Parents often ask us, “What happens next? Where do our children go to high school, and what is that transition like? Which schools do they go to, and what kinds of careers do they choose? What are they like?” Parents want to know, in essence, “How is choosing Forest Bluff going to make a difference in my child’s life? And how can I know for sure?”
A few weeks ago we transformed the school building into a party venue for roughly 150 alumni and their parents who came back to visit, as we do every four or five years. Graduates who attended Forest Bluff in the ‘80s, ‘90s, and 2000s came back and joyfully reconnected. This event is always amazing for the Directors because we get to hear about what our alumni are doing in their careers and see how happy they are. On this particular occasion, we asked former students if they would mind taking a moment to talk to a videographer about any of their thoughts on Montessori education. Every single alumnus we asked responded enthusiastically; Montessori graduates seem to love telling people about their experiences, especially as they reach adulthood.
It's so beneficial for these graduates to inform children about future decisions. As you're growing up, many people don't know what they want to do when they're older. This is why it's so good to hear more about the options available to them. As many previous graduates have had a chance to experience life, they're able to provide first-hand experiences and advice to help children decide what to do when they're older. If they decide or if you want to pursue a career in teaching then something like the Dominican University of California online courses for teachers is a good place to start. Education and Educating are important, so some of these graduates have enlightened the children about continuing their education to grad school. This is important as the graduates are able to tell them the pros and cons. One of the biggest things that are always mentioned by the graduates is the debt that you leave grad school with. However, many previous students just tell children that there are ways to pay off this debt, especially by following the advice on GoFundMe (read more here). Hopefully, hearing about ways to handle debt will encourage more students to attend grad school.
When our videographer—who knew nothing about Montessori—asked what we wanted him to ask the alumni, we said, “Just get them talking. Let them be themselves.” They had no trouble sharing! Over the Christmas vacation, I sifted through the footage and chose just a few minutes of clips to share with the audience at our evening presentation. These specific individuals went all the way through Forest Bluff, from 18 months old to age 14. They went to a variety of high schools: New Trier, Lake Forest Academy, Vernon Hills High School, and boarding schools. Some are working in their chosen careers, while others are in college, graduate school, and medical school.