Anyone who is an expert tell me what are the disadvantages of a montessori schoo?

Question

Anyone who is an expert tell me what are the disadvantages of a montessori schoo?

Answer 1

I have worked in many Montessori schools and have talked with countless parents and teachers about Montessori. Generally speaking, in a well-run school, there are few problems. That means, however, that the school has to do a very good job educating parents about what Montessori is to help the parents better understand what is happening, why it is happening, and what to expect.

Often times, parents do not know much about Montessori and put their child in a Montessori school, just expecting some miracle to happen and their child become this great reader/math person/etc. When they find Montessori is not really about competition to see who is the best, many parents feel dissatisfied with Montessori.

There is also the problem that there are many schools that claim to be Montessori and are not. This is the biggest complaint I see. I even see it from parents that do not realize they are not in a Montessori classroom. I remember one lady in a message board saying she didn't like all the worksheets the Montessori school is giving her daughter. When asked more in depth questions, it ends up the school barely even had any of the materials. It said "Montessori" in their borchure, but clearly wasn't. Or you might hear of teachers using poor discipline techniques that are counter to Montessori philosophy.

There also may be the fact of a wonderful teacher, a wonderful school, a parent that is on board with Montessori, the children like it, but there is just something not working well and it's just not meshing. That just happens sometimes without a real reason that can be identified.

So there are a wide variety of situations that can be problems in a Montessori school. The question of the methodology seems ideal if parents are supportive of it. (It often contradicts many parent's philosophies, so it is not necessarily an ideal match for everyone). Whether it's carried out perfectly is another question.

I hope I helped! If you have a specific question about your school or about the philosophy, ask in here. I do a search for "Montessori" on a regular basis and, if it's in the subject line, I'll likely see your question.

Matt