There are very few things that can we all agree on.

Employers, employees, politicians, and parents have a range of divergent views on most subjects. Except one. Education.

Everybody agrees that education is the fundamental driver of a healthy economy and a healthy society. We attribute a good education system to everything from full employment and a low crime rate to individual self-fulfillment.

From that position of unity, we very quickly return to our more familiar positions of vastly different opinions – and lots of them – when it comes to deciding how exactly we ought to educate children.

Vanessa Williams is a proponent of a style of education called Montessori. It’s been around for over 100 years. It can be found all around the world, including 4,000 Montessori schools in the United States. Vanessa founded the Ashton Grace Montessori School in Lafayette in 1993.

Sasha Nick believes you can teach any subject through art. That’s what she does at her children’s’ art studio, The Little Paintbrush. Sasha founded The Little Paintbrush in Lafayette in 2004 and has classes for both kids and adults that range from straight ahead art class to Summer camp and painting parties. 

Photos at Cafe Vermilionville by Gwen Aucoin.