Montessori Schools ... Anyone Have Experience With Them?

Question

I'm thinking about enrolling my 21 month old daughter to a Montessori school. Can anyone tell me about them from their personal experience?

Answer 1

Your kid is lucky--most Montessori Preschools are amazing places and kids love them. That being said you need to check out the individual schools as there as Montessori is not trademarked or whatever so anybody can claim to be Montessori even if they are not. This allows for some more visionary folks to have freedom with their schools but it also allows for slackers to claim the name. My husband went to Montessori preschool and said it was like a total dream...

Answer 2

I used to teach at a montessori school and they are wonderful. Most preschools just give the kids snacks, let them run around, and take a nap. Montessori teaches them things, but only things they want to do. Everything for their age group is set up on shelves and when they want to do something the teacher shows them how. Then whenever they want to do it again the do it themselves. They have little boards that teach tying, and pouring, everyday stuff. It is absolutely wonderful. They are never pressured, never bored, and it is such a great experience. However that said it is not for every child. If your child is very shy it may not be the right choice. See if they will do a trial day, they normally will and see how she does. hope this helped, it really kinda confusing unless you have seen it firsthand, maybe you can go observe? Good luck.

Answer 3

The Montessori theory is focused on the importance of the childrens learning environment. It was discovered by Maria Montessori in 1870 and is based on the belief that children will learn through the interaction with the environment. There are now sepcific teaching aids and equipment that can be purchased that are montessori based. I have worked in a Montessori based centre as well as have a friend who has certificates in Montessori teaching. a great book is "teach me to do it myself" by Maja Pitamic. There is a strong focus on building independance in this environment - hope this has helped a little

Answer 4

My son went to a Montessori school for pre-K and it was the best experience.  He came out with such a strong grasp on phonics and early reading.  He loved going everyday and learned so much.  His teacher was so amazing, she worked not only with the educational side of things but also character.  For example she would allow them to look at a lizard on the playground, but taught them to be careful, examine and release.  She worked with the kids and would not allow ugly names, but instead of punishment she sat down and talked about how we should treat our friends.  She encouraged kindness and led by example.  I cannot say enough good things about her.

That being said all Montessori schools and teachers are not created equally.  When it was first becoming a way of teaching teachers trained for a long time and came out with an amazing grasp of the Montessori system.  Now teachers train for 18 months at community college to be Montessori certified.  And instead of being emersed in Montessori during this 18 months they are taught other early childhood classes so they just cannot come out as prepared.  

Also I have seen many Montessori schools that have 19 year olds teaching, I would look for teachers that are older, with years experience.  Look for classrooms with a lot of clean and well organized stations for tactile learning like tweezing, tonging, spooning, lacing, buttoning.  Science and geography stations, graduated blocks, all kinds of hands on stations that the children are using.  Go and observe the classroom.  Are the children quiet but busy?  Are they all engaged in what they are doing?  How is the teacher managing the class?

Hope some of this helps.  Good luck.

Answer 5

I am a trained Montessorian in the 2.5-6 age group. Like answers before me, the best thing to do is go to observe and see what you think. The name Montessori can be used by anyone unfortunately and there are many, many schools who do not follow the philosophy.

The best part about a Montessori classroom is the children are extremely independent, but there are limitations of course and they know that. Also, everything is individualized...there is no comparing to other children. All children develop and grow at their own pace and there is no pressure. They will amaze you with what they will learn to do from polishing, cutting vegetables, adding/subtracting/multiplying/dividing, reading, writing, and use amazing spatial skills. It is a very well rounded curriculum.

With your daughter being 21 months, you would be enrolling in a toddler program, getting ready for Primary. Check out to see if the teacher is trained in the toddler class because that can make a big difference. And of course, see if the Primary teachers are trained. You want someone trained!

Check out to see what affiliation the school has with Montessori organizations. The two main organizations are AMI (Association of Montessori Internationale) and AMS (American Montessori Society). These are the same organizations that are the most well known for teacher training.

And lastly, if you are really interested in it, check out the book, "How to Raise an Amazing Child the Montessori Way." It gives excellent advice to parents and really explains some of the philosophy without using too many educational terms.

I hope you love it!!

Answer 6

There is an excellent guide book about Montessori.  You may learn about it first before enrolling your child in a Montessori school.  It the best educational resource for you to learn how to teach your children the Montessori method.