montessori - feedback wanted

I'm in the process of trying to find a preschool for DS in our new locale, and have been investigating montessori. I'd love feedback from people who love it / hate it / looked into it but decided against - just tell me what you think!

In your area, there are some good ones (we moved from KC last Sept). It is a great environment for children with just about every temperment and social ability. Our son is very...no, VERY social, and thrived with the mixed ages in the classrooms.

The one downfall of this whole ordeal was the director/owner, ran off the teacher(and that is the whole Montessori concept, the teacher and/or helpers). If Little Lambs Montessori, with two locations in Kansas City, is in the running be leary of the director.
Heard great things about Highland Montessori, and Children's Garden... although both had waiting lists that we never got to the top of.
Hope that helps a little...

[fluffhead]

It's heavily dependent on the director/teacher. We love ours. Very flexible, not too narrow on the didactics, but really teaches independence, and our daughter has blossomed there.

[houseelf]

Jenn,

I know that I've been vocal about my satisfaction with DS's montessori, so I hope that you don't find this redundant.

As far as researching a specific school, here is my advice, for whatever it is worth.
First, observe the classroom environment. Ask questions. Ask the head of school for parent references. Besides asking these parents the obvious questions, be sure to ask, "What were you unhappy with" and/or "What could be better?". Read primers on the montessori philosophy. Ask about accreditation. (The term montessori is not trademarked so anyone can hold themselves out as such. ) Ideally, your school should be AMI or AMS.

On a personal level, we were clueless about the pedagogy underlying montessori. Really, we were like, "hmm....is that a subbranch of Catholicism, like the Marinists?" We sent DS to private school because he is our child who will have huge cross country moves, he is on the physically small side, and he has a sweet, loving temperment which could get beat out of him in the cold, hard world. However, we now plan to specifically seek out montessori schools wherever we end up. I am amazed by the confidence, empathy, and independence which I know his school has helped to foster. **Of course, this is ENTIRELY dependent on the staff and the school. There is no substitution for an excellent, dedicated teacher, regardless of the pedagogy. At the end of the day, I think staffing is the single biggest thing to look for in any school.

Best of luck.

Kelly

:

Our 2.5 year old is in a montessori school for daycare. We LOVE her school. The teachers are wonderful and she loves it there.

I do agree with other posters that you should check out the school. The montessori philosophy is very specific, but a lot of schools only use parts of the philosophy so they use the name. Do some research online too - you'll know what to expect when you walk in. And you'll know what kind of questions to ask (depending on what's important to you).