How do we make this decision?

Question

We're having trouble deciding on a preschool route for our child. I'm a Montessori teacher and would love my child to be in a Montessori environment. He'll definitely be in a French Montessori school when he starts Kindergarten.

However, I also speak German at home with him and would love him to be enrolled in the German preschool here. When he starts Kindergarten, he can also go to German Saturday school. My other option is to put him into an English Montessori preschool. I wish there was a German Montessori preschool here, but just the fact that we have a mainstream German preschool is a big deal! I would just like for him to have a chance to speak German with more people than just me.

So, it's between German mainstream preschool or English Montessori preschool. Either way, he'll be in French Montessori starting in Kindergarten.

Thank you! This is a tough choice and I don't know how to make it. We feel like our decision will be the basis of his school career and could have a huge impact. I appreciate any help or your own experiences on how you decided which preschool to put your children in.

Answer 1

When our girls were small we moved A LOT and went through many preschools. In your case I would encourage you to take the German language issue out of the equation and just think about the quality of the school. Here is my rationale for why: You are already speaking German with your child at home. If the german school is the better quality school your child will enjoy his year there and some of those good feelings will be associated subconsciously with the German part of it. You will have the same effect (with opposite consequences) if he perceives the German school as unpleasant - he will associate that unpleasantness with the language. In the scheme of things a year in German preschool will not have as much effect on his ability to speak the language as the other things you are doing for him. So in summary, I would just forget that one school has German and send him to the place where he will have the most fun. If that is the German school, so much the better. On the other hand, if you are convinced the children at the German school are happy and your son will enjoy it there (even if the other school is perhaps marginally better) then I would go for it. My wife and I had a horrible experience at one Montessori method school (although we have used other Montessori schools that were excellent) and a great experience at several non-Montessori schools, so I think you really have to evaluate each school on an individual basis.

Answer 2

This is a very personal decision. I really can't tell you what would be best for your family because you know him and your family best.

If German is the only language or main language spoken in the home then I would think he would benefit most from a German speaking Montessori in his early preschool years. I would suggest that you wouldn't likely want to put him into a situation in which his Montessori peers will alienate him because he has a much more limited language ability then the other kids due to him not getting the same exposure to the language outside of preschool. The other children in his preschool are going to naturally gravitate to other children that are more socially and lingually mature, not more educational intelligent (It is easier for kids this age to play with kids they can more easily understand).

It also depends on what the purpose of learning this language is in particular. If he will be visiting throughout his lifetime with German speaking relatives then getting some good foundational understanding of the language is essential. If the household function of learning the German language is more of a novel one (for instance, opening possible vacation or business related travel destinations for him when he is an adult) then I think it is more important that he has attends a school with the language he is most accustom to at this time.

Would you prefer his early preschool experience to be more socially enjoyable but less educational or would you rather have him use the benefits of his early years to possibly get a more concrete grasp of the German language but run a much higher risk of being isolated from his preschool peers? There are benefits from each approach. Taking advantage of the brains ability to absorb language at this age could be a fantastic one but may end up being fruitless if the German he learns in preschool is not used regularly for the next 15 years. Choosing to send him to an English speaking Montessori will ensure that he will receive the foundational tools to learn what is expected of him to be social among his peers (essential if he is ever to learn about friendships and where to draw personal boundaries).

Personally, I would lean to the English speaking Montessori because even if he knows many languages he will not be able to use those languages if he never grasped the the subtle and delicate rules of what is socially accepted and how to make friends however, I don't know just how exposed you son is to the German language in his home and family life.