On December 8 and 9, a film crew from Mazz Media will visit the school to develop a series of videos designed to answer the most common questions parents and other educators have about Montessori.

Families who are unfamiliar with the philosophy may be intrigued about Montessori. They may have heard that it is a successful approach, but are not sure why. They realize that it’s different from regular education but might have heard of some of the misconceptions about the Montessori approach. Hence, they may be cautious. The video series aims to fill these knowledge gaps. Mazz Media has successfully pioneered their “They Ask, You Answer” approach with other organizations. They are now looking to evaluate this approach for Montessori schools.

Mazz Media is based in Connecticut. They have won several Emmy Awards for their educational videos and have produced material for TV for more than 30 years. Their present and former clients include a wide range of companies, including Discovery Education.

During their visit, they will interview students, parents, and staff who have been prepped with a selection of questions. By interviewing several people with the same questions, the goal is to present a variety of views on the topics being discussed. Mazz editors will take the best footage to splice together short videos that answer the questions clearly and concisely.

Mazz Media plans to make the videos available to other schools. However, we are the very first school to participate in this pilot program! The long-term plan? We will use the videos to inform and educate. In this way, more people will get to know about Montessori philosophy and pedagogy. We hope that many other schools will also use the videos.

We will also use some of the footage as testimonials for the school. Thank you in advance to the parents and students who volunteered to represent The New School community with their testimonials. On a related topic, we also thank all of you who have provided the school with such heartwarming and positive reviews on social media and other sites. These reviews really help the school and all of the members of our community. They’re also a nice morale boost for teachers and staff!

We will strive for minimal disruption to classes as the filming crew go about their business. However, if you see “lights, camera, and a lot of action” on those days, please rest assured that it is all in a good cause!