Montessori School

[TigerLily]

So originally I was a little bit nervous about starting A in a Montessori school this year, but now I"m thinking it was one of the best decisions that I have ever made. She has been going half days for the last week and she is already noticeably more confident and eager to learn. On the first day she learned how to peel her own banana. I can't believe it never crossed my mind to teach her to peal a banana, but she was so excited and proud it was just awesome.
Anyway, I wanted to share my excitement, and tell you that if you're ever considering a Montessori school and want a positive opinion I've got one for you!!

[v-girl]

That's awesome!

[GrayMatterWife]

On the first day she learned how to peel her own banana. I can't believe it never crossed my mind to teach her to peal a banana, but she was so excited and proud it was just awesome.

Be careful. At preschool, they taught DD#2 (2 yrs old) how to brush her own teeth. She was so excited that she stole all our toothbrushes to practice. In her closet.

Word to the wise: keep your bananas out of her reach.

[TigerLily]

lol! She has been asking for bananas alllllll day every day. They let the kids choose when they have a snack. Which I think it pretty cool. Until the 2nd day of school when she came home and waltzed right into the kitchen, opened the fridge and took out like 5 string cheeses. Not in this house missy!

[ides]

I started O in a montessori based preschool last week. So far he loves it and he isn't bored like he was in the regular preschool in abq.

[niener]

I went to a Montessori school from K-6 and loved it!! Of course that was... well, a few years ago but I'm sure the principles are still the same. It was a great fit for my more self-directed learning style.

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

I went K-5.

I think it's amazing and the self directed nature of the learning teaches incredibly valuable life skills. I'm going to send dd to one if I can afford it.

[ladymoreta]

I was so excited there were two Montessori schools here, but they cost more than twice the other preschools I looked at. I've heard their summer rates are lower, and the preschool we chose doesn't do summers, so maybe I'll do that next year.

[TigerLily]

I was so happy that the tuition was actually less per hour than the church preschool that she went to last year. She was super bored last year. I think I told you all about when I went to meet the teacher for the 3s class and asked what they would be working on this year. She told me color recognition and maybe some letter recognition. Which are things that Ayla already does. I called and took her out of that preschool the next morning and put her on the waiting list for Montessori.

So for you guys who went to Montessori schools during elementary school, how was the transition to a non montessori school? I've read that students usually transition really well and that if there are areas that they are behind on, they quickly catch up because they are so good at learning. Truth?

[SuzySunshine]

I'm reading this with interest, I don't think R is going to do well at a traditional church preschool, I think he will get bored...luckily he can go 1 day a week this year and I can see how it goes before I have to decide.

[niener]

So for you guys who went to Montessori schools during elementary school, how was the transition to a non montessori school? I've read that students usually transition really well and that if there are areas that they are behind on, they quickly catch up because they are so good at learning. Truth?

The transition was difficult for me because of the homework. At my Montessori school, most days I didn't have homework and when I did it maybe took me 30 minutes to complete. When I started my new school, I had hours of homework every night. It was exhausting and took a long time for me to adjust and become more efficient at completing my work in the evenings and on weekends. I think some Montessori schools do schedule homework more frequently than mine did so this isn't the case with all of them. And it will probably also depend largely on where your child is transitioning TO -- I went to a very good private prep school after Montessori where all regular classes were the equivalent of AP classes and they gave more homework than most schools, so I went from one extreme to the other in the homework category.

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

I transitioned in 6th grade to a very academically challenging prep school and had no trouble. In fact, I was so far above grade-level in the majority of subjects that they tried to skip me to 7th grade. My parents (wisely) intervened given that I was small for my age and middle school is not the time to be hanging out with more mature peers than you can handle.

I think what Montessori teaches you are two very important things: 1) how to learn about whatever you're interested in/genuine curiosity and 2) time management. The majority of the day at a Montessori involves "free time" - you have tasks that you have to complete each week (some of which require teacher lessons) but the order in which you do them is completely up to you. Work is checked by a teacher or older children for completeness/accuracy and you're required to correct your mistakes. There are also consequences for not completing that week's work. Think about what this teaches you - you have to do good work, you have to revise work to see where you need to improve/learn more, and you have to manage your time. You can do what you like first or last but you have to do it all. This is 6 year olds learning things that many adults don't know. And older children teach the younger ones so communication and ability to explain things clearly is also emphasized. Plus, as we all know, if you can teach a subject it means you REALLY know it.

I'm obsessed with Montessori. I will likely apply it as home school because it will be too pricey in our area but these principles are definitely what set me up for academic success.

Niener's right about the homework. We didn't have homework unless we hadn't completed our required work so that was definitely a difference. I feel like Montessori cuts out a lot of the busy time spent corralling kids at desks and so the 8 hour day is a lot more effective. I never went to public school though so I can't really comment on that difference.

[TigerLily]

I was in the education program in college and did the majority of my field experience in a Montessori modeled public school. It was amazing what a difference I saw in the kids and in the teachers. And this wasn't even a true montessori school. I could go on for hours about the differences between the kids and environment in the Montessori modeled school and the regular public school. Nothing against public schools, I think they are just fine too. But it seems as though you basically lose the problem of some kids falling behind and some wanting to move ahead and not being able to.
I love hearing about all of your experiences! I really hope that it works out for us, at least for our 3 year old. She has always been really smart and I think this will be fantastic for her. I hope Ansley is going to be smart too....she just crawled into a wall with a blanket over her head.

[ladymoreta]

I hope Ansley is going to be smart too....she just crawled into a wall with a blanket over her head.

LOL!

Okay, so this thread is making me think... Is it really worth about $550 per month for preschool? (DS is about 2.5 years old.) If I decide later, once we're more financially stable, could I just start him in Montessori kindergarten, or would it be too late? I love the philosophy, but that's a huge sticker shock for basically just teaching him to share. He already knows his colors, part of the ABCs, and can count to 10, so I know I can teach him stuff...

[TigerLily]

We do half days 3 days a week and it's $250 I think. I would say if you would be willing/able and if the school offers half days or only a few days a week it would definitely be worth it. But if it's not doable, I don't think Kindergarten would be too late!
For me, the best part is teaching her to love to learn and to learn independently. That is such a great skill that so many people, including myself, don't have!
I took a scientific inquiry class in college, and it was really eye opening, and one of the coolest classes I've ever taken. The difference between a lecture and actually sitting down and doing science was amazing! Our teacher never talked or lectured. He just gave us simple science experiments to do, and we had to figure out how they worked. Of course, it was an education class, not a science class, so most of us really had to put our brains into it! lol!