“I’ve been at FMS for a very long time because I started in 0-3.”
Marlin’s early memories of FMS are peppered with practical life activities like scrubbing clothes on a wooden board, planting strawberries in the garden with his mum and great learning using the Montessori materials. Along with other FMS families, the Olsen family planted the beautiful banana tree that we all love today that stands proudly outside the 0-3 Cottage and 3-6 children’s House. It truly is a family affair for the Olsens and the connection to the FMS community as mum, Anahita is a past student.
‘I can also remember sitting on the low wooden bench at the end of the day thinking, where are you mum, when are you coming to collect me? You know they’re the same benches that the children in 3-6 sit on today.”
After only a short stay in the Children’s House, Marlin moved with his family to Toronto, Canada where he attended Kew Park Montessori School. Returning to Sydney in 2017, he joined the Lower Primary (6-9 Years) where Xarifa Gabales was his Director.
“The teachers are really nice at FMS because they encourage you to take a subject you are excited about and go even further in your thinking. They also help you with other subjects and you have a lot of freedom to learn in your own way. It’s all a balance because our teachers keep telling us that with freedom comes responsibility.’
Asked about his favourite subjects and his face was alive with excitement:
“I love geometry, biology and art. Science is really cool. I’m into photography but I like to use a real camera not a phone or an iPad. With a camera I can control the light and the exposure and make the images look great.”
Marlin loves learning at FMS. He commented that the Montessori materials help you to better understand content, adding that, “learning and thinking just become automatic.”
On the topic of being prepared for high school, Marlin had this to say,
“Jarrah, my brother who also came to FMS is now in Year 8 and he said that Y7 was really easy for him because he’d done most of the work already at FMS. His homework used to take him like 3 seconds!”
Like everyone he knows going to high school is going to be a change and that makes him slightly nervous, but he’s also excited about meeting new friends. For now, he’s happy that his other brother, Sage is transitioning from the Lower Primary (6-9 Years) to the Upper Primary (9-12 Years) next term so they’ll have two terms in the same environment.
When asked if he had any suggestions for improving FMS, he likes things the way they are although he thinks we should update some of the sports equipment like the bats for t-ball, basketball and cricket.
Marlin rides his bike to school most days. In his spare time, he likes nothing more than delving into a good book, you could describe him as somewhat of a bookworm! That’s when he’s not mastering the art of brain twister with a yoyo!
