Thoughts on Montessori school

[tchan03]

HI I have 5 months old baby girl. I would like to hear from you on what you think of Montessori school.

I talked to a friend whose kid went to M. school. She said there are sometimes confusion problems. At school kids would proactively explore things and learn things. However back at home,grandparents or even parents tend to spoil the kids and do the things for kids, rather than giving kids lots of time to learn & figure out by themselves.

Q1 If that turns to be case in my case, then i kinda feel like i am wasting $ on sending kids to M. school ,because they won't think like the "Montessori" style anyways. What do you think ?


Q2 Ideally , we would want send our kid to private Montessori school all the way to high school grad, but $ could be an issue.

I heard Montessori studying method will have the biggest impact on children between 2.5 and 6 years old . Did you ever see anyone would send their kids to M school from 2.5 to 6 years old, then send kids to public school from 6 years old onwards ? Let me know...i know i sounds a little seflish(not giving the best to our kid) ...because my wife always said that to me

Thanks
TC

 

[Robinrs]

My niece went to Montessori School of Park Slope Brooklyn. She started when she was 5. She already knew how to read so we wanted to get her in a good private school to keep her skills honed. We found an AMAZING one.

Please note that not all Montessori schools are the same. I've heard good and bad stories. My niece's school was phenomenal. She went till the 9th grade and eventually graduated with honors from Stanford! She had a good start!

 

[agentpleakley]

I don't know if I can answer your questions but both of my children attend a Montessori school.

DS - is in the 7th-8th grade class and DD is in the 6-9 class (1st through 3rd grade). DD started in pre-K and DS didn't start until 2nd grade. IMHO, it is the parents (who were traditionally educated) who will have the hardest time transitioning into the Montessori method. My DS was having a horrible time in a "traditional" school -- within 3 months of attending the Montessori school - we had a different child. The Montessori method works for my children - it will not work for all.

Re: confusion b/w home & school -- well, my kids have no problem not helping out at home compared to having "jobs" at school. I still have to get onto my kids at home to clean their rooms, etc. I wish they had a transition problem from school to home.

The Montessori method is not for every child. It suits my DS perfectly. However, I question the method for DD -- she is only in 1st so I am going to see how she progresses this year. She is not a quiet child in the least.

As for transitioning back into "traditional" school -- well, I will be facing this soon as our school only goes through the 8th grade (for now). However, the past three valedictorians at our college prep magnet school (which will soon be an international baccalaureate school - have been graduates of the Montessori school - so I guess there is not too much of a transition problem.

As for behavior - well - there is a huge difference between my son and his Montessori friends compared to his other public and private traditional school friends.

I don't know if this answered your questions - but feel free to ask me more and I'll try to answer.

 

[Tinkerbelle's Mom]

HI I have 5 months old baby girl. I would like to hear from you on what you think of Montessori school.

I talked to a friend whose kid went to M. school. She said there are sometimes confusion problems. At school kids would proactively explore things and learn things. However back at home,grandparents or even parents tend to spoil the kids and do the things for kids, rather than giving kids lots of time to learn & figure out by themselves.

Q1 If that turns to be case in my case, then i kinda feel like i am wasting $ on sending kids to M. school ,because they won't think like the "Montessori" style anyways. What do you think ?


Q2 Ideally , we would want send our kid to private Montessori school all the way to high school grad, but $ could be an issue.

I heard Montessori studying method will have the biggest impact on children between 2.5 and 6 years old . Did you ever see anyone would send their kids to M school from 2.5 to 6 years old, then send kids to public school from 6 years old onwards ? Let me know...i know i sounds a little seflish(not giving the best to our kid) ...because my wife always said that to me

Thanks
TC

Hi! I sent my dd now 7 to montessori for several years before putting her in public school. I loved it! The program is wonderful. It is important to really look at the physical setting of the school. One of the key ideas behind montessori education is the idea of a prepared enviroment. Everything should be neatly organized and easy for the kids to access. Activites are set up around the room in a very purposeful manner and will change as the year progresses and skills of the kids progress.

At my dds school she was able to progress to higher level activites that students in the upper grade was working on.

The kids are free to work on what ever interests them. The idea behind this is that the kids will naturally progress through activities. My dd did wonderful in this setting.

I took her out because her dad and I divorced and I moved to another state. The montessori school here had a waiting list two years long so I put her in the public school. In some areas she is ahead of her clasmates and in others she is at grade leve. I think as long as parents are active in thier kids education then they are giving them the best possible. I could snd my dd to a private school but I would have to work nonstop to be able to afford to as a single parent. I feel in her case that the public school is an awesome school with great teachers and a great envirnoment. I wold rather be very involved at her public school then have to work so much to send her to a private school where I would hardly see her grow up because I would be working so much to pay for that school!

The only problem in transferring from montessori to public is that a public school is much more regimented. Students in a montessori school are not taught to sit at a desk and take lessons from a teacher the way tings are done in a public school and that can be rough for some kids when making hte switch. My dd did fine with this.

HTH!!

 

[Planogirl]

It's strange but the Montessori school we tried was VERY regimented and strict. I only found out later that this wasn't the norm.

I can't stress enough to do your homework and thoroughly check out the school. They vary a lot from what I understand.

 

[koalababy]

You definitely need to go to the school and take a tour and speak with the director. Montessori is great, but it's not for everyone. And yes, it may not be worth it if you are going to "unlearn" at home what your child learns at school. It's a very different philosophy than the "norm". And it can be difficult to carry out at home.

 

[lillielil]

I heard Montessori studying method will have the biggest impact on children between 2.5 and 6 years old . Did you ever see anyone would send their kids to M school from 2.5 to 6 years old, then send kids to public school from 6 years old onwards ? Let me know...i know i sounds a little seflish(not giving the best to our kid) ...because my wife always said that to me

I was a Montessori kid from 2 to 6 only, and went to public school after that. It was frustrating at first because I was pretty far ahead of the other kids in some things (I was doing long division when they were working on counting), but it evened out because my family moved to Germany when I was 6 so I was doing everything in a completely foreign language! I ended up being moved up a grade, which was both good and bad.

I definitely don't have any problems with the education I received. I went to terrible South Carolina public schools from grade 3 through 12, but was always encouraged to learn outside of school as well. I think more than anything, my early Montessori education gave me a thirst for knowledge and an "I can figure this out myself!" attitude. I think my parents would have preferred to continue Montessori school, but the local one was actually worse than the local public schools. Make sure the school you're looking at follows the real method, and isn't just using the name.

 

[Angelhalo]

My friend was just wandering through my office on her way back from lunch. I know that her son goes to Montessori school. He is I think 1.5 years old. She said her feelings are that it is AWESOME for little kids. She wouldn't put her kids anywhere else. his older brother went there and now he does. BUT, she said that once they get into the pre-school age, she takes them out. She said she doesn't agree with their way of running the school. She doesn't like how the kids basically just do whatever they want to do all day so you never really know if they are actually learning anything or not. If you're in the middle of doing math and you decide you want to go outside and play, then you just get up and go. no permission needed.

So anyhoo, apparently thats how the montessori here in this particular area runs. She says its great for baby/toddler/daycare age, but that after that she puts them somewhere else where its more structured.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

I agree that not all Montessori schools are the same. Some follow the Montessori principles very strictly, some less so.

One example: Montessori philosophy believes that children get the most out of their education when multiple age groups are in the same classroom, with older children teaching and leading the younger ones by example, and in turn the older ones learn to help and be more patient, etc. In my state, children too far apart in age aren't even allowed to be assigned to the same room. One school we attended separated the kids by age/ability (a child ages/develops into the next class), the other had multiple classrooms with a larger age range in it (ie. 5 classrooms of 3 - 5yos.)

Both my sons attended a Montessori school/daycare from the age of 3 months. My older son attended until he began kindergarten at a public school. He had a wonderful, close group of friends at the Montessori school and was a very confident little boy. When we had birthday parties at different venues around town, the staff at the site always, always commented on what a well-behaved group of kids we had. They were taught to be cooperative, to be kind, to help one another and be respectful. Watching the kids' and teachers' interactions taught me a lot about positive parenting techniques.

When DS7 was beginning kindergarten, I quit my job to stay home with the kids, and my younger son (1yo at the time) stopped attending the Montessori school/daycare. My older son had a bit of a rough transition to kids who were rude or mean without consequences, and struggled for about 3 weeks, begging me to send him back to his Montessori school and friends. I think this sort of transition might be hard for any child who went to a daycare his whole life and then suddenly went to kindergarten, so I am certainly not saying it's a Montessori thing.

He's now entering 3rd grade and doing very well in all subjects. He is still a bit shy and quiet at school, but has many friends and is well liked. The Montessori experience was a very positive one, and I am very glad we chose well back then.

My younger son is now 4yo, and attending a Montessori preschool. This school follows the Montessori principles more closely than the previous school, in general is more business-like, and less friendly and touchy-feely, IMO. To be honest, if I'd had the option of returning to the other school for part-time preschool, I would have done so. However, this school came highly recommended by the other, and we do like his teachers and he is doing well there. This son will also attend public school beginning Fall 2009.

One more thing: At our previous Montessori school, at least half the children wind up going to public school. The teachers advised us to let them know when that would take place (kindergarten or first grade), and they would help prepare the child for transition. Basically, some children have a harder time transitioning from a classroom where they have free reign to do as they wish to a more strictly scheduled room, so the teachers change their methodology a bit with those kids who are moving on.

 

[Mahnahmahnah]

I don't have experince of my child going to one yet - but I will tell you this: Please go there and meet with the person who runs it and meet the teachers. Every school is different.

I was an office manager and ambassador of my office and used to attend Chamber of Commerce meetings. For those that don't know - you basically just sit there and eat, drink coffee and listen to two people from different businesses who belong to the Chamber. Sometimes it was like this

One week it got exciting: they announced that "Hippie Woman" from the Montessori School would be discussing her school. OMG - . She was the total essence of hippie, and she was very animated using her hands to make a circle around the earth, and how the mushrooms in the ground speak to the earth, and the stars communicate with the sea and we all will become one with Mother Earth................. I'm now picturing kids sitting around a hookah

It was wierd because she never mentioned about how the kids are taught, what subjects they learn, or how they teach the ABC's or 123's. Or how her school was better than public school. Nada. Just very strange hippy talk. It just turned me off.

I never did learn exactly what a Montessori School was about from her - so I just assumed it was a hippie school. I know better know.

On the other hand- one of my friends has their DD in one and she is so smart! She is VERY polite, respectful, she is even very mature for her age.

 

[rentayenta]

All 3 of my children went to Montessori school through Kinder. I couldn't be happier with our experiences. It was costly but worth it.

 

[Tink&SquirtsMom]

My kids attend a public Montessori charter school. Our school is 8 years old and has become the model for many other public (no cost) Montessori schools that have opened locally (I think we have about 8 of these schools in the area now). In fact this year we are opening in a gorgeous new campus that was built with grant money we won for being a model charter, 1 of 2 charter schools chosen from the whole state to get this.

It is not a "true" Montessori in that it also has to meet state standards to maintain public funding, but the school does try to adhere to the Montessori philosphy as much as possible. The kids have to maintain a minimum of state standards and can go as far above and beyond as they are capable. They do have to finish their work daily. They are given their list of jobs and those are expected to be completed by the end of the day. Now if they want to spend 2 hours on just one job, or stop a job to go have a snack, they can do that. But again they must still complete all their work. Work is not considered complete until it is 100% correct.

I will say our school is the oddest mix of kids I have ever seen in a public school classroom. By far the majority of kids are those who couldn't cut it in traditional school for whatever reason. We have an exceptional number of profoundly gifted children, and an exceptional number of children with learning disbilities. Whereas traditional classrooms may just have one or two gifted kids and one or two struggling, our classrooms are made up of these kids and "average" kids (who typically fare very well at our traditional public schools here) are the rarity. It makes for an interesting class. But its also very positive for lots of kids who could have had social issues in traditional school. The gifted kids have no shortage of kids who "get" them. And due to the mixing of abilites and age groups the learning disability kids aren't lumped in with low-achieving groups (as my dd had been before) and therefore have much higher expectations of themselves.

My kid is one of the ones with a learning disabilty. She is ADHD and dyslexic and the school just fits her so well. She went from far below grade level, to at or exceeding in every subject. The one-on-one teaching aspect, use of manipulatives, movement around the classroom is phenomenal for her. But by far the biggest difference was that she wasn't moved to the next thing until she truly got the last thing. In traditional school she would struggle with the core knowledge and they would just move on (as they had too since the majority of other students were ready) leaving her in the dust and totally lost on all the building blocks from that core concept. Here she takes as much times as she needs to build that core knowledge then just flys through the other stuff.

As far as outside of the school, we noticed a dramatic difference in my dd at home. She went to traditional school from preschool through k, and has been in this school for 2 years now. She keeps her room spotless (this began about 2 months after starting to attend Montessori, and has kept up for at least a year and a half now) and really takes pride in doing things herself. Her overall attitude has changed alot from "I can't do this" to "I need to practice harder or find a new way to do this." Now my son who is 6, been Montessori for one year and would probably be considered an "average kid" I haven't seen any of that, his rooms still thrashed as ever, and he will still try and find every possible way to get out of actually having to work. So who knows! I did notice a major difference in the attitudes and abilities of the Montessori v. non-Montessori kids when my dd had a slumber party earlier this month. She had about 10 girls half Montessori and half not. I had never noticed it before but having the two groups of kids together for an extended period I would say the Montessori kids had overall much better attitudes, and were far more independant. That could also just be the specific kids involved though too, but I know her school really focuses on pride of accomplishment and things like manners, proper attitude, etc which our traditional public schools do not.

Overall, I would say it completely depends on the kid. While it has improved my dd's school experience dramatically, I really question if its right for my son. He pushes every boundary and I think he may do better in the more structured traditional school. I'm going to give him one more year and see. Also the particular school and how they apply the Montessori philosphy will make a big difference too.

 

[southernbohemian]

I had two friends in college who both attended Montessori. One day we were talking about learning to drive and they both told of how directions used to bother them because until then they didn't know their left from their right. ***??? They were from two different areas and schools, but the common thread was that they had both went to Montessori schools when they were younger and had just never learned right from left. I think that this is a basic building block. It made me doubtful of what other things they might have missed out on. Yes, they were both very intelligent, and their love of learning might have stemmed from the Montessori experience. However, I have never really trusted the system since then, and I was a big fan of it when I first read about it since I do feel as if I learned a lot just from being around my older sister, which is a core principal of the school.

 

[diznygirl]

You definitely need to check whether the school indeed teaches on Montessori principals or if it is just a glorified daycare with the Montessori name.

I have noticed with some Montessori students that they don't deal with authority very well. Since they are allowed to "do what they want" at school, they feel it extends into other aspects of their lives. The respect just isn't there. Please sit in on a few classes before deciding on whether it is right for your child.

 

[Wishing on a star]

I think that, as another poster has mentioned, that you really need to take a good look at this particular school, and how things are done there.

Secondly, I feel that this type of approach, like anything else, may be wonderful for some children, and disastrous for others!!!

Personally, for my son, who does have a disability and some learning issues, the typical Montesorri type of approach would probably not have worked at all. NOTE: Many children actually thrive on structure and direct instruction... For many children, this is what they need.

And, also, on the other hand, I have to wonder if some typical Montessori situations would demand more maturity and more developed Executive Function abilities than what many children have aquired at the given age. With my son's situation, he requires a LOT of 'direction'.

Personally, if I were to look into Montesorri, I would be interested in this while the child is younger. (when they are not mature enough for all of the 'structure' and demands.) And, then probably move into a more traditional style of education. Many advocates say that we expect this type of structured 'classroom' type of instruction/learning way to early, before children are developmentally ready to handle it.
If you like this school, by all means, go ahead and enroll your daughter while she is young. That does not mean that you are committed for life...

Overall, you really need to take your child's personal needs and strengths and learning styles into account. (when she is a bit older)

And, again, you really need to take a close look into this particular school.

 

[Tinkerbelle's Mom]

You definitely need to check whether the school indeed teaches on Montessori principals or if it is just a glorified daycare with the Montessori name.

I have noticed with some Montessori students that they don't deal with authority very well. Since they are allowed to "do what they want" at school, they feel it extends into other aspects of their lives. The respect just isn't there. Please sit in on a few classes before deciding on whether it is right for your child.

In defense of montessori there are many non-montessori students who don't deal well with authority either!

Yes kids in Montessori schools are allowed to "do what they want" but.... it is in an extremely prepared enviroment. Each and every object in that environment is designed to help them learn a skill or subject.

You do make a good point about making sure the school really follows the principals out lined in the Montessori Method. If the school is true to the prinicipals then the staff and teachers are well trained in the methods and your child will learn.

My dds montessori school produced very respectful kids. The kids at a true montessori school are taught to respect thier environment. Lunch time is an event with a properly set table and good manners. The kids (even at the pre school level) are required and expected to help set the table, participate in lunch time discussions, and help clean up. The teachers do not follow the kids around cleaning up after them the kids have to clean up for themselves.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

There are two more points I'd like to make.

First, I don't want anyone to go away with the impression that a Montessori school allows the children to run wild all day long. Quite the opposite is true. At our school/daycare, there was indoor playtime, circle time, school work time, outdoor playtime, lunch time, and guest speakers/performers' time. If it were indoor playtime, the children were required to stay indoors, but allowed to work with any material in the classroom they wished. The classroom had Montessori manipulatives as well as toys (which is not typical of a more stringent Montessori.) The Legos or Marble Run or other toys could be used only during play time. If a child were too antsy during circle time, they might be invited to find a quiet educational activity of their choosing so that the rest of the class could focus on circle time.

In searching for a daycare for my first child, I toured two daycares back to back. The first was a Learning World (chain), and the place was very chaotic, children running everywhere and loud! When I walked through the facility, the toddler class teacher (young, ill with a cold and coughing all over the children) spent the majority of the 10 mins. I observed her yacking on the phone and ignoring her young students. I was horrified.

The Montessori school was a night-and-day difference. All classrooms (Infant through 1st Grade) were calm and quiet. In the infant room classical or other soothing music played, and the babies were on the floor and so were the teachers, playing with them. Some students worked alone or with a classmate or teacher. The teachers praised the students a they worked and listened to any of the children's concerns. No raised voices, no one upset, no one running rampant. In the toddler class the teachers had just set a low table with snacks, and these one year olds calmly walked over and took their seats, ate their snacks without making an enormous mess, then cleaned up their place setting and pushed in their chairs before heading to play outdoors. I was stunned that children so young could be so orderly and self sufficient! They were even taught how to put their coats on by themselves by laying it out on the floor and sliding their arms into it.

We've bumped into three of DS' former classmates from daycare in the past year, and two of them are in the gifted program for our school district, and my son and the other child are both ahead of the curve in regular classrooms. I do believe the Montessori program gave these kids an interest and love of learning, and basic tools to help them throughout their schooling.

The focus of Montessori really is to make the child as independent, self sufficient and self disciplined as possible. While I like the general idea, and agree with most of the principles, I do not agree with all. For instance, strict Montessori teaching requires that a teacher not comfort a child who's been injured, reasoning that the child will learn to self-comfort and be more independent. They also do not show affection unless the child asks/invites it. Personally, I'd rather my child had a teacher who showed affection and gave comfort if he was obviously upset.

Secondly, the comment by a PP with two acquaintances who did not learn left from right in a Montessori setting is just mind-boggling to me. I think I learned my left from right at home, not at school, but I never attended a preschool. I assure you my older son (nearly 8yo) knows his left from his right, and I'm fairly sure my younger son (4yo) does as well. I doubt a lack of knowledge has to do with Montessori teaching. In fact, I have seen a wooden puzzle in DS4's (more strict Montessori) classroom that shows left and right hands and counts the finger of each.

I would encourage anyone interested in a Montessori school to read up on Maria Montessori's philosophy and methodology, paying particular attention to what you agree with and do not agree with or have questions about. Then take your questions to a school and find out how strictly they follow those, and how and why. I would not discount a school just because it did not adhere strictly to Montessori teaching. Very few if any can follow Montessori 100% due to state laws. I would not be interested in a school that followed strict Montessori principles. What matters to me most is that their principles and practices align with what is important to me for my children.

 

[GirTheGecko]

I went to a Montessori school from pre-k to second grade. I had a mostly fabulous experience and benefited from some aspects of the teaching methods. But I was supposed to learn another language from a nun who was never patient enough since I had some issues (deaf in left ear, speech problems). It was bad enough to eventually drive me away from her. But, I would love the opportunity to send my child (if I had one) to there. I was still way ahead of my class on many thing, but never got a hold of that language thing.