We had the good fortune of connecting with Katy Allen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Katy, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
What many people may be unaware of is that Montessori is a globally practiced philosophy of education for children through high school that develops the life skills which will determine future success. All jobs require some set of hard skills although it is the soft skills that organizations are looking for when hiring. The trending words in education include critical thinking, teamwork, innovation, flexible thinking, social skills, leadership, collaboration, communication skills, organizational skills and time management. All of these skills are not a trend in Montessori but have been in practice for more than 100 years.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My journey began with a passion for finding a career where I would gain an internal reward of knowing that I could create change. Change has to start from within and has the ability to take you wherever you want to go. After someone told me that I needed to choose one thing that I wasn’t happy about in the world, I knew immediately that I needed to start by disrupting the factory models of education. Being raised by educators, I knew that we had to start with the children. Harbour Oaks Montessori School was born out of this passion for change for my own son. The high school was my biggest accomplishment and is what I am most excited about because I have seen that these students will be the movers and shakers of the world. Because of the misperception that Montessori is only for younger children, the challenging part was showing parents how and why it works. By having my son as the first graduate, hiring highly qualified teachers and becoming a candidate for the Southern Assocociation of Independent Schools accreditation, we overcame this challenge. Our high school students are all dual-enrolled in college classes. Parents now know that these students will be the next generation to create change because they were allowed to be in charge of their own education through integrating rigorous academic studies with an understainding of practical experience so they may become contributing members of society.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The food tours of Atlanta are absolutely amazing. We would visit the one with a walking tour of Atlanta because it has such a culturally diverse and rich history. We would be sure to get a burger from The Slutty Vegan, donuts from Ponce City Market, listen to some live music Skyline Park, get to a Braves game and an Atlanta United game.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My shoutout is dedicated to my parents who were both passionate Montessori educators. My mother gave her time, passion, expertise, energy and teaching materials while my dad was the drive behind the idea that failure was not an option.

Website: www.harbouroaks.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harbouroaksmontessorischool/