“The biggest compliment for me is that the children don’t want to leave,” Corbin said.
Located in Old Town Spring, MindSprout Montessori was founded in August 2021 and offers classes for children ages 3-9. Corbin said she was inspired to open a school after working as a teacher for 12 years and as a tutor since 2019.
As a tutor, Corbin said she found combining home-schooling and educator-led lessons was more affordable for families while also helping her meet an increased demand during the pandemic.
“Five days a week was very costly,” Corbin said. “So ... I’d go to their home two days a week, and then I’d leave the parent assignments for the child to do a couple days a week.”
She also noted MindSprout’s classes are “student led,” meaning while certain tasks are required to be accomplished throughout the day, students decide when they complete those assignments.
If a student is intrigued by a specific topic, MindSprout’s educators then spontaneously follow that interest and help the student learn more about it, Corbin said.
“Our students really develop a lot of self-direction and responsibility for their own learning,” she said.
Corbin said she plans to expand her school to add an additional age group each year, incorporating more of the surrounding Old Town Spring buildings as additional classrooms. Currently, MindSprout’s classes comprise about 12 students each, and the school has two teachers; Corbin said she hopes to hire a third soon.
MindSprout offers courses based on the demand Corbin sees from home-school families, she said. The classes that will be held in the upcoming school year, which is set to begin Aug. 29, include writing, Spanish and botany. Other classes are cultural studies—which touches on zoology, biology, history and geography—and practical life, which teaches life skills such as sewing and baking.
Additionally, Corbin said elementary- and middle school-age children can also enroll in programs at the school without being official students. Fun Fridays and Lego robotics—programs that focus on science experiments and art projects—are open to the community.
Corbin said her students enjoy the best of both worlds at MindSprout.
“[Students] are able to attend school and have that experience both academically and socially,” she said. “At the same time, they benefit from the freedom and flexibility of home-schooling.”
MindSprout Montessori
200-2 Noble St., Spring
713-965-7506
www.mindsprout.me
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., closed Sat.-Sun.
