Just a little teacher vent

[torinsmom]

I work at a public Montessori school. Because Montessori is based on multi-age classrooms, our school has a PreK program. The PreK program is free and there is a lottery to determine who gets in. Our school is small and we count on parents keeping their children in our school. Because we are Montessori, we don't open enrollment after kindergarten. It is made clear to parents when their child is enrolled that the goal is for the child to continue with our program. We have just started a Montessori middle school for the students to feed into. Great school, great scores, amazing teaching methods.

Anyway, it really irks me when parents put their child's name in the lottery just to get free daycare. We work and work with these kids so they will be prepared for kindergarten the next year and it never fails that 1-2 of the 10 preK's in my class end up going to their base school for K. These are not lower income kids either;the ones that left me this year are middle-upper income. Meanwhile, parents are turned away who are dying to get their kids into our program, and would stay with us for the whole 6 years. So I get brand new kindergarteners who are at a much lower level than the others I have had since preK.There is no way to cover all the Montessori lessons in 1 year, especially when you are doing standard course of study as well.

Okay, I feel better. I am sure I will be flamed for complaining, but this has been bothering me since the same thing happened last year.

Marsha

 

[Magic Mom]

I'm not flaming you. But maybe they aren't using you as a daycare, maybe they really want to send their kids to a good preschool before kindergarten starts. I wanted to send DD to preschool, but she didn't fit the criteria for the public preschool (low income, special needs, extremely young parents, etc.) So I had to send her to private preschool. I was lucky, because I could send her to the preschool program on post through child and youth services but if that wasn't available, I would probably try for the montessori school.

 

[MM27]

Is it possible that some of the parents don't feel like Montessori methods are best for their children after experiencing a year in the classroom?

 

[minniecarousel]

Free? Montessori? I've never heard of that!

Yeah, I guess you can see the parent's attitude, so that is probably where you are coming from, but I'd think the parents just want their kids in a great preschool.

 

[Mkrop]

We have the same problem at our Catholic school with our full day program for K. The public schools are only half day so parents would need to find alternative daycare. Our tutition for full day is less than what people have to pay for daycare. We have people who really want to send their kids to our school but it is first come first serve amongst the families without siblings already in the school. And many times it is the same family who only sent their older child to our school for a year and then pulled them and now they are sending child #2.

 

[emma'smom]

We have the same problem at my dd's Montessori school and it drives me crazy (I'm on the Board for the school).

I think parents sign their kids up without bothering to understand what they are signing up for and miss the fact that the Montessori method includes a 3-year plane of development (that includes kindergarten). They pull their kids and send them to public kindergartens because public schools are free...but the kids completely miss the year that the "explosion of knowledge" occurs after the first two years of foundational learning and it throws the whole culture of the classroom off for the rest of the children whose parents reall wanted that 3-year plane of development education.

I say...sign them up for the entire plane or find a different kind of preschool since your obviously not really interested in a Montessori school.

 

[Kelrykengab]

I completely agree with the statement above! My two oldest went to a M school for a total of 4 years. We LOVED the philosophy, but took them out b/c the further in grades you went the less kids there were and I did not think this was good socially (we're talking 4 kids in 3rd grade). Ours was not free. I found that at least half of the parents had no idea what M was all about and their questions at parent nights always shocked the heck out of me!

 

[Tink888]

I work at a public Montessori school. Because Montessori is based on multi-age classrooms, our school has a PreK program. The PreK program is free and there is a lottery to determine who gets in. Our school is small and we count on parents keeping their children in our school. Because we are Montessori, we don't open enrollment after kindergarten. It is made clear to parents when their child is enrolled that the goal is for the child to continue with our program. We have just started a Montessori middle school for the students to feed into. Great school, great scores, amazing teaching methods.

Anyway, it really irks me when parents put their child's name in the lottery just to get free daycare. We work and work with these kids so they will be prepared for kindergarten the next year and it never fails that 1-2 of the 10 preK's in my class end up going to their base school for K. These are not lower income kids either;the ones that left me this year are middle-upper income. Meanwhile, parents are turned away who are dying to get their kids into our program, and would stay with us for the whole 6 years. So I get brand new kindergarteners who are at a much lower level than the others I have had since preK.There is no way to cover all the Montessori lessons in 1 year, especially when you are doing standard course of study as well.

Okay, I feel better. I am sure I will be flamed for complaining, but this has been bothering me since the same thing happened last year.

Marsha

I'm not trying to flame you because I understand where you're coming from and how frustrating it must be to try and get new students caught up.

But, it could be that those parents who leave, leave because after the experience with Montessori, they feel that it's not a good match for their child. Every parent is going to do what they feel is best for their child. How it affects the school isn't going to factor into their decision.

To assume the reasoning behind the decision is solely because of free daycare, particularly your rationale that these are middle-upper income families as opposed to lower-income families whom you sort of imply would be looking for free daycare makes you come across as a little snooty.

Has the school followed up with any of the parents to find out why they left?

 

[bumbershoot]

Free? Montessori? I've never heard of that!

Here in Tacoma there's a K-8 *public* Montessori school. Astonishing!


OP I don't know what to tell you...as a person who was in Montessori from 4-6 yo and then went to public school for 1st grade on...and who flourished in Montessori but was squashed like a bug for the rest of my schooling...I do feel bad for those kids! Of course, my mom worked her rear end off to send me and my brother to the few years of Montessori we got, she even cleaned the school in the morning to help with our tuition. But she had no choice financially but to take me, and then my brother when he started 1st, out at that point.

I'm sure some parents feel it isn't a good fit, some don't understand, some don't want to pay for more school...

Perhaps you guys should change the way you do the preschool admission?

 

[golfgal]

Is it possible that some of the parents don't feel like Montessori methods are best for their children after experiencing a year in the classroom?

I was going to say the same thing. Since 2 kids out of 10 is actually a pretty high percentage the school may want to consider charging for the preK, even if it is only $500/year or so, you might see less turnover charging for the classes.

 

[torinsmom]

The district I teach in actually has two public Montessori schools, preK-5 and in the fall, the Montessori middle school will also open. There are also 2 charter Montessori schools in the next county over, and at least 2 more districts in our state have public Montessori programs. I guess people are discovering that Montessori is a great way to increase achievement for almost every child. I love that there is no financial barrier, so ANY child can benefit from Montessori. I have never taught at a private Montessori, and don't think I ever will. There is something about giving students this experience that otherwise would not have that opportunity. DS15 went through 9 years at my previous school(charter Montessori) and we would never have been able to afford Montessori otherwise. It was a life changing experience for him and me.

I think my district used to charge for PreK, but that would affect the lower income families and their kids may not have the opportunity to experience Montessori. The middle and upper income parents can afford to pay for daycare elsewhere, and would do so, IMHO. Our school is proud to be very diverse racially and socioeconomically, and we want to keep it that way.

The students I lost this year thrived in the program, so I don't buy that the parents did not think Montessori fit their child. Both had siblings at other elementary schools before they even started at our school, and they had the intention of moving their child to those schools before school even started. I get that this will be easier for the parents, but parents are given information about Montessori that explains that Montessori involves being in the same classroom for several years.

As I said, just a vent and my opinion. Thankfully, most of our families would never dream of leaving and we have some who are begging to have their older children admitted as well. Unfortunately(and fortunately), we have no spots above kindergarten level because there is virtually no attrition. Younger siblings get priority, so that is helpful.

Marsha

 

[allison443]

I work at a public Montessori school. Because Montessori is based on multi-age classrooms, our school has a PreK program. The PreK program is free and there is a lottery to determine who gets in. Our school is small and we count on parents keeping their children in our school. Because we are Montessori, we don't open enrollment after kindergarten. It is made clear to parents when their child is enrolled that the goal is for the child to continue with our program. We have just started a Montessori middle school for the students to feed into. Great school, great scores, amazing teaching methods.

Anyway, it really irks me when parents put their child's name in the lottery just to get free daycare. We work and work with these kids so they will be prepared for kindergarten the next year and it never fails that 1-2 of the 10 preK's in my class end up going to their base school for K. These are not lower income kids either;the ones that left me this year are middle-upper income. Meanwhile, parents are turned away who are dying to get their kids into our program, and would stay with us for the whole 6 years. So I get brand new kindergarteners who are at a much lower level than the others I have had since preK.There is no way to cover all the Montessori lessons in 1 year, especially when you are doing standard course of study as well.

Okay, I feel better. I am sure I will be flamed for complaining, but this has been bothering me since the same thing happened last year.

Marsha

I don't get what the parents' income has to do with it. Are you saying it would be okay/understandable if low income families did it, but not middle-upper income families? The effect on you and your class is the same, right, no matter the income of the families who leave.

I understand your vent, but there's really no way to avoid people leaving. I mean, people also move, and you would have new kids coming in to replace them too, right? Maybe the parents aren't happy with how the Montessori program turned out, or want their kids in a different type of environment, or the same school as a sibling, etc.

Do the other public schools in your area offer free preschool, or just the Montessori one? If it's just the Montessori school that has a free preschool, I think that has a lot to do with your problem. I can kind of understand parents not wanting to pay for full time preschool if your district offers such a great free program.

edited to add, it does sound like a great program and I think it's wonderful that your school district is offering it.

 

[torinsmom]

I don't get what the parents' income has to do with it. Are you saying it would be okay/understandable if low income families did it, but not middle-upper income families? The effect on you and your class is the same, right, no matter the income of the families who leave.

I understand your vent, but there's really no way to avoid people leaving. I mean, people also move, and you would have new kids coming in to replace them too, right? Maybe the parents aren't happy with how the Montessori program turned out, or want their kids in a different type of environment, or the same school as a sibling, etc.

Do the other public schools in your area offer free preschool, or just the Montessori one? If it's just the Montessori school that has a free preschool, I think that has a lot to do with your problem. I can kind of understand parents not wanting to pay for full time preschool if your district offers such a great free program.

edited to add, it does sound like a great program and I think it's wonderful that your school district is offering it.

I would find it more understandable for low income parents, because they may not be able to afford ANY childcare for their child. I have been at the school 2 years now and I have actually never seen a lower income family leave the school after preK. We had one almost leave last year, because the family moved to the other side of town and did not understand that any child in our city can go to our school(it's a magnet school). He just finished kindergarten with us and is doing great!

When kids leave because they are moving, its just unavoidable. The end result is the same, but it doesn't irk me, since they can't control that. Maybe it shouldn't irk me, but it does. I think of the kids who didn't have the opportunity to get in. I also think of all the Montessori lessons that I spent time on with this child, because he will have to learn a whole new way of doing things at the new school. So, I wasted his time and mine, in a way. If I knew they would leave before school started, I would stick to more traditional lessons for these kids. And no, I would not NOT teach them, as I'm sure someone will read into this, I would just teach them in a way that would be more helpful to where they are going.


I believe there are 4-5 other free PreK programs in our district, and I'm sure they have the same problem.

I guess I should just be happy they pull them at the end of PreK. If they pulled them at the end of Kindergarten, the school might choose not to fill those spots. It's harder for a child to fit in to a Montessori classroom after kindergarten. If the spots aren't filled, the school loses money and Lord knows the budget crisis has hit us hard enough.

 

[friend of pooh]

While PreK may be free the rest is not. Perhaps a parents lost their job or the family had some other economic hardship. You don't know what happens in their homes. I went to preschool and K at a Montessori school way back in the dark ages when they were just branching out into the upper grades. I went to public school starting in 1st because my younger sibling was starting preschool and my parents couldn't afford to have us both there.

 

[torinsmom]

While PreK may be free the rest is not. Perhaps a parents lost their job or the family had some other economic hardship. You don't know what happens in their homes. I went to preschool and K at a Montessori school way back in the dark ages when they were just branching out into the upper grades. I went to public school starting in 1st because my younger sibling was starting preschool and my parents couldn't afford to have us both there.

No, the school is a public school and there is no tuition for any level. This is not an economic decision, other than they wanted free preschool.(I am not saying there are not other reasons, just not an economic one)

Marsha

 

[wdwfan16]

I work at a public Montessori school. Because Montessori is based on multi-age classrooms, our school has a PreK program. The PreK program is free and there is a lottery to determine who gets in. Our school is small and we count on parents keeping their children in our school. Because we are Montessori, we don't open enrollment after kindergarten. It is made clear to parents when their child is enrolled that the goal is for the child to continue with our program. We have just started a Montessori middle school for the students to feed into. Great school, great scores, amazing teaching methods.

Anyway, it really irks me when parents put their child's name in the lottery just to get free daycare. We work and work with these kids so they will be prepared for kindergarten the next year and it never fails that 1-2 of the 10 preK's in my class end up going to their base school for K. These are not lower income kids either;the ones that left me this year are middle-upper income. Meanwhile, parents are turned away who are dying to get their kids into our program, and would stay with us for the whole 6 years. So I get brand new kindergarteners who are at a much lower level than the others I have had since preK.There is no way to cover all the Montessori lessons in 1 year, especially when you are doing standard course of study as well.

Okay, I feel better. I am sure I will be flamed for complaining, but this has been bothering me since the same thing happened last year.

Marsha

Maybe they did plan on keeping the kids in the entire program but they were not impressed with the program, did not think the program was best for their kid, their kid did not like it there or a financial problem happened that you are privy to and they had to economize somewhere.

 

[BCDisneyFanatic]

Maybe the parents feel that they have as much right to free preschool as any other parent since they are all paying the same taxes? I'd probably have a bit of a problem with my school district offering free preschool to some students and not for others. I realize that early childhood education is important for the Montessori philosophy, but unless it is offered for all children in the school district then I think the parents should have to pay for it.

 

[torinsmom]

PreK is offered at several schools in the district and they are not all Montessori based. And actually, we don't get ANY money for these students, even from the state or district, so noones taxes are paying for the pre-K program. The preK used to be funded by the state, but now it isn't. The school could decide to just stop the Pre-K program and make the primary classrooms be all kindergarten, but we would prefer to have the preK's so we have at least a 2 year age span. I have only been at the school for 2 years, so maybe I will get used to the kids being pulled out like this.

At my previous school, we had 3-6 year olds. The 3 and 4 year old paid tuition, and then when they were kindergarten aged, they went into the lottery. K-8 was free. Many times when the kids got 5 years old, they didn't make it in the lottery. We would have 10 kids in the lottery and only 1-2 would make it in. Then we would have 8 new kindergarteners and the parents who wanted their kids to stay with us had to find somewhere else for their kids to go to school

Both situations make me sad.

 

[lacrosse_lady72]

Is it possible to do a "deposit" thing where parents would pay/leave a deposit $xxx for the preK and if they continue into K, they are credited the tuition. If not, then the school still gets something.

It could reduce the applicants to people who are at the least, a little serious about their kids attending.

 

[torinsmom]

Is it possible to do a "deposit" thing where parents would pay/leave a deposit $xxx for the preK and if they continue into K, they are credited the tuition. If not, then the school still gets something.

It could reduce the applicants to people who are at the least, a little serious about their kids attending.

There is no tuition for any part of our school program. I do wish there was a way to have parents sign a contract that if they pull their child out after PreK, they have to pay an amount equal to what average tuition in a daycare would be.

Marsha