Pros and Cons of Montessori education?
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Anonymous
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"My problem is having 30 children ranging from 2-6 in one classroom; I'm scared my child would be bullied by the older children... My daughter is only two years old and not potty trained. I'd have to send her five days a week since the school is far and this worries me. Has anyone sent a two-year old full time to a Montessori school? "
We're doing this in the fall simply because the school we are at is much, much better than the daycares around my area. The Montessori preschool programs are usually age 3-6 not 2-6. The materials are not really for two year olds and I would guess there are safety issues as well. At our school they have separate room for kids who turn 2 by September and then they move up to their Montessori classroom at age 3 the next fall. The 2s room is smaller as per MD regulation and is more play based. The kids have the Montessori environment but they are not expected to do Montessori work, lots of sensory toys, no plastic character stuff or dress up clothes, lots of puzzles, art supplies, books, blocks and a separate playyard for the 2 year olds. They use the same child driven approach but the real program doesn't start until age 3. Its a really nice environment but our main motivator is that DC needs more socialization and stimulation than our nanny can provide. We simply can not afford 9-3 Montessori for our older child, part time Montessori for our youngest and our nanny's full time salary. I really do not want to switch to a new nanny for one year and ours is great for infants but not so great for a toddler and preschooler so we are giving this a try. For age 3-5/6 I would highly recommend Montessori and we love it. I prefer the more concept driven approach than the workbook, copy letters and everyone sit in a circle and listen to the teacher read a book approach. The kids seemed to be encouraged to think more and the materials challenge their different abilities which is different from the memorization and learn this from hearing the teacher in the more traditional approach. I think it would be great for elementary school but I don't know of any that go through elementary school in my area. |
Anonymous
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8:42 PP here, PP had a good point: at all of the schools we looked at and the one my DCs were enrolled in, the toddler class was for diapered/pull-up kids. Even if the kids were 3 yo they did not move to the 3-6 year class until this wasn't an issue. (Some kids stayed in their 3-4 yo year which was fine.) |
Anonymous
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My child attends a to 2 to 5 montessori. He was just 2 when he started and first few months were a little rough because he was just too young (2.5 would have been better.) I don't think the (few) 2-year olds participate much -- they kind of mill about at the outskirts observing the older kids or are in their own universe.
The older kids I think did call the little ones "babies" (because my son would come home and mimic it and it troubled me for a while.) Fortunately I think he was oblivious to the fact it was an insult and I think the kids who engaged in that talk are now thankfully graduated. But that said, he also learned a lot from the older kids -- much more interested in getting potty trained, learning to write his name, etc. because he saw older kids doing it. Now that he is an older kid he loves it and is protective of the little ones. I will send my younger one at 2 and love that she can be in same class with her brother (and, having been socialized thru him and his friends, she is much more ready than he was at same age, plus no one is going to call her a "baby" with him around 
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Anonymous
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Wow! I'm so grateful for all your replies. If it's worth anything, the website for the school here is
www.campbellmontessori.org. I'm still up late at nights trying to make a decision. I explained our financial situation to the director of the school when we visited and she had no problems slashing the price by a significant amount for us; she commented "don't worry about it; we want her to come." While I still have my concerns, I'm worried that we would be letting a great opportunity pass us by if we don't send her. My total morning commute to and from the school is at least 90 mins and I'll have my newborn baby with me; dad will pick her up in the afternoon. Would it be worth all the trouble based on your experiences with a Montessori education? Our daughter is eager to learn and she is always trying to build on what she's learned; I recently taught her the shape "crescent" and since then she's been pointing out everything that has that shape (bananas, etc.). I feel that she's ready academically and I was really impressed with how disciplined the children were even on the playground when we visited. Because I have the newborn to deal with at home and the two-year old is extremely active, I need to have her in a daily program. I've visited no fewer than 15 daycare centers and I'm convinced that it would be a waste of money to send her to any of them; they're also costly for what they provide. This is long, but would someone give me his/her opinion about what's the best thing to do? Thank you so much. |
Anonymous
| 90 mins in a car everyday w/ a baby and a 2 yr old is crazy! Honestly, there has to be a preschool closer to you that is just as good. She is 2 and still needs you too so keep that in mind as you look. You can teach her a lot yourself. I taught my son how to read prior to him starting pre-K and it wasn't that difficult. Look for a church based preschool that will allow her to learn how to socialize and be away from you a little bit at a time. Unless you need care everyday, Montessori 5 times per week for a 2 yr old is overkill. |
Anonymous
| This school is in Missouri? |
Anonymous
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My sons went a M school but I found it was waste of both time and money. |
Anonymous
| Thanks again for your replies. She will visit the school for two days and we'll go from there. |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
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For all the parents;
I'm 25 year old montessori raised till kindergarten guy. and the day i get children of my own im going to take them to a montessori school; from personal experience I cherish the experience and regard it as one of the early things that allowed me to be the person that I am today (for the record, chemistry state champion, swimming team, and robotics engineer), i remember they began to introduce us to chess (in my school), at the age of 4. A drawback that my family found with my relationships with my cousins, is that in the words of a psychiatrist, i was a 3yr old thinking like a 6 yr old and I was unable to cope with them. My brother wasn't raised in montessori system, and now grown up, i see the differences, my brother tends to shun people not belonging to his mindset, his friends and himself are copies of each other, and I tend to mix the persons a little, though I do not regard everyone as a friend, my social skills are well developed and I'm self-righteous, so if you're scared that your child won't be able to socialize, there's is nothing to be afraid of, but there will be issues beginning the normal education on elementary school, because the montessori children DO NOT understand bullying, it seems pointless to us...for me still does... so it will be the parent's duty in this case to help the children cope with the new emotions. sry i had to review some of the bad stuff but some parents were asking for it, For me montessori years are also vivid in my memory. I still make the best lemonade on the entire family...o yeah I forgot I bake too!! (and im a guy!!) |
Anonymous
| I would be careful about the class sizes. There are many benefits to Montessori schools, but if there are more than 30 kids in a class, it makes it very difficult for a teacher to provide kids with one-on-one attention. |
Anonymous
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OP, can you tell us (about) where you are located? We had a REALLY negative experience with an accredited one in NVA. While Montessori looks great on paper, it depends on several factors - including, but not limited to, the devotion of the teacher. It is truly not for everyone and it really depends on the child. |
Anonymous
| 00:17 PP - would you mind sharing the name of the school in NVA. We are considering one, and I hope this isn't the one you speak of. |
Anonymous
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I went to a Montessori school. My memories of it were
*plenty of play *i didn't know i was working *we did jr great books (this was in grade 2-3) *lots of child-directed choice (or maybe i was manipulated into thinking i had a choice) *lots of cross-age interaction, meaning opportunity to mentor and be mentored by other children *related to #1 above, a great deal of student interaction, since we learned from each other *some "circle time" and some one-on-one time with teacher (don't remember small-groups) |
Anonymous
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My child attend a center that had a Montessori approach. It was a disaster for her and she learned virtually nothing.
I think it had to do with the level of the teachers and aids who simply were not really understanding of the Montessori method and the fact that my child likes to be "taught" as opposed to pouring liquids back and forth. A lot of the stuff she did was boring for her and she just picked over and over the easiest stuff to do. Maybe in a better program she would have learned more? Montessori obvsiously works great for some kids but it won't work for every child so if you do choose this approach make sure to be actively involved and if it doesn't seem like your child is progressing or enjoys it, consider that the method is not best for your child and pick a different preschool with a different approach. |