From Seed to Fern: Our Origin Story
Everything has an origin story. Wild Fern Montessori School is not different. A seed was planted in our Executive Director / Founder's heart, one of opportunity, and education for all.
Brei Stevenson was like so many other moms, doing all the research, weighing all the options, and balancing all the financial realities of adulthood. She found Montessori education as many do, by reading parenting books, talking with friends, and looking at the childcare/ preschool options in the area. She fell in love with the natural approach of Montessori, to meet each child where they are and to guide the children on their path of development that is unique to their needs. She enrolled her daughter and, as they say, the rest is history.
Brei’s daughter, Brooke, during her time in Primary. Her daughter is now 8 years old.
She saw her daughter flourish and gain such a solid foundation, not just in academics, but in her sense of self and her confidence. She felt lucky to have found a school willing and able to work with families on supplementing tuition. And with that, Brei knew she needed to do something so that every child had the opportunity to experience this blossoming.
And the most amazing thing is - she DID do something!
She didn't just talk about how nice it would be. She did what she does best and jumped into action and created the seedling of what Wild Fern Montessori School would be. And she did all of this while continuing to succeed in her career outside of building this Montessori community.
Brei did her research and looked to the experts in her community. She looked to the community and asked, what do you need in a Montessori school? What she found was a need for a school that they could afford. A school that is authentic in Montessori pedagogy and experience, as well in its roots of being for EVERY child, just as Dr. Maria Montessori had intended.
The Primary Classroom of VACM in the basement of the Cultural Arts Center of Glen Allen
Working with another Montessori Mama, Virginia Community Montessori School opened its doors in November 2016 to five eager families. The first sprout of this wild fern began! As with anything in life, growth ebbs and flows, and sometimes the sun shines in all its glory. Sometimes that means we outgrow our garden. As the school grew, needs shifted. And when that happens, the best thing to do is a pivot. Brei and the families of VACM did just that.
While the school found a new location with Universalist Unitarian Community Church in Glen Allen and a new name, Glen Allen Community Montessori School, the mission of equal opportunity for equitable and authentic Montessori did not! Glen Allen Community Montessori School opened its doors in the Fall of 2018. With even more families joining, the classroom grew. We welcomed new teachers, and new adventures began. The mission to offer truly affordable and authentic Montessori education was furthered by partnering with our community. But Brei couldn’t help but feel like there was more to do to attain equity.
GACM started with no capital and 10 families at Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Glen Allen
This is the part of the Origin Story that the narrator reveals her identity. It was the spring of 2019 that I had the pleasure of meeting Brei Stevenson at an event. We were both there for our businesses. She stood proudly at her table, ready to answer all the questions about Glen Allen Community School, and I stood at my table, offering complimentary Reiki sessions. I saw the Pink Tower standing tall at the GACM table and could not resist saying hello to an old friend. I grew up a Montessori kid, daughter to a Montessori teacher, and eventually becoming a Montessori teacher myself. I had a long history with that Pink Tower, and I didn't resist sparking up a conversation.
I joined GACM as a substitute not long after that. I fell in love with the community, the passion for equity in education, the understanding of authentic Montessori education, and the trust in the process. I also fell in love with the kids and their families. The commitment and love for this school were palpable. I knew that my role as a substitute was not going to be enough. The more time I spent with this community, the more I knew I needed to be a part of it and its mission.
The First FIRST day with our families, the classroom, and our write up in Richmond Magazine
I became the Lead Primary Guide as well as Program Director the following Fall. We grew even more with more families enrolling. This seedling was thriving. And then, in March of 2020, things shifted in a big way.
Just like the rest of the world, COVID-19 and its consequences hit our school. We followed recommendations and mandates and had to close our doors early to keep everyone safe as our country took a collective (masked) breath and hunkered down to quarantine.
The community that we had built stayed strong. We continued to connect with our students and their families. We continued to reach out interested in our mission and the possibility of enrollment in the future. While the quarantine was hard on us all and brought many challenges, we were lucky. We continued to be lucky to have such a supportive community and such a committed staff. Not only did we survive, but we also thrived and grew out of our garden again! During the quarantine, we found ourselves in need of a new location again, and we found it in Lakeside. Brei, our dedicated assistant Brianne, and I moved our GACM classroom out of Glen Allen and into our new location in Lakeside using a small trailer and our cars.
Lakeside welcomed us with open arms and confirmed we had found our place in Richmond. Just like everyone else during this time, we feared our future was uncertain. We wondered if families would be ready to join in the Fall. We wondered if our country, state, city, would be ready.
Our little classroom grew over peaks and valleys, solidifying we had the right mission and the right staff.
We were lucky again!
By cultivating and nurturing our mission, again, we didn’t just survive, we thrived! We welcomed a new Primary Guide, Ellen, so that I could step into the role of Program Director full-time and so that Brei could focus on the job of Executive Director. We welcomed a new community of families that joined those that followed us from Glen Allen.
In September 2020, we opened our doors, no longer just a seed, no longer a delicate sprout, no longer a developing seedling, but a full-fledged Wild Fern. Here we are with a full roster of students, a Toddler Montessori & Me playgroup, a Toddler program beginning in January, and the dreamed sliding scale program to bring this opportunity to the entire community.
We’ve already filled out our new space and will be opening our Toddler Classroom remotely in January 2020 with plans to move everyone under the same roof for the 2021-22 school year
Dr. Maria Montessori didn’t begin as an educator. She began as a doctor and a scientist. She saw inequity in the development of children. She saw a need to offer education, not just academic, but social and emotional, to each child, not just the privileged. Dr. Montessori spent years observing children from all over the world and saw that children are children are children. We as new little humans need the same things. We may need them at different times, or to varying degrees, but we all need a guide to help us on this path of development. And she did something about it. And through her passion and her drive for equity in education, Montessori was born.
That journey parallels us so much. The seed for Wild Fern Montessori School may not have come from an educator. What Brei had and what drives this school is a passion for equity in education, a passion for authentic Montessori education (guiding that path), and a passion for community. A strong community, equally passionate partners, including an amazing staff of Montessorians, is what has nurtured that seed. And now here we are, still growing, still aware of all the nurturing and watering this Wild Fern needs, and very aware of how very fortunate we are to be here.
I can’t wait to continue this journey and see how we continue to grow!
