The Cobb Schoolers Learn to Think For Themselves

“Education cannot be effective unless it helps a child to open up himself to life,” said Dr. Maria Montessori the Italian founder of the Montessori education movement. At in Simsbury, the children’s natural curiosity is nurtured in a quiet and orderly way and the well trained teachers are there to guide them.

“I think the Cobb School focuses on the needs of my child,” said Tracy Labonte, Simsbury resident and Cobb parent. She was there Wednesday to enjoy the special guest Troy Wunderle, who is director of clowning for Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus as well as the founder of Wunderle’s Big Top Adventures and artistic director of Clown School Circus Smirkus.

“This is the only school I do this for anymore,” said Wunderle. “The community and the school are so wonderfully supportive. They have made donations by providing a lot of the safety equipment.”

Wunderle is at the school to help teach in the inductive way that is characteristic of Montessori learning. “Everything is taught in a comedic way when I spend this week at the school. There is so much variety in the circus, kids don’t lose attention," he said.

“For example with teaching juggling to children, we break it down into digestible steps. But the first lesson is to drop it, then you learn to throw, and finally to catch,” he said. “When we make light of making mistakes, as clown’s do, the children can learn from it and move forward to achieve the objective.”

“In Montessori, they are truly taking charge of their own learning,” said Maureen Scudder, Simsbury resident, parent of four students, and public relations director for the school.

“For us progress corresponds to what we do,” explained Mary Lou Cobb, head of the school. “Troy of Circus Smirkus helps to make it fun, then gradually the task gets more and more challenging which stretches the child to figure out how to achieve.”

“The goal is a more confident child who is not afraid and is self-correcting,” said Cobb.

“It is a world class Montessori school. We have lived in Texas and New Jersey and know Montessori. It is a gift,” said Kitty Friedman, a Simsbury mom whose three children attend the school.

The Cobb school has carved out a reputation for itself as a safe place where children can learn to think for themselves which is critical in the world we live in. “Well prepared” and “good citizens” are often how their graduates are described.

“It’s like a big family. It is a community of people who all love, know and care for each other,” said Laura Oliver of Simsbury. “It is exactly the place she needs to be,” she said of her daughter Bryanna Oliver, age 7.

And who knows if these Simsbury children could be the next generation of innovative Montessori grads like Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Jimmy Wales, and Jeff Bezos who all credit their Montessori education as the major factor behind their successful companies known as Google, Wikipedia, and Amazon, respectively.

"Hopefully they leave us and have a sense of self," said Cobb. "This period of childhood is very significant and it will shape them throughout the rest of their lives."