Jane Hendricks

When I was expecting my first child, my sister-in-law advised me to look for a Montessori School right away. She knew I would want to make sure my child began his education in a place where he would love learning. We enrolled our son in 1991 when he was 2 1/2. He loved coming to school! My husband and I became active at Acorn along with other wonderful parents. We loved seeing our son's excitement about learning and wanted to support it. When I had our daughter in 1993, I started to work at Acorn. My daughter was one of the first toddlers and went through Upper Elementary. Both of my children have gained lifelong benefits from their time at Acorn.

Every day over the last 32 years, I have had the privilege of witnessing beautiful things in my classroom. Maybe it is an older child helping a new little one get comfortable in a new environment or the happy day when a child learns to read! Acorn really is my happy place but when I am not there, I enjoy gardening and doing community service. I have enjoyed including Acorn students in those activities such as doing chores at home to raise money for America's Grow a Row or the children helping to pack over 1000 plastic eggs to make an Egg Hunt for the children in the oncology department at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital. One of my favorite Montessori quotes is. "The child is both a hope and a promise for mankind." In the classroom and through our community service activities, I want the children to know that even at their young age, they have the power to make a difference in people's lives.