I grew up in a family of seven with very diverse educational needs. Due to a lack of access to support and funding, all of us were put through public school with varying levels of success. As a child with undiagnosed ADHD, I always wondered why it felt like I was constantly swimming upstream. Yes, I had good grades, but I was struggling mentally and emotionally and I came to despise school. When I had my son, I knew it was likely that he would be neurodivergent. I didn’t want him to face the same struggles I did. I knew he needed something different.
When we learned about Montessori when Grant was just a few months old, it felt like we had a path and a purpose and a way of raising our child that felt authentic and respectful. But Montessori schools can be expensive and inaccessible to many. It was such a struggle knowing that I had found an educational approach that resonated with my son but not knowing if we could afford to pursue it.
Receiving the Utah Fits All Scholarship was such an unexpected blessing for our family. It felt like a huge weight was lifted off of us. We didn’t have to compromise when it came to our son’s education. We were able to enroll him in a private school where he thrived! He has grown more than we ever expected. He has made friends, he is excelling far beyond his age academically, and he LOVES learning!
Montessori is all about observing and following your child’s interests and the scholarship gave us the opportunity to do that without hesitation. Grant is constantly putting on “concerts”, so we enrolled him in a music class where he learned basic theory and improved his rhythm and pitch recognition. He loves to read, so we were able to purchase a supplemental reading program that helped him get into chapter books and improved his vocabulary and understanding of grammar and spelling rules. He was progressing faster than his school was prepared for in math, so we acquired some Montessori math materials to have at home where he could continue to challenge himself and move forward at his own pace. At school, he is given the autonomy to select work that interests him and pursue it deeply. As a result, he is developing a lifelong love of learning that extends far beyond the reaches of any classroom.
As we look forward to the 2025-2026 school year, we are excited to use scholarship funds to help us in our foray into the world of homeschooling. I feel so immensely grateful for the privilege to follow my son’s lead without compromise, untethered by school systems that can’t meet his needs. I get to have a front row seat to the unfolding of the human potential at work in my bright, curious, independent, jubilant six-year-old boy. Thank you, UEFA and Utah legislators, for making this possible.
