What kind of child does well in Montessori

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD is a strong willed and spirited child. She does well in Montessori because she isn't expected to sit at a desk and do what 15 other kids are doing. She loves the independance interspersed with one on one lessons. But I see lots of different kids doing well in her class--serious, hyper, eager to please.

That might be a good comparison in the older grades -- I don't know. But no good preschool would have her sitting at a desk doing what 15 other kids are doing.

My dd would do terribly in a montessori bc she likes to hyperfocus -- without the structure of teacher-guided activities, she'd do the same thing over and over without interacting with anyone. But at her good play-based school, she still ad plenty of times for individual choice and there were no desks or worksheets at all.

My kids have been at M school for years. The hyperfocus issue is something Montessori supports strongly and allows. My kids and other kids at the school have been known to do one particular work for hours or even days. The Montessori explanation for this is that the kid's brain is really into that particular work at that moment and is learning/growing like crazy. It's the Montessori teacher's responsibility to make sure the child covers all the required subjects by the end of the week, and end of the school year.

Agree. My son is in his 5th year of Montessori. Just spent a week on a project. With lots of guidance along the way. I think it all depends on the teacher/school how well it is done but theoretically Montessori should work for lots of different kinds of kids. Teachers are supposed to be supporting students interested and personalities. Lots of room for individual and group work. The teacher lessons are to show students how to use materials, explain concepts. Then students can use at own pace. Working well for my DC. He is serious about work, good attention span, etc. but that is not true about all the kids in his class.

[Anonymous]

I recently asked a Montessori administrator whether Montessori is better suited to girls. They said that girls tend to do better but a subset of boys also enjoy it. I do not think my boys are in that subset. The requirement that you only use a work item in a particular way and the short amount of outdoor time are a challenge to boys that are not as ready to sit still as girls are.

[Anonymous]

I also agree that the lack of outdoor time is a huge detriment. I'm not sure why this is so since they're all about being well rounded and nature focused. But the preschools have considerably less outdoor time than the more traditional schools I've seen.

[Anonymous]

The school I work at does NOT have short outdoor time.
40 min in morning and occasionally in the afternoon. Some teachers have picnic lunches and others garden and take nature walks with children. The early elementary also has PE outdoors on nice days

[Anonymous]

(Cont) Montessori values outdoor time/nature.

[Anonymous]

The school I work at does NOT have short outdoor time.
40 min in morning and occasionally in the afternoon. Some teachers have picnic lunches and others garden and take nature walks with children. The early elementary also has PE outdoors on nice days

It must vary. The two that I visited had very limited outdoor time (under 30 minutes).

[Anonymous]

It varies by how the school interprets Maria Montessori's teachings. I don't think she was really into what we'd consider "recess" - eg running around and playing - so some schools don't have that. She did value outdoor time and nature, and a good program will have outdoor elements/gardening.

My child's Montessori school gives them plenty of recess and outdoor time, which works well for him (he's high energy). He also can and does focus well on projects.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The school I work at does NOT have short outdoor time.
40 min in morning and occasionally in the afternoon. Some teachers have picnic lunches and others garden and take nature walks with children. The early elementary also has PE outdoors on nice days

My kid's preschool (not Montessori) had 60 minutes in the morning, and 60 more in the afternoon. The school where I teach, the PreK kids have 3 30 minute recesses. 40 is very limited, although I realize it's long for Montessori.

I think that in addition to asking "what kind of kid" you have to ask "what kind of parent". Montessori doesn't produce the kinds of outcomes I want for my child. The children are discouraged from being creative, both in their work and their social interaction. The skills I value aren't the ones that Montessori teaches.

[Anonymous]

At my kids' M school, the primary kids are outside for an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon. The elementary kids have an hour for recess, PE once a week, and can sit outside to do their work when the weather is nice. They also have a garden so they are outside tending to that. One of kids is really into picking mint from the herb garden and brewing a cup of mint tea each morning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At my kids' M school, the primary kids are outside for an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon. The elementary kids have an hour for recess, PE once a week, and can sit outside to do their work when the weather is nice. They also have a garden so they are outside tending to that. One of kids is really into picking mint from the herb garden and brewing a cup of mint tea each morning.

Which school? That sounds lovely.

[Anonymous]

I think a lot of Americans don't get Montessori School -- so they denounce it out of hand w/o even understanding it.

OP --- any kind of kid can do well in Montessori. That is the beauty of it. The one my DD went to was excellent. They didn't do entrance testing -- nonetheless -- they made stars out of just about any kind of kid w/o having to just "cherry pick" the ones with winning scores (much like the elite privates do in the early years).

I didn't think my kid was a particular supestar -- she went to Montessori for 8 years. Well -- it worked wonders for her and she ended up at a top Ivy and so did another kid in her class. They hadn't seen each other for years between graduating Montessori and then meeting up again in college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I recently asked a Montessori administrator whether Montessori is better suited to girls. They said that girls tend to do better but a subset of boys also enjoy it. I do not think my boys are in that subset. The requirement that you only use a work item in a particular way and the short amount of outdoor time are a challenge to boys that are not as ready to sit still as girls are.

Using the work in one particular way was a major issue for my boy. He lasted a month at 3. He is doing well in a traditional school.

[Anonymous]

To the poster who said "Montessori discourages creativity" ---- I respectfully disagree! (Montessori teacher.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the poster who said "Montessori discourages creativity" ---- I respectfully disagree! (Montessori teacher.)

And as a parent I have to disagree as well. Discouraging creativity seems really antithetical to Montessori, from what we've experienced so far. So much is child-directed, and they are encouraged to follow through with creative ideas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At my kids' M school, the primary kids are outside for an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon. The elementary kids have an hour for recess, PE once a week, and can sit outside to do their work when the weather is nice. They also have a garden so they are outside tending to that. One of kids is really into picking mint from the herb garden and brewing a cup of mint tea each morning.

Which school? That sounds lovely.

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