From Small School to Smaller School

By Kalyna Wallis and Taran Nulu

A common academic pathway for a Montessori School of Fremont (MSF) student to follow is to proceed through the elementary program offered by MSF, then advance to Alsion, continuing through the Middle School, High School, and Early College programs. Every year, the influx of new students largely consists of students from MSF. We interviewed a few of these students, as well as older students who also came from MSF but have been with Alsion for a few years, to gain insight into their experiences with both schools and the transition process. 

Both schools each have unique education styles, with MSF following the typical Montessori system; no homework, lots of hands-on projects, and a single teacher. Alsion comes with homework and a different teacher for each class; a significant difference from the ways of MSF. All of the students we spoke to prefer the Alsion system, and agreed that although it was a big change, they got used to it pretty quickly; “It was hard to adjust, but after a few weeks I got it” Vyom, current 7th grader from MSF says. The homework load proved to be not an issue for the MSF students, which was a little surprising, going from none to several assignments per class; “homework wasn’t that bad” stated Noah, a current 7th grader from MSF; “I quickly got used to the workload” Lilly, current 8th grader from MSF told us. Another question we had was if MSF prepared the students for Alsion in any sort of way, with the two schools being so closely associated with each other. Most students said no, but one felt as if they were thoroughly prepared by their Upper Elementary school teacher, who made sure to specifically mention what sort of material would be covered in Alsion so that the class would be adequately prepared. Lastly, we asked the students about the social scene; in MSF, a student would be placed in a single classroom for three years at a time while they progressed through the grades. In Alsion, not only are students placed in classes with different grades, but they are constantly exposed to them, being on the same campus. The students we spoke to mentioned that they naturally stuck with their peers from MSF, but eventually became more comfortable with everyone else. 

Overall, the students we spoke to shared the same perspectives and experiences. They all acknowledged the differences between the two schools, and initially struggled with the adjustment, but eventually persevered.