When Megan DeBrowner and her family moved to Maryville over four and half years ago from Florida, they were enchanted by the area but found it difficult to find a Montessori school within the City of Maryville. Both of their children were in Montessori schools in Florida and they wanted to make the transitional move as smooth as possible for their son, who at the time was three. They were able to find a Montessori school 10 miles away, where he attended until starting Kindergarten at one of the elementary schools in Maryville. Both of their children transitioned seamlessly to public schools. Megan is convinced that Montessori laid a solid foundation for her children and aided in their ability to adapt to non-Montessori classrooms.

Smoky Mountain Montessori opened with the intention that  there are other families like theirs who are looking for an authentic Montessori education in a prepared environment. If you are looking for a prepared environment with certified Montessori lead teachers and assistants. Smoky Mountain Montessori should be parents first choice. This is a truly exciting time for the school and Megan is excited to bring this opportunity to the City of Maryville and Blount County. Smoky Mountain Montessori will respect all children while ensuring an authentic Montessori education in the foothills of the Smokies.

Dr. Maria Montessori opened her first school in Italy in 1907. At age 13, she broke barriers set by a patriarchal society when she entered an all-boys technical institute to prepare for a career in engineering.

In time, however, she changed her mind, deciding to become a doctor instead. She applied to the University of Rome's medical program, but was rejected. Maria took additional courses to better prepare her for entrance to the medical school and persevered. With great effort she gained admittance, opening the door a bit wider for future women in the field. When she graduated from medical school in 1896, she was among Italy's first female physicians.

Smoky Mountain Montessori is a small school whose mission is to create a prepared classroom environment that fosters the children's natural desire to learn. This is the foundation of Montessori's methods and principles. Smoky Mountain Montessori understands that though Dr. Montessori's methods are tried and true, the parents of today's children are not the same as those Dr. Montessori served. By continually reevaluating our school, we will evolve to better meet the needs of parents who are faced with an epidemic of electronic devices and overstimulation that makes information too readily available and takes away from self-reliance.