Montessori vs. private school?

Question

How can I decide whether to put my to-be kindergartener in Montessori school? Having a hard time determining which would be best..

Answer 1

listen, i went to a montessori school my entire life and it is well worth it, the education is unbelievable and the best part about it is if your child excels farther than other children, teachers will let your child keep going, they are not held back, for example, i skipped 2 grades!  yeah, that might sound foolish, but its true, i promise.  i am not trying to brag, but montessori is the best possible environment to put your child into, they also use a different learning technique which helped me to be able to excel.  they use visual materials to help u learn, then when writing things down on paper, anything is a piece of cake.  trust me, if you would like your child to succeed in many ways, montessori is the way to go.

Answer 2

If your child does not require one-to-one supervision and is a fast learner, there is no need to put him in a Montessori school. Other private schools would still be able to give close supervision, without slowing down her progress.

Answer 3

I went through monetssori and it was a great experience for me.  I have grown up to be independent and able to manage myself much better than others I know.  

But it all dependes on the quality of the differents programs.  If the private school is exceptionally better then you might want to consider putting your child there.  If the programs are equal and you are just looking at it from an approach to learning standpoint than I would definently go for Montessori.

Answer 4

Don't judge the school on how they talk the talk about Montessori, eclectic education, block scheduling or whatever the buzzwords are today. Visit the school, talk to the teachers and look at the classes. You need to decide if the children look happy and content. Are the teacher's in charge of the classes (or vice versa)? Is it a place where you can leave your child in the knowledge that (s)he will be safe, well cared for and will be able to start learning.

Before committing our daughter to her current school we visited and then I sat with her while she joined the class for an afternoon. All seemed great so the next day I went with her and started asking if she would like me to stay for a few minutes or the whole afternoon. She said "It's OK daddy. Just go now" and has not looked back. It is now very difficult keeping her away even when she is poorly.

The title of the school is a trivial matter. You should make your decision based on the quality of the school. In the UK we can read inspectors' reports about all schools and there might be something similar for you if you are not in the UK. Such reports can be used to determine if your impression of the schools is shared by inspectors.

Answer 5

I think you have take into account the personality of your child.  A private school is considered to be superior academically to public school, but with basically the same traditional teaching methods.  A Montessori school, also considered to be academically superior, relies on different, 'non-traditional' teaching methods.  I think Montessori teachers are supposed to let the student take the lead, and base the lessons around whatever the student is interested in playing, reading, coloring, etc at a given moment, for example.  Go and check out several different schools of each type and see which one(s) you and your child both seem to fit with.  Good luck!

Answer 6

I put my daughter in a Montessori school and have never regretted it. She developed a love of learning and is now a sophomore at Northwestern University and doing excellent. I am a certified Montessori teacher as well as a certified public school teacher (I taught 15 years in the public elementary system) and I now teach at a public junior college. I am a huge fan of the Montessori method as all the learning styles are targeted, it is taught on an individual basis and it instills in the child a love of learning. Children are able to develop their critical thinking skills and learn to question why rather than accepting the rote answer. Children are taught to be self managers and there is little need for discipline as the environment is stimulating enough to avoid behavioral issues. If you are able to send your child to a Montessori I urge you to do so!