What kind of child does well in Montessori

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What does it mean when the previous previous poster wrote that young Montessori classrooms tend to be quiet. Do the kids not talk to each other? Are they supposed to be quietly working at a station? Is there a right way and a wrong way to use the classroom toys? If a preschooler wants to do a task in a different way, is he or she allowed?

my son could not master the fine art of rolling out the little mat and we were told that he wouldn't be able to proceed academically until he mastered that.

[Anonymous]

The point is that preschoolers, especially 3 year olds, shouldn't be doing a lot of solitary tasks. That's the time where they are really learning social skills and bonding with other children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does it mean when the previous previous poster wrote that young Montessori classrooms tend to be quiet. Do the kids not talk to each other? Are they supposed to be quietly working at a station? Is there a right way and a wrong way to use the classroom toys? If a preschooler wants to do a task in a different way, is he or she allowed?

my son could not master the fine art of rolling out the little mat and we were told that he wouldn't be able to proceed academically until he mastered that.

Hmmm. Then I guess Montessori wasn't for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The point is that preschoolers, especially 3 year olds, shouldn't be doing a lot of solitary tasks. That's the time where they are really learning social skills and bonding with other children.

I love this argument. Primary Montessori students of age 3-4 are in class for 3 hours tops, 5 days per week usually. That means that when you pick them up at noon, they have the entire rest of the day to "learn social skills" and "bond with other children." What kids can learn in Montessori is pretty remarkable, and I find that most people who turn their noses up either know nothing about it first-hand or have a child who just did not take to it. In my observation, the kids who don't would likely have behavior issues no matter where they went.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The point is that preschoolers, especially 3 year olds, shouldn't be doing a lot of solitary tasks. That's the time where they are really learning social skills and bonding with other children.

I love this argument. Primary Montessori students of age 3-4 are in class for 3 hours tops, 5 days per week usually. That means that when you pick them up at noon, they have the entire rest of the day to "learn social skills" and "bond with other children." What kids can learn in Montessori is pretty remarkable, and I find that most people who turn their noses up either know nothing about it first-hand or have a child who just did not take to it. In my observation, the kids who don't would likely have behavior issues no matter where they went.

I am the pp whose son was told that he did not do the mat right. He is doing great in the traditional preschool we move him too. No concerns whatsoever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The point is that preschoolers, especially 3 year olds, shouldn't be doing a lot of solitary tasks. That's the time where they are really learning social skills and bonding with other children.

I love this argument. Primary Montessori students of age 3-4 are in class for 3 hours tops, 5 days per week usually. That means that when you pick them up at noon, they have the entire rest of the day to "learn social skills" and "bond with other children." What kids can learn in Montessori is pretty remarkable, and I find that most people who turn their noses up either know nothing about it first-hand or have a child who just did not take to it. In my observation, the kids who don't would likely have behavior issues no matter where they went.

I am the pp whose son was told that he did not do the mat right. He is doing great in the traditional preschool we move him too. No concerns whatsoever.

FWIW, no Montessori I know would hang up a child's success on his mat-rolling skills. Like all schools, Montessoris vary from one to another. Perhaps his was not great, or he had a not so terrific teacher. It's unfortunate they soured you on it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The point is that preschoolers, especially 3 year olds, shouldn't be doing a lot of solitary tasks. That's the time where they are really learning social skills and bonding with other children.

I love this argument. Primary Montessori students of age 3-4 are in class for 3 hours tops, 5 days per week usually. That means that when you pick them up at noon, they have the entire rest of the day to "learn social skills" and "bond with other children." What kids can learn in Montessori is pretty remarkable, and I find that most people who turn their noses up either know nothing about it first-hand or have a child who just did not take to it. In my observation, the kids who don't would likely have behavior issues no matter where they went.

I am the pp whose son was told that he did not do the mat right. He is doing great in the traditional preschool we move him too. No concerns whatsoever.

FWIW, no Montessori I know would hang up a child's success on his mat-rolling skills. Like all schools, Montessoris vary from one to another. Perhaps his was not great, or he had a not so terrific teacher. It's unfortunate they soured you on it.

Yes indeed. That was not the only thing they had issues with but indicative of what the teacher was like. A neighbor told me that if he were in his son's old room, my son would have still been there. But it seems that the good teacher was the exception and not the rule. And this is supposed to be the best Montessori school in this area.

I am actually a big fan of the Montessori manipulativels and the way they teacher reading and math. But in the end, I think they are too restrictive as a whole. The Montessori students and parents self select into it to a great degree, so it is hard to say most will do well just because most who choose to enroll survives it. And they do produce kids who are ahead academically at least in the early elementary years. But friends who had kids went to both types of preschool said it all even out later on.

[Anonymous]

So curious about which Montessori you're describing, PP, but I understand if you do not want to divulge. They do really vary, and the teacher--as in any school--makes all the difference.

[Anonymous]

19:27 The only Montessori schools we have looked at are full day programs and many of them have the same type of instruction ALL DAY! Rarely any group activities, no toys, etc. In addition, 3 hours a day 5 days a week of doing mainly solitary tasks is not a good thing for a 3 year old. 1 hour a day 3 times a week sure, but I've seen places where children are working or playing alone almost the entire day from 8-5.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The point is that preschoolers, especially 3 year olds, shouldn't be doing a lot of solitary tasks. That's the time where they are really learning social skills and bonding with other children.

I love this argument. Primary Montessori students of age 3-4 are in class for 3 hours tops, 5 days per week usually. That means that when you pick them up at noon, they have the entire rest of the day to "learn social skills" and "bond with other children." What kids can learn in Montessori is pretty remarkable, and I find that most people who turn their noses up either know nothing about it first-hand or have a child who just did not take to it. In my observation, the kids who don't would likely have behavior issues no matter where they went.

To me, learning social skills and bonding with other children are key parts of the preschool experience. They're a primary reason many families send their children to school.

I also think it's interesting that when parents and teachers share their reservations about Montessori, often based on in person observations, reading the work of Maria Montessori and contemporary authors, and otherwise setting out to learn about Montessori, Montessori people are so quick to jump in and insult them as "knowing nothing", or worse insult their children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The point is that preschoolers, especially 3 year olds, shouldn't be doing a lot of solitary tasks. That's the time where they are really learning social skills and bonding with other children.

I love this argument. Primary Montessori students of age 3-4 are in class for 3 hours tops, 5 days per week usually. That means that when you pick them up at noon, they have the entire rest of the day to "learn social skills" and "bond with other children." What kids can learn in Montessori is pretty remarkable, and I find that most people who turn their noses up either know nothing about it first-hand or have a child who just did not take to it. In my observation, the kids who don't would likely have behavior issues no matter where they went.

To me, learning social skills and bonding with other children are key parts of the preschool experience. They're a primary reason many families send their children to school.

I also think it's interesting that when parents and teachers share their reservations about Montessori, often based on in person observations, reading the work of Maria Montessori and contemporary authors, and otherwise setting out to learn about Montessori, Montessori people are so quick to jump in and insult them as "knowing nothing", or worse insult their children.

True. My favorite is that when they say that not every Montessori is a true Montessori. In my view, I want the the less true Montessori. If a school takes the good things from Montessori and does act all arrogant and inflexible, I say that is a good thing.

[Anonymous]

I meant does "not" act.

[Anonymous]

It is true that there is much independent work in Montessori but our experience (we had two kids in montessori for 3 yrs each) was that there was also a lot of social interaction. One aspect of the social interaction that we really liked was the peer assistance - part of the reason for the multi-age classroom is that older children help younger children, and this benefits both immensely. We found that it gave our kids a lot of confidence (and practice with empathy and nurturing) as they got to be the older kids in the classroom and were able to assist the younger kids.

[Anonymous]

To 15:14 - when I went to observe a Montessori classroom and when I sat in my son's class during the first few days of preschool, I was shocked that the energetic kids quickly quieted down and were engrossed by the activities ("work" in Montessori parlance). No one is walking around shushing them, they just become intrigued with the materials and really focused on completing the tasks. They are free to speak and will talk to each other about what they are doing (look at this picture of the dog). It's kind of like when you are absorbed by a great book or doing something really fun -- you lose track of time because you are enjoying yourself.

The "work" is designed to entice the children. For instance, instead of pointing to a red square and saying "this is red" or giving the kids red crayons to color a picture red, my son's classroom has a color box where they laid out 6-7 cool objects that are the same color (i.e., a red matchbox car, a red fireman figurine, red ball, etc). It quickly helped to reinforce the color red because my son remembered all the little red things in the box.

You may not find a big toy box in the classroom (though there will likely be one outside on the playground), but the activities they do are designed to be fun and instructive (stretching colorful rubber bands over pegs to make shapes - it is fun to play with stretchy rubber bands and they scrutinize a triangle and learn how to make one, plus grasping the rubber band helps develop fine motor skills). These are activities that my 2yo does, so I can't tell you what a 4yo does yet, but this is the general way information is presented. So while Montessori can sound really rigid, it doesn't strike me that way now that I have seen it up close.

We chose Montessori because we had no other childcare options and were mildly intrigued. Now I have really come to appreciate a lot of the things they do at my son's school. But I am not such a zealot that I think Montessori is the only way to get from point A to point B. Check out a bunch of schools and see what feels right.

[Anonymous]

A friend of mine sent her daughter a Montessori at 2 and liked it but pulled her after a summer in the primary room. Very different experience , no match car for sure.