Business Spotlight: The Milton Montessori School with Liliana Lemos & Nora Arrieta

Listen here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2214217/episodes/19185614

Business Spotlight: Milton Montessori School: Authentic Montessori Education from Early Childhood Through Middle School with Liliana Lemos & Nora Arrieta

Host Stacey Poehler interviews Milton Montessori School leaders Nora Arrieta (executive director/head of school) and Liliana Lemus (educational coordinator) about their backgrounds, what drew them to Montessori, and the school’s history since its 2008 founding. They explain Montessori as child-centered education built on independence, a prepared environment, hands-on materials, and development of the “five C’s” (curiosity, creativity, communication, compassion, courage), emphasizing social-emotional learning through grace and courtesy and multi-age three-year cycles with teacher continuity. They discuss expansion from early childhood into elementary and a new middle school program, including project-based adolescent work such as microeconomics and business budgeting while meeting Georgia academic standards as an accredited school. They describe welcoming students transitioning from traditional settings, highlight staff longevity, and share facility expansion plans including new classrooms, a media center, science lab, pavilion, and tennis courts. Families can book tours at miltonmontessori.org for the Bethany Bend campus.

00:00 Welcome to the Podcast

00:33 Meet Nora and Liliana

00:45 Nora Montessori Journey

02:23 Liliana Montessori Journey

03:53 Staff Longevity Culture

04:51 School Origins and Growth

05:49 Expanding to Middle School

07:14 Montessori Method Explained

09:49 Benefits of Continuity

11:36 Middle School Curriculum

13:40 Freedom Meets Standards

15:51 Hands On Materials Setup

17:55 Social Skills Screen Time