Nice elementary school at my family and I visited and took pictures of the murals that was on the…read moreschool. They had to murals and a fantastic park that we took pictures of and I let my kids play on it and we had a really good time

We have had both of our kids at Govans for one full school year, in the PreK class and the 2s…read moreclass. We moved to town a year ago and were lucky to find this great preschool! Both of our kids settled in well, were cared for, challenged, and more. They are play-based as a school, especially for the younger ages, and spend a lot of time doing play, music, crafts, etc. And our son in PreK made excellent progress on "academic" curriculum as well -- Spanish, sight words, writing, math, etc. In addition, the teachers and admins make investments in their character development -- learning to be empathetic, kind to others, etc. They've also been very easy-going in terms of scheduling the care we need for the kids. They are willing to work with part-time schedules, and you can take weeks "off" from preschool/childcare during the Summer for vacations without having to pay for the spot. We've been very pleased and would recommend this preschool to other parents without hesitation.

I will always feel a deep sense of gratitude that my daughter was lucky enough to attend the…read moreGreenmount school. No school is perfect, but we felt Greenmount came awfully close to meeting that parental ideal. It provided our child with a five star education at a modest for private, school cost and was academically and socially transformative. The staff were bright, creative, nurturing and insightful. Even the two tough love teachers were lovely folks who I respect and have genuine affection for. Some of its faculty were down right brilliant and amazed us left and right. We are both educators so know good teaching when we see it and most times it was amazing as were the administrators: Steve, Elaine and Liz. I can't speak to the present staff, as a few of our favorites have moved on, but when we were there, you would be hard pressed to find a more talented math and language arts faculty. Every one my daughter caught, were knock your socks off good! Sometimes I'd sigh with pleasure watching them teach. One that we nearly worshiped, Ms Tanza is is still on staff and she was an outstanding educator, but went to a much needed administrative position. The administration and office staff were always welcoming, and generous with their time and so kind. If they said they would look into something, or amend it, they promptly did so. I don't know of another head of school who would drop everything and personally walk down and check on a child who was feeling a bit anxious like Ms Elaine and Ms Liz, or a history teacher who would bat around a project after school with your child for 30 minutes, like Fletcher. I felt that every staff member genuinely enjoyed children and took the responsibility assigned to them. They are committed, kind watchful, hard working and the majority deep souled. We loved the small cozy feel, communally imaginative and artistic hum, and a staff that strategized together, and things like Shakespeare plays open to all, vibrantly interesting themes, spiraling curriculum and creative after school club offerings. Their mutual concern for students extended beyond academics, and strongly factored in each student's confidence, learning style, social and emotional well being. Issues of bulling and unkindness were addressed, as well as academic remediation and encouragement provided. Teachers invited students to drop in after school with questions. If a mistakes was made they owned and and apologized. I adored that about them.They were great about email. Many were witty, humble and delightful. I once watched two well up with tears at how far my child had come. My child was dyslexic and dysgraphic and hated writing and would be in tears for hours and left a strong writer and great speller thanks to the combined talents of Ms. Tanza, Ms. Allison and Ms. Pam. They literally remediated her in a 1.5 months and took her fear and dread of writing away. They were miraculous. She was quiet and made great friends and grew in confidence. I saw children who hated math grow to relish it and describe it as their favorite subject. In fact, I have never seen a group of children so fired up and in love with math. Mr Luca was as outstanding at the language arts staff. Unfortunately, those instructors have left, retired or taken admin positions, but they were worth every penny of that tuition. Science other than my daughter's first two years with Pam and Ms Elizabeth who were awesome, could have been stronger, but we haven't been at a school were I wouldn't level that same complaint. It is hard to find capable science faculty and do so on the limited budget most schools have, even at the 35K a year schools. There are sometimes good club activities to round that out and they were actively working on improving the situation prior. Like all private schools, there is a lot of staff turnover. That is both a good and bad thing. Sometimes you hit it right and catch some rather breathtaking educators who are only in town for a few years, or unfortunately near retirement and you are heart broken to see them go. Yet anyone not up to snuff is rarely retained for more than a year, which is more than you can say about public school. It's sad when the stellar ones leave, but comforting when anyone struggling is moved along, and the experience is uniformly allotted. If public school is not a great fit for you child, race to GreenMount, it really is a gem of a school with the most caring and delightful staff.

Greenmount is a small community focused on giving its students a large education. The classes are…read moresmall, 12 in Kindergarten and 12- 15 in the elementary and middle schools. The curriculum is developed around 3 themes annually and theme is the same for the entire school K-8. It is also a parent co-op with each parent required to volunteer to defray costs. This means the tuition is more in the $10 - $12 K range, a real value in a city where independent school tuition can be +$25 K.

In my opinion the aspect of the Waldorf School of Baltimore that makes it stand out is…read morepredictability. That, in particular, made my daughter excited about entering 3rd grade this fall. The other key component is planned interaction between students of all 8 grades. Going into 3rd grade, with the same teacher my daughter had in 1st and 2nd grade, she was anticipating the classes and activities that are attributed annually to the 3rd grade. Yes, she will have woodwork. Yes, her class will play traditionally 3rd-grade roles in the fall festival. Yes, her class will go on the weeklong farm trip to New York. In the curriculum, Waldorf wrote-in these three and dozens of other activities that are predictable. That predictability creates student anticipation, participation and success.

Both of my kids went to WSB and loved it. Now one is at Maryvale and the other is at Boys Latin…read more Self confidence, awareness, empathy and love of nature are part of their personalities due to attending WSB. It is a gift we gave them and now it is giving to them.

Small but just enough for a four year old. I use to attend school here in 1978 geesh. This school…read moreuse to seem so big allllllll those years ago. I didn't get a chance to go inside. I just took my niece to the playground which was small but just enough for my niece. The only down side was that the sliding boards were all hot so it didn't make for a pleasant trip. We will have to come back on a cool day to enjoy.

I was meandering back from White Marsh regretting not grabbing dinner while there when I remembered…read morea flyer I had seen for Pizzamore 6096 Radecke Ave, Rosedale. It was on top of the hill at the corner of Hamilton and Radecke. There was a steady stream of customers coming in to order and drivers going out on deliveries. That seemed to be a good sign. It was. I couldn't decide so I started asking other customers what they were getting. Big praise for the pizzas, subs and wings & fries. I ordered a White Pizza. After I gave my order to the pretty girl taking the orders we started chatting. The shop is owned by her boyfriend, and they've only been open for five months. I watched the pizza maker, he was lightening fast and pretty generous with the toppings. It turns out he was the owner/boyfriend. They were a cute young couple. My pizza was damn good, I ate a slice while driving home. I called to tell them they had a new customer. The pizza maker laughed and thanked me for my business...I respected that. Some businesses don't appreciate the customer, just their money. I'm definitely going back. Ps. I threw some black olives and arugula on the pizza when I heated some the next day...still really good.

Tong Le Montessori is the place to send your child to learn to be independent, helpful to others,…read moreand knowledgeable about the world around them. As an added bonus, they will know Mandarin too! Our son, age 5 has been going there since age 2 and his independence, knowledge and creativity have skyrocketed. It started the first week he came home from school sweeping the floor, helping to put dishes in the dishwasher, and one morning, he even made me eggs for breakfast! He now teaches us Chinese at home. Our daughter also goes to school here now for about 9 months. She too has developed in her own right, learning about the world around her and interacting with others in a polite, social context. Having on more introverted child and one more extroverted one gave us pause at first, however the school has been more than adequate at helping them both grow in their own ways and at their own pace. If you're not familiar, we highly recommend you review the montessori method and see if it would fit with your family. If so, then Tong Le should definitely be top on your list!

From the owner: A Chinese Immersion Montessori School serving children from at 18 month to 6 years. Elementary…read moreschool coming soon. Utilizing the Montessori methods to educate children to their full potential.

The Community School only has 1 teacher who got his teaching license by completing 4 years of…read morecollege in 1 year Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 are mandatory classes to graduate high school, yet The Community School doesn't teach either course. There is a ton of work yet it's all busy work, not work that is needed. The head teacher and founder, Tom, has only one interest, and it's getting access to presenters to come to the school and receive donations. I wouldn't recommend The Community School. You are not allowed to miss school due to being sick or even surgery. My son had to have life saving surgery and due to him having surgery he was treated terribly. Tom would say mean things to my son everyday in front of the whole class. Tom called him names. Tom put him down. Tom didn't allow him help from his brother with getting things and picking things up. He even forced their seats apart so his brother couldn't help him. My son was not able to pick up more than 5 lbs or bend and twist for 6 weeks after surgery. My son sat in class every day in pain as his teacher made him feel like he was worthless. Then, Tom kicked my son out of the school because I as his mom called and told him not to talk or treat my child like that. My son wouldn't of went back this year but to kick a kid out because you can't treat him like dirt and get away with it. After my phone call, Tom chose to stop speaking to my son all together and ignore him. My other son graduated this year and his 4 years at this school wasn't good either. He had to teach his self algebra, have a tutor for calculus and took college courses plus self taught his self because Tom chose to use him as a junior staff member instead of letting him graduate a year early when he had already been through every course he was learning for a second time.

I was recently invited to speak to the students at The Community School for one of their Friday…read more"Conversations with..." sessions. Teenagers are some of my favorite people -- old enough to think abstractly and autonomously, yet young enough to still have space in their hearts and minds and spirits for inspiration and excitement that is essential to creating change in our world. So, I accepted the invitation, hoping to connect with at least one young person there, who might be open to - perhaps even seeking - a spark of hope, and peace. And wow! I was the one who left inspired! Every single student was clearly tuned into the presentation, and then thoughtfully engaged in meaningful conversation that followed - and that could have gone on for hours and hours. During my visit, I had the privilege of hearing a few students share essays (powerful stories and well-written), and discuss aspirations (supported with academic and extra-curricular activities that are a part of the school day), as well as reveal hesitations and pursuits for life (these are amazing young people who exemplify "resilience" and perseverance)... and more. And what I witnessed was a community in the truest (and finest) sense of the word. This was evident in the from-the-heart adult guidance and mentoring and dedication of the educators and staff and volunteers who are there to teach the accredited academic curriculum, and to nourish both body and mind, and who also clearly love every one of these students and are committed to supporting their personal growth as young people who matter in this world. And it was evident in the from-the-heart dedication of these students who shared their excitement about embracing the opportunity for an excellent education (despite previous challenges). These students are bright, polite, and creative, and clearly care for each other with compassion (a reflection of what they are experiencing from the role models in this school). Every student described this community as an extended "family" -- and a gift for their future. To all the funders and supporters and educators and volunteers and students of this small inner city store-front one-classroom (really) high school -- wow and thank you for being the embodiment of commitment and potential. I am already looking forward to ongoing interaction with The Community School -- and to these amazing students and adults who matter to me.