Does anyone Know about Montessori Schools??

Question

My husband and I are looking to in roll our 2 yr old into a Montessori School. Does anyone know of any good ones in the Spring/Woodlands area? (Texas)

Also does anyone have any thoughts about a Montessori School? Or do you have your child in one? I have been doing some research online, just thought I would get some first hand info from parents.....

I am a stay at home mom and we are looking to put him in one so he can become more social, more interactive. He loves to read and learn about new things and thats why we have chosen a Montessori School setting. It would only be for 2 days out of the week. Also it would give me some time as I am due in 2 weeks with our 2nd.

Thanks for your help!!

Answer 1

My personnel opinion is unless your child likes very regimental guide lines don't do it these children are trained to be extremely independent,eg poor their own juice choose their own activities which at 2 I feel is a little extreme.I think if you are looking more for the social side choose a normal nursery. good luck.

Answer 2

my nephews go to a montessori school in nyc. great school

Answer 3

Don't worry about what the first person said.  Her answer was just incorrect.  I'm sorry if my response sounds a little frustrated.  I continually type the same thing on here to people who claim to have years of experience in childhood education, but are simply completely ignorant of the subject and want to put their own opinions in, despite what is true/false.

"My personnel opinion is unless your child likes very regimental guide lines don't do it"

Do you want to know what the "regimental guidelines" are in Montessori?  Ready for this?  It may take a while to type out.

1)  Respect the people in the environment.

2)  Respect the environment.

Are we really dealing with too many rules in the classroom?  If a classroom cannot have 2 rules to it, what chance do we have in the world?  :-)  (Sorry for the sarcasm.  Just had to address that).

"these children are trained to be extremely independent,eg poor their own juice choose their own activities which at 2 I feel is a little extreme."

Why would it be extreme for a 2 year old to choose his own work?  Don't they naturally do this anyway?  Are children changing to the point that, at 2 or 3 years old, they just sit there until we say, "Now you have to play with this toy."  

Why is pouring your own juice at 2 such a stressful situation for the child if given the proper tools?  Am I missing something?

I'm not sure if you're looking for Toddler or 3-6 Montessori.  Many children are ready before the age of 3 for a 3-6 classroom.  Many are not.  Be sure to consider wisely and discuss it with the director of the school.  They will have a better feel for which environment your child will thrive in.

"I think if you are looking more for the social side choose a normal nursery. good luck."

Think of this from a purely **LOGICAL** level.  This makes no sense whatsoever.  Let me quote Maria Montessori herself on this subject:

"Teachers who use direct methods cannot understand how social behavior is fostered in a Montessori school.  They think it offers scholastic material, but not social material.  They say, 'If the child does everything on his own, what becomes of social life?'  But what is social life if not the solving of social problems, behaving properly, and pursuing aims acceptable to all?  [It is not] sitting side by side and hearing someone else talk....

"The only social life that children get in the ordinary schools is during playtime or on excursions.  Ours live always in an active community."

Not only that, but study after study after study after study (need I say more) rates the social interaction time in a Montessori classroom higher than a traditional classroom, that Montessori children more frequently appealed to logic and discussions to solve problems rather than arguing and fighting and scored higher on social and creativity tests.

What you can expect from Montessori Education is a child that can monitor and control his or her own life (since they do that in a 3 hour cycle every day).  He will start to take responsibility for his environment more.

So if you want something that is more social and more interactive, Montessori is probably the best option.

I don't know where Springs/Woodlands area is in Texas.  Take a look at :

http://www.amshq.org   and

http://www.montessori-ami.org    to see if you can find a school in your area.

Matt

Answer 4

I went through a montessori program as a child through to 3rd grade. Montessori was a wonderful experience for me and I'm sure youre child will love it.

         First I must advise you not to hesitate, enroll your child I am absolutely sure he would love it.

           Once he gets to about first grade, though, make sure he will at least recieve small amounts of homework. Something like a small writind assignment or an addition math worksheet. This may seem a little advanced for a first grader or kindergardener, but actually it is not as it may seem, children in the montessori program learn quickly and easily and with such assignments your child would thrive in the montessori program.

         One last thing you will want to take your child out of montessori after about fourth grade. Montessori is a wonderful program but when middle school comes they wont be ready for anything that comes thir way, especially the bluntness of other childrens crude remarks (in montessori children learn to cooperate peacefully).

         Please take this into consideration.

Answer 5

Hi!

I have sent both my children to a Montessori school that I think is great.   I agree completely with what Matt said abt Montessori approach. This said, still I have found that the average Montessori schools do not strictly follow Montessori approach.

Before I sent my children to this one school, I closely investigated every Montessori btw 10 miles from our place. I found that although they had the Montessori name and material and either Montessori affiliation, in terms of practice they did not followed standards. It was really shocking to find that (at least 8 schools I visited) teachers were not Montessori grads except for the owner. Not only that but I found the teachers to be pushy or tried hard to impress people but care less for the children.

So I strongly recommend that you do a good search as not all "Montessoris" are Montessori schools. Investigate practical areas such as certifications, space, materials: Are teachers trained and certified? Has the school any affiliation with AMS (american montessori society) or IMS (international montessori society). Do teachers attend Montessori workshops regularly? Are they up to date with training and  materials? Is there enough material in classroom for all children? do they have enough space in classroom and outdoors?

And also check on children's behavior. Do children seem happy? Are children working quietly individually? Are teachers being pushy or loud or respectful and soft in their interaction with children?

I was very lucky to find this one school. It was far from my house abt 15 miles. But I was taken by their methodology. In the hour that I took to observe, I noticed that the guides approached children in a very soft and respectful voice (unlike screaming and commanding). The children in the youngest classroom ranged from 2 and half to 4 and each of them was quiet and occupied individually. The thing that struck me most was that 24 children in that young age could actually be quiet and calm. You could actually see them busy and not anxious or frustrated. I knew this was the place I was looking for!

I hope this helps and good luck in your search.

BTW for anyone wondering, the school mentioned is Marimont montessori in Pflugerville TX. Is owned by former public school teachers (Mom and daughters) that were frustrated with the public school system and decided to give something better to the children. I think they are very dedicated and faithful to the Montessori approach.

Answer 6

I work primarily with child care facilities - what someone else here called "normal" nursery school.  I just spent the last two days visiting two Montessori schools in my area.    I must say, I was VERY impressed with the Montessori programs.  

First of all, I loved the "3 Point Plan" - I hope I have that right.  It's a wonderful method of teaching children at their own pace in a way they can easily master.

Secondly, the classrooms are spaciously, logically arranged in an uncluttered, pleasant atmosphere.  All of the pieces of an activity are kept together in a small basket or on a tray and the children can choose what they'd like to do and follow through with that activity for as long as they choose.  When finished, the children put the pieces back in the basket or on the tray and place everything back in the proper location on a shelf.  This is what Matt referred to as respect for the environment (keeping everything together and taking care of everything).

And finally, the children learn something called "grace and peace".  Do I have that right, Matt?  Teachers and children talk to each other in well-modulated tones (no yelling, shouting or frustrated voices) and the children are taught to say please and thank you and to treat each other with respect.

This particular school served children from 2 years of age through fifth grade.  I have to say, after touring these facilities and having some in-depth conversations with their staff, I am interested in pursuing more information regarding the Montessori method.  I have an elementary education degree.  Most of my experience has been in "normal" public schools and "normal" daycares.  What has become "normal" is not always best.

Thanks for educating us, Matt.  To coin a phrase from our youth culture - "Montessori's got it goin' on!"

Answer 7

My son is in a Montessori school and he loves it,  the idea of a 'hands on' approach to schooling appealed to me  as my son as ADHD and at least in a school like this if it doesn't want to do that particular thing then he can go and do another thing that is educational.