I am torn between Montessori and Waldorf for my three year old son. They both look great. Any help?

Question

My son is three years old and was adopted from Russia 1 1/2 years ago. He has come a very long way developmentally and I want to continue to offer him an environment where he will be encouraged to grow mentally; spiritually, and also be given the nurturing every child needs. There is a great traditional Montessori school nearby that goes through the sixth grade. I have also recently come across a Waldorf school that started about two years ago and that too seems interesting. I don't think either way I would make a mistake, but I just wish I could put my hand on something that would help me make this decision. He is an awesome child and loves being around kids and loves hugs and kisses. He is a pleaser. He likes to explore how things work. My only concern with Montessori is the independent time might be perceived by him as being placed to the side; and with Waldorf my concern is that they don't teach traditionally at all and the unknown scares me. I have to decide soon. Thanks

Answer 1

research both very carefully you dont want to push him so much that he shuts down

Answer 2

I'm copying and pasting part of a paper I wrote for a class in Comparative Education. Sorry I don't have time to edit it for your specific needs, but I hope that you will find it interesting none the less.  As far as which type of school is better, that really depends on your child and the schools in your area.  Just because one calls itself this or that doesn't mean that they really adheres to the philosophy.  

With that said, Waldorf education is wonderful for some people. I love the way they teach academic concepts with art and music and wish I could learn more about teaching this way, but do not agree with the philosophy as a whole. I find it too focused on the artistic, verbal and kinesthetic ways of learning. For people who learn in these ways, it is perfect. Yet not everyone learns artistically, verbally, or kinesthetically. Just like not everyone learns visually and auditory- the ways most often used in traditional school.

I also have a problem with the lack of academics and actual factual information in the younger years. I don’t believe in overwhelming a child with information, but I don’t believe in keeping basic scientific, mathematical, and historical facts from them if they are interested, or diverting their attention from reading or writing until they are older if they are so inclined.

I like Montessori because children get to work at their cutting edge of development.  Children aren't held back from learning just because some scripted public school program, or some person has decided that that concept is not taught until a certain age no matter how interested the child is.  Likewise children who need help aren't overwhelmed by material that they aren't ready for.  Lastly, I like the fact that each child's personal learning style is addressed.

Montessori and Waldorf education both started around the turn of the last century.  Montessori education was started by Maria Montessori the first female doctor in Italy.  Waldorf education was started by Rudolf Steiner a German philosopher.  

People often mistake the two for each other.  This is because they are both alternative forms of education and therefore appear “different” to the casual observer. There are many similarities and yet there are also great differences. Both forms of education believe in educating the “whole” child, meaning their spirit as well as their intellect. They each believe in teaching educational concepts in a wide variety of ways and have strong attachments to nature.  Additionally, both philosophies have strong beliefs towards children having respect, knowledge and understanding of not just the 3 R’s, but of the whole world around them including science, social studies, geography, art, music, and dance.

Yet the way that each philosophy brings their vision to reality is what sets them apart.  Montessori education believes that each child has an intrinsic desire to learn and therefore classrooms filled with materials to be touched, compared, ordered and so on. Each educational concept has many different materials that explain or derive the concept so that a child can use the material that works best for their leaning style. Children work “at their own pace”, which means each child uses the materials for as long as they need to.  This allows children who learn concepts quickly to advance their education accordingly, and children who have gaps in their knowledge or who are having a hard time  learning, to really come to understand a concept before moving on to the next.

Keeping this in mind the Montessori classroom has a large portion of the day (usually around 3 hours) that is geared towards children “working” on learning concepts.  Although not a free for all by any means, children during this time are not taught as a group and choose within boundaries their educational activities.  In a Montessori classroom the teacher is a facilitator; a companion in each child’s own learning process who quietly observes her students, watching them learn. When individual children are ready she brings them together to work on the precise concept that those children are ready for. Children who not ready for the concept or are beyond it, continue working on the concepts that they need to work on.  

In Waldorf there is a rhythm to the school day just as there is a rhythm to everything in the world around us including our daily breath. Each day starts with a one-and-a-half to two hour lesson that focuses on a single academic subject over the course of about a month's time. New material is introduced through stories and images, and academic instruction is integrated with art, music and movement. Recitations of poetry, including a verse written by Steiner for the start of a school day are included. In a Waldorf classroom the work is split into times of activity and focus.  The children are taught as a group and the teacher is seen as the authority, teaching each activity directly and moving the children through the ebb and flow of each day’s cycle.

In both philosophies there is little reliance on standardized textbooks. In Montessori children learn initially through materials and once they can read, through their own research. Utilizing encyclopedias, the internet and nonfiction books Montessori children are taught to take responsibility for their education. They learn to answer their own questions. In Waldorf education the elementary curriculum follows Steiner’s developmentally appropriate curriculum for each grade. Children create their own illustrated summaries of coursework in book form by carefully copying and recording information given to them throughout their lessons.

Both philosophies believe in the continuity of the classroom.  They feel that it is important for the teacher to understand each child’s individual personality, strengths and needs. Therefore Montessorians have multi-age classrooms usually grouping children in 3 year spans. This way each year only about a third of the children in the classroom are new. The new children are usually the youngest and easily learn the new materials, behaviors, and concepts since the older ones act as models. Montessorians believe that this modeling helps to ingrain the academic concepts into the older children’s minds.  Additionally, this multi-age grouping is partially what allows the children to work at their individual level since each classroom is prepared to meet the needs of all the children in their age span.

In Waldorf elementary classrooms, the teacher stays with their class ideally for the full eight years before high school. This system allows the teacher to grow along with the students and facilitates a strong bond of trust between students, parents and teacher. The teacher gets to know each child personally and takes a great deal of responsibility for their individual growth. Since the teacher will be teaching the child the next year great care is given not only to the concepts at hand, but to how the concepts will relate to future education.  You will not see a Waldorf teacher (or a Montessori teacher for that fact) blinding teaching a child a concept so they can reproduce it on a test.  In both philosophies education is seen as building a foundation for later years. In Waldorf since the teacher will be teaching those later years they want to make sure that the foundation is strongly built.

This foundation though is another place where Montessori and Waldorf often seem diametrically opposed. Montessori education believes that young children are full of questions about the world around them and so the classroom is prepared to answer these questions. There is little fantasy play incorporated into the Montessori classrooms, not because Montessorians believe it is bad or wrong as some people mis believe, but because it is believed that pre-school children are trying to understand the physical world around them and that elementary children are trying to understand all the information given to them. This is why all academic subjects are taught and integrated throughout the curriculum.



Waldorf schools believe that focusing children's learning on intellectual endeavors too soon distracts from their physical, spiritual and emotional development, so reading, writing, and math are not taught at all during preschool. Instead, emphasis is placed fantasy, imagination, storytelling, rhyming, and movement games.Many Waldorf kindergartens and lower grades ask that children not be exposed to media influences such as television and recorded music, as they believe these to be harmful in their more formative years.  An imaginative approach is encouraged throughout the elementary years; new material is introduced through stories and images, and academic instruction is integrated with the visual and plastic (modeling beeswax, paint…) music and movement. Science, social studies, and history are explored, though they are not taught with actual facts and information, as this is seen as too rigid and confining. Instead skills of observation, emotive expression, and judgment are honed by activities designed to make full use of each child's emotional sensitivity. Educational tasks are geared toward their "feeling intelligence" and fulfillment of their needs for a sense of accomplishment and positive self-esteem.

The polarity of these two philosophies continues into adolescence.  Montessorians believe that older children although displaying greater abstract abilities are now entering a stage in development where they no longer are trying to understand the world around them, but are trying to understand their place in the world. Montessorians believe that now that the child has had an extremely strong foundation in all academic areas, it is time for them to use this knowledge to better understand themselves and what they want for their future. Montessori high schools spend a lot of time on practical applications of knowledge (running a business, doing internships and work study programs). In Waldorf education it is just the opposite. In high school Waldorf students begin a guided but independent search for truth in themselves and the world around them. Concepts and knowledge they have acquired sensorially during their early years through exploration is solidified with facts and figures and abstract concepts introduced. While the elementary education focused on the child's experience with the teacher as the authority, pupils are now encouraged to begin a more independent development of "vital and creative" thinking while studying more abstract concepts in organized classes.

Answer 3

Visit both schools and observe the kids and the teachers. Do the kids seem happy? Teachers seem to pay attention? I am very familiar with Montessori, but know nothing about Waldorf.

Are you in a position that he HAS to go to school next year? If not, teach him at home and forget the preschool period! From what you have written it sounds like you would do well with him!

READ to him and LOVE him!

Answer 4

a montessori school.. because it teaches the child to be independent at an early age by letting them explore their environment freely.. children are also taught through hands-on activities which is great

Answer 5

My recommendation would be to talk to parents of each school. Then, ask the school adminsitration if they keep statistics on retention - how many students come back from one year to the next and didn't leave because they moved?

I just finished my master's in curriculum and LOVED the ideas behind the Montessoriy method. It truly allows for students to have independence and learn a lot, BUT the students DO NOT score higher on standardized tests.

Good luck!

Answer 6

i prefer montessori every time i have 13 kids and it works perfectly

Answer 7

My question to your question:  Why are you separating him from you, his MOTHER, so SOOOOOOOOON???????

How many hours is this a day? week? or month?  Anything more than 2 hours a day, maybe 3x a week is too much.  You only just got him!  Why let someone else have the joy of watching him learn and develop?  You are his mother and you can easily give him stimulating activities.

Stay with the lad and make the effort to raise him yourself, with his dad as well.  It is worth it.  School (kindergarten and 1st grade) comes soooon enough.  

Sasha needs YOU and loves you and I want him to stay with you as long as poss.  Three is liiitttttllllle yet.  Kiss him from me.  I love him already.

Answer 8

i went to montessori and out of the kids i know who went they are all doing very well and i had a fun time

Answer 9

Both are actually great for your child but of course in the end it is still about your son. What exactly do you want your child to develop? You have to base it on your child's own interest. Whatever is most comfortable. I prefer Montessori though