CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Amare Montessori is a hands-on learning community, where students as young as 18 months start learning responsibility and a deep respect for nature.

The Category Three private school, with national and international accreditation, opened in Clarksville 12 years ago and serves about 120 students from 18 months old through ninth grade.

Head of School Jaime Yeager told Clarksville Now the school has operated at its 21-acre property on Miller Road, south of Highway 41A in Sango, for the last four years. Yeager said the land was previously used as a dumping ground, and they worked to restore it using only native plants.

The campus includes several large classrooms for each age group and multiple outdoor play areas. It also includes a “fattoria,” or farm, where students care for chickens and bees. Yeager said they plan to add sheep to the farm within the year. The school’s Creative Arts Center is used for art, drama and music classes, as well as community events such as Earth Day, International Peace Day and blood drives.

Individual learning rooted in Montessori values

Yeager said the school’s focus is on building independence and personal accountability from an early age. She added that even simple tasks, like carrying their own lunch box or cleaning up after themselves, help students learn responsibility. “Some parents are really surprised at how independent their child can be at such a young age,” Yeager said.

All learning is individualized, and students are encouraged to explore on their own before seeking help from Montessori guides or peers. “Grace and courtesy” is also part of the school’s core curriculum, she said. Guides walk students through social scenarios year after year, such as how to introduce themselves to new classmates and how to navigate interpersonal skills. In their teachings, she said, they emphasize the importance of being “kind to all living things.”

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Amare also has a reading specialist onsite who offers students additional support with reading, writing, languages and screenings.

Instead of tracking students’ grades, Yeager said they use normalization reports and progress reports. Normalization reports are completed after the first four weeks of school. They evaluate how a student is adjusting to a new classroom or teacher, whether they are coming to class with joy, following through on work and showing leadership. Progress reports build on that, assessing academics, independence, and social and emotional development. Amare also hosts two parent conferences each year.

Yeager said although the school is “intentionally small,” they hope to grow its adolescent program. However, most other programs currently have waitlists.

Academics meets gardening, cooking and farm life

Yeager said students spend time outdoors daily unless there is lightning. They learn to adapt to changing seasons and explore the wooded areas of the property, searching for signs of animal hibernation, building “bug motels,” researching the rocks and wildlife they discover, and even recreating spiderwebs with string.

All students learn acting skills through the school’s theatre productions, but once in middle school, students can choose whether they want to be part of the cast or crew. Students also have the opportunity to learn archery on the property.

Starting in third grade, students cook for their class once a month. Students in grades 7-9 run the school’s library, helping younger students check out books and reading to primary classes. Each classroom also has an assigned student “zoologist” who helps care for the class pet.

Yeager said students who attend Amare for several years often exhibit qualities of independence, interdependence and general kindness. She recalled a recent moment where a 10-year-old student protected a 3-year-old student from a stray ball during playtime, telling her, “I don’t want you to get hit with the ball,” and standing in front of her to block it.

Amare Montessori is located at 300 Miller Road and can be reached at 931-368-3818.

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