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As a child, I never questioned the existence of school.

Schools weren't something that "began" or "grew;" they simply were.

Now, having played a role in beginning a growing school, I know that schools aren't just institutions, but are dynamic, almost living things.

The newest school in Blount County, Montessori Middle School, may also be its smallest, with four full-time students. As the school's director, I look forward to a time when our students will outgrow our current three-room building. At the end of our very first semester, I can also look back on the early stages of MMS's growth with a combination of pride and incredulity.

In August, Montessori Middle opened its doors to two sixth-graders. We picked banana peppers and Serrano chilies, which had flourished over the wet summer, and sold them at the Maryville Farmer's Market. We weeded out turf grass, which had also flourished in the wet weather.

Indoors, we tackled traditional subjects -- math, spelling -- and took field trips to the public library and the Sequoyah Birthplace. Our curriculum blends core subjects with hands-on, land-based work, in a rich, flexible setting. There are no rows of seats. Students work at their desks, at a long shared work table, on the couch in the sitting area/library, or outside on the porch. The day is not divided by bells; instead, we have morning and afternoon work periods, during which students may focus on a single subject, or move between projects.

Flexible setting

Some projects are individual; students have their own spelling words, drawn from topics relevant to that particular week. Other projects are done as a group, such as dissecting flowers and experimenting with dry ice. A portion of each day is set aside as "free time," which they typically spend on computers (MMS has wireless Internet); another portion is dedicated to silent reading.

Friday mornings are spent in what we grandly call "Socratic Circle." Each week the students read a piece that relates to other projects. They have read a diverse list of authors: Edgar Allan Poe, John Noble Wilford, Khaled Mattawa, Bill Watterson, Randall Munroe and Orson Scott Card.

Another way our school differs is that students, to their frequent dismay, clean up after themselves. As a community, we are responsible for our physical surroundings; each week a new "job board" on the fridge posts daily and weekly chores, such as sweeping, gerbil care and washing dishes. (Because we try to live as sustainably as possible, we use glass dishes and metal flatware instead of disposables.)

If it sounds idyllic, perhaps even a bit unrealistic, let me attest that the day at Montessori Middle is as full of glitches and giggles as any day spent with schoolchildren. Because our student group is so small, we have a unique opportunity to build friendships; the small size also magnifies drama. This is another benefit of our flexible structure: Students can shift work patterns, subjects or even physical location. They can step outside for fresh air -- or head-clearing physical labor. They can grab an armchair and a book for some time to themselves, or they can work out nervous energy on the miniature trampoline.

Once a week, our full-timers are joined by area homeschool students, who expand our community in both numbers and ages. We invite homeschoolers in grades 2-8 to join us on Wednesdays starting Jan. 13.

Children want to learn

Montessori schools are based on the philosophy of Maria Montessori, an Italian physician, educator and humanitarian; based on her observations, she believed that any child could learn, given the right environment. She established her first school in 1907 and continued to refine her theories until her death in 1952. Montessori observed that all children have an innate desire to learn, and her approach to schooling is intended to fuel that innate desire, directing it but not forcing it.

While most American Montessori schools serve preschool- and elementary-aged children, Montessori herself envisioned a curriculum for all stages of a student's development. Adolescents are connecting to the wider world, moving out from social relations that begin in childhood, she observed, and so her approach for older students expands upon those connections. She called for an "erdkinder" or "earth children" school, connecting them to their communities and to the land. This "erdkinder" model is the basis of Montessori Middle's curriculum.

Our plans are big: We envision 10-15 students in the 2010-11 school year. Our current students come from other Montessori schools, non-Montessori private schools, public schools and homeschool, and we hope to maintain that diverse constituency as we grow.

In the meantime, we plan exciting projects in our second semester, such as genealogy, which the students have already begun. We plan to start heirloom veggie seeds and sell them at the farmer's market; part of the students' work will be to develop a business plan, tracking the cost of seeds and supplies versus expected profits using real-world accounting software. Until outdoor gardening becomes practical again, we will focus on the plants and animals that already thrive on our 32-acre campus, cutting forest trails that we (and future classes) can use for nature study. We also plan to add grape arbors and hope to begin raising poultry when the weather warms.