up to their sense of wonder and awe.”

Dr. Shinichi Suzuki It took a year to get the school off the ground—dealing with a protracted legal battle with community residents, adapting the Suzuki philosophy to develop an early childhood curriculum, renovating the building, and gaining accreditation from the Georgia Accreditation Commission. The Suzuki School, at the time named the Suzuki International Learning Center, finally opened its doors in the fall of 1977 with eight students and two teachers. The school

initially offered kindergarten and first grade, but added a combined second and third grade the next year. Dr. Suzuki travelled from Japan to Atlanta to help launch the Suzuki International Learning Center. Marlene spoke no Japanese, and Dr. Suzuki spoke no English, but language was no barrier. With the help of a Japanese interpreter, they came to understand each other on a deep level. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I remember when Dr. Suzuki came to our schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s opening. We planted a maple tree together; we talked about philosophies, and he told me stories about where he taught. I read all of his books. We talked about them and the experiences that he had with children. He felt it necessary to build a strong noble heart in a child, so he or she would be selfconfident, yet giving as a person. We incorporated his philosophies into the school. Our curriculum was infused with lessons to help young children develop strong noble hearts. That maple tree is still alive today and so is our commitment to the children.â&#x20AC;?

Marlene

sign at original campus on andrews drive

Dr. Suzuki did not just give the school the right to use his name. Nor did he just plant a symbolic maple tree representing hopes for the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strong roots and growth. He allocated considerable time and effort in developing the curriculum for the school with Marlene. She went through a process of drafting the curriculum, having the curriculum translated into Japanese, then mailing the drafts to Dr. Suzuki in Japan. Of course, there were no computers back then, so Dr. Suzuki reviewed and commented on the drafts manually and then mailed his revisions back to Marlene. Drafts went back and forth until both Marlene and Dr. Suzuki were satisfied. The translator also facilitated many overseas calls between the two.

dr. suzuki and his wife at opening of campus on andrews drive with marlene

(3rd from left)

Dr. Suzuki believed that all children are born with creative talents and abilities—that it’s largely how you teach children, and how they learn, which determines the level of success they will enjoy. His method is based on a systematic learning process, a developmental program in which a skill is introduced at a very basic level, and then subsequently reinforced by gradually increasing the level of difficulty. Once each level of the specific skill is mastered, the student moves to the next level. Repetition is a critical component in the Suzuki approach. “Knowledge is not skill…Knowledge plus 1,000 times is skill…”

Dr. Suzuki

children playing on the lawn at andrews drive

Together Dr. Suzuki and Marlene figured out how to apply these principles in order to teach young children a whole range of subjects beyond learning to play an instrument such as the violin or piano. The Suzuki method was a perfect fit for the school. With loving guidance from Dr. Suzuki, the Suzuki International Learning Center was the first and only school in the world to integrate Dr. Suzuki’s philosophies and teaching methods into an Early Childhood education program.

As enrollment grew, Marlene added programs. A separate third and fourth grade was added as the students got older. Originally, the school was unable to obtain a special permit to include a preschool at the Andrews Drive mansion so she opened a nearby school on Cains Hill Place for two to five year olds in 1978. The next year she expanded the preschool to include older toddlers. The Suzuki program for toddler education was unique. Until that point, the only early childhood option available in Atlanta was custodial care, essentially babysitting young children while Mom and Dad were at work. The Suzuki International Learning Center was a place of learning both in name and in deed. It had trained teachers, lesson plans and a developmental curriculum which distinguished it from other custodial daycare centers. That distinction has been the cornerstone of Suzukiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success. In 1978 the older students participated in a very exciting event. Dr. Suzuki brought one hundred young musicians from Japan and along with one hundred of his American students they played together in New York City, Washington D.C. and Atlanta. Some of the American students were from the Suzuki International Learning Center. The guests of honor were President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalyn. Marlene says they were a down-to-earth couple, asked excellent questions and were intrigued by the school.

children playing violin for jimmy carter in

1978

“The concert was beautiful and unbelievable. All two hundred children played together seamlessly, even though they never practiced together—two continents apart, but the Suzuki Method united them all as they confidently played their tiny violins and amazed the audience.”

Marlene The Cains Hill School was housed in an old insurance office building which Marlene had renovated to meet the needs of the youngest Suzuki students. At first, it looked like a “shabby rabbit warren,” according to Marlene. Although walls were torn down in an effort to make the rooms as spacious and as homey as possible, you could only do so much with a facility that was never meant to be a school. However, it wasn’t the building that mattered to Atlanta families, it was the commitment of the teachers and administrative staff that created what many families considered the best-kept secret in the city. In the early years, the school grew slowly as families learned about it only through word of mouth— its reputation was unknown to many but that would soon change. Between 1977 and 1982, the two campuses continued to grow. There were 60 students by 1982.

Dark Times Then tragedy hit. In 1982, David died suddenly, sending shock waves of grief and apprehension through the staff. In fact, many of the teachers and parents feared for the school’s survival. And their fears were justified…with the loss of Suzuki’s financier the next few years were indeed difficult. In 1984 Marlene made the difficult decision to end the elementary school program and focus her limited resources on developing the preschool. She used her own money, along with modest funds provided by two new partners, and through trial and error Marlene learned the business side of operating a school.

Marlene says, “I was suddenly faced with huge bills and all these people to pay. Somehow, somewhere, I was able to borrow money, supplemented with my own savings, and forego a salary for a long, long time, so that I could keep the school in operation. I wanted more than anything for this school to be successful. It was my heart and soul. I put everything into this and I wanted it to continue and somehow I was able to make that happen.”

The Dynamic Duo: Marlene and Debra It took five torturous years, but Marlene rebuilt the school and put it on a firm financial footing with the help of another dedicated educator, Debra Markham. Debra had moved to Atlanta in 1982. She was seeking a job in education and had three years previous experience teaching middle school and marlene lerer catching up on paperwork fourth grade in an inner city school. But older children were not her first love—what she most enjoyed was teaching little ones. She answered Marlene’s advertisement seeking a kindergarten teacher at the Suzuki School. By the weirdest of circumstances, Debra’s first job interview with Marlene was on the day David died. She walked through the school’s front door and everyone was crying. Marlene came in and said with composure, “You’ll have to excuse us; we just found out that the founder of the school, David Smith, died in Italy today. Please have a seat—I’ll be right with you.” Despite the dreadful timing, the interview went very well. Debra could see through all the grief that this was a special school and really hoped to be offered the position. An hour later, Marlene called and told Debra that she would love

for her to join her school. Debra accepted and a few hours later, she received a second call from the Marietta school system, offering her a position for a third—grade classroom. Though her Suzuki salary would be half that of a public school teacher’s, she never looked back. The Suzuki School became as much her passion as it was Marlene’s. Debra recalls how different teaching in a public school was from teaching at the private Suzuki School. In her previous public school, she received a meager annual allotment of $25 for classroom supplies. As you might imagine, Debra often used her own money to purchase necessary school supplies.

marlene, donna, and debra on the front lawn at the andrews drive campus

In contrast, Marlene asked Debra to make up a wish list of everything she wanted for her classroom. “I’m not making any promises, but we’ll see what we can do,” cautioned Marlene. If you know Debra, you know her commitment to giving children what they need. So she made her long wish list and waited to see what the response would be.

Marlene went through the wish list and said, “You know, we can do everything but the aquarium and the constellation globe—you’ll have to wait for those.” Debra didn’t have to wait long. She got her aquarium and globe after Christmas. There couldn’t have been a better post-holiday gift than these three symbolic gifts representing the earth, water and sky. Marlene saw the potential in Debra, so when the elementary school closed, Debra’s position changed to teaching in the morning and assisting with administrative duties in the afternoons. “Debra was on the same wave length as me, and she had this spirit in her heart,” acknowledges Marlene. Their desks faced each other in the Front Office. Marlene took Debra under her wing and trained her to run a school. She taught her how to administer and nurture the school, to ensure that everyone was really in tune with the children. Debra recalls, “This is how I was trained: most of the time, I knew how to support the teachers and the classrooms, but every once in a while, Marlene would say, ‘Come and sit, we have to talk,’ and she would pat the top of her desk. She would then share an insight into something that I needed to see. For example, we’d be walking down the hall and she’d beckon me debra markham as a witch at spooky suzuki in the early years to her and say, ‘Look in this window, tell me what you see?’ I’d say, ‘It looks good to me— everything’s all right.’ ‘No, no, look over there, tell me what you see,’ Marlene would insist, pointing her finger at a child. ‘You see? He’s trying to get the teacher’s attention, and she isn’t paying attention, so he wanders’.” At other times Marlene would say, “Look at that other teacher, her back is towards the children. You see that?”

“I always thought one reason The Suzuki School has been so successful is because Marlene and I are first and foremost educators; we look at everything from the teacher’s point of view and we understand that you can’t teach if you don’t have the necessary materials to capture the attention of the child. We know that it is their ability to imagine and absorb from the world around them that allows each one to fulfill the potential that lies inside and creating the environment that allows this to occur is what excites me!”

Debra

marlene lerer in

2005

debra, peggy, and students at cains hill

buckhead avenue upper school resource area

Stabilization—

The Next Twenty Years The Little School at Cains Hill Debra taught in the mornings for a year and learned to run the school in the afternoons, but eventually Marlene needed her full-time in an administrative role. The school was growing. By 1984, Marlene had closed the East Andrews Drive “mansion” (the “Big School”) and eliminated the elementary program. Both Marlene and Debra’s hearts were in Early Childhood education, so that’s where they kept their focus. There were now over 100 students at the “Little School” on Cains Hill Place, including 15 toddlers.

cains hill campus front entrance

Marlene changed the name of the school to “The Suzuki Learning Center” to more accurately depict the mission. Enrollment continued to grow, and in 1996, she expanded the Cains Hill location by opening “The Suzuki Infant Center” in a building across the street from the preschool.

music lessons

spanish lessons

Buckhead Avenue’s “Upper School” By 2004, there was a long wait list, and Marlene decided to further expand. She signed a lease on a space in a building adjacent to the Buckhead Library which had formerly housed the Faye Gold Art Gallery. She and Debra set about designing and building a campus to house the older threes, fours and fives. She called this the “Upper School.”

upper school main entrance

The Cains Hill campuses continued in operation, serving infants through young threes. By 2005, the school had grown to over 400 children in three campuses. A great deal of thought went into the Upper School. It was housed in an immense loft with large glass windows overlooking the Atlanta skyline. The school was bright and cheerful with walls painted bright red, orange, and a deep gold accented with deep green furniture. This school was Suzukiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first experiment with an open floor concept, using colors and features that would speak to the imagination of the children. This amazing environment became a rough template for what would eventually become a design standard for three distinct and enticing campuses.

mural of the skyline of atlanta at the upper school

Expansion Years—

Growth to Three Campuses The Paula and Robert Decade “There’s no such thing as perfection, but striving for excellence is one of my core values. Helping the school to be the best it can be in meeting its mission, and being willing to continually ‘tweak’ it to make it even better, is what motivates me.”

Paula After Marlene’s children were grown, her husband, a corporate attorney, took a new position requiring their relocation to Boston. For two years, Marlene commuted from Boston every other week. Debra ran the school while Marlene was in Boston, but it was a grueling lifestyle and not sustainable, and Marlene finally made the heart- wrenching decision to sell the school. Serendipitously, Marlene met Paula and Robert Charles, owners of a consulting and brokerage business and former Suzuki parents. Marlene hired Paula to represent her in the sale of her school. For almost a year, Paula marketed Suzuki. She introduced several highly-qualified prospective buyers, but Marlene didn’t feel comfortable turning over her life’s work to any of them. One potential buyer, within five minutes of meeting Marlene, began telling her all the things he would do to change the school. Another potential buyer, a private equity firm, wanted to franchise the school. Marlene was not impressed—she had a clear vision for the school, and in her mind there was only one potential buyer she felt would honor that vision.

robert at the ponce city market construction site,

2014

paula in her office

“Over time, Paula and I got to know each other very well, and one day I said, ‘You and Robert need to buy Suzuki.’ I think she thought I was crazy at first, but as time went on, she got more involved in the school and came to believe that it was a good idea.”

Marlene Paula and Robert became intrigued with the opportunity. Both had come from prior stints with large corporations, and they were open to a change. They had learned a lot about the school while marketing it, and they decided to move forward. They met Garrett Van de Grift, an entrepreneur who was equally passionate about early childhood education, and he put together a small investor group that provided loan guarantees to accommodate acquisition financing for much of the purchase price. On April 1, 2005, Robert and Paula purchased the Suzuki Learning Center from Marlene.

“The business consulting and brokerage work was intellectually challenging, but it didn’t feed my soul. The chance to work with young children, in an educational setting, was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It requires a lot of thought and careful planning, and it allows me to really make a difference in these childrens’ lives.”

Paula “We were apprehensive at first. What did we know about running a school? Marlene was adamant; ‘You can do this, and I’m always available for advice.’ So, despite having two young children to raise and get through college, we decided to invest our life’s savings and we jumped in with both feet. It was a leap of faith, for sure, but within a few months we realized that with Marlene’s guidance, Debra’s educational leadership, and Garrett’s advice, we really could take Suzuki to the next level.”

Robert

robert, jimmy campbell and bobby glick entertaining families at suzuki in bloom,

2013

Paula and Robert were committed to learning everything they could. One of their first moves, the day that the purchase was completed, was to make Debra an owner by providing her with shares of stock. Debra and Marlene, along with Garrett, became board members, and Marlene flew down once a month for two years to help ensure a smooth transition. In the beginning of their ownership, Paula and Robert took care of the business and facilities matters and Debra managed the classrooms and teachers. Robert, Paula and Debra, with support from the Board, set several goals for the school. These were, in order of priority; (1) to upgrade the professional level of the staff by increasing pay and benefits while concomitantly raising the bar in terms of what would be expected from the teachers; (2) to consolidate the three existing locations into one; (3) to dramatically improve the design and finish of the facilities; (4) to obtain accreditation from SACS (The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) and; (5) to identify a curriculum which better honored children in their ability to become life long learners. In January of 2007, the school again changed its name from “The Suzuki Learning Center” to “The Suzuki School” to more accurately reflect its mission and its escalating focus on education. While working on (2) and (3), serendipity again interjected itself into the picture. In 2006, a local developer put together a large assemblage of properties in the Buckhead area, and one of the key properties was the building on Buckhead Avenue on which Marlene had signed a ten-year lease just a couple of years earlier. The developer made an offer to buy out the lease. By coincidence, the Harry Norman Realty firm had just completed their new building down the road, and had vacated their previous premises at 443 East Paces Ferry. That property was purchased by Selig Enterprises, and as it turned out, Mr. Selig and Garrett Van de Grift were good friends. The timing was really quite amazing, and within a few weeks, The Suzuki School signed a long-term lease with the folks at Selig. Robert and Debra then set out with a goal of creating a state-of-the-art environment that would allow consolidation of the three locations into one campus.

Creating a Learning Community Through Exceptional Design “We want the schools to be spectacular and exciting. We want the children to love coming to Suzuki in the morning and to not want to leave in the afternoon. We want the children and their parents to walk in and go ‘Oooh’ and ‘Aaah’!”

Robert “We and the children are at school often more than we are at home so we created an environment that welcomed us in, one that the children would consider their own.”

Debra

paula with primary children at ponce city market (vihaan devireddy, fiona grimm, and dylan blackledge)

Dr. Suzuki believed that the right environment fosters learning as well as excellent character. Robert, Paula, and Debra placed a high importance on creating the best environment for the children. A collaboration of wonderful architects, builders and teachers went into creating the unique physical environments at the three current Suzuki campuses: Buckhead, Northside, and Ponce. The layout, color, textures, and ambiance of the school campuses have more of a feel of a hybrid art gallery/nature center than a traditional school.

primary one classroom at the buckhead campus

Much thought and planning went into creating intriguing and nurturing environments that stimulate a child’s brain, inspire creativity, and provide opportunities for discovery. The schools display extensive sensory boards of the natural elements such as stones, seashells, fossils, wood varieties and insects, all at a child’s eye level. The design elements were chosen to ensure a safe and secure environment while helping children focus and learn at their own pace. The layout of the school buildings and the classrooms were designed to encourage interaction and community. “The only way you build a noble heart is to interact with other human beings,” says Paula, “The more opportunities you have to teach children the right behaviors, the more they develop the noble heart, as well as an inquisitive mind.”

hallway at the buckhead campus

The Menagerie Perhaps the most popular design features of the schools are the animal displays which house live Gouldian Finches and Chinese Water Dragons. Judy Gunby is responsible for these displays and she certainly has an unusual jobâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;some might even say she has a gift.

miss maya showing children the aviary

She lovingly takes care of the animals at The Suzuki School. Children may observe her gently holding an uncooperative Chinese Water Dragon squiggling in her hands.

feeding the water dragon

For some unknown reason, this particular reptile is sometimes resistant to eating, and Judy often must hand feed him beetles, crickets and worms to entice him to eat.

Robert took the lead in planning these animal exhibits. He also positioned a 1000 gallon saltwater aquarium at the entrance of the Buckhead Campus and 600 gallon aquariums at both other campuses, so that guests and parents can appreciate the beautiful fish. The aquariums were designed and are maintained by Brian Waldman, a long-established and highly-regarded saltwater specialist.

children at the aquariumâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;buckhead

A visitor might be curious about how the staff selected these animals. According to Robert, his childrens’ dentist had a beautiful birdcage that mesmerized the little patients in the waiting area. The dentist gave him the name of the person who made the display. That person made all of the bird displays, and introduced him to Judy Gunby and her husband, Cecil, who until his untimely death in 2014 assisted Judy in caring for the birds and reptiles. The Japanese Maple at the entrance to the Buckhead campus, as well as the bamboo on the Pharr Road end, were donated and planted by Cecil, who was a genuine “Renaissance Man.” The reptiles came about as an afterthought, but they have become the most popular viewing activity for the children. “I wanted our school to be exciting for the children. Originally, I thought about reptiles, specifically snakes—that it would be cool to have them slithering around in a nice display and the children would love them. But the front desk staff was mortified at the idea, and Debra added to the protest: ‘What are you going to do if one of the snakes gets out?,’ she asked. She had a good point—so harmless Chinese Water Dragons were selected as an alternative.” Robert found a reptarium builder in New Jersey, and ordered a custom model. Meticulous craftsmanship went into rehabbing the Buckhead campus. All of the animal displays, sensory boards, decorations, and materials became templates for the subsequent campuses. Although those two later campuses have their own architectural signatures, the overall impression at all three campuses is congruous. According to Dr. Suzuki, “The right mix of materials, good design, adult interaction and external stimuli creates the alchemy to activate the child’s internal mechanisms that allow him to grow, adapt and prosper.”

child viewing insect display

Today’s Campuses “I think one of the reasons why The Suzuki School is successful is because—and this sounds so simplistic—we consistently deliver on what we promise. This started with Marlene. She was insistent that this school be an extraordinary private preschool that prepares children for their journey in life. There are too many preschools and daycare centers which claim to be educationally focused—but research and feedback from parents who have left them to come to Suzuki indicates that they don’t consistently deliver. There are many reasons for this—inadequate funding, lack of early childhood educational expertise, lack of quality educators and caregivers, and lack of business acumen. If you don’t have adequate resources and the proper mix of abilities, you can’t have a vibrant educational preschool program.”

Paula “The first thing parents look for is safety—they want to know that they’re going to pick up their child in the same condition that the child was in when he or she was dropped off that morning. Then, number two, they want to have their child in an environment where the child is genuinely learning. And finally, they want to feel that they’re putting their child in an amazing place that the child enjoys and where the child feels happy.”

Robert

The Buckhead Campus

buckhead campus view from street

As previously summarized, in 2007, Robert signed a lease on the building at 443 East Paces Ferry Road, and after obtaining the necessary permits, the general contractor began construction on the new facility. The first step was to gut the building until only the walls, floors, and stairwells were standing. It was now a â&#x20AC;&#x153;blank canvasâ&#x20AC;? in which to create the ideal campus. Robert and Debra held numerous meetings with the architects, the firm of Randall Paulsen, with the project architect being Janet Ellis. Robert and Debra wanted the classrooms saturated with light, the colors calming and subdued while the colors in the hallway were to be bright and cheerful so that the children would be excited when they showed up at school. Bold splashes of unusual colors promoted warmth, and engaging color wheels built into the floors outside each classroom, and at the upper elevator lobby, offered a subtle lesson in mixing two primary colors to create a third.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Creating a world for the children is what I have enjoyed most. We wanted the school to be a place where they would be excited to enter so the bright colors, animal habitats, music and art are the elements that welcome them. Once inside the classroom, the colors are soft, the walls are free of distractions and the space is open and inviting. The unspoken message then is that in here we listen, observe and learn.â&#x20AC;?

Debra Debra had an idea several years earlier and installed a viewing window with one-way glass at Cains Hill so parents could observe their children without disturbing them. But this was a very small window built into the classroom doors. The architects took it a step further, designing curved glass observation walls so that Moms and Dads could see their childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s classroom almost in its entirety without their child being able to see them in return.

viewing window at the buckhead campus

Noise-absorbing ceiling tile and flooring were installed to promote tranquility and concentration. The hallways were decorated with unique art and educational and sensory displays, as well as mobiles and sculptures. A music system was installed to allow for a wide variety of music, ranging from opera to rock n’ roll, to float through the hallways at all times. A useful feature of the Buckhead campus is the two-story playground: a covered playground underneath to provide a safe space to play even during inclement weather and a canopied playground above it from which to observe the Buckhead skyline.

primary students on upper playground at ponce city market

In August 2007, the new campus opened its doors, offering to its students and their teachers an environment specifically designed to facilitate a collaborative and exciting learning environment. The Board of Directors unanimously approved Robert, Paula, and Debra’s request to officially name the Buckhead facility the “Marlene Lerer Campus.”

The Northside Campus Within a year of opening the Buckhead campus, the school had a waiting list approaching 200 families. Again, serendipity stepped in. A friend of Suzuki Board member and investor Garrett Van de Grift called him and suggested that The Suzuki School might want to open a second campus. Garrett’s friend was representing the Ahavath Achim Synagogue, located at the corner of Peachtree Battle and Northside Drive. The Synagogue had previously housed the Epstein School, but that School had moved to Sandy Springs a few years earlier, leaving a 12,300 square foot annex unused. That annex was ideal for conversion to a preschool. After a short period of lease negotiation, the Board approved the second location for the Suzuki School, to be designated the “Northside Campus.” Again, Robert began the process of creating an amazing facility. He selected Brian Dempsey and Elizabeth Oliver, then with Niles Bolton Architects, and set about the effort to get the facility ready to open in September of 2008.

northside campus lobby

One of the best features of the Northside campus is the location: It is in the middle of Northwest Atlanta on a quiet and serene corner lot, amid 9 acres of land and surrounded by enormous trees and vegetation. The playground features a 14-foot high rock wall, over 50 years old and made of hand-laid stones.

northside campus garden area

northside campus playground

The Ponce City Market Campus Recognizing an enormous need for high-quality Early Childhood Education in the Midtown area of Atlanta, the Suzuki School approached the Jamestown Company, which purchased the old Sears/City Hall East complex on Ponce de Leon Avenue adjacent to the new Beltway, in early 2012 to inquire about the possibility of locating a Suzuki campus in the development. Jamestown was looking for, and had dedicated space to accommodate, exactly what Suzuki could provide, and the school signed a lease in early 2013 to put a location in Jamestown’s “Ponce City Market” development.

hallway in first year outside ponce classroom

Robert again hired Brian Dempsey and Elizabeth Oliver, by then representing Brian’s own firm, Freespace Architects, to design the facility. Under the management of Donnie Boone and Rex Wallin of Dakota Contractors, who also built the

Buckhead School, the construction began in early 2014. The Ponce Campus opened soon afterward, in September of 2014, and has been very well received. It has abundant space to allow freedom for the children to move throughout the day. There is a state-of-the-art playground on the roof, designed by Grey Keiser, a landscape architect working with Brian and Elizabeth, for the children to run around and enjoy a variety of play activities.

roof play area at ponce city market campus

As is the case at all Suzuki campuses, the playground surfacing material is a latex/rubber blend which is by far the safest option, and which has been poured in interesting designs. In addition, there is synthetic grass, which is installed over a 2â&#x20AC;? thick base of shock-absorbent material.

The rooftop at Ponce also includes a solar garden designed by Radiance Solar Company. It is a demonstration project in conjunction with Georgia Tech and the U.S. Department of Energy. Seventy-two solar panels produce electricity that feeds back into the school’s electrical panel, thereby allowing the school to significantly reduce its carbon footprint. “We really wanted the school to be warm and inviting when children and parents walk in the door. The Ponce campus, which basically converted an open parking deck structure into our school, was an extremely complicated project— much more so than either of the two other campuses—and we are very proud of it. It is very cool to be a part of such a unique urban development,” says Robert.

front hallway at ponce city market campus

alla meeting with kim family hayoon (mom), tate and ian

Transformation to Montessori Gratified, but Never Satisfied “I did what I knew until I knew better, and then I did that.”

Dr. Feland Meadows, Goizueta Endowed Chair of Early Childhood, KSU At Suzuki, administrators and teachers have never shied away from trial and error in making the school even better for their number one priority—the students. Over the years, they have experimented with classroom size, room structure and staffing models. Walls have been constructed to create smaller learning communities, and then those same walls have been taken down, at great effort and expense, when it was determined that the school needed to increase space for physical activity. Islands were strategically located and various configurations of teaching teams were tested. The Suzuki School implemented different enrichment activities and food menus as well. These changes have been fine-tuned over the years. “Parents put all their trust in us through our changes because they see their children feeling comfortable, learning, and excited to go to school,” says Paula, “We are constantly looking for ways to improve, and we are not afraid to try something different.” This attitude of welcoming change was put to the test in 2007. The Suzuki Board decided, with Debra’s strong encouragement, to adopt Montessori principles and practices into the school curriculum, and to begin an unprecedented “on the fly” conversion to a Montessori-based educational program over a long period of time.

Pairing Suzuki’s Philosophies with the Montessori Model Over the years, Debra and Marlene had been highly successful in implementing Dr. Suzuki’s philosophies and teaching methods. But they had always struggled to find compatible educational materials, and to actually describe to teachers and parents what the “Suzuki method” really was. Debra was key in integrating the Montessori System of Education into the Suzuki School curriculum. She was first introduced to the power of Montessori by a chance exchange with a teacher at the Cains Hill location who had been trained in Montessori. Debra recalls one October when she witnessed an unconventional but exciting approach to learning. Each teacher received a pumpkin for their class. As one would expect, each teacher carved out a jack-o-lantern and scooped out the seeds and toasted them with the children, but not this particular teacher: “I gave the pumpkin to this teacher, but instead of carving out a jack-o-lantern, she allowed the children to roll it around the room and sit on it. The teacher gave the students little tacks and hammers, and they hammered them into the pumpkin. They drew the pumpkin and finally cut it open to see what was inside. They planted the seeds instead of toasting and eating them. They did everything to that pumpkin except make a jack-o-lantern out of it. I saw what they learned from interacting with a pumpkin in very novel ways. Instead of carving a jack-o-lantern as everyone else had done, they experienced the pumpkin and were given the freedom to explore with it in ways I had never seen before. It seemed to me that the experiential way was the way to teach a young child. My eyes were opened.”

Debra

Debra and Paula recognized the potential of pairing Dr. Suzuki’s philosophies with Montessori’s research based model and materials. They did a lot of research on Montessori, and debated whether it would be possible to bring Montessori to Suzuki.

dr. maria montessori

“Both Maria Montessori and Shinichi Suzuki observed similar aspects of childhood development, shared compatible values, and developed astonishingly similar philosophies and teaching methods, despite the fact that they were on opposite sides of the globe.”

Paula

Dr. Maria Montessori (1870—1952), an Italian physician and educator, developed the Montessori system of education based upon her scientific observations of children. As Italy’s first female physician, her background was in medicine and psychology. Like Dr. Suzuki, Dr. Montessori discovered that during the first six year of life children have the ability to learn and assimilate many elements from the world around them. She identified the child’s first three years of life as the time of the “unconscious absorbent mind” and the second period, from 3 to 6 years, as the time of the conscious absorbent mind.” During these years, children are particularly receptive to certain external stimuli and to an environment that is specially prepared for them.

Dr. Feland Meadows

dr. meadows with debra

Debra and Paula devised a long-term plan. Suzuki would begin by training a core group of teachers and administrators. Debra met with Dr. Feland Meadows, the Roberto C. Goizueta Endowed Chair and Distinguished Professor of

Early Childhood Education of Kennesaw State University, to enlist his advice and assistance. Dr. Meadows is an internationally recognized leader in Montessori teacher education and research who has prepared more than 2,500 Montessori teachers in 9 countries. He is the founder of the 42 year old Pan American Montessori Society and has a lifelong passion for educating young children. At 87 years old, Dr. Meadows continues to work as a fulltime professor and has the energy of most people half his age. His enthusiasm for Montessori education stems from a personal experience with his daughter. She was dyslexic and was not able to learn to read. Her uncaring teacher would shake her saying “I know you can read, you just won’t do so to spite me.” Dr. and Mrs. Meadows pulled their daughter out of that school and began looking for a better school when they discovered a Montessori school in Mexico City, where they were living at that time. He asked the Montessori school owner if he could stay and watch the children. “I found a place to sit on the floor and watched those children the rest of the morning. I thought if I had had the insight, the wisdom, to create the perfect educational environment, this would be it. I had a doctorate in education, but no one had ever told me anything about Montessori. I didn’t know anything about educating young children, because I’d worked with mostly adults and older children. Learning to be a Montessori teacher has made me a better teacher of adults as well as a teacher of children.”

Dr. Meadows Dr. Meadows opened the 4th Montessori school in Mexico city in 1970, the 5th in the entire country of Mexico . While searching for a Montessori Trainer he could take to Mexico, Dr. Meadows met Renilde Montessori, Maria Montessori’s granddaughter, in Ontario, Canada and Montessori’s son Mario and his wife Ada together with Mario’s son Mario Jr. at an International Conference in California in 1972. That year he also sought and recruited a renowned Montessori Trainer, Elisabeth Caspari, a Swiss Music teacher who

studied with Dr. Montessori in India and then worked with her for 4 years during WWII. Charles and Elisabeth Caspari accepted Dr. Meadows’ invitation to go to Mexico City to train teachers in 1973 and that year they founded the Pan American Montessori Society. Dr. Meadows believed that the Suzuki approach to education already provided a foundation upon which it would be possible to plant the seeds of Montessori and see them flourish. He worked with Debra and Paula to jump-start Suzuki’s conversion to Montessori. “We will always be grateful for Dr. Meadows’ faith in our commitment to Montessori and for his willingness to help,” says Paula. A Montessori teacher is a guide, carefully observing and taking advantage of those stages through the introduction of materials and activities that are carefully designed to stimulate the child’s curiosity and intellect. The Montessori teacher is trained to notice the child’s innate enthusiasm for learning and to guide it, without interfering with the child’s natural desire to teach himself and become independent. The classroom must be a prepared environment, a place where each child works through his individual cycle of activities, according to his own unique needs and capabilities. A visitor to the Montessori preschool will likely experience articulate, friendly, respectful, busy, and self-assured little people. Each classroom has a mixture of age groups and in this way, the older children have an opportunity to be leaders and teachers of their younger peers, under the guidance of their teachers, while the younger children have peers from whom they can model behaviors. The school began its Montessori journey in a very simple way: Debra and an experienced Kindergarten teacher, Lauren Soedarto, were sent to Dr. Meadow’s classroom in 2007. By January, the school sent another teacher and by that following spring, two more were enrolled. With the support of Dr. Meadows, the teachers and administrators began to implement a carefully sequenced curriculum that responds to the stages of development of the children. They purchased

and/or made the Montessori materials that allowed the children to learn highly complex skills at their own pace and in their own time. Instead of teaching to the whole group, which is the traditional model, the Suzuki School began utilizing the Montessori approach—teaching one child at a time. This gives each child precisely what is most appropriate for him at that moment in his development. In essence, every child at the Suzuki School has an individualized lesson plan. Dr. Meadows applauds the Suzuki School’s commitment and the resources that they have allocated in creating a Montessori/Suzuki school. He says, “Montessori is the one approach, the one way of teaching, the one system of education that truly honors the child. Many schools describe themselves as being child-centered; well, most of them aren’t. However, The Suzuki School definitely is.”

Educational Materials— Beyond Toys, There Are Tools “My son only played with clay, and now he is an architect.”

Marjorie Horton, Suzuki’s Montessori Institute Director Inside Suzuki’s classrooms, the children may choose from the many carefully selected and crafted Montessori educational materials and take them to an area of their choosing so that they may work with them and learn from them. The materials are designed to be presented to the child when he has mastered the prerequisite skills necessary for his success with them; they are self-correcting and allow the child to develop concentration through persistence.

bead cabinet in primary classroom at ponce city market

An example of this type of material would be the three boxes of color tablets. The first box consists of three pairs of tablets, matching in color: red, blue and yellow. Toddlers are given the opportunity to match these by sight alone. They must be able to pick them up using the thumb and forefinger and must also be able to place them side by side in matching pairs. The second box consists of 11 pairs of tablets using all the primary and secondary colors and are matched in the same way as the tablets in Box 1. Language (the names of the colors) is given only after the child has learned to discriminate the colors using sight alone. The third box contains 9 sets of 7 tablets each in 9 different colors, ranging in subtle hues from darkest to lightest. In this final box, the child must grade and order the sets according to shade. Some of these critical materials cannot be purchased. Instead, the teachers must make them. Since the teachers labor over these materials, they tend to treat them with much care and pride and teach the children to do the same.

teachers making materials as part of the montessori primary course

The teachers in all three campuses purposely rotate materials in the classroom to meet each child’s level of readiness, to create novelty, and to encourage self-discovery and wonder. The quality of these materials is such that the child is drawn to them. There are polished woods and metals that draw the hand and eye. There are beautiful porcelain bowls used to sort dried seeds. “These materials jump-start the learning process,” says Debra. She adds, “Teachers often ask themselves, ‘What can I now give this child that he doesn’t even know he needs? I’ve been watching him long enough to know that this is his next developmental step so what will I give him next?’ All the teachers are trained to recognize ‘sensitive periods’—times when the child is ready for the materials that she will provide.” “With patience and repetition, the seed blossoms.”

Dr. Suzuki

dr. ashley darcy showing planet presentation to adult learners

Long-Term Investment in Teacher Training Montessori Teacher Education Institute “I was originally trained in traditional teaching, but now that I am enrolled in the Montessori Teacher Education Institute, I’m learning so much more. It’s become such a joy to be at work because now I eagerly implement what I learned in the classroom. Taking the Montessori training has changed my teaching experience. Teachers typically have a vision of what it looks like to be an authentic educator of young children and, unfortunately, the traditional classroom can be discouraging and disheartening. Most traditional teachers are told exactly what to say, how to say it, and when to say it. In this traditional classroom, teaching is basically regurgitating a set curriculum to all of the children at the same time. As all educators know, children learn in many different ways. Not all children need the same lesson on the same day. Montessori teaching encourages me to follow the child. I look forward to coming to my classroom every day knowing that I will leave having taught a child something new that he or she was wishing to learn and that he or she may not have known the day before.”

Lesa, Suzuki Primary Teacher After making the decision to merge Montessori into the Suzuki curriculum it was incumbent upon the school leadership to find ways to get the teachers trained and certified as Montessori teachers. For several years this was done

by sending teachers to attend Kennesaw State University for evening courses or for intensive summer courses in the Early Childhood Program. However, the limited number of teachers who could be trained each session would not allow Suzuki to achieve its goal in any sort of timely manner. The school was also planning an expansion to a third location and needed additional trained Montessori teachers. Suzukiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s administrators could not find enough certified Montessori teachers in Atlanta, and in particular, there were virtually no Infant-Toddler Montessori teachers. Paula and Debra went to the Suzuki Board with a proposal, requiring substantial funding, to open a Montessori Teacher Training Center. The goals were (1) to train the current Suzuki School teachers and new hires, (2) to attract more quality teacher candidates, and (3) to foster even more good will and give back to the community. The Suzuki Board acknowledged the need and approved the expenditure, and The Montessori Teacher Education Institute became another in a long line of innovative projects designed to create excellence. With these ambitious goals in mind, the Suzuki School again experienced an encounter with serendipity. After looking for space for several months, and not finding anything practical, they found out that the Randstad Company, with offices virtually adjacent to the Buckhead campus, had decided to relocate when their lease at 480 Pharr Road expired. It turned out that Selig Enterprises also owned that building, and after a brief negotiation, Robert was able to sign a long-term lease. After a short renovation process, the Montessori Teacher Education Institute opened in January of 2014. The Institute was very fortunate to find Marjorie Horton, a highly experienced Montessorian, to be its Director.

ashante gilstrap and dorian lumpkin practicing

1000 bead

chain presentation

rebekah laurent and lourdes dumke practicing language presentation

Marj and Paula searched high and low for a Montessori-credentialed I n f a n t / To d d l e r trainer in the area, only to discover that there were none to be found. Eventually they recruited Christine Frost, a highly experienced I n f a n t / To d d l e r Montessori trainer located in Princeton, New Jersey, to journey down to Atlanta for long weekends to provide training and to “train the trainers.” As part of the school’s long-term vision, Debra Markham will begin a three-year sabbatical in Summer of 2015, teaching in a Toddler Montessori classroom in order to become a recognized Infant/ Toddler Montessori Instructor for the Institute. In addition, Ashley Darcy, who has been with the school for almost ten years as a Pre-Primary teacher, a Primary teacher and a Kindergarten teacher, is now part of the Training Institute staff as the Assistant Director and Instructor. Several years ago, the school committed to funding a portion of Ashley’s tuition so she could complete her Ed.D in Early Childhood Education. She was awarded that Ed.D on December 16, 2014—the same day she went into labor with her first child! Suzuki’s leadership team has worked hard to incorporate Montessori practices into the school and to achieve important accreditations. In 2009, The Suzuki School obtained accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), and in 2010 the school received accreditation from the Pan American Montessori Society (PAMS). The school is also Accredited with Quality by the Georgia Accreditation Commission. The Institute is seeking

accreditation by the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE) which is the international standard setting and accrediting body for Montessori education, recognized by the US Department of Education. The Institute is also pursuing affiliation with the American Montessori Society (AMS). One of the School’s goals is to use the Institute to provide affordable training for teachers from other preschool or childcare providers who serve children in low-income areas. The Institute hopes to be able to reach more children from families with financial challenges who would benefit from the power of a Montessori education. “We want the Institute to become a respected and valued regional resource for those called to serve young children,” says Marjorie.

marjorie horton, institute director

Evolving Educational Programs Infant-Toddler Program— Baby Whisperers at Work

miss sue and miss fira (music teacher) with infants in

1992,

four years after the infant program was started

The Suzuki School Infant program was started in 1988 as a result of repeated requests of Suzuki parents. Miss Sue, Debra Markham’s mother, opened the first infant room with one other teacher. For several years they provided a loving infant program, rich in nurturing, to Suzuki families. Until 2006, the Infant-toddler program was structured as an excellent daycare program. In 2006, expectations changed

in response to emerging brain research and the recognition of the importance of learning in the first two years of life. Beginning in 2006, the school actively pursued trained Infant-Toddler teachers, and started incorporating more meaningful lessons into the daily routines. Today, the Suzuki Infant-Toddler program is offered for children aged three months through eighteen months. This program supports learning at a time in the childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life when the brain is developing at a phenomenal rate. Words become sentences, simple tasks become more complex, and cognitive ability soars as the older infants and younger toddler children take on the important work of mastering their environment. The Suzuki School curricula are designed to expose these children to a variety of opportunities for physical, language, and cognitive growth through using the structured Infant-Toddler Montessori curriculum developed by American Montessori Society.

merris smith giving lesson to nico bellasi

The Infant-Toddler teachers are trained to honor the desire of infants to start their journey to learn the moment the infant starts at the school. Everything the teachers do is in response to each childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s innate potential.

debra markham comforting an infant

Teacher Spotlight— Maria Jenkins, Buckhead Campus In 1993, Maria Jenkins joined the school. She started in the preschool program, but soon moved to the infant program where she has remained since. Maria had been a preschool teacher for many years before joining Suzuki, and when introduced to the school by her twin brother whose children had attended the school, Maria knew that this is where she wanted to work. After being in the Infant Room for a short period of time, Maria recognized that she had found her calling and passion. Maria is known by hundreds of Buckhead parents as the “baby whisperer”, and has often been the first person that they relinquished their child to upon returning to work.

maria jenkins helping theo walker finger paint

One of the reasons Maria gravitated to the Infant room was because she related to the need for working parents to be comforted, assured, and informed on the progress of their infant. Maria herself had three children, and she related to the anxiety that these new parents experienced. She found that she received joy not only from working with the infants, but also by helping anxious parents. “I came to Suzuki because my niece, Abigail, attended Suzuki in 1993. My twin brother could not say enough about the school. After meeting Marlene Lerer, the founder of the school, and interviewing with her I saw that her passion and desire for teaching young children was obvious, and I knew I found the school where I wanted to teach. At first, we had a small classroom in the original building on Cain’s Hill, but in the mid 1990’s, Marlene rented space across the street and set up a bigger Infant room, along with two Toddler rooms. Marlene asked me to oversee them. I was in heaven! This was my passion and calling! I have been here ever since.”

Maria When Paula and Robert stepped into leadership roles with Suzuki, they continued to strengthen the Infant program by challenging the teachers to get additional training. The school began to transform the Infant program after the move to the Paces Ferry campus in 2007. The teachers assisted in implementing a curriculum which slowly modified what had been a very good daycare program for Infants and Toddlers into a much more active program which taught and honored development in language, movement, music, and math.

“In 2014, we heard that more change was coming—the Infant and Toddler staff was going to get formal Montessori Training! We were all so excited when we learned that Paula had hired a trainer from Princeton, New Jersey to come here and train us at the new Montessori Training Center! This has been such an amazing learning experience for those of us taking the course this year!”

Maria Maria’s children attended Suzuki and “They have such sweet memories”, says Maria. Her son, Oliver, who is now 21, recalls “I remember the Thanksgiving Dinner and Play, The Halloween Event at Cains Hill and Pinata on the Playground.” Her daughter Olivia has fond memories of The Suzuki Singers, Field Trips and the Graduation Ceremony for her class. And Lionel, who is now 19, remembers his years as a Suzuki Singer, playing one of the three little bears with Miss Alla, and all of the friends he had at Suzuki. “These are precious memories that Suzuki has instilled and will continue to instill in children. Teaching skills in practical life through Montessori will allow each child to be an independent and secure individual in this fast-moving society. My goal, always, is to teach them the values of Trust, Honor, and an appreciation of Family.”

Maria

Pre-Primary Program— Time to Learn Independence, Practice Concentration, and Develop Confidence The Pre-Primary Program was launched in several classrooms at The Suzuki School in 1978, shortly after the school was founded, in the then-newly leased space on Cains Hill Avenue. In those early years, the teachers were a mix of

educators and daycare staff, and offered a traditional curriculum rich in play-based activities and engaging arts and crafts projects. The teaching approach was traditionalâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; rote memorization of letters, learning to count numbers, etc. Although it was a traditional program, it was highly respected by parents largely due to the caliber of the staff and the learning environment.

in the tube lesson with patrick kelly at pre-primary northside

In 2006, after the move to the new Buckhead campus, and as part of the goals set forth after Paula and Robert became involved, the school raised the barâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;recruiting college graduates for the Pre-Primary Program, and instituting a much more educationally-focused curriculum. In 2008, the PrePrimary Classrooms were reconfigured to support multiage learning, and Montessori concepts were introduced to provide better materials and approaches to reach and teach each child. Today, the Suzuki Pre-Primary Program is designed for children who are approximately 18 months to 34 months of age. Older toddlers join the classroom when they are walking confidently, have developed rudimentary focus and concentration, and are starting to verbally communicate with words. Children at this age are leaving behind the early stages of discovery and exploration and are moving into a period of more sustained activity and engagement.

pre-primary students with miss vera at the northside campus

julia chatman presenting a lesson to chip cummings in pre-primary at northside

The Pre-Primary children are offered a learning environment that allows them to explore and learn throughout the day with dedicated times both in the morning and afternoons. This full day of discovery supports “experiential education” which is how these young children best learn. The older children “graduate” to Primary as they become potty trained and they have demonstrated the focus and concentration needed for the more advanced materials in the Primary Classroom.

Pre-Primary II Spotlight窶年orthside The Northside Campus has two Pre-Primary classrooms. The Pre-Primary II teaching team has three teachers from diverse backgrounds and experience. Brittany Lamb joined the Suzuki School in 2009 after graduating from Ole Miss with a degree in Elementary Education.

spotlight: brittany lamb at suzuki in bloom

Christina Arnold joined Brittany in 2013 after teaching in a Georgia Pre-K classroom. Christinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree in Family Development was an ideal fit for Suzukiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Montessori environment.

spotlight: christina arnold with george dutton

spotlight: weixi wang with luke spencer and walker mccarren

Weixi Wang attended Kent State, where she obtained a BA in Economics. After graduation she relocated to Atlanta with her husband and was introduced to the Suzuki School when she was teaching our children Chinese. Weixi knew she did not want to work in business, despite the degree, and that her calling was teaching younger children. This dynamic trio of toddler teachers attended the Infanttoddler Montessori training offered at The Montessori Institute in 2014 and quickly began implementing those lessons and concepts in their classroom. All three teachers gravitate to this age because the children join the classroom as â&#x20AC;&#x153;waddlersâ&#x20AC;?, and then evolve before their eyes over 18 months into confident learners and leaders!

“I feel so lucky to be able to work with the toddlers—I cannot imagine doing anything else. Each day the children learn as I guide them through lessons, and together we learn and grow.”

Brittany Lamb “After teaching in Georgia Pre-K, I knew that there had to be a better way for young children to learn. I have had the privilege of teaching so many bright young children—both at Georgia Pre-K and at The Suzuki School. What is exciting, and somewhat sad, is that the older children in the Pre-Primary classroom have mastered concepts not yet introduced in the traditional Georgia Pre-K program. I wish all children could experience the Montessori way of learning!”

Christina Arnold “I became interested in the Montessori curriculum when teaching Chinese enrichment at the Suzuki School. I was captivated by how much these young children were learning, and I just knew that I needed to teach at the Suzuki School.”

Weixi Wang

70 tightening screws lesson with beecher connell and sydney pechter at preprimary northside

Primary/Kindergarten Programâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; Complex and Varied Learning The Primary Program at the Suzuki School is for children who are potty-trained, can follow 2 to 3 step directions, are generally self-sufficient, and who have demonstrated the focus and concentration needed for more advanced lessons. Generally, children start in Primary between 34â&#x20AC;&#x201D;38 months of age up through Kindergarten age.

knobless cylinder lesson with daeg cooper

decimal system lesson with melina araya

Until 2008 the three year old, four year old, and five year old children were separated in different classrooms. In 2008, a year after Suzuki moved to the East Paces Ferry, it implemented one of the five main goals set when Paula and Robert joined the school; multi-age classrooms were created at the Buckhead Campus combining the three and four year old children into the Primary classroom. In addition, afternoon lesson times were added to accommodate the desire of the children to continue working with the materials. The Primary Children are offered a full day of discovery in a year-round curriculum. Primary children are ready for complex presentations of math, language, and science concepts. They remain intensely interested in practical life, which includes caring for pets and plants, arranging their furniture, helping with meal preparation, and helping to clean up. They take responsibility for keeping their room orderly and generally care for it, making sure that materials they use are put away each day.

tison fleming skip counting

Since its inception in 1977, the Kindergarten has operated as a separate program for children turning five in the summer through fall. This program has been very popular with parents interested in enrolling their child in one of Atlantaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s many fine private schools. For over two decades Landora Schermerhorn was the face of Suzukiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kindergarten until her retirement

in 2006. After she retired, Lauren Soedarto stepped into her shoes and helped shift the program to a Montessori approach. The Kindergarten program is also well-known for its â&#x20AC;&#x153;Suzuki Singersâ&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x201D;a travelling choral group comprised of Kindergarten students performing a variety of Christmas, Hanukah, and Kwanza songs around Atlanta each holiday season.

debra with the suzuki singers at lenox circa

1992

Beginning in the 2015-2016 school year, the Kindergarten program will no longer be completely separate. The campuses are instead going to implement a Third Year Primary program, offering the same lessons for the Kindergartenaged children, but keeping the multi-age component. This decision was made based on a body of research which shows that Kindergarten-age students benefit more from being in a multi-age classroom than being segregated by age because they continue strong relationships with teachers, they have the chance to practice leadership skills, and they have less distractions. In recognition of the 40-year legacy of the Suzuki Kindergarten program, the Buckhead Campus will shift in phases to this approach.

76 cydney pace reading a book

Primary I Spotlight— Ponce Campus “One of the reasons I have so loved teaching Primary aged children is that these children are confident, eager and insatiable learners who thrive on challenging work.”

Kristen Walker, Ponce Assistant Director and former Primary Teacher When the Ponce City Market Campus opened in the fall of 2014, three veteran Suzuki teachers launched the new Primary Classroom. Rebekah Laurent joined Suzuki after she relocated from Louisiana. She earned a BA from Southern Louisiana State University, and a Masters of Library and Information Science from LSU, and had previous Montessori training. Ashante Gilstrap had previously taught in a Dekalb County public elementary school, with a BA in Psychology and Art Therapy from Converse College and a Masters of Elementary Education from Cambridge College. Casey Hardigan had just relocated from Cape Cod where she worked as a para-professional in an elementary school after graduating with a BA in English from University of New Hampshire. Enrollment quickly grew, and Patrick Hawkins joined the team from the Northside Campus. Patrick holds a BA in Drama Education from Piedmont College and is currently pursuing a MA in Educational Leadership from KSU. All of these teachers have taken or are in the process of obtaining Montessori training.

spotlight: patrick hawkins and casey hardigan with students oliver noto, vihaan devireddy at ponce primary focusing on addition strip board

“I was first exposed to Montessori in Louisiana, and I knew then that this is how I wanted to teach. Montessori reaches all types of children and the broad spectrum of learning styles. A child is not “cheated” out of a lesson because he is not ready for it yet, nor is he bored because he is ready for something more challenging.”

Rebekah

“The training has helped me to make my teaching motto a reality; ‘Touching one child’s life at a time.’ Montessori teachers are encouraged to teach the individual child and to help that child gain the experience of exploring themselves. Children design their own learning experience and we follow their lead.”

Patrick “As an educator, and having worked in a variety of teaching environments for young students, I was first skeptical when I joined the school that Montessori was ‘all that’. But I was just blown away in my first months by what 3, 4 and 5 year olds were eagerly learning in the Suzuki classrooms. Our Primary Program allows children to master multiplication, division, and other complex math concepts as early as 4 years of age. The delight and surprise in the parents’ eyes when they see and experience what their children are learning is priceless. I have become so much more confident and effective in Parent-Teacher conferences in helping them understand their child’s potential.”

Ashante “The thing I have so loved about the Montessori curriculum and the Suzuki School in particular, is that the children are not only taught math and language. The Montessori curriculum focuses on developing the whole child—his or her fine motor skills, sensorial abilities, and manners are all honed leading to confident, capable children who are ready to take on the world.”

Casey

Ever-Evolving Enrichment Programs

frances hammer learning to play chimes at buckhead

Suzuki has always offered a wide variety of enrichment opportunities. These have evolved over the years based on the interests and needs of the children. For decades, the school offered foreign language instruction, ballet, and other similar programs. The school continues to evolve and adapt as the needs of the children changeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;or as the world around them changes. Chinese was added as a foreign language offering. A fullfledged Physical Education program was added in the 20132014 school year as a response to the needs of the children for more structured physical activities, and the school now has a Director of Physical Education.

pre-primary crawling lesson

gymnastic lesson with coach tavares

pe lesson with coach tavares

adrin teaching music and movement at ponce city market with tesia reynolds and laurel hayes

Similarly, at the beginning of the 2014 school year, the school expanded the music program and now has a Music Director. Suzuki also offers private piano and violin lessons. Suzuki is especially proud of Ms. Fira, a Suzuki â&#x20AC;&#x153;institutionâ&#x20AC;? in her own right, who has been teaching our children to appreciate music for over 20 years!

violin lessons at buckhead campus

ben gnatt in a private piano lesson

“One of my favorite things is to watch Miss Fira captivate the babies with her songs, gestures, and movements. It is amazing to see a 6-month old engaged in rapt attention!”

Paula “I have received such joy from inspiring the children to appreciate Opera, Jazz, Ballet music and even get hoe-down with Country and Folk music. The children are eager to share what they learn with their families. A Suzuki mother recently stopped me in the hall and told me that her four year old recognized opera on NPR, and told her mother that she liked this kind of music!”

Adrin Akins, Music Program Director

miss fira teaching music

Food Program—

“Let Them Eat Tofu!” Over the years, the food at the Suzuki School has evolved from simple menus with a heavy emphasis on partially prepared or prepared foods to more varied menus, which feature meals cooked on site and which contain locally-sourced organic ingredients, whenever practical. The school’s kitchen is staffed with professionally trained chefs; these “foodies” serve healthy and appealing meals to the children, including a breakfast snack, a full lunch, and an afternoon snack.

tanisha lafever, chef preparing food for afternoon snack

The school has put more focus on helping to expand the palates of their young students with the goal of showing them how to appreciate good food that is good for them. The kitchen staff takes pride in their concoctions and they love the challenge of finding interesting and varied foods that pass the test of finicky eaters. Many Suzuki parents actually study the school’s menus to get ideas for cooking at home! The school has discovered that children will eat varied and interesting foods if they are prepared with a few tips in mind.

Here are a few lessons we have learned: • Children will eat salad if there is color and there are interesting “things” to pick out! The dressing has to be on the side, though! • It is easy to substitute coconut oil or mashed bananas for butter. • Sneak in whole-wheat pastry flour for part of a dish calling for white flour and put grated carrots into the spaghetti sauce. • Whenever possible, provide a dip (hummus, marinara, cheese,) along with something that can be used to scoop it up. • Don’t over spice!

Interesting foods the children love include mashed turnips and cauliflower, mashed sweet potatoes, cranberry chicken meatballs, tofu stir-fries, eggplant parmesan, and Tex-mex dishes. Here are some recipes for some of the students’ favorite meals:

Ginger Glazed Carrots Ingredients: 1 pound baby carrots 2 tablespoons coconut oil 2 tablespoons maple syrup or light agave 2 tablespoons orange juice 他 teaspoon fresh ginger 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon parsley Cook carrots until tender and rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking process. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat, add the carrots, maple, orange juice, ginger and salt and reduce the sauce, being careful to not overcook the carrots. Remove from heat, serve garnished with parsley

Sweet and Sour Chicken Ingredients: 1 tablespoon coconut oil 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 pound kosher boneless and skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins, cut into bite sized pieces 1/2 red pepper, chopped 1/2 green pepper, chopped 1 cup pineapple, chopped 4 tablespoons brown sugar 3 tablespoons rice vinegar or white vinegar 3 tablespoons ketchup 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon chili sauce 1/4 cup pineapple juice or chicken broth 2 cloves garlic, grated 2 teaspoon ginger, grated 1 tablespoon water 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1/4 cup green onion, sliced Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add the chicken and cook until cooked through, about 2-4 minutes per side. Add the red pepper, green pepper and pineapple and cook until just tender but still crisp, about 2-3 minutes. Add the mixture of the brown sugar, vinegar, ketchup, chili sauce, pineapple juice, garlic, ginger and the mixture of the water and the corn starch, toss to coat and cook until the sauce thickens, about a minute. Remove from heat, serve garnished with sliced green onions. Optional: Replace the chicken with Tofu

Garlic Green Beans with Mushrooms Ingredients: 1 pound fresh or frozen trimmed green beans 1/2 cup water 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons fresh minced garlic Â˝ medium onion 1 cup white or baby portabella mushrooms Âź cup vegetable stock Kosher salt and black pepper to taste Place trimmed green beans, water and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt in a small skillet over medium heat. Cover and cook 10-15 minutes or until beans have softened slightly but are still crisp. Drain and set aside. In the same pan add olive oil garlic, onions and mushrooms. Cook 3-4 minutes or until softened. Return green beans to the pan along with vegetable stock, cook 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.

sweet and sour chicken lunch being plated for serving in classroom

Cilantro Jasmine Rice Ingredients: 1 cup jasmine rice 1/2 cup chopped onion 1 tablespoons coconut oil 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1Â˝ cup water Âź cup chopped fresh cilantro Kosher salt to taste

In medium saucepan heat oil; swirl to coat. Add onion; cook 3-4 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in rice, water and 1 tablespoon lime juice. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice and cilantro; fluff with a fork and serve.

Note: Other Recipes are available to parents on Suzukiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s web page!

Perhaps even more impressive than the menu is how the food is served and consumed. As part of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Practical Lifeâ&#x20AC;? exercises, the children help set the tables, take turns serving the food to their peers, and clean up after themselves when the meal has ended. Food is served on real plates with real spoons, forks, glasses and pitchers. Each classroom has a dishwasher. After eating, the children are asked to scrape, rinse and take their cleaned tableware to the dishwasher and load them. A guest visiting the school during lunchtime would observe unusually polite mealtime behavior that looks more like adults eating in a nice restaurant than little children eating in their classroom. The room is surprisingly quiet as the children focus on enjoying their food rather than on playing with it. Thanks to the Grace and Courtesy lessons of the Montessori approach that are now so much a part of the curriculum, the children are very well prepared socially for life after Suzuki.

kimberly curtis, and charlie jonesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;buckhead director and assistant director

Extraordinary Teachers Teacher Recruitment: Raising the Bar “A key to operating a successful preschool program is to find teachers who will consistently teach and honor the children. Without this commitment, the children are robbed of their right to learn—or to develop the passion for life-long learning. The most important decision we make is who we hire and retain as educators at our school.”

Paula “Anyone who thinks that teaching young children isn’t really teaching will not be successful at Suzuki. We have always believed and have seen again and again that our children—beginning in infancy—must be taught and taught in ways that are meaningful for them. Their potential is astounding and their desire to grow is limitless.”

Debra The Suzuki School has a rigorous process for recruiting teachers of excellence. Once a candidate passes through all the hurdles, including extensive personality testing and background checks, and has demonstrated his or her Montessori credentials or is committed to earning them, then he or she must complete a trial period so that both the School and the candidate may be satisfied that the fit is a good one. In addition, the School offers a compensation and benefits package that is in close alignment with other members of the private school community and that is significantly more attractive than custodial daycares can provide. The hiring

process is not infallible—some teachers do make it through and then don’t work out. But the overall effect is to minimize those hires, and that goal has certainly been achieved. “It is not easy to get through Suzuki’s hiring process. One of the teachers who made it through subsequently commented, ‘It’s probably easier to get hired at the Pentagon than at Suzuki.’ ”

Paula Because there are so many points of accountability during the hiring process and review process, the teachers who are passionate and genuine educators are usually quickly identified. The teaching staff has high expectations of itself—and of each other. This has resulted in a teaching staff that is second to none in the field of Early Childhood Education in the Southeastern United States.

directors collaborating

“We really do care about our employees. We want to help our employees grow not just academically, but emotionally, socially, professionally. We want them to be successful. We want to give them the tools to be able to work with the parents, to be able to work with the children, to nurture those relationships.”

Allison

Male Teachers— Breaking Prevailing Gender Bias In 2008, Nelson Griffin was the first male teacher to be hired at the Suzuki School in over 20 years.

nelson griffin

As soon as he entered the classroom, Debra recalls, the dynamic changed for the better. Both the boys and the girls became more attentive and respectful. Little boys straightened up. They had someone to identify with—someone who could remember and understand what it is actually like to be a little boy. Since then, the school has continued to actively seek out and hire male teachers who have been valuable to the learning environment, according to Paula, who says, “If you’re going to have a Montessori classroom it should closely resemble, at least as much as possible, the real world.” While there are not yet a representative number of male teachers, The Suzuki School is committed to diversity and hiring more male teachers as time goes on.

allison and tamara gonzales at northside

Meet the Directors Suzuki has three campuses, and each campus has a Director, as well as an Assistant Director and Parent Liaison. Each Director is ultimately responsible for everything that happens at their campus. Suzuki is fortunate to have exceptionally strong leaders in place at all three campuses.

Northside Campus— Allison Gill, Director

“They believed in me. They gave me the opportunity to step up to the plate. They gave me the tools that I needed to become successful.”

Allison

When Allison was a young mother, she worked at a grocery store to earn a second income to support her daughters. However, she could not find good day care, so she decided to quit her job and start her own day care center in her home. Growing up, she was always the neighborhood babysitter and she loved children. So she converted her garage into a classroom, and became a state-licensed day care provider in 1993. Soon her day care center had fifteen children from infants to four years, teaching aides and a waiting list. When her daughters were older, she decided to become a Head Start teacher and closed the day care. But she found that the program was too rigid and that she missed being in the classroom.

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allison gill

Allison searched for a school that reflected her educational ideals and discovered the Suzuki School, a perfect match for her values and talents as an educator. At first, she taught three and four-year olds and then the infants and toddlers. She embraced the Suzuki philosophy and began to thrive in the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s culture. After a few years of teaching, she became an administrator. Debra and Paula mentored her as Marlene had mentored Debra. Allison developed curriculum, became an Assistant Director and is now the Director of the Northside School. Partnerships with parents are a basic tenet of the Suzuki philosophy. But what does that mean? In Allisonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s case, it meant making the parents feel comfortable in supporting the teachers and vice versa. It meant sharing insights and problem solving together.

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For example, one four-year old Suzuki student was having behavioral problems at home and at school. The mother was always bartering with the boy and struggling with control issues. She would say, “If you can just behave, if you can just get through the day, I’ll take you to Toys R Us and buy you a Batman toy.” He would agree and then turn around, walk in the classroom, and immediately misbehave. The boy was argumentative and physical. The mother was overwhelmed with her child’s behavior and with running her household, building her career and saving a faltering marriage. Allison understood. She didn’t pass judgment; she had walked in those shoes. She reached out to the mother and asked if she would like her help. The mother was receptive and they arranged to talk after she put her son to bed that very night. “Just opening the door for the mother made all the difference in the world with this little guy,” said Allison. The mother and Allison talked about what was happening at home and Allison shared what was happening at school. Together, they developed a plan that worked for the boy. Allison taught the mother how to set boundaries, control her emotions, and set realistic expectations for her son so that he could meet them. The result? The mornings slowly changed from a screaming match when she dropped him off at school to “Okay, I’ll see you later. Have a great day.” They would give each other a good-bye kiss and hug and the mother would walk out the door without any drama. The instituted changes helped the boy feel safe, secure and more confident. He could settle down, focus and enjoy his work.

“We are in the business of helping to shape young minds. It is a huge task and responsibility. I’m humbled by it. I have the privilege of doing the work that I love the most. If I can make a little difference in their lives, then it’s all worthwhile. I have been afforded many opportunities and I want to give back.”

Allison

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Ponce Campus— Courtney May, Director “Happy Teachers equals happy children and parents. When teachers feel supported and appreciated it shows in their classroom performance and it results in the best possible experience for the children. Cultivating a partnership with the teachers is one of the most important things that we can do to minimize teacher turnover and to maximize consistency.”

Courtney Courtney came to Suzuki from her former position as Director of another Atlanta preschool. The mother of two young boys who attend Suzuki, she quickly acclimated to the Suzuki culture. “Open communication and trust, leading by example, and ensuring that you follow through with your commitments as a leader, small and large, are critical elements of this relationship. An open door policy—a truly open door policy—means being accessible to talk with teachers and find solutions together when stumbling blocks arise. It also means that no one is right all of the time, and collaboration is the key. Instilling an attitude in the teaching team that we are all working toward the same goals helps everyone make decisions that are in the best interest of the children.” Courtney says that she has been pretty amazed at the pace of change at Suzuki; “Suzuki’s Executive Committee meets every week, and if a decision to make a change is approved, the leadership team is challenged to make it happen not next month, but more likely next week. If a change is approved, it is deemed important by the committee, and an improvement is anticipated. So, the committee wants that change to go into effect as quickly as possible so that the campuses can start realizing that improvement immediately.”

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courtney may

“When I came to the Suzuki School as the Director of the Ponce City Market campus I was immediately impressed with the quality and commitment of the teachers at the school. I made a personal commitment to take the opportunity of opening a new school to build on this momentum and to keep things positive, even when frustrations arise. It has been an honor to work with the Suzuki teachers—they are second to none in my opinion. They teach me how to be a better leader every day and I do not take this gift for granted!”

Courtney

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Buckhead Campus— Kimberly Curtis, Director “I am a Suzuki parent as well as the Director of the Buckhead campus. My sister has had two children at Suzuki, and I had the unique opportunity to teach my niece in the Primary classroom. I understand firsthand how difficult it can be, especially for first-time parents, to entrust their most precious gift, their child, to someone else’s care. I am fully committed to honoring our mission, particularly with regard to parent partnership, and to making sure that the teachers have what they need to meet the needs of every child.”

Kimberly Kimberly has always been drawn to young children, and to art. Her first experience in teaching was during her high school summers when she organized a mother’s morning out for the 12 preschoolers in her neighborhood. After college she pursued her passion for the arts by managing an art gallery in Charleston, South Carolina. She then relocated to London in order to obtain her master’s degree in Art Business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art. Family ties eventually called her to Atlanta. Her sister had two children at Suzuki and introduced Kimberly to Paula. Paula hired her on the spot, and Kimberly got a chance to pursue her desire to work with young children as a Primary teacher. When an opening arose for an Admissions Director, Kimberly was the obvious choice. She says, “It was great having the chance to share my enthusiasm with prospective families—I’d like to say I did a good job encouraging them to come to Suzuki, but the truth is that the school really sold itself. Most touring parents were really impressed with the teachers, the facilities, and Suzuki’s obvious commitment to excellence.” Kimberly has taken part in the inaugural Infant/Toddler Montessori Training Class and says that working with the

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teachers this year to incorporate the Montessori curriculum into the classroom has been the most rewarding part of her experience at Suzuki. She has also been excited about applying what she has learned to raising her own daughter. She says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is breathtaking to see what such young children are capable of doing. Having the knowledge to know how to provide the foundation for childrensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; confidence and independence is one of the most precious gifts Suzuki can give their teachersâ&#x20AC;? Kimberly was then asked to coordinate the launch of the new Ponce City Market Campus, and she was actively involved in community relationship building.

kimberly curtis

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“I have so enjoyed sharing Suzuki’s story with the Intown neighborhoods, and my time as an Assistant Director working with Courtney was a wonderful experience which has prepared me for my current role as Director of the Buckhead Campus. It is so gratifying to watch our students each day work, thrive, and explore.”

Kimberly

Alla Morgulyan— Assistant Director at Large Alla emigrated from Kiev, Ukraine to Atlanta in 1994 to make a better life for her son. She has been teaching for over 45 years. During her first 23 years, she taught at the same school she attended as a child in Kiev. Just three months after arriving in Atlanta, Alla saw an ad posted by the Suzuki International Learning Center. She was instantly attracted by the name and applied to become a teacher. For the next 21 years she taught at the Suzuki School. She is currently sharing her knowledge and experiences with the staff of all three campuses prior to her planned retirement later in 2015. Alla has played a key role in Suzuki’s history! Alla recalls with fondness her time in the Kindergarten with Miss Landora, and their efforts to create an amazing social studies curriculum. “The curriculum was a ‘virtual’ travelogue whereby the class would ‘travel’ all over the world visiting the countries their families came from. The young children learned about those different countries from literature, folk tales, and famous authors who had written about them. We introduced different traditions, including food. And we studied the different geographies, the native plants and animals, and other elements specific to each country. Parents were brought in, too—they would come and share items from their particular heritage, and tell the children stories. We also organized country celebrations on the last day of each country’s studies. Children and parents loved

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those studies and it is so heart-touching when I meet a former parent and she tells me, ‘Vivian still remembers your funny dance when you demonstrated how Italian winemakers press grapes’, or ‘Each time when we have a birthday cake in our house Brian says that Ms. Alla taught us that this tradition came from Germany’.” Of course the students learn the academics, but Alla believes what is most important is that the students learn to be independent, to have high self-esteem, to be confident, to be a good friend, and to use effective problem-solving skills.

alla morgulyan

“Our children are very well prepared for kindergarten. Most of the private schools in Atlanta accept our children eagerly, because they know how well-prepared they are. But being well-prepared for me is not only about academics, it’s also about being a good human being.”

Alla

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courtney, laura and doug brandenburg at ponce city market

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Partnerships with Parents “The biggest takeaway I had when reading about Dr. Suzuki was learning about his emphasis on the partnership with parents. This resounded with me when I first came to Suzuki because I taught in an inner—city school where the parents of most of my children were absent. Dr. Suzuki says that the parent is the child’s first and best teacher and that is absolutely true.”

Debra “We’re blessed with the parent population we serve because they truly value education and they insist on having strong teachers who deliver on it. I wish every preschool in the country had parents like ours who understood the importance that the first five years will have on the rest of a child’s life.”

Paula Transparency is an overused buzzword. Yet this word best describes the culture at the Suzuki School. One-way glass at the entrance to every classroom provides opportunities for parents to unobtrusively monitor the activities in the classroom. Handheld video cameras capture the magic of the children at work so their parents can see this on the wide screen TV as they enter the lobby. Using camera phones or tablets, teachers periodically capture images of the students to send to parents who otherwise would miss seeing their children in certain school activities. The teachers are truly accessible to parents throughout the day. This transparency leads to a mutual commitment and trust between teachers and parents and the children thrive as a result.

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buckhead mother, mrs. weinstein hugging isabella goodbye

From the beginning, the Suzuki School has been committed to building and sustaining strong partnerships with parents. The parental interviews conducted for this book revealed that the emphasis on partnership went even deeper for some parents than they knew. Sometimes parents experience daunting struggles in their personal, family or professional lives. They may have a child with developmental delays. Families sometimes experience illness, job loss, death, or a divorce. When this happens, the children sense the parentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stress and begin exhibiting behaviors that communicate the anxiety they feel. At times like these, the teachers become an invaluable and nonjudgmental resource for effective parental support and problem solving. Sometimes teachers will sit down with a parent and have frank conversations about how to better address the needs of their child.

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adrin partnering with buckhead parent karishma dantuluri

The teachers share helpful and practical suggestions and monitor progress with parents. In addition, the leadership is always ready to help as well. Overall, there is a culture of collective pride, respect and gratitude in the Suzuki parent community and Suzuki parents are in the best position to convey these special relationships. The following are Suzuki parent vignettes, stated in their own words:

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From the Parents’ Perspectives Jim Kelly Adaptability, Flexibility and Life Skills Jim Kelly and his wife, Laura, knew where they were sending their children to preschool even before they had children. They had good friends whose children were students at Suzuki. Jim and Laura were impressed with how developed and independent these children were—how well those children fended for themselves. At the time, the Kelly’s didn’t know that this was a Suzuki term called “life skills.” They just knew they liked what they saw.

kelly family

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When Laura became pregnant, they researched preschools and discovered other options closer and less expensive. “I believe that price is an issue only in the absence of value. We really saw the value that Suzuki brought to the table.” When they took the first tour of the school, it sealed the deal. Their sons, Patrick, aged three, and Declan, an infant, began attending the Suzuki School right after Laura’s maternity leave ended and they were ten weeks old. As their sons grew older, their awareness of the world around them grew, too. Jim saw his children giving their teachers hugs. “You could see that it wasn’t just that they liked their teachers, you could tell it was a genuine, fulfilling love that they felt—a very strong bond.” Jim was also impressed with how the children interacted with one another. He could see how his sons’ peers would ask each other questions and take care of one another. As a new father, Jim says he received many parenting tips from the teachers. Jim calls them coaching tips, similar to what a good football coach or a good manager at work would offer. The teachers see a challenge and they turn it into a learning opportunity. Jim observed how the teachers reinforced positive behaviors without focusing on the negative ones. Instead of disciplining a child for misbehaving with another child, the teacher would lovingly say, “Hey, that’s not what we do with our friends.” The children responded beautifully.

Accelerated Learning Jim was surprised at how quickly his sons were developing and often asked the staff for updates so that he could keep up with their accomplishments. “This school has a welldefined curriculum and program that is proven to accelerate the development of children. They push our children—not to the limit—but they stretch and challenge them. The children embrace the challenge. I think many of us (parents) acknowledge that we were shocked at how quickly our children were developing. ‘My kid is drinking out of a sippy

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cup—We don’t even own one yet.’ Or you might hear, ‘I saw my kid have a meltdown the other day and the teacher diffused it in three seconds.’ “The three most important things my older son has learned at the Suzuki School are adaptability, flexibility and life skills. ‘Hey Patrick,’ I would say. ‘Are you done eating yet?’ ‘Okay, well let’s grab our plates and put them away.’ ‘Why?’ ‘Well, do you do it at school?’ He’ll say, ‘Yep.’ ‘Okay, we do it at home, too.’ ‘Okay’!” “His potty training, his eating habits, his ability to change his clothes -- all of those skills have been accelerated. I’m not here to tell you I think my kid’s the smartest kid. I think he grew up in an environment that encouraged and cultivated those behaviors which makes him a more enjoyable child to be around. ‘Patrick, I need you to get your clothes on.’ He says, ‘But it’s hard.’ I respond, ‘Yes, I know it’s hard, but that’s why you do it—because we do things that are hard to make us feel good about what we do.’ ‘Yep,’ he responds. ‘You’re right, Daddy’.” “When we see Patrick involved with friends at school, there’s a lot more of, ‘Can we share? Can we play with that? I don’t like that. Please don’t …’ There’s communication. I think the socialization component is huge. I rarely, if ever, see our son have emotional outbursts. The school holds the children accountable. The children are also never bored. They’re looking for the next adventure or the next learning opportunity.” “I think it’s made my wife and me much more accepting as parents. I grew up, and I believe my wife did too, with a parenting style that was different. Our parents often said ‘no’ instead of redirecting and encouraging us. I just feel more fulfilled as a parent when Patrick responds to a redirect, as opposed to fighting ‘no’. The life skills taught at the Suzuki School have made our lives much easier. Our children exhibit better behavior because the teachers establish an environment where they expect more of the children and consequently, the children do more.”

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Extended Family Jim noted how the teachers, administrators and the other parents and children feel like an extended family. “As parents, we have more in common with the people we meet at Suzuki than anywhere else. At Suzuki functions, we meet interesting parents who have kids our ages with whom we share common values. We exchange funny stories and everybody’s so positive. There’s a profile that goes with being a Suzuki parent. It’s not a stuffy, country club profile; it’s people who truly care about their children and want to make sure that they have the best opportunity to grow and develop.” “My wife communicates with the teachers via text. They genuinely care about the kids. I often wonder how they can care about somebody else’s children so much. It’s a gift; it’s a vocation. It’s remarkable how they deal with so many people and challenges.

Magic Moment There are many magic moments at the Suzuki School, but perhaps, Jim’s favorite one was when Patrick brought his violin home for the first time. “It was after dinner, and we were getting ready to do the bedtime routine. I said, ‘Hey, so what’d you do with your violin today?’ He says, ‘Daddy, can I show you?’ “ “‘Absolutely,’ is my response. He busted out his violin and he just played his little heart out. We got the iPad out and did Facetime with my parents. Patrick is putting on a recital, and he’s so proud of himself. He’s holding the violin correctly and playing it right. Then he starts singing words and making up songs as he played. His little brother looked up and joined in. Our family is musical, so when we heard that level of creativity, it brought tears to our eyes, goose bumps and chills. It was that kind of a moment for everybody involved.”

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Dr. Tess Thomas Why Montessori Meets My Childs Needs Dr. Thomas and her husband hired a nanny for their infant son Thomas, but they found they needed day care that was more flexible. They discovered that the popular Suzuki School at the Northside campus was just two miles away from their home, and they enrolled their 10-month-old son. Now four, Thomas continues to thrive in this dynamic setting. She says the teachers and students create an atmosphere where her son actually wants to come to school instead of screaming and yelling when he is dropped off in the morning. The friends he made are very important to Thomas. Dr. Thomas noticed that her son is a happier boy even at home since they enrolled him at Suzuki. He sings songs he learned in music class, and he is learning to play the piano, though he is just four-years-old. At school, Dr. Thomas participated as a PVA mom (Parent Volunteer Association) and as a classroom mom.

Communication Dr. Thomas’ summarizes her observations and experiences at the Suzuki School: “I am impressed with the Suzuki School because they really do incorporate the Montessori approach which focuses on individual attention, repetition, and life-skills. The school is incorporating a Montessori approach into the curriculum. For example, every month the school sends an email saying, ‘This is what Primary Three is doing this month.’ They break it down into sensory lessons with color and tactile lessons and keep us informed of this approach so we know what we should be working on at home to support the classroom work. Some of our friends go to other Montessori Schools and they have a general idea about Montessori, but I don’t think anyone fully grasps it.”

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thomas family

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Relationships with Other Parents “We have become good friends with a couple of other Suzuki families. It’s not just meeting parents for school functions, but we’ve had one another over to our homes, had dinner parties, and even gone on vacations together.”

Home Life “My son wants to do everything all by himself. This does takes longer, understandably. He wants to get his waffle out of the toaster. He wants to get his own snack and even cook. He wants to open his own juice box. He puts on his pajamas and nobody helps him, which is awesome. He puts the laundry in the washing machine. The students are independentminded. Ninety percent of the time he walks around with his shoes on the wrong feet. He won’t let me switch them because he put the shoes on himself.”

Tuned In and Polite “Normally, my son wants to do things right away, but now I’ll see him waiting in line or waiting his turn with his peers. His manners are great. Half of our neighborhood is here right now, and I don’t see any conflicts. The children are pleasant and easy to talk with.”

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Nanci Tsang “The teachers captured my kids’ interests and motivated them, so now they have a real love for learning.”

Nanci Nanci Tsang has four bustling children, aged four to eight. The three oldest are girls and the youngest is a boy. Their son currently attends the Suzuki School and the others are graduates of the school.

Well Prepared for Kindergarten and Beyond “After my three oldest children graduated from the Suzuki School, I received compliments about each of them from their Kindergarten teachers. They asked me at the beginning of the school year, ‘What preschool did your child attend?’ Just recently my child’s teacher said, ‘I can tell which kids are from there (Suzuki) because they are more advanced than the rest.’ I think that’s a real compliment to the school and the teachers because their graduates are much better prepared. My children arrived at Kindergarten already reading. Some students from other preschools may not have had any experience with reading before Kindergarten. I do know the Suzuki School has built an incredible foundation for my children, not only for Kindergarten, but in helping them get ahead of the curve in elementary school too. My daughters right now are stellar students who have excelled academically in Kindergarten, 2nd grade, and 3rd grade.” “My son takes French now. He comes home singing French songs or saying French words. All my children learned cursive, which is very rare, especially at that age, but I guess the method helps them learn to read or write a little bit more easily. My daughters learned Mandarin Chinese at Suzuki. I love hearing about all the instruments they are learning about and hearing them singing all the songs they learned at school.”

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“My daughter, who recently graduated, says, ‘Oh, I wish I could go back to Suzuki.’ My daughters sometimes come with us when we pick up my son at Suzuki. They ask, ‘Can I go see my teachers?’ They go back to their old classrooms and go find their teachers and show them their lost tooth or talk about what they learned in school. They had, and continue to have a strong attachment to their Suzuki teachers.”

tsang family

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Imagine Children being Helpful and not a Handful “My children are very independent, because the Montessori approach teaches them to be self-sufficient. I have four children, so I need them to do some tasks on their own. I had them help me empty the dishwasher. They fold their own laundry and they put away and select their own clothes. If they select something that is not suitable like when my son wants to wear shorts and short sleeves when it’s cold we say, ‘Okay, you wear it, and when you come back home, let us know if that’s what you want to wear tomorrow.’ They shower on their own, brush their teeth and make their beds. They set the table, clean the table and even vacuum -- all without reminders.” “My four-year-old folds his laundry, not as neatly as my seven- or eight-year-olds, but it’s not bad, and we keep it the way he does it. He knows the drawers to put them in, and then when he goes and picks out his clothes, he knows where to find them. Doing chores for themselves has boosted all my children’s self-confidence.” “My kids want to be just like their teachers. I smile when my son crosses his legs, holds a book and reads out loud to his siblings. They’ll take turns teaching one another lessons they learned at school.”

Suzuki School’s Impact On Parenting “I think Suzuki has trained me, as a parent, to let go, trust and rely on my kids. I know that, although it may take more time and patience up-front, it’s a investment enabling them to be more independent in the long run.” “I think Suzuki’s emphasis on partnerships with parents goes way beyond other schools. I can still go back to the teachers and ask them for advice and guidance on how to handle certain situations, even when the kids have graduated Suzuki. It’s been a really valuable partnership because I’ve had different kinds of questions for each of my children.”

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Erica Davis No Need to be a Helicopter Parent

“I’m a full-time working mom. My husband travels four to five days a week. Having Suzuki become part of our family circle has been amazing from day one.”

Erica

As soon as Erika Davis found out she was pregnant, she put her future child on the Suzuki School’s waiting list. She had heard so many good things about the school. During her tour, she fell in love with the campus, especially the cheerful atmosphere, the student/teacher ratios, and the quality of the staff. Erika talks about her experiences and thoughts about the school: “We were just so elated when we enrolled our child into the Suzuki School. We had applied to several different places, but bar none, it was our top choice. I knew the difference just walking in. I started my son’s care in Level I at age 3 months. As a new mom, you go into parenting a little blind, but the teachers coached me on how to meet George’s needs and stay abreast of his capabilities. The teachers would tell me, ‘George needs a larger sized diaper,’ or ‘Are you ready to start feeding him solids?’ I said ‘No, I’m not ready,’ and they said, ‘Well, George is ready.’ “ “Understanding my children’s natural progression is making me a better parent. There are so many things these children are capable of doing, if we just let them be the little independent souls that they are. For example, my daughter is a very strong-willed and independent child. The Suzuki teachers have worked with me to help develop her listening skills.”

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davis family

George’s Rainbows “My son, George, loves rainbows. We can’t figure out why he loves them. It started, I think, in his Pre-Primary classroom and it extended to his current Kindergarten classroom. He would come home with paintings of rainbows almost every

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day. He loved exploring how you could mix the paints to create new colors. He thought that mixing colors was the most amazing phenomena in the world. “The teachers in Pre-Primary saw his love of coloring rainbows. They saw how meticulous he was when he drew them; almost as if he were a little engineer. Each school year, the teachers tuned in to his love of rainbows. They counted the colors with him and then spelled the color’s names. Now, he’s moved on to learning the color names in Spanish. They have used his interest in rainbows to teach him all these other lessons as he progressed through the school.

Beyond Helicopter Parenting “People talk about helicopter parenting—hovering over your children, preventing them from exploring and learning for fear that they will get hurt. I don’t have to worry about safety because of the secure and safe environment at the Suzuki School. The students have the freedom to choose what they want to do. They let them make mistakes and learn from them too. I could have been a helicopter parent, but I am not because of the Suzuki School.

Leadership Development, Kindness and Respect “I think my children, like my husband and me, are very Type A, leadership-driven and very strong individuals. I think Montessori fits my children, their independence and what they needed. The school has taught them how to be effective leaders as well as a polite followers. After my daughter masters some new material or lesson, she can’t wait to teach the other children. She has enough voice and confidence to be able to do that. For a female, I love that. She’s learned not only how to instruct her peers, but also how to take instruction.

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“George is one of the younger and smaller students in kindergarten. You think about bullying these days. The students all learn about size, strength and the appropriate use of their hands. They learn how to talk to one another respectfully and not hurtfully. George has that confidence to say, ‘No, I don’t like that.’ The word “respect” comes up a lot at school as does good listening and sharing. It is a lifelong lesson to understand how your words and actions impact other people. Starting these lessons so young at Suzuki is amazing, especially when you see your children interact so positively in a group setting. Those are the values I encourage at home for my little ones—to be the best that they can be and to treat others respectfully and kindly.

Going Back To Work “My babies were so loved in Level I, it made me feel more comfortable going back to work. The teachers are an extension of my family. We are a little community here. I know the administration, the board, and everyone would go out of their way to make sure the Suzuki families are all happy. “I lost my job when I was pregnant with my second child. The staff showed sincere concern for my situation. They gave me contacts to pursue in my field to help me secure another job. I did find another job quickly, and we all celebrated together. If I couldn’t secure employment quickly, I knew I wasn’t going to completely leave Suzuki, but I might have sent my children part-time or pulled them out temporarily until I figured out a solution. But the administration was very sensitive to my situation. I know some parents who have had financial problems, and the school made sure their kids stayed in the school so the parents had the time to go on job interviews to secure new employment. My children will leave Suzuki very strong, independent little beings with a strong academic foundation and a love for learning.

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Efua Egbe Oma’s sense of order and independence “I knew we were in the right place when on the second day of school, Oma, my 2year old daughter, happily waved goodbye to me as I dropped her off in class. The room was brightly lit, the teachers smiled warmly and, the other children seemed happy and friendly.”

Efua Egbe According to Mrs. Egbe, after 15 months at the Suzuki School her eyes still light up knowing she is heading to school each morning. It has been 15 months since Oma started at Suzuki School and still her eyes light up just knowing she is headed to school each morning. She asks “Mommy, is this the way to my school?” Mom says “Yes it is Oma”. Her response is a delighted yaaay! Says Mrs. Egbe, “Oma has acquired a sense of order and independence from the lessons she has learned at the school. She is more aware of her environment, tidying up and wanting to do other tasks for herself. She incorporates organizational and clean-up skills learned at school back at home. She puts her possessions back nicely and tries to set up her room by arranging her toys where she can easily reach them. “Oma loves to initiate counting and word games. When she does, I am happy to join in the fun. It used to be that I would suggest we play such games as we rode in the car together. However, I have learned that by stepping back and allowing her take the lead, I find that her strengths and talents shine through and I can encourage her better.”

Responsive Teachers and Administrators I’ve been impressed dealing with teachers and administrators at Suzuki school. They respond promptly and appropriately to answer any questions or resolve issues that I might have.

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egbe family

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Brian and Hilary Unell— Building a Foundation “Our son, Harris, attended Suzuki from 2008 through 2013. We have many special memories from his time there. But mostly, we value that Harris learned the value of good character”

Hilary When our son Harris was born in March 2008, I had mixed feelings about whether or not I should return to my fulltime job after maternity leave or stay at home with Harris instead. My employer offered a reputable, accredited, preschool (including one of the state’s funded pre-K programs) on campus with discounted rates for children of employees, and I had placed our name on the waiting list early on in my pregnancy. I had been notified a spot for Harris was available, and if I elected to return to work, our plan was to enroll him there as we were not aware of The Suzuki School (Suzuki) at that time and we had researched and ruled out other options. While visiting a friend whose son was born in June 2008, a mutual friend who was visiting at the same time mentioned how much she loved her 2-year old daughter’s pre-school and how she was already learning and beginning to speak Spanish. While still heavily conflicted with the decision of returning to work or becoming a stay-at-home mom, I reluctantly scheduled a tour of Suzuki for Brian and me. It’s not an exaggeration to say that from the moment we arrived, it was clear that Harris would thrive in the nurturing, academic environment of Suzuki more so than any environment I could hope to create for him at home full-time. We have many special memories from his time at Suzuki, too many to recount so listed below are a handful of the most memorable. • Miss Maria, his veteran Level I teacher hesitantly (taking great care not to overstep or offend us) asking us “When are

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you thinking about starting Harris on baby food?” and our reply of “You’ve ‘raised’ hundreds of babies; this is our first so whenever you tell us it’s time.” The next school day Harris arrived with a full supply of Earth’s Best jars for Miss Maria and her team to experiment with on Harris. • Harris loved the white buses! His “obsession” began in Level II as he excitedly awaited advancement to Pre-Primary when he could at last ride the bus. Even now, several years later, Harris asks if we can drive by the parking lot and see the white buses. When we do, he says, “that’s Bus 1; Bus 2 must be at Northside.” • After school one day while in Primary (age 4-ish), Harris’ response to Brian’s question about what he learned in school today was, without missing a beat, “my five multiplication tables.” We hadn’t realized Harris was learning multiplication at all let alone had mastered his 1-4 tables and moved on to five. Also while in Primary, Harris established a special bond with Mr. Nelson and Mr. Adrin. He picked up one of Mr. Adrin’s common expressions and one day said to us as we were leaving home, “I am going to “Peace Out” of this house.” • Toward the end of Harris’ time at Suzuki, he had the opportunity to participate in a singing performance with his classmates at the bank near the Buckhead location. This memory is particularly special since the performance represented a culmination of Harris’ Suzuki journey and happened to take place on his 5th birthday. • Two out of five of Harris’ Suzuki years were spent in the same classroom with his cousin Eden or his cousin Alex. It will be nice for them to be able to reflect on their shared Suzuki memories as they continue to grow up together in Atlanta. • A few other quotes from Harris’ time at Suzuki that made us laugh and/or proud include:

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ºº “How do I get a brother or sister—is it by listening?” after several lessons in rewards and consequences of listening and following directions. ºº “Is this washable ice cream?” after being introduced to washable markers. ºº “It doesn’t smell very good here. It smells like a goon.” after several renditions of Little Bunny Foo Foo. ºº “Is it the same Florida we went to for my birthday?” and “If you drive from Atlanta to Antarctica will you hit a lot of traffic?” after learning about geography. ºº “It is not nice to take advantage” in response to being told he didn’t have to get up early the next day so he should take advantage of the chance to sleep in later. While all of the above memories and quotes represent important learnings from Suzuki, the last quote encapsulates what we feel is the most important thing our child learned at Suzuki: the importance of being a person of good character, one with a “noble heart”, as Suzuki calls it. While we hope Harris will succeed academically, socially and athletically, nothing is more important to us than him being a good person and making a positive contribution to society. We are grateful and appreciative of Suzuki’s partnership in helping us build and foster a foundation with all of those tenets for Harris and we are proud to call him a Suzuki graduate.

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end of year note to harris unell from his pre-primary teachers

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The Future “Growth is not merely a harmonious increase in size, but a transformation.”

Maria Montessori The Suzuki School has experienced tremendous growth and change in its nearly 40 year history, particularly in the last decade. The School went from a tiny school in a mansion with eight children to over 700 children on three extraordinary campuses today. Little by little, the school has improved the curriculum, the classrooms, the buildings, the locations and the overall learning environment. It has committed staff, engaged parents and thriving students. It’s an unbeatable combination for providing children with a lifelong love of learning. Everyone on the Suzuki leadership team is committed to honing their craft and bringing the school to the next level. One piece of that next level centers on a recognition of the need for an even stronger Suzuki community. In this day and age, families are less likely to live in tightly-knit communities. There is less neighborhood engagement. Parents don’t feel comfortable allowing their children to go outside and play without being closely supervised. Today, families must often build their communities through organized activities and technology. Consequently, the school is planning more community-building activities outside of the school day, which will be designed in conjunction with the PVA.These events can include community service projects, meeting for a meal, or school-sponsored festivals.

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ponce families making sandwiches for homeless shelter

suzuki in bloom melina araya

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family eventâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;harrison banks with benjamin gnatt

kelly perryman, admissions director and joy perryman, former student

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ponce city market children

devireddy family at ponce

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nurse myesha

The school has always maintained a strong focus on health and safety. In 2015, the school created a new positionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; Assistant Director of Health and Safety and placed a nurse in this position. The focus of this position is to monitor campus practices to prevent injuries, and to work with the children, parents and staff to reduce illnesses.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was drawn to nursing because I love helping people, and especially helping them heal. I love going from campus to campus and helping to reduce or eliminate contagious illnesses in the classrooms. I spend a lot of time on the telephone with parents discussing health concerns and they are so appreciative. It makes me feel really good to know that I am helping make our campuses even healthier and safer!â&#x20AC;?

Myesha Moore, Assistant Director of Health and Safety The Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main focus in the coming years is to train teachers to fully implement the Infant-Toddler Montessori curriculum and then to provide this training to others in our region. This will be exciting because these very young children have so much potential that is still untapped today! The Suzuki School is evolving, but the school cannot continue to evolve in the absence of fresh ideas, fresh talent, and a fresh vision. The Suzuki collaborative environment allows these fresh ideas to be heard, and to foster diversity of thought of the experienced educators with others which bring in a new perspective.

ponce city market primary students on upper playground

“People make a living in many different ways and sometimes don’t like what they do. We feel extremely fortunate about what we do for a living—there are very few professions that touch so many lives in such a fundamental way, and we get to help our smallest citizens grow and succeed. What a privilege! In addition, our graduates and their families continually share the wonderful memories of the experiences they had at the school and the positive impact that Suzuki has had on their lives. That makes us feel absolutely wonderful!” Paula Charles

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The Suzuki School Promise We inspire minds and nurture spirits. We are not simply educators; we are guides supporting each student on their journey of self-discovery. Each day, all day, we walk beside our children with love and intention, supporting their development. We prepare the environment, allowing children to learn at their own pace. We recognize that the first years of life are the most critical in the development of an inquisitive mind and a noble heart.

We are The Suzuki School Thank you for allowing us to share our story!

Acknowledgments Thank you to all those who have supported the Suzuki School on its journey over the past 40 years. We are cognizant that Suzuki’s success has been built upon the efforts of those who have come before us, and that those of us currently in leadership positions are merely paving the way for future leaders who will continue Suzuki’s evolution over the coming decades. The Suzuki School is a thriving, successful community of families and educators because of the support of thousands of present and past families, because of the dedicated faculty who over the years have made Suzuki their home away from home, and because of the amazing and wonderful children who have “worked” in our classrooms and carried their Suzuki foundation with them to later educational and life experiences. We are honored to have the privilege of serving those families and children, and employing such an amazing and dedicated faculty and staff. We also want to thank the surrounding independent and public elementary schools which have provided us with so much support and feedback throughout the decades. We especially want to acknowledge Marlene Lerer and Debra Markham, for without their dedication, conviction and vision the school would never have evolved into the institution that it is today, a wonderful place where children truly do develop a life-long love of learning in partnership with parents and educators!

The Suzuki Board of Directors

About the Author Leah Dobkin is a freelance writer and has contributed to Kiplinger’s Retirement Report, AARP, and other regional, national and international magazines and websites. She is the author of the book Soul of a Port: The History and Evolution of the Port Of Milwaukee. She is also the Founder of Legacies Letters. Her passion is to strengthen the ties between generations by collecting people’s stories and transferring their wisdom. She offers writing services and workshops to help people, or their loved ones, craft a legacy letter, legacy letter book, memoir or business history book. She is based in Stuart, Florida, and works with families, businesses, foundations and nonprofit organizations in the United States and abroad. She received her master’s in gerontology and nonprofit management at Columbia University. You can learn more about Leah Dobkin and how legacy letter books and business histories are created, as well as view samples at www.legacyletter.org. You can also read sample clips and book excerpts at www.leahdobkin.com.

For a free consultation about making your own Legacy Letter or business history book, or if you have any questions, you can reach Leah at (414) 238-1577 or email her at leah@legacyletter.org.

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