Montessouri ?

I have to second a little of what Megan said... I am a public school teacher and have been since I got out of college 11 years ago. From what I understand, kids who are very bright and curious, and self-motivated, flourish at Montessori settings. However, I have also had (and still do!!) kids in public school who match this description, and after working with them for a year, I always see tremendous growth and development. I have had many kids over the years who were Montessori kids in pre-school and even kindergarten, but transitioned to public school in first grade. By fifth grade (which I teach), some of them were still having trouble with the structure of the classroom in a traditional public school setting. Montessori allows a lot of exploration and self-driven project-based work, while public schools tend to work on class-wide assignments that all kids do, with variations and modifications for kids who are both higher and lower on the spectrum. We do recognize that all kids have different learning styles and try hard to match them, as well as nurture their creativity, despite what many think!!! But one key difference is that we have standards and learning outcomes dictated by the state that we must adhere to. Parental influence and support are HUGE factors for children as they go through school, no matter where they go. Honestly, that is more important than anything. It sounds like you are just that kind of supportive parent, so I'm sure you realize this already. It depends on where you and your child feel most comfortable at this point. Good luck! I'm sure you will get many opinions on this issue, this is just mine based on my experience.

OK, sorry, but I have to add something here - there is no "old" style in my teaching, or that of my colleagues. For example, I recently engaged my kids in skits, technology projects such as "epals" with kids across the country, a Wiki, Google Earth, just to name a few. We also used graham crackers and frosting to learn about plate tectonics in the Earth's crust. No pencil and paper only in these examples. I get really offended when people think public schools just treat kids like little automatons with no mind and creativity, which we most certainly do not. Do kids have to sit and listen sometimes? YES, but so do adults in the real world. :)

I would compare the expense and curriculum with the local montesorris schools to a univeristy based preschool. My son is in an excellent preschool where they have so much fun they do not even realize they are learning. They base tuition on a sliding scale so it is reasonable they have masters level head teacher with grad students as assistant teachers along with several student teachers (Bachelors levels) there are plenty of teachers availabelt ogive my son personalized attention and they do try to focus on my son's individual interests and strengths. My niece is in monetsorri now and her parents are thinking of transitioning her to a public school for 1st grade...they are a little concerned about how she will adjust to the change in teaching styles. The university program my son is in is structured but allows alot of time for free play and creatvitity. Iam very happy with it and one of the children my son goes to school with went into kindergarten reading at a 1st-2nd grade level becuase he was able to get lots o reading help (he was obsessed with reading) this interest was culitvated and encouraged but not pushe dupon him or expected of every student. I really enjoy the flexability as well with the university program my son is in. If we were so happy with this program we might have done the montesorri preschool but we found a great balance between the traditional and montesorri styles in our preschool. My daughter just turned three and she can't wait to start!

Montessori is based on the idea of introducing materials in a very structured way. Many schools adhere to that practice, some use it as a guide. I have yet to see a Montessori school that was all free and "love and Peace" - like a Waldorf school might be perceived to be. Actually, I've seen a few that were a little cold and rigid - but very few. You should visit a few schools and see which might better fit your child's personality and your family's educational philosophy. I choose a traditional preschool for my son - and 5 month later he still asks when he can go to the other school (Montessori, but not rigidly so). I wasn't ready to send him 5 days a week, as many Montessori school require - but I think he really wanted to go there.

Hi R. - my son is 7 and has been going to Litchfield Montessori School since he was almost 3. He's doing very well and we really love the school and the teachers there. It is a commitment to a different learning style. They do get to choose what they are interested in but are offered the things they need to learn. I would suggest going to the school to meet and the teachers and watch the classroom. I will have to say that Montessori isn't for every child. They do need to learn to make good choices and be respectful of their fellow classmates, but hopefully he is young enough to learn that in the classroom environment.
Good luck with your choice, ask me any questions! I did train as an assistant in the Montessori classroom.
E. K.

My 3 year old daughter is a montessori student and this is my first year as an assistant teacher at a Montessori school. I am extremely impressed in which the way the class is run and although children are "free" to choose their work. The classroom is structured. Children are not walking around the classroom doing nothing. Most of the 4-5 year olds are reading chapter books. These children were not reading at all when they began this year. This is a class with children who are first time Montessori students. I would suggest "sitting in" on a few different schools and see how they run their classrooms. Not all Montessori schools are the same and I would make sure the school is AMS or AMI accredited. Good Luck.

Hi,
I taught in a montessori preschool for several years before becoming a stay at home mother. I love montessori and I think that the method of teaching has many advantages over a traditional education BUT.... not all montessori is the same. If you are considering montessori for your child some of the things that you should be looking into are the accredidation of the school, the training requirements of the teachers, and how strictly the school adheres to the philosophy. Maria Montessori never copyrighted her name and therefore any school can call itself montessori and really not be at all. I suggest that you go and observe at the school and in the clasrooms and see if you feel comfortable with the environment. As a last comment I would say that many montessori schools will tell you that the philosophy is right ffor every child, as a teacher in a montessori class I can honestly say that thatis not true. Some children thrive and other really struggle in this environment. I would be glad to anwser any questions you have about schools or the philosophy without trying to sell you on it.
C.

I have heard that the Montessouri method is a wonderful way to learn, but concerned when I heard that they favor all-day/full week programs. I stopped working full time in order to raise my two kids, because I strongly believe in being with them when they are so young. I ended up finding a wonderful preschool in town that promotes play-to-learn philosophies and my 3 1/2 year-old son attends two half days a week. I also like a local school because my children will interact and get to know the kids they will later have as classmates in public school.

Today there is so much competition to 'get ahead' that we often forget the kindergarten is meant to transition and prepare our kids for school. For me, they should have fun first-- while learning basics, social interactions, etc.

I would encourage you to attend different schools and see what makes the best fit for your child's personalities. Make sure you are looking at preschool settings, and not just combined school-daycare programs; I found there is a distinct difference.

I would say to check out a few different Montessori before making a decision. My son is in his second year at New England Montessori in North Andover and is doing extremely well. This school is great because it it a modified Montessori program. They use a lot of the Montessori methods, such as allowing each child to learn at their own way, teaching repsect for others, and using a lot of Montessori materials. However, they also do learn how work in group and have some structure to their day. Good luck!

My son who is now 3.9 started Montessori in September. It has been the best experience for him! He had previously been in a large classroom where, I felt, the atmosphere was more of a Play time than a learning environment. The Montessori classroom is always very calm with at most 12 students at a time most of the time fewer. Before when I would drop him off at his other preschool he would start screaming and crying before I even pulled in the driveway. Now he wakes up every morning asking to go to school. I had the same apprehensions as you did before enrolling my son, but I can say I truly feel the nurturing environment adds so much to the learning. I feel he's progressed greatly. I wouldn't change this decision for anything. The school we go to does not require five full days unless your child stays for kindergarten, so he goes three mornings a week, and is already signed up for four days a week next year. Good Luck, M.

Never underestimate how much "love & peace" facilitate learning on all levels
:)

K. H

Well I am a big fan of Dr. Montessori's research and philosophies. Below are some articles I found talking about the MANY benefits of her teaching methods. Only negative thing is that if your child goes to Montessori, then has to go to regular "public school" then your child will hopefully be able to adjust to the....how do I put it nicely, let's just say old way of teaching. I am such a fan of learning through the "hands on approach"....think about it if you gave your child a piece of paper with a picture of an orange on it, sure he could color it orange and you could try to teach him that it is round?? Now take an actual orange, there are endless possibilities for teaching your child here. Using ALL of the senses, your child will be deep in the thought process, embedding everything you are teaching him about that orange. I personally wish ALL schools would teach our children like this, just imagine the creative, imaginative, little thinkers we could have! My opinion is that if you can afford it keep your child in a certified(member of the Association Montessori Internationale, American Montessori Society and the North American Montessori Teachers' Association)Montessori school, because some schools have the name Montessori on them, but are not certified in Montessori's teaching criteria, keep your child in as long as you can, and maybe by then you can have higher grades through high school available where you live.
Good Luck and I hope this helped!

The Montessori method was originally created to adapt itself to the uniqueness inherent in each student. It is based on the "hands on" exploration of concrete materials, allowing children to acquire a greater depth of conceptual knowledge. At the beginning of the 20th century, Maria Montessori and Jean Piaget were two of the primary educational theorists who promoted an inquiry-oriented learning theory based on "learning by doing." As a result, Dr. Maria Montessori designed innovative learning materials that have become utilized throughout public and private schools, even those that do not call themselves "Montessori." Today, Montessori education is the largest school system in the world.

Multi age grouping is used in all our Montessori classrooms. It was the experience of Dr. Montessori, and many educators have since concurred, that children learn best in a mixed age classroom. Mixed age groupings enable children to perceive and model a wide range of behavior. Older children help teach younger children as they perfect their own skills. Younger children learn and are inspired by the behavior and interest modeled by older students. In this way, each child experiences different aspects of his/herself. This setting also provides the child with a broad array of friends to choose from and the possibility for a greater scope of experience.

My mom is a principal at an elementary school around this area and she tells me that children who start at a Montessouri school and then transition to public school often have difficulty with the structure of public school and thus have a hard time with the change. Otherwise I don't know anything much about them. Just a heads-up :)