Montessori School

[RachelEllen]

We're thinking of enrolling our daughter in a Montessori presschool. Does anyone have any experiences with Montessori they'd be able to share?

 

[AKL_Megs]

What exactly would you like to know? I have a friend who's kids go to a Montessori, and I get to hear about it all the time...

 

[Tinkerbelle's Mom]

I sent my dd to a Montessori preschool and pre k. We both loved it.

The montessori classrooms are put together in a very specific way. Each "toy" or activity has a purpose of some kind.

There is a great deal of information on line about the Montessori teaching method and how and why the classrooms are the way they are.

 

[AKL_Megs]

My friends kids are 5 and 6, so what I can tell you is for that age group.

The do a LOT of hands on. Like, a square red bucket is filled with blue water, and a round blue bucket is filled with red water. What is blue here? What is red here? What in nature is red? What in nature is blue? What in nature is round? What in nature is square? Where do we find water? What happens if we mix the red water and the blue water in a purple bucket? Will the water color match the bucket?

Her 6-year-old knows more countries than me, I think! They study countries and everything about them. What do people wear in Russia? In Germany?

 

[Tinkerbelle's Mom]

My friends kids are 5 and 6, so what I can tell you is for that age group.

The do a LOT of hands on. Like, a square red bucket is filled with blue water, and a round blue bucket is filled with red water. What is blue here? What is red here? What in nature is red? What in nature is blue? What in nature is round? What in nature is square? Where do we find water? What happens if we mix the red water and the blue water in a purple bucket? Will the water color match the bucket?

Her 6-year-old knows more countries than me, I think! They study countries and everything about them. What do people wear in Russia? In Germany?

So true, . One summer camp they "went to" France. I heard more about it than I had when I took French in high school.

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

This was the best money I ever spent ($500 each month).
My daughter learned so much through all of the different stations that were set up in the classroom. She became such an independent person-and still continues to be today (10 years later). Some of the activities that were taught were so advanced...I was surprised at what kids could learn at such a young age!

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Montessori schools can vary, and you really should look at the specific school to see if it seems like a good fit for your child. Our youngest currently attends one, it's a perfect fit for him, my older 3 attended "regular" preschools and did just fine with them.

Montessori tends to be very self-directed, which is good for some children. They choose what they work on, they choose when they want snack and help themselves, etc. Where this doesn't work so well is, if a child never chooses to, say, do fine motor--nobody will "make" them, so they can end up starting K with those deficits. A regular preschool might have the whole class practice writing their name each morning. So, it's really important to fit the preschool to the child.

If you have specific questions about Montessori, I can answer them, but I strongly recommend you check out the school and see for yourself if it seems like the right place for your child. Seriously--when I took DS3 in for a visit, I was ready to enroll him on the spot, and they would have taken him--it was just that obvious thaat he belonged there.

 

[RachelEllen]

Thanks for all the feedback so far.

Our daughter is only a year old! So its hard to know what is a good fit. I have to go back to work full time at the end of this year, so we need a daycare/preschool that takes young 2's/18 monthers for 5 days a week. It actually wasn't that easy to find an affordable, 5 day option for a child under 2. (She misses the GA school cut-off by 2 weeks) And most of the daycare options I just didn't find that appealing.

I found this place because its attached to a local synagoge, and its the only synagoge program in our area that has a 5 days program for 2's. Because she is so close to the cut-off, if she is ready, they will progress her to the true "Montessori" program next year (The 3-5 room)

So, it wasn't like we sought out Montessori. But, the director spend a few hours with us discussing things, and it sounds really appealing. She was the one behind changing the preschool program to Montessori in the first place, and she is quite passionate about it. I've read some online about it. But I was curious about real world experiences. (Especially any 2 year old experience. I'm not sure how "Montessori" the 2 year old room can be, but I'm curious)

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Can't help you on the 2yo room. However, on the Disney for Families board, there happens to be another thread on Montessori. Justhat has had her kids in Montessori since they were 18mo, and could give you a ton of information. She's really nice, and she posted over there about some of her experiences.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2299277

That's the link. Good luck in your search.

 

[DawnCt1]

We're thinking of enrolling our daughter in a Montessori presschool. Does anyone have any experiences with Montessori they'd be able to share?

My two oldest attended a traditional Montressori school from preschool, with the oldest one staying until 3rd grade, and the younger one completing K. Montessori is NOT for every child. If you have active children who need to have their time structured, Montessori is not for them. Early childhood education involved a lot of "table scrubbing"; it defined borders and a complete task. Academic learning was often at their own pace. The alphabet was taught by "sounds" of letters, not by names. The Montessori School that my DSs attended were run by nuns. Most were nice; Sr. F was mean. Montessori DID NOT prepare either of them for the structure of public school. In public school there is a beginning, and middle and an end to a task. Montessori doesn't "impose" those limits. Girls tend to fare better and sometimes thrive in that environment. Boys, not so much.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Actually, Dawn, it really depends on the boy! For my younger son, it is, indeed, a perfect fit. However, he is very task-oriented and calm. It cracks us up--he's our little engineer, always taking things apart. Dh and I are both engineers, out of our 4, he's the only one where it's 100% obvious that he got the engineering gene. OTOH, Montessori would have been a disaster for our older son. As you said, he needs structure and really had to learn to sit still, wait his turn, etc. Also, he's super stubborn, and would have outright refused to try new activities and stuff.

My girls would have been fine in Montessori, but we didn't live near a good school until this year. But, I really think it's something that parents have to look at the school and the child, and see if the environment is right.

 

[luvsJack]

Like someone else said, different schools can vary. Through early childhood classes that, as a director, I was required to attend; I met one of the pre-K teachers at our local Montessori school. Sadly, there is no way I would want her to teach my child. She just didn't not understand childhood development at all.

Apparently, from some of the things she said her classroom was extremely structured. She had a really hard time understanding the centers, games and free play type things the rest of us did in our centers. She said several times that in her classroom, a block is a block it cannot be a compact in a girl's dress up purse (our kids would find things in the classroom to go along with whatever make believe game they were playing)

Art was really hard for her. For instance, in her classroom the child colored the picture and the sky had to be blue, the grass green and the flowers red, yellow, etc. In a developmentally appropriate classroom, first off you shouldn't have a "picture to color" the child should have the materials to draw a picture (or make one with clay or glued on paper or whatever) and the sky can be purple with pink polka dots if the child wants it to be. Its supposed to be about the process not about the finished product and about what the child wants the product to be.

I would assume that this teacher was not the norm for Montessori as I have heard many good things about these schools. I would think that, just like with any other preschool, you need to make sure that your child's teacher teaching methods, ideas and goals match what you want for your child.

 

[torinsmom]

I am Montessori certified, as well as NC state certified, but I have always worked with 3-6 year old, not toddlers. One thing important to note is that not every school with "Montessori" in their name is accredited my a Montessori organization, such as the American Montessori Society(AMS) or the Association Montessori Internationale(AMI). You should also make sure that the teachers have Montessori certification. Just having some of the materials and the name does not make the school a true Montessori school.

Montessori classrooms are very hands-on. The classroom is set up to be child friendly, with everything at the child's level and the right size for a child. The children are encouraged from a very young age to be as independent as possible. Many people think that Montessori is chaos and that children are allowed to do whatever they like. This is not the case. The children are given lessons on "works" and are expected to be respectful of the materials as well as each other. We believe in "freedom within limits".

While we do follow a "follow the child" method of teaching, most Montessori teachers are very good at encouraging children to work on all their skills. If a child is avoiding one area, there is usually a reason for it. We do lots of observation and find ways to make that area fun for the child in question. If all else fails, the teacher will say "Come on, Abby; I'd like to give you a lesson on this".

As far as Montessori not being for every child, that is true. Some children need more structure, with every student doing the same thing at the same time. I think this becomes more evident as the child reaches school age.

OP, just go and observe and see if you think the school will fit your child's personality. My son was in Montessori from 4 years old-8th grade and really thrived there!

Marsha

 

[DawnCt1]

Actually, Dawn, it really depends on the boy! For my younger son, it is, indeed, a perfect fit. However, he is very task-oriented and calm. It cracks us up--he's our little engineer, always taking things apart. Dh and I are both engineers, out of our 4, he's the only one where it's 100% obvious that he got the engineering gene. OTOH, Montessori would have been a disaster for our older son. As you said, he needs structure and really had to learn to sit still, wait his turn, etc. Also, he's super stubborn, and would have outright refused to try new activities and stuff.

My girls would have been fine in Montessori, but we didn't live near a good school until this year. But, I really think it's something that parents have to look at the school and the child, and see if the environment is right.

You could have been describing DS#2 who did fine in Montessori. He in fact did become an engineer. The Montessori school that two of our DSs attended continued through 6th grade. Those children who did continue had some difficulty adjusting to the pace of public school. They were used to working at their own pace and adjusting to the pace of a large classroom took some effort. Part of the problem DS#1 had was the departure of his favorite teacher; Sister J. She left the order and eventually got married. She was replaced by Sister F who was a very rigid, punitive person, despite her young age. I brought one little girl in my car pool home in tears. The children were making a flower for Mother's Day. "B" did not color it the way she was advised and Sr.F tore it up and said, "How does it feel not to have a gift for your mother on Mother's Day. THIS behavior was extremely UN-MONTESSORi, but sadly the principal of the school did nothing about it, as she did nothing about alot of the behavior that Sr. F engaged in. A lot of families left that year including us.

 

[torinsmom]

If you can find a Montessori school that goes through middle school, it is really helpful for the transition to traditional school, or at least it was in my son's case. The 7th and 8th grade was very much like a high school classroom, with lectures and grades. Many Montessori schools go through 6th grade, and I imagine the transition to 7th is a hard one. If you are not able to find a Montessori school that has a middle school, I would transition my child at the beginning of middle school.

There are many public and charter Montessori schools popping up these days. I worked at a charter Montessori for 9 years and this is my second year at a public Montessori. To me, it is the best of both worlds. We use Montessori materials to help teach the standard course of study. The state can see we are doing a good job because our test scores are great. I also like the ethnic and socioeconomic diversity vs. a private Montessori. If the number of kids applying for our lottery spots is any indication, parents love the school too.

Marsha

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

You could have been describing DS#2 who did fine in Montessori. He in fact did become an engineer. The Montessori school that two of our DSs attended continued through 6th grade. Those children who did continue had some difficulty adjusting to the pace of public school. They were used to working at their own pace and adjusting to the pace of a large classroom took some effort. Part of the problem DS#1 had was the departure of his favorite teacher; Sister J. She left the order and eventually got married. She was replaced by Sister F who was a very rigid, punitive person, despite her young age. I brought one little girl in my car pool home in tears. The children were making a flower for Mother's Day. "B" did not color it the way she was advised and Sr.F tore it up and said, "How does it feel not to have a gift for your mother on Mother's Day. THIS behavior was extremely UN-MONTESSORi, but sadly the principal of the school did nothing about it, as she did nothing about alot of the behavior that Sr. F engaged in. A lot of families left that year including us.

Yeah, she doesn't sound like a good teacher, period. Not one of my children's teachers would have been so rigid and cruel. And not every teacher has been stellar, but none was like that.

Too funny about your engineer--ours just cracks us up, because even at 3, you can see that everything in life is a puzzle to be solved. He doesn't cry if you hide the cookies--he figures out how to find them!

 

[deva]

In public school there is a beginning, and middle and an end to a task. Montessori doesn't "impose" those limits.

My mom taught in a "regular" Pre-K and commented on how difficult it was to transition the Montessori kids to the next activity etc. I think they do quite a bit at their own pace in Montessori, so being on a "planned" activity schedule was tough.

 

[torinsmom]

My mom taught in a "regular" Pre-K and commented on how difficult it was to transition the Montessori kids to the next activity etc. I think they do quite a bit at their own pace in Montessori, so being on a "planned" activity schedule was tough.

If your mom taught Pre-K, when were these kids in Montessori? Some children just naturally have difficulty with transitions, and that would seem more likely to me. Also, they may have been bored if everyone was doing the same thing at once, since we are all individuals. I have always been told that kids from Montessori are independent thinkers, which teachers seem to love.

I can't speak for all Montessori classrooms, but we do have structure in our classroom. The children are allowed to pick their own "work", but when it is time to go to specials or recess, we ring the bell and they clean up. The kids are working at their own level, which is a great thing. It means that little Susie, who doesn't know her numbers 1-10 can work on those, while little Michael, who knows 1-100 can do simple additions, and little Amy, who is advanced, can build and add 4 digit numbers. They are all engaged and learning.

Right now, our district is making us use a math curriculum where the kids are all doing the same lesson at the same time. Sorry, but it REALLY sucks to see kids sitting there who do NOT get it, because they are not ready for the concept and kids sitting there who are so beyond the topic that they are BORED. THen there are a few that the lesson is appropriate for. Each child is different, and I like to challenge them at their own level. I stuffed this mandated math into a 30 minute slot at the end of the day. During our long morning work cycle, my kids are working at their own level, and to some extent, at their own pace. It does take longer to do the hundred board than it does to count objects 1-10, you know?

Sorry, but I am a little defensive about Montessori. You really have to see the philosophy in practice to even begin to understand it. My kids love school and are already making such progress this year. One of the Montessori quotes I love is "Teach me to teach myself", and that is one of the things I love to do each day.

Marsha